Cassidy James Read online

  I rolled my eyes and tilted my head at Abby, cluing him in. Graham knew perfectly well how whacked out Abby was. We’ve all grown up together, so there was no mistaking what I was indicating: just another Abby moment.

  Graham nodded his head with a grin, getting it as I knew he would before he closed his locker and walked away.

  “You guys are ridiculous,” Abby said after he was gone.

  I turned and looked at her, confused. The girl switched from topic to topic quicker than…I don’t know, just all the time.

  “Who?” I asked, completely not getting what she was talking about.

  “You and Graham!” she said like she was speaking the obvious.

  “What about us?” I asked as we started to walk. We had to start moving otherwise we would be late to class.

  “You guys were like, a hundred feet away from each other and still knew what one another were talking about…like, seriously,” she clarified. “You had a completely silent conversation.”

  Graham and I have known each other since before we could walk. We knew each other better than we knew ourselves. Having a conversation from one side of the hallway to the other wasn’t crazy talk—we just knew each other really well. But Abby was on Team Graham. Well, she was originally on Team Abby and Graham. Yes, major crush on him when we were younger. But then one day—I think we were in third or fourth grade—Graham accidently spilled chocolate milk on her brand new tie-dye dress and that was the end of it. Love affair over! Somewhere along the line (how, I don’t know), everyone declared Graham and I secret lovers, destined to drive off into the sunset together and live happily ever after. Or something like that. Literally, it was that ridiculous. Apparently you couldn’t just have a best friend of the opposite sex. There had to be “something more there.” Ugh.

  “Let it go.” I opened the door to our classroom, ushering her in ahead of me. “It ain’t happening,” I reminded her just like I did every other time she brought up our hypothetical connection. Our destiny.

  To my surprise, we had a very special person in our English class, one who caught my eye immediately. Connor Blakely. The Connor Blakely.

  “Oh my,” Abby slowed in front of me and casually whispered over her shoulder, all traces of Team Graham gone. “Second period English just got much more interesting,” she added as we shuffled to claim seats right beside him.

  “Ladies,” he said in acknowledgement.

  “Hi, Connor,” I said, getting all warm and fuzzy inside. Abby did the same, visibly, her eyes twinkling behind her fluttering eyelashes.

  I wanted to ask him about his summer, what he did, where he went…if he finally ditched Corinne yet. Yes, Connor Blakely had a girlfriend. Don’t get me started on that. But Mrs. Wheeler stepped in front of the classroom and started talking, ruining my chance to ask all of my very important questions.

  It wasn’t easy to get Connor alone. He and Corinne had been attached at the hip since middle school! They even had the nickname Coco.

  Vomit!

  Okay, let’s be frank. Corinne’s a sweet girl, nice and pretty and all that. And they’re cute together—two attractive people…I get it. They worked. It was just depressing. In my mind, I had Connor first. We’d known each other since we were kids. He’d always come over and hang out with Graham and me. I was infatuated with him (though I guess not him with me), so in my head, it always played out differently. We were in love and would someday get married with the white picket fence and a bunch of little Blakely boys running around.

  Sigh. Yup, Connor and Corinne together was depressing. My Prince Charming was with another princess. Too much? Sorry, it was a childhood dream, and one I was having a hard time giving up. Life wasn’t going how I pictured it…well, not lately.

  Connor was fun to admire, gawk at…even talk to when Corinne wasn’t around. She was a tad bit on the jealous side, so we all steered clear of Connor when she was present. Honestly, if it were me, I’d flaunt him, show him off like he was my prized procession. Picture the hottest Abercrombie and Fitch model and then multiply that by one hundred, and that’s how hot Connor Blakely was. Short, perfectly groomed brown hair. The brightest, bluest eyes you could ever imagine, and his teeth…if I didn’t know any better, I’d think they were fake. Perfect, ladies and gentlemen—the boy was flawless! And he was the quarterback of our football team—cue the cliché! Oh, and here’s the perfect plus sign to the equation, Corinne’s captain of the cheerleading squad. Cliché all the way, friends! They were meant to be…by stereotypical standards at least.

