Under The Spotlight || UNEDITED

2 9

|Cassie|

It's been two weeks since William lied and said he was the one who broke my heart into pieces even though I know that it was me who put him in that position. It's been two weeks and I still feel guilty. It's been two weeks and I still receive a variety of stares and whispers walking through the hallways.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Clarke kindly pointed out when I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl to prepare my morning cereal.

"It's winter. Some of us aren't as lucky to be born with tan skin." I snickered while drowning my cereal with milk.

She turned her head back to the television screen, gently petting Cress who laid right beside her. Snuggled up against her leg fast asleep. Clarke snuggled up in her knitted brown sweater and a fleece blanket covered in Cress's white fur since she seems to shed everyday ever since she got her longer and more fluffy snow white fur.

I placed my now empty bowl in the sink and grabbed my fur rimmed black winter boots over my black leggings.

"Where you going?" Clarke called. Even Cress woke up and raised her head to look at me when she heard the sound of me nearing the front door.

"Mrs. Rodriguez." I pulled my grayish coat that hung barley past my butt. Buttoning it up before walking out of the house.

It's been snowing for the past week constantly. Enough that you had to shovel the driveway behind your car just to be able to leave. And the snow is suppose to get worse, in fact at the end of this new week we're suppose to get a couple feet of snow. I won't be surprised if we get a snow day sometime this week, I'd be kind of glad. The trees have all died and are covered in a thick layer of snow. You wouldn't be able to tell which area was the sidewalk or the road beside the dark tire marks that look like they were stained onto the snow.

"Mija!" Ms. Rodriguez hugged me right after she opened the door. She grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me inside.

Ralph barked repeatedly before nipping at my ankles, before licking them when Ms. Rodriguez got mad at him as an apology.

I sat down on the couch and a minute later Ms. Rodriguez handed me some fresh hot chocolate. The white mug was warm at the touch, but the homemade hot chocolate was delicious. I would've chugged it all if it didn't try to burn my taste buds when it touched my taste buds.

"How's in been?" Ms. Rodriguez asked with a friendly smile. "Haven't seen you since you were here with that boy. Clarke told me what happened. Im so sorry mija."

"I'm doing a lot better." I forced out a smile before looking down at the light brown hot chocolate resting in my cup.

"That's a beautiful necklace." She added. Instantly my hand went up to feel the necklace William gave me. "When you'd get it?"

I tried to smiled, but instead my face just went blank. I gulped back the lump that was stuck in my throat.

"He got you that." She covered her mouth, "I'm sorry mija."

"It's okay. I don't even know why I still wear it." I explain, gripping the silver charm close to me. I didn't have the motivation to rip it off my neck.

"It's because you still love him." She takes me by surprise.

I looked up, I could feel my face start to get hot. I opened my mouth but shut it before any words could escape. Ms. Rodriguez took that as an opportunity to continue talking.

"My mother once told me el amor es una tormenta." She paused before smiling at my confusion since I don't speak Spanish like her. "It means love is a storm. It will have it's dark and scary moments, but it will also have it gray and peaceful moments. It just depends on how you deal your cards."

"Yeah but storms bring destruction."

"They also bring new life." She grinned. "You just gotta be willing to look for it."

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I struggled to get it out as my mind tried outting together what Ms. Rodriguez was telling me.

Dad 11:35 a.m.
Got released from work early. Taking you girls out for lunch.

"Thanks Ms. Rodriguez." I said, standing up while whipping off Ralph's fur from my coat. "Dad taking us to lunch."

"Have fun mija." She flashed me a smile before the door closed behind me.

Lunch was fantastic. Dad, Clarke, and I all went out to this tint local sandwich place that just opened up down the street from our house. Mostly couples were eating around us, but there were a few families with young kids doing ridiculous things that made us all smile wide.

"I remember you and Clarke would always take those crayons restaurants gave to occupy young children and draw all over the booth's and chairs when I wasn't looking." Dad chuckled. Clarke and I exchanged looks before looking back at him.

"And you didn't stop us?" We said in defense.

"The waiters would just laugh and explain you weren't the only ones who drew all over the chairs before." He continued to laugh.

"Still." Clarke said in mid laugh. "You definitely aren't gonna win best parent of the year award."

"Letting us vandalize at a young age." I joke.

"It was cute." He raised his hands up, "also told me y'all weren't gonna be artist when you're older."

"Well now that's just rude." Clarke crossed her arms. Trying to hold in her laughter.

"Very rude if you ask me." I followed Clarke in the crossing of our arms thing. Except I wasn't so talented at holding in my laugh. In fact when I laughed, I laughed hard enough that I snorted. Breaking Clarke out of trying to hold in her laugh.

It was almost like something clicked on my brain while laughing along side my family. The realization of what Ms. Rodriguez was saying all along. It's moments like this that are the beautiful aftermaths of a terrible storm. That warm and fuzzy feeling in your gut as you laugh along someone you love. That's the feeling I've been ignoring this whole time.