18. Video Killed the Radio Star
Video Killed the Radio Star
C assie sat at their usual table, stirring her coffee absentmindedly she glanced toward the door.
She had already ordered Kellan’s favorites, blueberry waffles and a side of crispy bacon, as a peace offering.
When Kellan finally arrived, looking hesitant but not entirely guilty, Cassie exhaled and gestured to the plate in front of her.
That hesitation stung, but she pushed the feeling down. She had no one to blame but herself.
“You ordered for me?” Kellan asked, sliding into the chair across from her.
Cassie shrugged, keeping her tone light. “Figured I owed you.”
Kellan let out a short, humorless laugh. “For what? Avoiding me for weeks, or being mad at me for something you haven’t even asked me about? ”
Cassie sighed, rubbing her temples. “Okay. I deserved that.” She met Kellan’s gaze, trying to ignore the knot in her stomach. “But you’ve been avoiding me, too. We always get brunch, but suddenly, you’re too busy?”
“I wasn’t avoiding you.” Kellan cut into the waffle, considering their words carefully. “I was just… trying to keep the peace.”
“Yeah. And I know I’ve been relying on you to deal with Alex while also being jealous that you’re spending so much time with them. Which is ridiculous.” Cassie rolled her eyes, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.
Cassie knew she was being nonsensical, but she just couldn’t help it.
Kellan had been one of her closest friends since becoming dorm-mates freshman year of college.
She should trust them. Did trust them. But watching them interact with Alex so effortlessly…
hurt. A deep, down-in-the-gut pain she’d never experienced before.
And frankly could have gone a lifetime without.
Kellan chewed thoughtfully. “A little.”
“I just feel like something is going on that I don’t know about. And I don’t like that.”
Kellan groaned, taking a bite of food before answering. “Not the way you think.” They put their fork down and leaned in. “Cass, listen. I wasn’t trying to keep secrets from you. I was trying to help —”
“By what? Becoming best friends with Alex overnight?” Cassie scoffed. The pain bubbling into anger under her skin.
“By helping update the business plan. The one you’ve been pushing for years.” Kellan didn’t rise to the bait, their expression steady. “The one that might finally get you the promotion you deserve.”
That knocked the wind out of her. Cassie blinked, searching Kellan’s face for any sign of insincerity. “That’s what you’ve been working on? ”
Kellan leaned in, lowering their voice. “Alex came to me a couple of weeks ago. They want to expand the creative department… bring in social media creative and interactive game experiences, just like you’ve been pushing for.”
They explained the updates they had made to the expansion plan. The updated numbers and revised budget. The new information that Alex brought from their experience in the New York office. All of it. “This could be it, Cass. The thing that finally pushes the agency forward.”
Cassie tapped her fingers against the table, absorbing the information.
She wanted this. She had wanted it for years, but her frustration with Alex still burned beneath the surface.
She didn’t know what annoyed her more… the fact that this was the exact expansion she had pitched before or the fact that Alex was the one spearheading it now.
“And Alex just swoops in and makes it happen? Just like that?”
“Not just like that.” Shaking their head, Kellan reached for her hand, stilling her fingers. “Look, I know you’re still pissed, and I get it. But this expansion we’re working on…it can’t happen without you.”
Cassie frowned, pulling her hand away and picking up her coffee cup. “What?”
“You’re the key to all of it,” Kellan continued.
“We’re building it from the ground up and we need someone who understands what that means for our clients.
You’re the one who’s been tracking the trends, studying the shifts in the industry, figuring out what’s next before our clients even ask for it.
Alex was able to provide some real-world numbers to replace our estimates, but this proposal? It’s all yours.”
Cassie swallowed hard, her fingers tightening around her coffee cup.
She had been doing that. For years, she’d been the one pushing for the agency to invest in more interactive and social-driven campaigns.
She was the one who kept an eye on shifting consumer behaviors, who knew what platforms were rising, which ones were dying, and how brands could adapt before they got left behind.
Kellan didn’t stop there. “And it’s not just the knowledge, Cass.
It’s your relationships. Sure, I manage a few of our smaller clients, but you’re the one all of our clients trust. You’re the one they call when they need ideas, when they need reassurance.
If we want this to work… if we want the agency to actually grow…
we need you. If you back this, it’ll make all the difference. ”
Cassie stared at them, something heavy settling in her chest. She wanted to believe them.
