"If you ever, change your mind, about leavin', leavin' me behind!" Cass sang along with Sam Cooke and his talent. Beth was nearing Cass' house, ready to drop her off. "Ooh hunny! Bring it to me, bring your sweet lovin' bring it on home to me." Hues continued to sing the song until they pulled up to Laven Drive, the perfect street, with the perfect homes, with the "Perfect" families. Those perfect families were really full of kids who would rather run and play in the mud but 'mum' and 'dad' won't let them.
"Y'know Hubbins, I'm going with or without you."
"What do you mean?"
"I think you perfectly know what I mean, B." With that, Hues hopped out of the car with her backpack and waved goodbye as Beth pulled out of the driveway.
She entered her home quietly, hoping her father, Danny, wasn't home yet. Or if he was, she hoped he was drunk as a skunk and passed out on the sofa. But the smell of alcohol spread over every inch of the room, and the clink of the beer bottle hitting the table told her otherwise. "Cassie, honey is that you?" "Yes daddy." "Make yourself useful and grab me another beer." "Yes sir."
Cass hurried up and got him his beer, knowing if she was too slow he would be angry and yell. She opened the fridge and grabbed him a cold bottle of Budweiser, the one that didn't smell as bad as the others. She popped the lid on the counter and brought it over to the drunken man. He snatched it out of her hands and said, "I want dinner less than thirty minutes. Make me one of them TV dinners in the freezer. You don't need one." He poked her stomach. She just nodded and he smiled a wicked smile at her, "That's my girl." She gave a forced and weak smile.
As Cass hurried over to the freezer, putting the man's food in the microwave. All she could think about was that this just might be the last time she had to do this. The timer went off, breaking the red head out of her trance.
She peeled off the plastic cover and stuck a fork in the tray. Ms. Hues walked into the living room and went to hand him the food, only to find him asleep.
She turned off the TV and threw the food out. Cass walked into the room her father was in and placed a blanket over the sleeping man. She picked up all of his beer bottles. She wrapped paper towels around then so when she threw them away they didn't clink against each other.
About five minutes later, she was in her room, packing all of her savings money, her special jacket, a flannel and a book. All of it going into her olive colored backpack. Cass changed out of her work uniform and put on a white shirt, a red flannel, denim blue mom jeans, and her black converse. None of that quite mattered right now.
She opened up her window and took a good look at her room. She smiled slightly to herself and shimmied out of the window. Cass was only on the first floor so it wasn't much of a fall. This was the start of something new, she already liked it.
