Finding Hope

Chapter Three

Winter Louss

I followed Cassidy home. It was wrong, I know, but I couldn't help myself. When I saw her at the party, her eyes looked far off. When I saw her beautiful brown hair, curled into perfect waves, and he blue eyes lined perfectly, I couldn't help but stare. Not at her body, or even her face, but her eyes. They looked far off, hurt, lost, abandoned, selfless, and vulnerable all at the same time. She looked sad. She reminded me of myself, maybe even my mother.

I quickly shook that thought out of my head when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I looked behind me and to me left to see Tanner. He pointed to the girl with his middle finger, keeping the other four closed around the red cup in his hand. "That's Cassidy," he said, and rested his elbow on my shoulder for support, - I shook it off, annoyed - "I'm totally gonna get in her pants tonight," he tipped one of the cups into the air. "Already buying her a drink. Maybe next time you'll get her, pal. Tonight, she's mine." He walked away to tell more people about his evident success, his walk cocky.

I shook my head when I saw a girl I knew, Kay. She was upset and crying in a corner. I went to see what was wrong, leaving Tanner to do what he needed.

"Go away, Winter," Kay snapped as soon as she saw me approaching.

"Kay," I whispered, and had put my hand above her shoulder. "What's going on?" I shook my hair out of my face.

"Winter," her voice is warning. "I wouldn't tell you about it even if it was something, which it isn't," she adds. "Go away."

I was starting to get annoyed. "Kay just-''

"What's going on here?" A voice interrupted. When I looked behind me, I see her. Cassidy.

"Hey! Cass!" I said, probably too loud. "I'm Winter," I said, fixing my volume. "Winter Louss," I tossed her one of my million dollar smiles, which she returned with sizing me up.

I could almost read her thoughts. 'How big of a dog would I need to eat him?'

"Cassidy St. Claire," she paused and looked at Kay. "Why is she so upset, Louss?" She said my last name in a way I'd never heard before. An equal amount of curiosity and perplextion (Yes, I said perplextion, shut up).

"Last name-r, are we?" I ask, a mocking tone in my voice. "Well, St. Claire," I try to put as much agnorance in my voice as possible, but before I can even continue she corrects me.

"Its Cassidy, Louss," again with that last name. "Why in the hell is she so upset?" Her blue eyes narrowed, and her hands -unvoluntarlily, by my guess- planted themselves on her hips, her thumbs pointing to me, the other four fingers, long and thin, wrapped perfectly around to the small of her back.

I listened as Kay gave Cassidy the same line she gave me. 'Nothing. I'm fine. Go away.'

I looked around the room, my eyes sticking to a pair of blue ones, not far from me, attached to a beach blonde head.

Amanda Graffter. Famous for the 'V' card she lost in fifth grade to a freshman. Ever since she hasn't kept he pants on, and she would spread her legs for anything that breathed. She would be beautiful if she didn't wear 14 tons of makeup, or even if she were to cover a bit more of her body. But hot damn.

Cassidy took Kay by the elbow and walked her up the stairs, and I lost myself to another bottle if Jack Daniels.

*

By the time Cassidy had Kay brought home, I was seeing tripple. That's right, tripple, not double.

Cassidy left an hour after Kay, and I followed behind her and slept across the road. Nobody would care, anyhow.

*

"Winter," her voice is soft, more curious than upset. I don't think she means for her voice to sound that way.

"Cassidy," I smile. "Now that we have names out of the way, why don't we climb back out your window and explain to me why you were crying?" I say, noting what I heard in the bathroom and the redness in her eyes.

She let's out a fake and dry laugh, along with an eye roll. "Me? Go with you? Winter, I don't even know-"

"You didn't know Marcus, either." I say with bitterness. "Or Calum. Or Jeffrey. I don't want to screw you, Cassidy. I want to talk. Not all guys are giant dicks, okay?"

"Woah, Winter. Calm down. Whatever. Let's go. I can't stand to be in this house anymore. And John Green is not trash." She cracks a smile, and I see the emptiness behind it, but I still smile back.