Sorry for the late notice

How to save her

Cassie opened her eyes, gentle sunlight filtered through the window bathing the room in a warm yellow light.

She sighed rolling over to face the wall, "Cassie you are going to miss your bus!" her mother yelled up to her.

Cassie rubbed her eyes, another day, the same old thing.

Rolling out of bed she grabbed a pair of leggings and a t-shirt off the floor, she looked in the mirror, dark circles framed the bottom of her eyes making them look sunken.

She dabbed concealer unto them and quickly slapped on some mascara then looked into the mirror, took a deep breath and smiled, a wave of hot burned behind her eyes but she fought it back looking down and blinking hard before she looked back into the mirror and forcing the smile back unto her lips, "come on.." she muttered as she stood.

Pulling on a pair of old sneakers and grabbing her bag she made her way down the stairs passing her parents who were with her younger brother at the breakfast table, "Cassie aren't you going to eat?" her farther called after her, "don't have time" she replied walking out the front door.

She walked the 5 minutes to the bus stop and sat down, slumping against the wall she pulled her headphones out and plugged them in, music seemed to keep things quiet in her head for a while.

The bus pulled up and she hopped on, making her way to the back, she passed a few kids who she recognized from her school, others she saw everyday coming and going from their shit jobs the same dead robot look in their face that they always had.

Cassie closed her eyes willing herself to be somewhere else, maybe that's why she always read books.

The gentle sway could have convinced someone to fall asleep, the calming movement was like she was being rocked gently in the ocean.

She opened her eyes and looked out the window, snow covered the sidewalks outside and there was the occasional snowman out in someone's yard, the sky was clear, cold and blue, it could have been the perfect February day if you were an optimist, Cassie was not.

As she walked through the hallway at school it was like walking through a televisions static, like she wasn't truly there but floating through the shapes and sounds.

"Cass, hey Cassie!" Cassie turned taking a headphone out of her ear, a boy from her class stood behind her at his locker "oh hey.." she said smiling "you all good?" he said looking at her, "yeah, you?" she pulled a small smile, he smiled back, "yeah I'm okay, thanks."

Cassie nodded turning back around and continuing down the hall putting the headphone back in her ear, she heard the bell ring distantly and made her way towards her classroom, as she walked in she pulled her hood up so the teacher wouldn't see her headphones.

"Miss Lock you're late" her teacher, Miss Willet, said watching her over her thin glasses, Cassie rolled her eyes," by two minutes"

"Excuse me?" Her teacher said in a high pitch crow like squawk, "nothing.." Cassie mumbled as she made her way to the back of the class to her seat and slumped down, she could feel her teachers eyes on her but didn't look up instead she pretended to slowly look for a pencil in her bag.

"Today we are going to be discussing-" Cassie turned her music up and looked out the window imagining she were somewhere else.

History call was extremely boring plus she could listen to a podcast about whatever it was they were learning about and get more information then she ever could from their teacher.

She moved through the day as if she weren't in focus with reality, not much else was new, she felt like a poorly programmed robot in a simulation of someone else's life, a piece of faded artwork in the back of someone's desk.

When she stepped back unto the bus and moved towards the backdrop towards her usual seat on the left near the window, she looked up and saw a boy about her age sitting at the window, looking out at the snow covered yards.

Cassie sighed giving him a once over before she turned and sat in the bench to the right, plopping down and dropping her bag next to her.

The boy turned and looked at her, he seemed to scan her with his sparkling green eyes and she did her best to not look up, when she finally did meet his gaze he smiled, not a friendly smile for a stranger, not an awkward one when someone catches you staring, no, his smile conveyed an emotion, it conveyed an amount of forgiveness and understanding like he could look into her soul and hear her thoughts.

"Why are you staring at me?" she blurted out before she could stop herself, 'great Cassie now you've attracted more attention' she thought to herself.

"Oh, nothing" he turned back to the window, "she watched him for a minute, he turned back around" why are you staring at me?"

" I-I wasn't.." she began, " I can see your reflection in the window.." he said gesturing to the glass window, she looked passed him at her reflection," I was looking at the.. bus stop for one of my friends.." this was a lie she didn't have very many friends, and she had none who took this bus.

"Alright then, who is your friends?" he said raising an eyebrow, "they aren't there, I just thought they might be.." she leaned back looking forward, "so they rake this bus then..?" He continued to pry, Cassie turned back to look at him, "sometimes they do yes!" He put his hands up defensively and turned back to the window as the bus pulled out of the stop.

Cassie looked down at her phone deliberately avoiding looking up to see him.

He turned back around, and eyed her, "I've never seen you with any 'friends' on this bus before.." Cassie sat up and opened her mouth.

The buss slowed and the boy stood up collecting his stuff, Cassie looked at him as he moved out into the isle with confusion, she had never seen him before.

"Gonna watch me leave now are you?" he smirked at her, "don't worry.." he said walking towards the door, "..I'll look back" he said turning to face her just before leaving the door, she gave him an exasperated eye roll as he walked out into the snow.

Cassie sat watching as the buss pulled away leaving him on the snow covered sidewalk, a little bit confused and intrigued.

She sighed and sat back turning to look at the seat he had just vacated, a thin brown book sat on the bench with golden letters on it.

She turned to see if he was still there but the stop was out of sight now.

Looking back at the bench she leaned over and picked up the book, thr cover read ''How to save her by James Martin''.

Cassie stared at it, the words seemed to pull her in, "How to save her.." she said lowly under her breath so no one nearby could hear her.

She was so busy looking at the book she nearly missed the stop, jumping up and grabbing her bag she stuffed the small book inside it and ran out the door just as the closed she sighed knowing had she been a few more seconds she would have to walk home from six kilometers away.

She turned and walked down the sidewalk, her mind seemed to be in a dull, quiet, calm which she didn't mind.

When she got home, her parents were both in the kitchen, she could hear them before she even opened the door, they had been fighting more and more lately over the smallest things.

She walked in and glanced at them, they didn't seem to see her, she looked over at her little brother Luke, he was sitting at the dining room table quietly watching their parents fight with his plate of spaghetti.

"Come on bud lets go upstairs" she whispered picking him up and making her way up the stairs to his room.

Cassie set him on his bed and pulled out the TV remote "you wanna watch Paw Patrol?" his face lit up "yes!" he said quickly,clapping in excitement.

She clicked in the show and turned the volume up so it drowned out their parents "there you go bud, you need anything I'm right there" she pointed across he hall to her room, he nodded but didn't look away from the show.

Cassie got up and crossed the hall as she got closer to her room she felt heavier the room drew her in and when she shut the door everything, just for a minute, seemed to go silent.