27. Cass #2
The silence that followed my declaration was deafening.
My mother’s hand tightened on my shoulder, and I could feel her trembling slightly.
My father’s face had gone completely blank, the kind of blank that usually meant he was processing information that didn’t fit into his carefully organized worldview.
I’d seen him do it countless times before when it came to my outbursts.
“Your boyfriend,” my mother repeated slowly, like she was testing out the words to see if they made sense. “A dryad.”
“Yes,” I said, meeting her gaze directly.
I could feel Linden beside me, his presence solid and grounding even as tension radiated off him in waves.
His magic was still crackling beneath his skin, ready to defend me if things went south.
“And I’m not leaving him. Not now, not after what we just went through.
Not ever. I’m sorry I’m such a big fucking disappointment to you two, but this is who I am and I’m not going to change just to fit into the stupid little box you want me to live in. ”
My father opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Cass, is that really what you think of us?”
I stared at him for a long moment, trying to figure out what he meant.
“We aren’t the Purity Front,” he continued. “And we do our best not to associate with those that are.”
“Honey,” my mother said, taking over. “We just want you to have a better life than we did. We don’t want you to struggle like we had to or sit by and force a smile while everyone looks down on you.
” She looked up at Linden, then back to me.
“But if he makes you happy, then of course, that’s what matters. ”
“But… But you guys…” I was at a loss for words, my brain trying to run in a thousand directions at once. “You always said—”
“A marriage into a wealthy witch family is the easiest way to a happy, fruitful life,” my father nodded.
“We were trying to guide you in that direction to make things simple.” He looked at my mother, his brows knit together.
“But now I’m wondering if we pushed too hard.
If we made you feel like you had no other choice. ”
“Is that why you’ve been avoiding us?” my mother asked. “Why you’ve been so angry and distant?”
I felt something crack open inside my chest at those words.
Anger, resentment, confusion… all of it came pouring out at once.
Because they were right. They’d been pushing me toward that path my entire life, and I’d internalized it so deeply that I thought it was what I wanted. That it was what I needed.
“Yeah,” I said, my voice coming out rough.
“That’s exactly why. Because every time I tried to tell you about something I actually cared about, you made me feel like it wasn’t good enough.
Like I wasn’t good enough unless I was fitting into some predetermined mold.
” I turned away from them, unable to look at their faces anymore.
“And then Linden came along and he just let me be myself. Not the version he wanted me to be, but the real me. The angry, reckless, chaotic version. And he loved me anyway.”
Linden’s hand found the small of my back, a silent gesture of support that grounded me even as I felt myself unraveling.
“I’m sorry,” my mother said quietly. “I’m so sorry, Cass. We never meant to—”
“I know you didn’t mean to,” I interrupted, finally turning back to face them. “But that doesn’t change what happened. That doesn’t change the fact that I spent years feeling like a fuckup that couldn’t do anything right in your eyes.”
My father stepped forward, and for a moment I thought he was going to try to hug me or something equally uncomfortable. Instead, he just looked at Linden.
“Thank you,” he said simply. “For helping my son. For loving him.”
It was such a small thing, such a simple acknowledgment, but it felt monumental. I could feel tears pricking at the corners of my eyes, and I hated it. Hated feeling this vulnerable, especially in front of my parents.
“We should go,” Professor Paulson said gently from the doorway. “The Dean is requesting that campus be cleared of all outsiders and that students who wish to stay remain in their dorms. There’s a curfew in effect until we have more information about the attack.”
My parents nodded, but neither of them moved to leave immediately. My mother reached out and squeezed my shoulder one more time, her cheeks still wet.
“We’re proud of you,” she said. “Regardless of who you’re with or what path you choose. We’re proud of you.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just nodded and watched as they filed out of the room with Professor Paulson. The moment the door closed behind them, I felt the weight of everything that had happened come crashing down on me all at once.
“Are you okay?” Linden asked softly, his arm wrapping around my waist from behind.
“No,” I replied, turning and burying my face in his pecs.
“I know it’s hard right now,” he said, his hands running up and down my back. “But I can tell they love you. That they want to make this right.”
“Well, they’re gonna have to wait,” I shot back. “I don’t want to forgive them right now.”
“That’s okay,” he cooed, kissing the top of my head. “Take all the time you need.”
We stood there like that, letting the silence of the room wrap around us.
Outside campus was still chaotic, but winding down.
I glanced out the window, catching a glimpse of Tex hustling across campus with his mother and father toward the teleportation circle.
Several others were filing out of the frat house too, either alone or with parents in tow.
I even saw my own parents walk arm in arm toward the school gates.
I felt a pang of guilt in my chest watching them go.
They came to get me. They wanted to make sure I was safe.
They accepted Linden without a second thought.
That counted for something and I hated them for it.
It would’ve been easier if they were awful.
But now, because of their graciousness, I would have to wade through weeks or months of uncomfortable feelings and situations to heal that wound.
Maybe it would never heal. Time would tell I supposed.
But right now, there was only one thing to do.
Wait.
Wait for the world to go back to normal. To end. To change irrevocably.
But I had Linden, and that was what mattered.