Maybe believing would heal the pain. But there was still a part of her that hesitated.
The part that told her that believing in others is what caused this in the first place and that allowing herself to believe again would only make it worse.
Cassie’s expression hardened. “So what,” she said finally, “Alex just shows up, decides now is the time, and suddenly corporate is listening? Sounds convenient.”
“It’s more complicated than that.” Kellan sat back, crossing their arms. Their eyes darted around the restaurant, their brow furrowed as they collected their thoughts.
“Leah’s the one making it happen. And yeah, Alex is pushing it, but not in the way you think.
They’re going to bat for it, and trust me, it hasn’t been easy. ”
Cassie’s eyebrow did its Rock impression. “What do you mean?”
“Leah’s been down this road before.” Kellan shrugged. “She’s not taking anything at face value. Every number is being scrutinized. Every idea, picked apart. This thing has to be rock solid.” Kellan hesitated. “And… they… they’re doing this for you.”
“Yeah, right.” Cassie scoffed, the thud of her coffee cup rising above the din as she slammed it down .
“Honestly, Cass…” Kellan reached for Cassie’s hand, pulling it from the mug and squeezing it. “If it wasn’t for you, I think they would have just said ‘fuck it’.”
Cassie stared at Kellan, willing herself to think beyond the anger.
It just didn’t sit well that Alex was the one leading the charge.
Not because she thought they weren’t capable…
she knew better than that. But because she had been fighting for this for years and now Alex shows up and it’s suddenly possible?
It… hurt. Almost as much as Kellan and Alex becoming fast friends.
Kellan watched the emotions flicker across Cassie’s face. “Look, you don’t have to like Alex. But if you want this expansion, we need to work together.”
She dropped her head back over the top of the chair, staring at the ceiling. “We played them yesterday.” Cassie sighed, her voice quiet. Nervous.
“Yeah…” Kellan nodded sympathetically.
“You know?” Cassie straightened up, pulling her hand free to start its nervous tapping again. “What did they tell you?”
“I knew you had a game. That you were playing against each other for the first time since… everything.” Kellan winced. “But that’s it. We haven’t spoken since Friday at work. Was it bad?”
“Well, my team won. But…” Cassie let out a humorless laugh. “But I played like I was trying to destroy them.” She shook her head. “And you know what’s worse? They didn’t even fight back. They just took it. Like… they thought I needed to get it out of my system. Or… like, maybe they deserved it.”
Kellan looked like they wanted to say something but thought better of it.
Cassie exhaled through her nose, pushing her plate away.
“I tried everything to piss them off. I slashed at their stick, shoved them after plays, chirped at them non-stop. Told them I didn’t need their pity or their help.
” She let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “At one point, I literally dared them to take a penalty. Got up in their face and screamed at them to do something. Anything.”
Kellan raised an eyebrow. “They really didn’t react?”
“Not really. Not directly to anything I was doing,” Cassie muttered. “They just kept playing. Kept making perfect passes, setting up plays. They were good… really good. And the more they didn’t take the bait, the angrier I got.”
She rubbed a hand over her face. “That’s not… me. I’m competitive, yeah, but I don’t play like that. It’s like…I don’t even know what I wanted. For them to yell at me? Check me into the boards? Give me a reason to hate them more?”
Closing her eyes, Cassie took a slow, deep breath.
“I felt like a total ass after the game. I—” She exhaled again, the same slow release of air.
“I tried to find them afterward, but… I stood outside their locker room. Waiting. I saw a bunch of their teammates come out. And I kept waiting. And then I freaked out and left.”
Dropping her head into her hands, Cassie took several deep breaths. Eventually she looked up at Kellan through her lashes. “And that was just the icing on top of my Saturday.”
Kellan raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
She rubbed her temple, exhaustion pressing in from all sides. “The heavy rain from a couple of weeks ago?” Off of Kellan’s nod, Cassie continued, “I had a massive leak in the ceiling above the family room.”
“Cass. I had no idea.”
“Yup. I knew the roof wasn’t in great shape, but I thought I could get a few more years out of it. They finished replacing the roof on Wednesday but found more water damage, had to do a bunch of extra work. And I had to replace all the insulation in the attic. ”
Kellan winced. “That sounds expensive…”