Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty Seven
Cassi
Ihated leaving Boston. I swear, each time that I came back to Seattle made me hate it more and more. I felt more displaced, more alone, and no, it’s not just because I haven’t had a full conversation with one of my best friend’s in over two weeks and haven’t spoken to the other since our blow out.
Pulling the hood of my jacket up, I rush towards the building for shelter because of course it’s raining.
It’s spring in Seattle, that’s all it does is rain.
When I step inside my first class of the day, I find that I’m one of the first people here.
Of course, I didn’t beat Naomi. She’s always early to everything. No matter what.
For a moment, I debate on sitting away from her. I mean, we haven’t talked. We haven’t hashed things out. We are most certainly not good. When her eyes meet mine, and she offers me a timid wave, I decide to extend an olive branch.
Hiking my backpack up on my shoulder further, I move through the class before taking a seat beside Nay, leaving an empty seat between us for Ari. I’m extending an olive branch, not lending a whole goddamn tree.
“Hey,” she says first.
“Hey,” I greet before looking down at the paper laid in front of me.
Advanced Photography. Who said this was going to be an easy a?
Arianna swears that we did but honestly, I remember her begging and pleading us to take it so we could all have at least one class together.
The fact of the matter is, I’m not a fan of photography.
That’s Ari’s thing. Naomi is pre-med and me…
I’m…me. I’m the drifter of the group, the one that doesn’t know what she wants to have for breakfast let alone what to do with the rest of my life.
I started college because it was what I thought was expected me, but now I’m a junior with no declared major and no fucking clue.
Wow, that was a little morose for a Monday morning.
“How was your break?” Naomi asks.
“Fine,” I say as I turn to her. “You?”
“It was…interesting.”
I lift a questioning eyebrow at that and wait for her to explain but she doesn’t.
“Are you still…”
“Sleeping with my sister’s boyfriend? Yeah, I am,” I snap. “That’s what you really wanted to know, right? You want to bitch me out? Tell me what a horrible person I am some more? Go ahead, I’m ready for it,” I say as I turn to her, spreading my arms out as if to welcome her shit attitude.
She shakes her head and sighs as she focuses on filling out the syllabus agreement. I scoff and roll my eyes as the professor asks everyone to take their seats. I didn’t even realize everyone was filing in while Naomi and I were talking, if you can even call it that.
One person is noticeably absent, and that person suddenly appears at the door, earning a scowl from the professor as she rushes inside. Naomi and I wave to Ari and she runs a hand through her black hair before taking the seat between us. Good.
“Dude, you live right across the street. How can you be the last person here?
I huff under my breath.
Ari looks around nervously as she keeps her voice low.
“Uhm, yeah. So, I’m kind of not living there anymore.”
“What do you mean?” Naomi whispers.
Arianna licks her lips nervously as her eyes move from mine to Nay’s.
“I moved.”
“Where?” I ask.
“Now that everyone has finally joined us, we can get started,” the professor says, shooting a pointed look to Arianna.
Asshole.
He practically bores me to tears with his lecture. All about expectation and seizing the moment when it comes to your art. Blah, blah, blah. I’m eager to take my mind off the dramatic chaos of my life over the last few weeks so when we are dismissed, I pick up right where we left off.
“Where did you move? When did you move?” I ask Arianna.
“We could have helped you!” Naomi adds in.
Oh, look who is pretending to be a good friend all of the sudden.
“So, uhm, remember your birthday?” Arianna asks me.
For some reason, I tense. Did Naomi tell Arianna? I mean, it doesn’t matter if she did. It’s not like I’m keeping it a secret from Ari. Or at least, I wasn’t planning to. Okay I was for a little but whatever. Things have changed and I’m not planning on doing so anymore.
“Well,” Arianna continues. “I hooked up with someone.”
“We know, and then you went back the next week, right?” Naomi chimes in.
“Yes, exactly. Well, someone turned out not to be just anyone. He was…Logan.”
“Logan?” I frown, trying to place the name.
Do we know any Logan’s? The guilty look on Arianna’s face tells me that’s a bad thing for some reason, but I’m struggling to understand why.
