Words Unspoken ✔️

Chapter 16: Daddy's Girl

Back when I was a child

Before life removed all the innocence

My father would lift me high

And dance with my mother and me

And then

Spin me around 'till I fell asleep

Then up the stairs he would carry me

And I knew for sure

I was loved

Luther Vandross-Dance With My Father

Friday Night

Cassie stared off into space, as she was on the E train to Jamaica Center. She was very fortunate to have a seat between her parents. She felt so warm, snug, and secure between them. As the train jerked forward out of the Jamaica-Van Wyck train station, Cassie's mind wandered back to the moments before her suicide attempt. She almost didn't want to go back home, because of all the pain, darkness and guilt awaiting her. She felt sick to her stomach at the fact that her recovering in the hospital couldn't stop Simone and Ashley from talking about her.

She then felt so guilty about C.J. almost strangling Simone so bad that he almost got kicked off the basketball team. It was almost like she was a walking kiss of death. A tear rolled down her cheek at that thought. She tried to quickly wipe it away, but her father beat her to it, wiping away her tear with his thumb.

"Honey, are you alright?" Angie asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm OK," Cassie replied, her voice broken.

"You don't sound alright to me," Austin said.

Cassie sighed sadly. "Mama, Daddy, do I have to go back to school on Monday?" she asked.

"You gotta speak up, baby, the train's making noise," Austin replied through the loud banging that the tracks made as the train zoomed through the tunnel.

"I said if I had to go back to school on Monday," Cassie repeated, her tone a little louder.

"Cassie, why on earth would we send you back to school so soon?" Angie asked in disbelief.

"Oh," Cassie said, her face burning with embarrassment for asking that stupid question.

"Sometimes we gotta take things one step at a time," Austin spoke up. "You gotta have time to recover and get your strength and confidence back. That's why your mother and I are sure that you won't be attending school for at least a week or two until you get better mentally and emotionally, and most importantly we need to make sure that your bullies would be held accountable." he finished grimly.

"Mm-hmm, those raggedy little twerps and their parents need to get got," Angie agreed. "And in the meantime, Cassie, C.J. and your friend will bring work home so that you won't fall behind."

"You're not leaving home until we say so," Austin added.

Just then, the three of them winced as the train conductor literally shrieked out her announcement of the incoming stop through the train intercom,

"This is Sutphin Boulevard, transfer here for the J and Z trains!! Connections available to the Long Island Rail Road and the AirTrain to Kennedy Airport!!"

"Christ almighty, can she be any louder than that?" Austin grumbled.

"I think my ears are ringin'," Angie agreed.

The train's brakes screeched loudly as the E train came to a full stop. Throughout the mass exodus out of the train into the station, Cassie held on to both her parents' hands as they made their way out of the train station into the outside. It didn't take long for them to catch the Q40 bus, meaning less walking to the house, much to Cassie's delight, along with getting seats for the three of them at the back of the bus.