  By seventh period, my second to last class, Participation in Government, I was dragging. The Monster energy drink in my locker was calling my name. I needed to discuss getting to school a bit later in the morning with Cassidy—even the extra fifteen minutes of sleep could do me better during the day.

  “Graham Wagner, what’s up, buddy?” Ben Thompson greeted me as I took a seat next to him in the back of the classroom.

  I lifted my chin in acknowledgment. “Hey, man,” I answered simply.

  “I haven’t seen you in forever. Do anything cool this summer?” Ben asked. I wasn’t best friends with Ben, but it was a small school, so everyone knew everybody. He was a cool kid.

  “Yeah, ya know. Work, soccer, hang with some friends here and there,” I told him. “Nothing crazy.”

  He nodded his head, seeming genuinely interested. “Cool, cool.”

  “You?”

  “Awesome, bro.” His excitement rose. “Traveled all summer, racing my bike. It was stellar.”

  Oh yeah! Totally forgot he raced dirt bikes. Actually, now that I remembered, I’d heard he was pretty good at it. Even had a sponsor, I think I heard somewhere.

  “Awesome, man. Way cooler than mine,” I admitted with a snicker.

  “You should come over and ride sometime,” Ben said. “You’ll be hooked, I promise.”

  Not gonna lie, riding a dirt bike around would be pretty awesome. I nodded my head, smirking at the idea. My mother would kill me, but it would be fun to try. “Yeah, maybe.”

  We left it at that. Class started, we went over the syllabus like we had in every class prior—which yeah, so much for senior year being the easiest like I had heard…not even close! My locker was already jammed with full folders and thick-ass textbooks, and my homework for tonight was already a mile long. I had no time to think about it, though, because I had to quickly run to the locker room and change into my practice clothes before hightailing it to my last class of the day: Photography.

  “Mr. Wagner, how do you do, sir?” Abby greeted me, patting the high chair next to her as I walked in.

  I snickered. This should make for an interesting year. Abby Wade was a trip for sure. I’m not exactly sure how one would describe her personality. She was definitely a good time, but definitely carried a quirky side to her, as well. Abby was just…Abby.

  Taking a seat, I threw my things on top of the table. “What up?” I asked after finally taking a relaxing breath. I was winded from all the hustling to get changed and here on time.

  “Just get done running a marathon?” she joked.

  “Something like that.”

  “It’s a hard job being awesome, isn’t it?” she questioned, completely serious. “I find it exhausting at times.”

  I shook my head and laughed. “You’re a very different person, Abby,” I said, being 100% honest. She may just be one of the most entertainingly, strange people I knew.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” she accepted with a happy smile.

  “You do that.” I snickered again.

  Abby and Cassidy were completely different people in appearance, and I guess in personality, too. Abby was much more of a free spirit, always wearing flowy skirts and a lot of tie dye. She definitely had her own look, but pulled it off. Abby wasn’t bad looking at all. She just wasn’t super girly, always had to look good for everyone, like Cassidy was. I liked Abby. She was a good time.

  I couldn’t believe it. The fir
st day of senior year was already over. The dismissal bell was chiming. My last first day of school was over. Somehow I found that a little depressing. Nostalgic perhaps.

  On the brighter side, my schedule was amazing. Abby and I had a bunch of classes together, which was awesome, and Connor Blakely was in one of them! Bonus. Of course, I was less than enthused about my AP Bio class—total nerd alert, plus a ton of work. But what should I expect, taking a college course in high school? Science was my thing, so why not take it and get it over with?

  I leisurely strolled to my locker, smiling and waving to some friends as I passed them. I had to put some of my books away and get some others out that I needed for my homework, but as I glanced down the hallway and noticed Graham in his soccer clothes, I freaked.

  Shit! He had practice after school. How was I getting home?

