Finding Hope

Chapter One

Music, blaring, blasting. Cass ignores the pounding in her head. She brushes the pulsing pain under the rug with another cigarette and a beer.

She hears a familiar voice, whispering against her neck.

"Hey, pretty girl. Wanna dance?" The voice alone gives her goosebumps and chills run down her spine.

"Its a tad cool out here, isn't it? Twenty degrees, far too cold for a dress. Take me inside, Tanner." Cass turns to face him.

His blue eyes sparkle and are only partly shaded by his beach blonde hair. His jaw is squared and strong. Cass could see his muscles, even through his plaid button down. "Anything, for a pretty lady like you,"

Cass doesn't need to look at him to see his smirk. She can hear it, but she looks anyways. "Stop the flattery, my head is big enough, already. Yours, however, is surprising me,"

Tanner gives her a puzzled smile, glancing down the front of her dress.

"It's so big and full of hot air, I'm surprised it hasn't flown off of your shoulders." With that, Cass grabs his elbow and leads him to the house, where goose bumps will disappear from her sleeveless arms.

Tanner gropes Cass' back end, and she turns to him.

"What?" His innocent face is betrayed by the lust in his eyes.

"You could at least buy me a drink, first. And be honored to do so." Her face is serious, the headache helps. "And a Tylenol, while you're at it. My head is killing me. Spike my drink and I'll spike your ass," her threat is empty, but nobody can tell. She's practiced it a thousand times.

"Only for you, Cassidy St. Claire." The way he said Cassidy's name made her goose bumps come back, but only for a minute.

Cass nods her head, and turns her attention to the girl in the corner, playing with her drink, pulling her shorts down, trying to get them to cover more.

Cass slowly starts to walk towards the girl. A hand presses itself above the girl's right shoulder, and Cass follows its arm to perfectly cut, brown, almost shoulder length hair and broad shoulders.

A drink is put in front of Cass' face, and Tanner stands in her line if vision.

"You can only swoon over me, baby doll." His smirk is evident in his voice. It annoys Cass.

She thinks to herself 'Who the hell does he think he is? I can look at whoever I want. Fucking sexist.'

"Sexist? Really, Cass? I'm sexist? Bull. You make people think about you the way they do. Jesus." Tanner scoffs at her.

"Yes, Tanner. You are a sexist bastard. Female discrimination. Now move. I need to talk to someone." Cass' voice is barely above a growl, and more defensive then necessary.

She makes her way to the corner. The girl is crying, and the guy in front of her looks annoyed and confused.

"What's going on, here?" Cass asks cautiously.

"Hey! Cass! I'm Winter, Winter Louss." He offers a charming smile, which Cass replies to with a threatening stare, almost sizing him up.

"Cassidy St. Claire. Why's she crying, Louss?" Cass' voice is harsh.

"Last name-r, are we? Well, St. Claire-" his cocky tone is getting to Cass.

"It's Cassidy, Louss. Why in the hell is she so upset?" She growls at him, eyes narrowed.