Chapter 7 Cass
“We rolling yet?” I ask as I fix my hair.
“Yup,” the cameraman answers, most definitely annoyed with me.
I raise my arms by my sides. “Come, now; don’t be like that. I need to look presentable, alright?” I tell him. “The bun’s gotta be on point and shit.”
He rolls his eyes. “Got it.”
I chuckle, then gesture at him to give me the cue.
He raises an arm and does the 3 count, then brings it down, and I immediately fall into work mode.
“You guys ever wonder how much school changes one’s life?
” I say into the camera, then smile. “My years at Adenbrooke High were most definitely fun and exciting, and filled with quite a few uncalled-for detentions that I didn’t really care to attend.
” I lift a shoulder, just as Amanda and some of the crew laugh indulgently.
“But hey, I did deem it fit to go to a few of ‘em. I just made sure to drag some of my friends along with me.” I point a thumb over my shoulder.
“You guys ready to see the place that was my initial temple of mischief?”
The school grounds have been booked by the producers for filming, so the crew and I have the entire place to ourselves.
It’s perfect for giving the audience an undisturbed tour without running into students or the faculty.
And I know that not everything we film is going to make the final cut, but at least this way, I get to revisit familiar grounds and relive some beautiful memories.
Three hours, and many, many rounds of the school premises later, we stop in front of what used to be my locker.
I grin and run my fingers over the fresh paint, and the sparkly stickers taped next to a few Andrew Garfield photos. Whoever is using my locker now has made sure to design it aesthetically, and as I step away from it, I feel the cameras zooming in on me.
“This locker,” I begin, then glance at the lenses surrounding me, “is where I first realized that I was in love with my best friend.” I chuckle.
“She was just here – like she used to be every damn day – and we were talking about some random assignment when I… I looked at her and just knew that I was madly in love with her.” Images of a flushed and bubbly 16-year-old Nia flash across my mind, and I swallow.
She’s always been a beacon of light in my life, and whenever I saw her during those days, I craved more of her; more of what she had to offer by just being herself.
I’ve always been drawn to her like a compass to the right direction, and even though we’ve grown up now, I still feel like that silly kid who’d fluster over her and touch her every chance he got.
I sigh and scratch my left forearm as I step further away from the locker.
I haven’t seen Nia since our little encounter outside her house 5 days ago.
I don’t have her number, and visiting her café or her house seems a bit excessive.
The latter has crossed my mind more times than I can count, but I’m not sure if she’d be okay with it.
I’ve fucked my hand one too many times thinking about her these last few days, but dammit, I need more.
I feel dizzy just by thinking about getting to feel her skin against mine again, and to have her breaths stuttering for me when I touch her once more.
And I know I’m working, but my dick doesn’t get the memo.
A slight mention of Nia, and now I’m shamelessly hard behind my suffocating pair of stupid jeans.
“Cass?”
I turn, and smile when Amanda walks over to me. “Hey.”
“Taking a mental trip down memory lane, huh?” she asks with a knowing look on her face.
I chuckle. “Kinda, yeah.”
She touches my arm. “Me and a few of the producers are going to the nearest diner for breakfast. Come, join us.”
I rub my jaw as thoughts of Nia once again fill my mind. “How about a raincheck?”
Something flashes across Amanda’s features – something I can’t put a finger on – but she gives me a nod and moves away with a smile I know to be mostly forced. “I’ll see you at the B I’m about to go be excessive as shit.