Soulmarks

Chapter 16: Starting Over

It was hard to sleep with everything that had happened, but I got a few hours of sleep last night in between my thoughts about leaving and Garrett. I still can't believe that Cassidy was Garett's soulmate. How would they have met? What would their first date have been? Would they have gone to the same college together?

All these questions were itching in my brain, which is what made it so hard to sleep. But after I got my few hours in, it was around eight when I woke up because I could hear voices.

I don't bother changing out of my pajamas just yet; I want to see who's up. I wheel out into the dining room, where Anne is sitting at the table, drinking coffee with Cassidy. Why is Cassidy here? When Anne notices me, she smiles.

"Morning, Noa. Did you sleep well?" she asks. I force a smile back.

"Yeah, I slept fine," I lie.

"Cassidy here came to see you, but I thought we'd let you sleep longer," Anne says.

"You came to see me? Why?" I ask. Her face turns red.

"I, um, wanted to see if you wanted to hang out with me for a while. I want to ask you about Garrett, if that's okay," she asks.

"You want to hang out with me? Sure, where are we going to go?" I ask.

"What about the mall? I haven't been shopping in a while," Cassidy says. I smile.

"Me neither. Sure, that sounds fun," I say.

"Cool. And lunch is on me, for everything that happened yesterday," she says.

"You don't have to do that. I understand why you were bitter. But if you insist," I say.

"I do. It was totally unlike me to be unfriendly like that, but I was just jealous. You and Aven really are an impressive pair. I just want that for myself," Cassidy says.

"You'll get it someday, I promise. Anyway, let me shower and get dressed. I'll try not to be too long," I say.

"Do you at least have something to sit on in there?" she asks. I laugh.

"Yeah, we got a shower chair. Don't worry," I say.

"Good. Go ahead then, I'll just wait here. Anne made waffles," she says.

"I'll grab one once I'm out," I say.

"Where are you going?" Atticus asks, entering the room as he rubs his eyes.

"Out to the mall with Cassidy. That's okay, right?" I ask.

"Of course that's okay. I'm glad you two are finally getting along," he says.

"No boys allowed, by the way," Cassidy says.

"Trust me, I don't want to go to the mall with two girls. We'd be there an eternity," he jokes.

"Whatever, we'll only be a few hours. We'll be back after lunch. But if we're going to make it, I have to go get ready," I say.

"By all means, go get ready," he says, chuckling.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"You've just never been so eager to get ready," he says.

"Well, no one has ever invited me to go to the mall, either," I say.

"Really?" Cassidy asks.

"Well, not since the accident, no. Because my wheelchair gets in the way," I say.

"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard," she says, making me laugh.

"Yeah, I guess so. That's just how it is for me," I say.