Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Cassy's Perspective

"Hey Cassy, do you want some garbage? I have a lot of clothes that I have been planning to throw, you want some?" My classmate, Bernadette, insulted me in a slang that a mean girls' ways to talk. Well, if you had a classmate like her, you can imagine how Bernadette talks. And it was definitely irksome, therefore we should not fight back to people like Bernadette, or Berna, that's what most students called her because if we did, we will come to be forever slaves.

I ignored Berna, but the moment I tried to just walked away from her, her group or to be more specific, her friends, plugged up my path.

They stood up in front of me, smirking like witches, feeling happy with the catastrophe. I looked at them and it was so unhappy to examine their eyes, it displayed no sympathy, they were not scared to tormentor students, particularly, the weaker ones.

I sighed and didn't give them any attention, and I knew inside me that I was frightened, yet still trying to hold my composure. And I didn't want them to heed it, once they noticed it, it would surely be my verge.

Berna and her group were the worst bully in our school.

"I'm sorry, Berna, but I really have to go home," I pleaded softly, but seriously.

"But we're not done yet," she laughed as she made circles on her hair using her index finger while chewing her gum.

"So, how was your father's business? And your alcoholic mother?" She poked fun at me.

"Well, what do you expect Berna? Her father might be on the street right now, collecting garbages and some sort of stuff, haha" her friend asserted, glimpsing at me from head to toe, staring, like I am too disgusting that she even bent her lips as she narrowed her eyes.

They laughed together, and I wanted to run away but I couldn't, things might get worst, so I remained mute and just let them say what they wanted to say, and deep inside me, was a hole created by them.

Berna went closer to me and held my shoulder as she slowly moved her head near my head and whispered, "Cassy, I advise you to just run, run and never go back, I don't want to catch a glimpse of you anymore, you're a pain in my eyes, do you know that?" Her voice was threatening me. Her words were not just words, there were things inside each phrase, that was difficult to rationalize, it shivered me.

"Cassy, calm down, Cassy," my tongue kept telling to my ears, and my heart kept speeding up inside me. Actually, I really do want to transfer to another school, but it was too far away from my home and from my work. It will cost a lot, especially when it comes to transportation. But I still had the patience, next year, I will be a college student, and I will be finally free from this sort of humiliation.

"Cassy, do you hear me?" Berna whispered.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I turned my face beside me and saw Drake, a friend of mine, glaring at them.

"Nothing, we're just talking, right, Cassy?" Berna smiled.

"Is that true, Cassy?" Drake asked me. And what else can I do? But to say, yes! I shook my head informing him that Berna was telling the truth and then, he let out a heavy mood from his nose.

"Okay, if that what you said so," he answered.

"So, see you next time, Cassy," Berna said and faked a smile, then she winked at Drake as she waved her hands, moving her fingers, flirting, I should say.

"What made you came here so sudden?" I asked Drake.

"Well, to pick you up," he immediately answered without a second thought.

"Pick me up?" I bent my brows.

"Yeah, come on, Cassy, we're neighbors," he said and grinned. Well, yeah, his house was about a hundred steps away from our home, and it was too embarrassing that he could discern what a family I had.

"Okay," I just answered. And I was surprised when he pulled my bag.

"Hey, what are you going to do with that?" I yelled.

"Let me carry it for you," he said. And I was speechless. Well, he actually confessed his feelings to me, but I can't see him as a man, he was like a brother in my eyes.

I said, "it's okay," but he refused, so I didn't want to make things complicated, I just let him carry my bag. And while walking from school to our home, we're halfway when he suddenly stopped from walking. So, I looked at him in confusion and asked him why did he stop, and I was stunned by what he looked like, he was sad.

"What's the problem, Drake?" I asked him.

"Well, about Bernadette's group, I just remembered about them, why did you lie?" He asked out of nowhere.

"Hah? Why did I lie? What do you mean, Drake," I said, and I saw him sighed as he calms himself.

"Cassy, I know that they are bullying you. But you agreed to them a while ago that you were just talking! I don't understand, I'm worried!" He sincerely said, and I sighed.

I apologized to Drake and explained to him that I just didn't want to make the situation between me and Berna's group worst, he disagreed at first but later on, he understands what I meant. And he just let himself relaxed and we kept walking.

Well, he insisted to walk me in front of our house, but I refused either. It was too uncomfortable for me anymore that he always witness how messy inside our home,  I mean how messy my mom is, she always drunk, but I can't just understand how my father understands everything about her, he's too kind in a way you can't imagine.

 *********

Before I could let my feet inside our entrance, I heard a loud noise, something was banging inside. I hurried to remove my shoes and went inside, and I was shocked by what I saw.