  For some reason this thought hadn’t crossed my mind before school, during the day, or up until now. Of course Graham would have practice after school. It was soccer season after all!

  Gah!

  I threw the books in my hands wherever in my locker, fumbled with the papers I was loosely holding, and then dropped my bag on my foot.

  Ouch. Dammit!

  Barely having it all together, I slammed my locker shut and started rushing towards Graham.

  “Aw, did somebody miss me today?” he asked when I got close enough to hear him.

  He was such an idiot.

  “No,” I huffed, out of breath. I rolled my eyes. “Good try, though.”

  He snickered at my reply, and then asked the obvious. “Need a ride, sweetheart?”

  I bit down on my lip. “Can you?” I asked, knowing that practice started soon after school ended. I felt bad. By the time Graham got back, he’d most likely be late.

  Graham pushed his locker shut and threw his backpack over his shoulder. “Lucky for you, I’d already planned on it.” He winked as we walked towards the back stairwell.

  “You’re so good to me,” I said as I nudged him in the side.

  His left arm draped over my shoulders as his mouth dropped to my ear. “You’re lucky you’re hot,” he whispered.

  I jokingly pushed him away, shaking my head. “You’re such an idiot.” I tried to act serious, but couldn’t help the laugh that sounded in my words, especially since he was laughing, too.

  “You know…” I began, glaring as we walked down to the parking lot, “this is why people say what they do about us.”

  Graham walked me to the passenger side door and opened it with a smirk. “Whatever could you be talking about, madam?” He gestured for me to get inside all properly.

  I shook my head and grinned as I got in. Graham was quite the character, but I had to admit, he always made me smile…even when he was being a dork.

  She was so damn predictable. I knew Cass would need a ride home; I purposely changed into my practice clothes after seventh period so I’d have time to bring her home. I guess the guys weren’t being too farfetched when they said that I was a little whooped by Cassidy. Though, in my defense, it wasn’t so much that I was whooped by her, it was just that I knew the girl like the back of my hand.

  “Okay, pit and peak,” Cassidy said as soon as we got out onto the main road. It was our everyday after school ritual. She saw people do it on some reality show and insisted that we had to. Actually, as much as I thought it was queer at first, it was quite entertaining and I looked forward to hearing what the highlight of Cass’s day was.

  I squinted one of my eyes, thinking. “Uh, my pit would probably be…” I pondered some more, “going back to school in general.”

  “Seriously?” She appeared shocked. “You dread school that much? It’s senior year.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I like summer better,” I said honestly.

  She rolled her eyes. I guess she wasn’t a fan of my pit. “I can’t wait to hear your peak then.”

  I scoffed at her constant over-dramatization. She was such a girl. “Getting to see your beautiful face again every morning,” I said to her in a lovingly tone. “At the ass-crack of dawn.”

  There it was, another eye roll, but a smile too. Cass had the best annoyed smile. It was a common thing I got from her. Getting under Cassidy’s skin was definitely one of my strongest points, but that smile…I was addicted to making it appear.

  “All right, your turn.” I turned the spotlight to her. “Pit and peak, woman.”

  She started thinking intently. She always took this very seriously. I could literally see the wheels turning inside. Cass was so fucking cute about this stuff. I snickered as I glanced over to her.

  “Okay! I got them. My pit is third period lunch. Too early,” she said, annoyed.

  “Such a bummer,” I mocked.

  “It is!” Cassidy was quick to argue her point. “I literally just ate breakfast!”

  I held up one hand innocently. “I didn’t disagree.”

  She tilted her head. “You were totally mocking me.”

  I chuckled. Of course she was right. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. “What’s your peak and you better not say being back in school.”

  “Why?” she asked, seriously.

  I knew it.

  “Because that’s speaking the obvious, Miss Cazenovia!” I joked.

  “Fine,” Cass said with attitude. “I’ll think of another one.” She was silent for another minute, the wheels aggressively at work again.

