These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends [h.s.]

Chapter 3

"So, guess who was in my History class today?" I ask while driving us home.

"Who?" Cassie asks uninterested.

"How about you guess?" Honestly, how did she not catch on? She literally mentioned him this morning.

"Uh, I don't know." I glance over to the passenger seat and see her glued to her phone. It's times like these where I miss my attentive friend Bella.

"Cass, seriously get off your phone for one second and guess," I plead.

"Alex, I'm kind of in the middle of getting vital information about the new boy from school so I literally can't." She aids her head in discomfort as I drove over a speed bump

"Is your head okay or something?" I ask.

Cassie closes her legs while looking out the window in my car attempting to avoid eye contact. "Yeah, my head just hurts a bit. I was tumbling yesterday during cheer practice. Its nothing."

"Yeah, well get that checked out you might have a concussion," I say in a motherly tone. Cassie always attracts a variety of bruises and marks from cheerleading so I genuinely worry for her sometimes.

"Anyways, are you gonna tell me what you were just talking about cause' you know I can't guess for shit so just tell me," she asks.

"Wait, you first. What did you hear about the new guy?" Cassie shoots her eyes at me in confusion as I interrupted.

"Well, well, well. Look who's suddenly interested in boys again. I thought Jack would be the last guy you'd ever care about."

"Cassie." I groan in annoyance. Jack was all in the past and the last thing I need is for someone to bring up that asshole.

"So, basically his name is Dean Styles, hot I know, and he lives with his drunk-ridden Uncle on Groveton Road. He has a sister or a brother or maybe even both, I don't know, but he's the only Styles attending Eastwood High. He moved here because his parents passed away or something."

"His parents passed away?" Maybe that's why he was so shocked to hear mine did too.

"Alex, that's just what I heard. I can't validate it till I ask him out."

I almost smashed the breaks.

"You want to ask him out? Shouldn't he be doing all the asking?" I say nervously.

"Every girl is going to be after him so I need to make a move before it's too late," she says with confidence.

"Look at you taking charge. Sounds nice Cass." After breaking up with her ex-boyfriend over the summer, Cassie was really devastated so seeing her this way makes me happy that she's moved on. Although, I couldn't help but accept that a part of me wanted to engage with Dean. It wouldn't be fair knowing that she had her eyes set on him so I thought she deserved this chance.

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After hours of studying, Cassie fell asleep watching T.V. while I finished re-reading my science notes. As I put my papers back into my backpack, I heard my phone ring. It was charging next to Cassie so I grabbed it quickly. Maybe it was Aunt Jo, I thought.

Suddenly, my heart dropped when I read the contact name causing me to leap to the bathroom. The incessant ringing grew louder while I was debating if I should pick up. Finally, I made a vast decision by locking the door and answering the call.

"Hey, Dean."

"Hey, Sorry I took so long to contact you I was helping my uncle run his daily errands so by the time I was done it was a quarter past eight and didn't know if I should still call. It took me about twenty minutes to build up the courage." His honesty and shyness made me smile so wide that I almost laughed at how cute he was.