Between Heaven and Hell (PA #2)

Chapter Six

An incessant beeping rouses me from my slumber. Burrowing deeper into my blankets, I groan at the noise.

"Eli, if you hid another alarm clock in my room, I'm going to...do something. Something bad that I'll figure out once I'm actually awake," I half-heartedly threaten.

The beeping abruptly stops, and a timid voice calls out, "Um, it is not Eli. It is uh, me. Cassie. Your roommate? My alarm, I mean. Your roommate Cassie's alarm. It was my alarm going off, though I set it for you because I was not sure if you had one or not."

What?

Cassie?

Alarm?

Since when do I have a roommate?

In a rush, the last twenty-four hours of my life come back to me. I'm not in my bedroom back in Hell, I'm in my shared dorm room at Purgatory Academy. With my angel roommate to whom I owe a massive apology.

Throwing the covers off my upper body, I rub the sleep out of my eyes and turn my head to the sound of Cassie's voice.

In her school uniform, Cassie sits at her desk chair facing me. Her hair is braided away from her face, her shoes are polished and shiny, and she holds a mug and a paper bag in her hands. Noticing where my attention is, Cassie pushes the items in my direction.

"I got you breakfast," she says nervously. "You seem to have a sweet tooth, so I thought you might like a donut and some hot chocolate. If you don't want it, though, that is totally fine!"

She's so thoughtful and earnest. And, after the way I treated her yesterday...

I can't help it. I burst into tears.

Cassie panics. Dropping the food and drink back onto the table, she reaches for me and then hovers her arms in the air like she doesn't quite know whether or not she should touch me.

Coming to a decision, she closes the distance between us and pats me on the back.

"I am so sorry, Willow. About my father and everything. I understand why you do not want to be associated with me."

I cry harder. Great wracking sobs that would get me nominated for an Oscar if I was playing the part of a grieving widow or something. But, no. I'm just a terrible person being comforted by someone who should be slapping me across the face.

Through my tears, I choke out reassurances.

"No." Sniffle. "I'm the one." Body Shudder. "Who should be." Sniffle. "Sorry."

Covering my eyes with my hands, I press down as though I can physically force the tears back into my body. The pain of the action gives me something else to focus on, and the distraction allows me to calm myself.

While I recover, Cassie patiently squats beside me, rubbing up and down my back like Lilith used to do. It makes me feel safe and loved, and the reminder of those pleasant feelings is enough to fully bring me back to normal.

When all that remains of my sob fest is lingering hiccups and surely red eyes, I give speech another go.

"Thank you," I tell Cassie. "For more than just this." I wave my arm around, trying to encapsulate the back-rubbing, breakfast-giving, and alarm-setting.

"It is no problem at all," she immediately replies.

I shake my head. "No. I was a jerk to you yesterday. More than a jerk, really. An a-asshole," I correct, stuttering over the curse.

"It is okay—" Cassie starts but I cut her off.

"No. It's not okay. It wasn't right for me to go off on you like I did. I have my own issues with Archangel Michael, but that has nothing to do with you. I'm sorry I didn't give you more of a chance, and I'm sorry for all of the despicable things I said to you."