AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m sorry,” I gasp, my breath hitching. “I didn’t mean to wake you up with my stupid dream.”
“Shh, you’re okay. I got up to go to the bathroom, and when I came back, you were twisting and flailing in your bed. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
I sigh, snuggling next to her. She stiffens for a moment before putting her arms around me. “You’re safe with me,” Lyra murmurs. “I swear it. Just close your eyes and go back to sleep.”
My eyes get heavy, and it feels nice to be held. I haven’t had sex in ages, and I’m not one who usually gets hugs, so this is really nice.
“Why did you hate me so much?” I whisper, scared of what her answer is.
Lyra shakes her head, and I turn in her arms so I don’t have to look at her. She snuggles into my back, her arm squeezing me tighter around my waist.
“I never hated you, Cassie,” she says softly. “I was frustrated by the move, and you were so perfect. Even my own mother gushed about how amazing and driven you are. I just wanted to cheer and get decent grades, I didn’t care about ancient dead people in history or their lives.”
I smirk, because I was just thinking about this. “I can’t help the way my brain works. I need to be busy, or I get bored and depressed. Moving so often as a military brat, I could change posts often, so I didn’t want to get attached to people. Instead, I threw myself into the lives of ancient dead people,” I tease her, “and enrolled in online college classes because if I moved in the middle of the year, I could still complete the course for credit.”
“Moving once was awful,” Lyra mutters, shaking her head. I can feel her breath on my neck, and I shiver.
Focus, Cassie.
“I have moved so many places, I can’t even remember them all,” I tell her. “We lived in Italy when I was ten, Japan when I was twelve, and when I was fifteen, I found out my mom was cheating on my father. Not even my mother stuck around,” I scoff. “So why would I bother investing in people when they’ll just leave?”
Lyra stays silent, and I start to drift. As my breath evens and I’m almost asleep, I swear I hear her say, “I promise I’m not going anywhere, Cassie.”
When I wake up, I’m in bed alone again, and Lyra is already gone for the day. She’s started running in the mornings with a friend before it gets too warm.
Sitting up, I wonder if it was all a dream, except I find one of her blonde hairs on my pillow.
Huh, that really happened.
ChapterTen
Thursday rolls around, and I’m actually excited to see what Drama Club is all about. I never thought I would enjoy Texas, I pictured it being as hellish as New York was, but I’m actually happy.
Lyra and I are… I guess you could call us friends, and I’m enjoying my classes and my social life. I actually have plans most nights here, and that’s something new to me too.
Wearing jeans, a cute pink tank top, and heels, I grab my wristlet to leave. Lyra said she was at the library for the afternoon working on a research project, and I’m realizing there’s so much to her I still know nothing about.
She works hard, grabs life by the horns, but still manages to get all of her work done. I’m kind of in awe of how busy she is.
Walking out, I make sure to lock the door. Waving goodbye to a few of the girls doing their laundry or chatting, I hit the elevator call button.
“You know, you have legs, you should just walk down the stairs,” a girl says, pushing me out of the way as she opens the door to the stairwell.
My jaw drops. I haven’t dealt with any bitchiness while I’ve been here, and somehow it just surprises me. Shaking my head, I mutter, “I’m not fucking going down six flights of stairs in heels, twat.”
I hear a giggle behind me and turn. “Did you forget to wait for me?” Dena asks.
Turning, I blush. “I figured you’d already be downstairs, and I was excited,” I explain.
Dena nods, linking her arm in mine. “Don’t mind her, I’m pretty sure she’s on the rag, and her bitch meter is extra high. Or twat meter… I think your word is better,” she teases.
I hide my face in her shoulder. “Ugh, I’m sorry. She was so damn rude, I’m out of practice dealing with unpleasant behavior.”
“You’re totally fine,” she says, placing a finger under my chin to push it up to see my eyes. “Look, she’ll be back to singing show tunes at the top of her lungs in the shower again by next week. She’s my suite mate, and I’ve gotten used to her mood swings.”
“Ah, well, I’m kind of a bear on my period,” I admit. “I need a steady supply of dark chocolate and a heating pad to be able to function.”
“Sooo… Marsha usually stashes some dark chocolate in the community stash,” she confides as the elevator opens. “If you run out, go help yourself. The school gives her money to order important supplies like tampons, extra pencils, pizza, and chocolate. Loads of it.”