“Cunninham,” Arianna adds in.
The name clicks into place and both Naomi and me stand there in shock. Our jaws are literally unhinged before I shriek.
“You fucked your stepdad?!”
Okay, honestly I don’t feel so bad about sleeping with my sister’s boyfriend anymore.
Arianna shoots me an irritated look as we grab our bags and stand, rushing out of the class before we are out in the quad.
From there, Ari dives into an extremely detailed retelling of the last two weeks of her life. Finding out she slept with her ex-stepdad, she emphasized the ex part a lot, to hooking up with his brother, then with him, and then the fall out of her mom finding out.
“So…you moved in with him?” Naomi asks.
I wait for her to go on the attack with Ari like she did with me, but for some reason, she doesn’t. What the hell? Is she reserving her bitchiness just for me or what?
“Yeah, yesterday,” Arianna says.
I can’t help but let a laugh bubble out of me.
“Are you crazy?”
“I think so,” Ari says with a sigh.
Naomi smiles and rubs her arm lovingly.
“Does he treat you well?”
Arianna nods.
“Then we’re happy for you,” I say, glancing to Naomi to check that she’s actually happy for her.
Naomi casts me a look like she is, but I still see the hint of judgement playing in her eyes. Honestly, what is her deal?
“Thanks,” Arianna says, looking too us with suspicion before she asks, “What ever happened with you two that night?”
“Hm?” I ask.
“I know you both hooked up, we’ve all never shared details, though, which isn’t like us. Now you know why I didn’t share mine because, I mean, I wasn’t exactly proud. Your turn bitches, spill.”
As if saved by the bell was a real thing, Naomi’s phone rings and she feigns frustration.
“Oh, got to take this. See you guys later!” she says as she runs off.
Honestly, that’s a good fucking question Ari.
What did Naomi get up to? She claims she’s still a virgin after that night at the club, but I haven’t asked her if she’s still clutching that card since.
Is that why she’s being so crazy? Did she finally get fucked and feel guilty or some shit? Or maybe it was who she fucked?
Arianna looks to me expectantly and I decide, what the hell.
“Okay, but you can’t tell anyone.”
She scoffs. “Like I ever would.”
I nod at that. “Okay.”
I dive headfirst in telling her everything.
Thank god we both don’t have a class for an hour because there is more to go over than I expected.
I catch her up on Alec and Nico and how we fell for each other and didn’t mean to.
I also fill her in on how Nico is breaking up with Carly tonight and we’re going to be together.
Arianna doesn’t give me the same judgment that Naomi did, but she does watch me hesitantly.
“Babe…are you sure he’s going to break up with her? Not that I don’t believe you, I just don’t believe men. Most of the time. Almost never, really. You know how it is, when a man is taken and swears they are going to leave their partner, they almost never do.”
I don’t know why I feel betrayed by her doubt. It’s dumb and misplaced and I recognize that, but it still hurts all the same.
“He’s going to, and then…I don’t know. We haven’t figured out the details of the long distance thing. Him being stupid rich has its advantages though,” I laugh dryly.
Arianna nods and tells me that if I’m happy, she’s happy.
I can’t tell if she means it or is just regurgitating what I said.
Either way, it doesn’t really matter. She didn’t react like Nay did and for that, I’m grateful.
I also didn’t tell Arianna that Nay and I aren’t really talking.
I don’t want our weird stuff to affect their relationship.
Throughout the day, I check my phone incessantly.
Mainly because I haven’t heard from Nico which is a rarity.
I got the usual good morning text, we chatted back and forth for maybe five minutes before he went silent.
I assume he’s busy with work, or maybe with Carly.
He told me that she wanted the jet to come pick her up last night but obviously it couldn’t because it was too busy taking me home.
Am I bitch if I admit that I kinda got a kick out of that?
Nico said that she should be home tonight and that’s when he’s going to do it.
Rip off the band aid. I told him he should have 911 pre-dialed because she is going to go certifiable on his ass when he breaks things off.
Not because I think she loves him or anything, but she has certainly become accustomed to the lifestyle he affords her, and she won’t be letting that go easily.