effortlessly // k.s.j fanfic (on going)

10: Life Lessons From Maddie

Cassidy's POV

"No offense, but why don't you drive your own car?" I sighed reacting to Maddie's question. "I mean, you're seventeen, Cassie. Don't you just wanna go anywhere you go without Sean's guidance or something?"

I rolled my eyes and started explaining, "Look, Maddie, you know how lazy myself is and Sean is more like my personal driver than my 'guide' so he's not exactly a problem of me dealing with my own freedom."

"Please," Maddie scoffed as she pulled the car at a smoothie store near school and it was after school that time.

We both got out of the car and made our way inside the store and went in line. "Why don't you order ours and I'll find a seat for us, how's that?"

"Mint Sorbet?" she asked.

"Love you, Madds," I scooted as I blew a kiss away. I scanned the entire store and my eyes spotted two chairs by the window with a sight of plants outside the store, which are my favorite and it is probably written on my forehead.

I sat down and reached my phone from my pocket after I got comfy with my sitting position. As I lit up my phone, a simple smile was my reaction.

Am I talking to Cassidy not-at-home-right-now Lew?

Should I even tell who it was from?

I locked my phone back and I could see Maddie was heading towards our table from across the room with both hands full of large smoothies. I smiled at her playfully—either it was because of the arrival of the smoothie or was it because of Kenneth.

As soon as Maddie sat down, I mumbled the word 'thanks' and dragged my smoothie from across the table. Without noticing, I was actually sipping my smoothie with a recent playful laugh—still.

Maddie furrowed her eyebrows and let her smile turned into a concerned one. "What's up with you?"

I then furrowed my eyebrows—reacting to Maddie's question, "Why? What's wrong?"

"Oh, like that plastered smile on your face is totally normal? Spill, girl!"

"No! I wouldn't spill my smoothie!" I snatched my smoothie away from her—making sure if she's not trying to spill it.

Maddie looked at me with a are-you-kidding-me look and rolled her eyes afterwards, "That was not what I meant, dumbo. Just explain why you are turning into a cheerful and a giddy you."

"Seriously, it's noth—"

As I was about to finish my sentence, my phone vibrated and I immediately snatched my phone away from Maddie so that she won't know who it was from.

It was from Kenneth and it said:

Sunny day by the window at the smoothie store, ya?

My eyes widened automatically from reading Kenneth's text message. Was he stalking me? How would he know I was sitting at the window by the smoothie store?

I immediately typed:

What the heck?? Stalker much??

I scanned the entire store, making sure he wasn't in the same room as I was. I scanned left and right and outside the window as well. Who knows he could be that creepy guy across the street, just waiting to kill you by staring into your deep soul.

Just when I was busy finding Kenneth, Maddie snatched my phone from my grip and shrieked in excitement. Her obvious reaction when he saw the text was a loud and huge gasp.

"OH. MY. GOD."

"Look, it's not like that, I could explain," I calmed her and making sure that there was nothing suspicious. But for the record, when I said I could explain, I was thinking of some reasonable excuses at that very moment.

"Let me guess, it's gonna be either just friends or dancing partner," Maddie guessed as she scrolled up on me and Kenneth's conversation.

"Exactly."

"Well, does that explains the giddy-Cassidy a few minutes ago? Was that because of her so-called friend or her so-called dance partner?" She rised one of her eyebrows to make it more intimidating and serious.

"Maddie, it's just that—"

"Cass, you can tell me. For God's sake I'm your best Ziegler! There's nothing to hide, Cass," Maddie shrieked with almost a high tone.

"Maddie, I don't know why I'm like this. He-he does everything so effortlessly. The way he's making me fall for him is definitely effortless," I explained.

Hearing my explanation, Maddie's face popped up a huge smile. I think she knew exactly how I felt that moment. "Cass," she said, still with a smile.

"Hm?"

"You're having a crush on Kenneth San Jose," she smiled.

I pouted, "I think I'm aware of that, Mads."

She scooted closer to our table and started babbling, "But, Cass, he's Kenneth. The cold hearted Kenneth San Jose we all know. He's well known for his heartless self and no feelings self. How does he even do that? What have you done to him? Is he really the Kenneth San Jose we all know?"

For no apparent reason, my blood rushed to my face all at once. I didn't know what to say, to be honest. I didn't even do anything, I didn't even try to make Kenneth like this. I have no clue on what to answer Maddie with.

"There's something in you, Cassidy Lew. There's something in you that changed Kenneth. Truth, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but I have a strong feeling it's a good one," she explained, sounding very sure what she was saying.

"How come?"

"Well, being in love sure made you happy, regardless if your crush is feeling the same way too. See, getting slightly noticed by your crush can change your day a whole lot better, isn't that a good thing? I'm pointing my finger, that's how Kenneth feels right now, so are you."

And that's where it hits me like a brick.

That's exactly how I feel right now. The slightest thing that he does made my stomach turn into a mosh pit full of butterflies. And now I noticed. Was that the reason why I felt like he was doing everything so effortlessly? Was it because I had a crush on him? Or was it, worse?

"Mads"

"Yeah?" answered Maddie as she took another sip of her Pina Colada Smoothie.

"What if I'm in love with him?"

She choked. Saying those seven words into a question made her choke.

She cleared her throat and started, "You've fallen, haven't you?"

I stood silent.

"Wow," she said, "Look, that's great. But may I warn you, falling in love isn't always rainbows and butterflies. Sometimes, it's thunderstorms and a huge tsunami. It breaks you, however it is. Sometimes, it breaks you good and sometimes, it breaks you bad. Like really badly. Love is too complex to exist, if I may say. It makes you do things which are extremely stupid and irrational but that's just how that thing works. Good and bad, positive and negative, laughter and tears. It's like you've got consequences for being happy. Be careful."
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A/N
Hey cutiessss! So sorry for the long update since I'm drowning in tons of responsibilities, continuing the story was a very hard thing to do. I wrote this at 2 am since that was my only free time and I strongly believe that 2 am was the best time to enlighten about life lessons. You guys are the bestt❤️❤️ don't forget to vote, comment, and follow!!1!1!! i