Cassandra The African Girl (COMPLETE) (EDITED)

Chapter 24

I spent the entire day on the couch, avoiding Lin's room and the thought of facing her. Being upset with someone is so draining, and with no television in the house and nothing interesting on my phone, boredom sets in. There's only one thing left to do – see how long I can hold my breath.

On my first attempt, I managed forty-one seconds. Now, onto the second try. As I focus on holding my breath, I keep checking the time on my phone until it becomes too difficult. Finally, I hit a minute and decide to stop the timer, exhaling deeply. It takes a few moments to regulate my breathing, and just as I start to relax, I receive a notification on my phone. Chloe replied to my message. FINALLY!

9:44 AM

Me: Hi Chloe. Uh, Conrad had plans today so we couldn't hang out, but he KISSED me!!!

10:14 AM

Chloe: Woah! What do you mean he kissed you?

I wonder if Chloe is excited or upset about Conrad kissing me. It's hard to tell via text, so I shake the thought away and continue texting.

Me: Yeah, he felt bad because we couldn't hang out, so he kissed me on the cheek.

Chloe: I need to talk to you immediately.

Me: Okay, what about?

Chloe: Not over text, face to face. There's a park a few meters from your house, do you know it?

Me: Yeah, Lin and I pass by it on our way to school.

Chloe: Okay, let's meet there.

Me: Alright.

Feeling apprehensive, I grab my phone, slip on my sneakers, and head out. Then, I reconsider and decide to take Lin's bike. I'm still upset with her, but I'm also inexplicably tired.

Seven minutes later, I arrive at the park, but there's no sign of Chloe. I take a seat on a bench and wait for her. After what feels like an eternity, I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder from behind.

"Hi," Chloe says, her expression neutral.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask, concern evident in my voice.

She sits beside me. "I need to tell you something," she says.

"What?" I prompt.

"I don't know how to say this, but Conrad hit on me."

"What! What do you mean he hit on you, how does he know, and when?" I ask, struggling to believe her.

What on earth is going on? How could Conrad hit on Chloe? I thought he liked me. He even kissed me – well, my cheek, but still.

"He sent me a message yesterday at school," she says, pulling out her phone to show me.

Conrad: Hi Chloe, this is Conrad, Conrad Anderson. I wanted to tell you that you are really pretty and I like you. Would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend? I know we don't know each other that well, but I really wanna get to know you. I bet that your face is not the only beautiful thing you have.

Reading the message, I feel disheartened. My chest tightens, and I struggle to hold back tears. I look away, unable to meet Chloe's gaze.

"I'm sorry," she says softly.

"No, I'm... I'm not... It's fine, I don't care," I manage to say, though the words feel wrong. "What was his reaction when you told him 'no'?" I attempt to joke, hoping to avoid further embarrassment.

"Wait, what?" Chloe asks, confused. "What do you mean when I told him 'no'?"

"When he asked you to be his girlfriend, you said 'no,' right?" I clarify.

"No, why would I say 'no'? Conrad is my boyfriend now," she reveals.

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask, shocked and utterly confused.

"Yeah, we've been dating for like a day. That's why he couldn't hang out with you today – he's spending time with me," she explains, adding to my bewilderment.

"I don't understand what you're saying. You're telling me Conrad is your boyfriend, and you couldn't tell me earlier? Why would you send a message to him from my phone if you're already dating? I don't get it, Chloe."

"Conrad asked me to be his girlfriend yesterday, and I said yes. I sent that message to him from your phone, and then later that night, I sent another one from mine asking for the same thing because I wanted to be sure he didn't feel the same way about you. So, yeah, he picked me, and I was happy. But then you sent me the message about the kiss, so I confronted him and found out he was just being nice to you. I came here to tell you that Conrad is mine, he loves me, not you, and I would appreciate it if you stayed away from my boyfriend and got over your little crush on him. He's mine and will never love you. Take care," she says, smiling – not a kind smile – before walking away.

I'm left speechless. I've been lied to, betrayed, and rejected. It's astonishing how people can change their colors – I thought only some reptiles could do that. My tears have dried up; there's nothing left to cry about. I'll just go home and be alone. New experiences are supposed to be exciting, but this is just too much.

When I arrive home, I find Conrad in the living room, scrolling through his phone. I have questions, and I demand answers. I need to know if everything he did and said was just him being nice or if he was playing with my feelings. Before I realize it, the words slip out.

"Why did you do that to me?" I ask.

He turns his head towards me. "What?"

I walk over to him and repeat my question. "Why did you do that to me?"

"What are you talking about? What did I do?" he asks, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"You played with my feelings. You made me think you liked me and were interested in me, but you were just toying with my emotions," I accuse, my frustration evident.

"Woah, Cassandra, I was just being nice to you. I don't like you that way," he says defensively.

"Being nice! Do you even know what being nice is? It's not complimenting someone all the time, taking them out for movie dates, kissing their cheeks, and giving them goo-goo eyes," I argue. But as I list these things, I realize most of them are what nice people do, and maybe I misinterpreted his actions. Except the goo-goo eyes – those definitely meant something.

He furrows his brow in confusion. "Okay, maybe that is being nice, but you're making a big deal out of nothing."

"Okay, I'm sorry if I hurt you, but it's just that I'm into blondes, and you're not one," he explains.

Now, I'm going to say it. What the heck is this guy saying? Is it an American thing to date girls based on their hair color? What does a blonde have that other girls don't?

Lin comes downstairs and heads to the kitchen to make something to eat. Now's my chance to go to my room without seeming like I want to talk to her. Even though she was right and hurt me, I'm going to act stubborn. I run to my room and close the door – not slamming it because I'm not angry, just sad. I sit on the little pink sofa and try to process everything that happened today.

Lin tried to warn me about Conrad and how he would hurt me. I didn't listen, and we ended up in a heated argument, bringing up sensitive topics. My so-called friend lied to me and went behind my back. She deceived me and even warned me to stay away from her boyfriend. Conrad is just a jerk.

I'm sad, not because of what happened today – well, maybe a little – but because I got into unnecessary arguments with the people I love the most. It was just me, not them. Rose never betrayed me, and Lin didn't lie to me. I was just making everything about me. Since the day I got the news that I was coming here, I've been making everything about me. I lashed out at my dad because MY life was affected. I left behind MY friend and MY crush. I didn't think about how Dad's life was affected and the friends he was leaving behind.

I fought with Rose because I didn't want her to be friends with anyone else; I wanted to have her all to MYSELF. I didn't consider how my move would affect her or how my selfishness would hurt her. I just wanted her to live a sad, pathetic life without any friends because I wasn't around. I got mad at Lin when she tried to warn me about Conrad because all I could think about was myself and how she was trying to separate ME and Conrad. Wow, I guess I've been a selfish jerk all this time.