Chapter 23
Mylie found Cassie in the last stall in the girl’s bathroom.
“What’s wrong?” Mylie asked through the door.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Cassie sniffed.
“The fifteen missed calls on my phone say that’s a lie,” Mylie replied. “Please, Cass. Tell me what’s going on.”
“R-R-Ryan,” Cassie stuttered.
“Open the door,” Mylie said.
After a few halting seconds, Cassie complied, unlocking the stall and allowing Mylie inside.
Cassie was sitting on the floor of the bathroom, her dress pooled around her.
“Tell me what happened with Ryan,” Mylie said, her voice as soothing as she could muster. “Did he say something stupid?”
Cassie shook her head. “No, he’s cheating on me!”
This surprised Mylie. She hadn’t thought Ryan was the most thoughtful person in the world. Sometimes he said and did things
that upset Cassie, but he was also just a teenager. He’d really seemed to like Cassie, though, despite everything.
“With who?” Mylie asked.
“Laiken Sanders.” Cassie spit out the name of the girl like a bad taste in her mouth. “For months, and do you know what’s
worse than that?”
“No,” Mylie asked, sliding down to sit next to her sister. “What?”
“Allie knew!”
With this, Cassie dissolved into sobs, leaning against Mylie.
“Oh, Cassie,” Mylie said. “I’m so sorry.”
Mylie stroked Cassie’s hair as she cried. She wished she knew what to do or say in this situation. She was good at a lot of
things, but crying always made her uncomfortable. She wished they were back home. Granny always knew what to say. Maybe she
should call her.
“Do you want to go home?” Mylie asked. “Because we can leave right now.”
Cassie shook her head. “No,” she said, accepting the piece of toilet paper Mylie handed her. “I can’t go out there right now.”
“It’s okay,” Mylie replied. “We can do whatever you want to do.”
“I want to punch Ryan in the face,” Cassie said. “Then I want to punch Laiken and Allie.”
“Okay, well, we probably can’t do that.”
Cassie gave Mylie a small smile, even as the tears fell down her face. “I know,” she said. “But it makes me feel better to
think about.”
Mylie tugged at the hem of her dress. Minutes ago, she’d been pressed up against Ben, kissing him. She resisted the urge to
reach up and touch her swollen lips. She could still taste him.
“What’s wrong with your face?” Cassie asked, looking over at Mylie. “You’re all red.”
“I was outside,” Mylie replied. “It’s hot out there.”
“Why were you outside?”
“Just getting some air,” Mylie said. That much was at least true. “Where is Allie? Have you talked to her?”
“She asked her mom to take her home,” Cassie replied. “We were arguing. She said she didn’t tell me because she didn’t want
me to be upset, and I told her I hated her.”
“Oh, Cassie.”
“I do hate her!” Cassie said, her voice echoing off the bathroom walls.
“This isn’t her fault,” Mylie replied. “I don’t think she should have kept it from you, but she also wasn’t the one cheating
on you. That was Ryan.”
“Well, I hate him, too!”
“So do I, at the moment,” Mylie agreed. “I really think we should go home. We’ll stop and get something to eat. Anything you
want. Then we can sit on the couch with Granny and talk.”
“I can’t go out there,” Cassie said. “They’ll all see me.”
Mylie thought about it. “I have an idea,” she said. “There’s an exit around the corner. I’ll have Morris unlock the door,
and you sneak out. I’ll drive the truck around and get you.”
“Really?” Cassie asked, hopeful. “I won’t have to see anyone?”
“Not a single person,” Mylie promised. “Wait here, and I’ll text you when I’m outside.”
“Okay,” Cassie said. “Thanks, Mylie.”
Mylie found Morris and explained the situation. He pulled out his set of keys—the keys to the high school buildings he still
kept after his retirement, despite repeated requests to turn them in—and unlocked the door. She found Ben waiting for her
outside, where she’d left him.
“I have to take Cassie home,” Mylie explained. “She had a fight with Ryan. She’s waiting for me in the bathroom. I’m going
to send her out the other door.”
Ben nodded. “Let’s go.”