Discoveries

-Chapter 22: Your Story-

-Zeke-

"How's Cassie been?" Kris suddenly asked, catching me off guard.

"I don't know," I replied, puzzled. "I haven't seen her around."

Kris shot me a look of disbelief, and I simply shrugged, unsure of what she was getting at.

"Aren't you friends with her?" she pressed, her tone accusing.

"Yeah," I admitted. "So?"

"Then why on earth haven't you invited her to hang out with us?" Kris accused. "Go spend time with her!"

"What?" I protested.

"No 'buts'!" she interrupted firmly. "I'm going to hang out with Jess today, and you go see Cassie."

Raising my hands in mock surrender, I tried to contain my laughter. When Kris had something in mind, she was relentless.

"Fine, fine," I relented. "I'll go."

"Yay!" Kris exclaimed triumphantly, clapping her hands. "Have fun, Red."

I playfully flipped her off before slinging my bag over my shoulder and making my way out.

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I had no idea what to expect when I went looking for her, but I certainly didn't anticipate having to search so thoroughly. I checked every normal spot where someone would typically be found, yet she was nowhere to be seen. Eventually, I stumbled upon her at the back of the school. I didn't even know people were allowed in this area. She was huddled, hugging her knees, appearing as if she had been through a personal hell.

"So, Cas, this is where you disappear to," I remarked, cautiously approaching her.

She seemed startled, clearly unaware of my presence until I spoke.

"Oh," she breathed, a hint of relief in her voice. "It's just you."

"The one and only," I replied, settling down next to her. "What's this place?"

"This is my hiding spot. I come here when I want to be alone," she explained. "Why are you here?"

"Kris wanted to hang out with Jessie, so I decided to find you," I explained. "I didn't feel like being alone."

"Well, I do," she retorted, attempting to sound intimidating.

She wasn't very successful; her voice was too soft to carry that kind of authority.

"Fair enough," I shrugged. "I'm guessing you had a rough day?"

"You have no idea," she sighed, dropping whatever facade she had put up.

"Wanna talk about it?" I instinctively asked.

"Why?" she asked, genuinely puzzled.

"I don't know," I calmly replied. "Sometimes it's good to talk about things, I guess."

"Why ask if you don't know?" she queried, studying me with a perplexed expression.

"It's a habit," I shrugged. "Nothing more, nothing less."

She gave me a strange look but didn't push the matter. It truly was a habit of mine to ask. Back home, I used to do it all the time. I suppose after a while, it simply became second nature to me.

"What's your story, Cassandra?" I asked, attempting to keep the conversation flowing.

"What?" she responded, confusion evident in her voice. "What do you mean, my story?"

"Like," I clarified, "who are you? What kind of person are you? Because if this whole friendship thing is going to work, we're going to need to learn a thing or two about each other."

"Why would you want to be friends with someone like me?" she asked, her confusion deepening. "I mean, just look at me."

Then the bell rang, but Cassie didn't move. I, however, did.

"It's not always about appearances," I remarked before walking away.

She was an enigmatic one—posing so many questions to things with seemingly simple answers.