Rose • Justin Foley

• 4 •

"Hi." I tell them both as I take a sip of my cappuccino.

"Alex here basically made me come here." Jess said while slightly rolling her eyes. Yeah she's like that since the day we met but I know she has a good heart.

"How kind of you." I say without changing my face expression. I was so unbothered.

"We're sorry about Hannah." The blonde boy spoke.

"I've heard that before." I said.

"Well – we mean it." Jess said.

I nod and the silence takes over the table.

"F.M.L?" Alex asks placing his hand on the table.

"FML Forever." All 4 of us spoke. How a simple act and simple words made all of us feel less lonely.

But after that day, people stopped coming and it only left me and Hannah. Alex started to hang out with Bryce's crew and also started dating Jessica apparently.

We were such good friends since we were all new in Liberty.

And then obviously we all had to go our separate way.

"Sorry – I can't." I say before I leave my half finished cappuccino on the table and left the two individuals to their own thoughts.

FML reminded me of Hannah and that is something I am trying to avoid. Thinking of Hannah and how she died alone. Maybe I could've done something.

*

I walked inside the school and I found a supposed memorial for Hannah. Such a shame that they only got to be nice to her after she passed away.

"Want to leave a rose in her memory?" A girl with black hair spoke, I turned to look at Courtney who looked at the picture and roses in front of us. As if she actually cared.

I bet she's only doing this to get a good reputation to become a prefect.

"She didn't like roses." I said before.

"I've heard that before." She said fixing a rose that was sticking out of the table.

I walked away leaving the girl to her own thoughts.

*

I walked inside my next class and my eyes landed on a laughing Justin Foley which was interesting as he said earlier that he was in a horrible mood and hated himself for what he did and yet he's able to cross Hannah's locker and not even show a slight bit of regret. 

As soon as his eyes landed on mine he stopped laughing and slightly smiled at me. I walked and sat in my normal seat facing the front feeling someone staring at the back of my head.

"Hello – please sit down." Mr Jones said as he walked inside the classroom with a couple of books in his hands indicating Markus to sit down.

I rest my head in my hand and look up at the teacher hoping this hour goes super fast.

As the lesson came to its half way point my belly started turning, when given permission by the teacher, I quickly get up from my seat and run to the bathroom, I get in my knees and vomit onto the toilet seat.

Letting everything that I was holding in out.

I hear someone open the door slightly.

"Cassie, are you okay?" Courtney's voice spoke as I let out a sigh not wanting to deal with her fake kindness.

"I'm okay – I'm fine." I say before I get out of the bathroom stool and face her. I probably looked like a mess and didn't make any eye contact.

"Okay – just know that I'm here for you." Sure you are just like you were with Hannah? "And don't forget to bring a costume." She said before walking out the door.

Give me strength.

•

It was now the costume day, one of the worst days of the year. I mean it's just so pointless. However, I decide not to dress up for this 'special event'.

So I decide to wear normal clothes and brush my blonde hair as I do everyday.

I walk downstairs to find my mother making breakfast.

"Oh – hi honey." She spoke with a smile on her face. Good thing about my mother is that she always sees the positives in things.

"Hi mom." I say before sitting down on the wooden table in front of me with a plate of scrambled eggs and salad in front of me.

I start eating the food quickly so that I am able to go to school on time. My punctuation and attendance is definitely slipping.

After finally finishing eating the food in my plate, I say goodbye to my mom and start making my way towards the school.

As my sigh lands on the school building I could already see the funny costumes that people were wearing.

People looked at me since it is not usual for someone not to bring a costume to school on this particular day.

Deal with it.

I walk inside and saw Justin and Jessica who looked like some punk rockstars yet I recognised those outfits from somewhere.

"No outfit, Cassie?" Jessica said turning to me.

"Not this year, Jess." I say before she turns back to her boyfriend, Justin who was looking st me still which made Jessica have to push his face towards her.

I come across Clay who also doesn't have a costume.

"Hi Clay." I say smiling at the boy with a heavy scar in his forehead.

"Hi Cassie. Decided not to bring a costume too?" He said.

"Yep. Kind of intimidating because people are looking at me like I just broke some kind of rule." I say as we walk together towards our next class.

"Yep – been there." He said with a slight chuckle as he's huge headphones stood around his neck.

"What you listening to?" I ask wondering. I am quite a curious person if you might know.

"Oh – uh – some tapes with songs that – my dad gave me." He says with a bit of hesitation in his voice. "Yeah –" he says.

We get silent as we walk inside the class, I see Courtney with her pink wig making me slightly chuckle in which she responds with a glare.

She's so annoying.

"Okay guys, turn to page 55, lets talk about poems today." Gosh I hate poems.

I hear someone come in and it was Mr. Porter as his eyes wondered between all students before his eyes landed on mine.

"Miss. Rose can I speak to you in my office?"