  I flipped my blinker on, turning down our street. “You better hurry up, sweetcheeks. We’re almost home,” I pointed out. That was another rule—we had to say them before we got home. Why? No clue; just another one of our things.

  “Okay, okay, okay…” It dawned on her just as I pulled into her driveway. “Connor minus Corinne in Abby’s and my English class,” she said, smiling ear-to-ear.

  She had to be joking.

  “That’s your peak?” She was out her mind.

  “Yeah, why?”

  I shook my head. “You’ve got issues.”

  Cassidy’s eyebrows furrowed. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, “How do you figure?”

  I was about to explain that having Connor Blakely in her class should be classified as a pit, but that was a battle I was sure to lose. She was seriously obsessed and had been for far too long. It topped the charts as one the most annoying things ever.

  “Don’t worry about it.” I put the car in reverse. I needed to get back to school stat. “It’s a great peak, Cass,” I said, even though it wasn’t anywhere close to the truth.

  “Thanks for taking me home. See you in the AM?” she asked somberly.

  “See ya in the AM,” I confirmed before she stepped out and waved as I backed out of her driveway. I beeped the horn per usual, but I was anything but happy at the moment.

  Fucking Connor Blakely!

  Last night was the first home football game. Abby and I went, of course. There’s something about the fall and high school football that I just loved. Hopefully, college games have the same feel. Otherwise I was going to be the weirdo graduate still going to high school events. I wasn’t ready to be done with them yet.

  “Knock, knock,” I heard my sister Lizzy say before opening my bedroom door. She was only a year older than me, exactly actually. We had the same birthday. Crazy, right? She went to Cazenovia College, just in town. Our dad was a professor there, so we got to go for free. Not that we really had a choice.

  “Hey!” I met her halfway and gave her a huge hug. I was so excited to see her. She lived on campus and left a few weeks ago. I hadn’t seen her since. “What’re you doing home?” I asked once we were both sitting on my bed.

  “Laundry,” Lizzy said unexcitedly, clearly not happy about having to do it.

  “Have Mom do it,” I said, waving it off. “She won’t care.”

  “They’re antiquing today.”

  News to me, but I hadn’t been downstairs yet to talk to them, so I wasn’t filled in on their itinerary.


  “Bummer.” I hated doing laundry. I always let it pile up so high that my mom would do it out of annoyance. Childish, I know, but whatever. It was one of those things I detested.

  She shrugged her shoulders and exhaled. “Whatever,” she said, leaning back against the headboard. “So what’s new? What’s the latest?” Lizzy was always on top of the latest and greatest in school. Everyone knew my sister. Lizzy was gorgeous and super popular. Everyone said she was my twin, just a year older, but I disagreed. We may have some similar features, but Lizzy had an amazing body, completely unlike mine. She was super skinny, and her hair didn’t have as much red in it either. Hers was more strawberry blonde than red. Hands down, Lizzy was definitely the hotter James girl, for sure.

  But surprisingly and unfortunately, I didn’t really have anything juicy to fill her in on. Everything was pretty normal. Nothing eventful to report.

  “Same old.”

  “Exciting,” she said, her sarcasm making me chuckle.

  “Right? Gotta love small town living!”

  We chit-chatted for a bit, Lizzy mostly educating me on college life.

  “Wait. You all share two showers? Is that even legal?” I asked, completely shocked by the showering arrangements in a dorm.

  Lizzy laughed at my disbelief. “Well, two at each end of the floor. But yeah, timing’s everything with getting an empty one in the morning.”

  I didn’t know if I was cut out for this dorm living. Sharing a shower with people I knew little about was disgusting in itself, but having to fight over them on top of that…

  “Maybe I’ll commute.”

  She rolled her eyes at my exaggeration. I was completely serious.

  I really missed having her around. Lizzy was more like a best friend than a sister. I missed being able to walk in her room, jump on her bed, and just talk. Sometimes about nothing. She always had the best stories, and gave the best beauty advice. It was crazy how much I missed her just after a few weeks.