Words Unspoken ✔️

Chapter 9: How Much She's Worth

When you try your best but you don't succeed

When you get what you want but not what you need

When you feel so tired but you can't sleep

Stuck in reverse...

And the tears come streaming down your face

When you lose something you can't replace

When you love someone but it goes to waste

Could it be worse?

Coldplay-Fix You

March 8, 2006

Cassie sat in her seat as she was trying hard to concentrate on the latest lesson for trig. But she just couldn't, because her mind was full of anxiety. The class was receiving their results for the midterm exam after class. She was hoping and praying for at least a passing grade, in order to boost her already suffering grade and most importantly, lessen the tense feeling between her and her mother.

She wasn't holding her breath, though. She knew that she would be getting less than an 80. She had a great deal of struggle with the test, so getting a really good grade was completely out of the picture. In these past two weeks, it was nothing less than a nightmare. Simone and Ashley were still going at it with the text messages. She tried deleting the texts and the numbers off of her phone, but they just kept coming. She tried turning off her phone, but that would only strain her relationship with her mother further. Just the other day, her mother confronted her about not picking her phone whenever she calls in front of the entire family. The entire conversation still etched in her mind...

"Cassie, how come I call you a thousand times in a day and you never pick up your phone?" Angie asked.

"Ummm..." Cassie started. Her stomach started tensing up.

"I tried calling you to tell you to take the meat out from the freezer to defrost in order to cook dinner tonight and now we're eating late!"

"I'm--I'm sorry, it's uh... just th--that my phone's been acting up lately," Cassie lied, preventing the worst, while Cheyenne pressed her lips together with nervousness, C.J. bowing his head, trying to hide his look of worry.

"Well, we could go to T-Mobile tomorrow afternoon and get that phone sorted out," Austin spoke up.

"No, Dad, I don't think that's gonna work!" Cassie replied quickly. The blood rushed to her cheeks as she realized how crazy she had just sounded.

A look of concern and worry crossed her father's face, while her mother sighed heavily as her lips pressed together.

"Cass, you've been acting really strange these past few days, honey," Austin said, making Cassie's heart sink. "Is there something bothering you? Is everything OK?"

"I'd like to know that myself," Angie added. Meanwhile, Cheyenne was biting her nails, a sign that she was very anxious and C.J. finally expressed his look of nervousness.

"Oh, no, Daddy, nothing's going on, don't worry," Cassie replied, smiling forcefully.

"Are you sure, baby?"

"I'm positive."

"Right," Angie said icily. "Now, when I call you, you be sure to pick up that phone, is that understood?"

"Angela!" Austin protested.

"Yes ma'am," Cassie replied lowly.

Cassie felt her stomach churn as that thought came back in her mind. She longed to tell her parents, and this nightmare would be over. A part of Cassie wanted to just brace herself for her father's wrath and just tell him, but the thought of the whole situation escalating was just too much for her to bear. She gulped at that thought and tried so desperately to clear her mind.

But then she felt so much despair when another person came into mind. Drew. The only person that would always make her feel better after every school day from hell. She loved him dearly, and she was sure that Drew was quite fond of her too, maybe he had the same feelings as she did. But she couldn't let their relationship blossom because of Simone and Ashley, plus the entire school giving Cassie looks as she would walk down the hallway. Cassie's eyes threatened to burst into tears at that feeling.

"Alright, guys, time for the moment of truth," the teacher announced, making Cassie's heart beat a mile a minute. It didn't take long for the teacher to reach Cassie's test paper. Cassie closed her eyes and opened them again, just to see the utter nightmare unfolding before her eyes.

The paper showed her failing grade of a 45 written in bolded red with a note that simply said,

See me!

Cassie covered her mouth in horror as she saw her grade, realizing the consequences that she would face afterwards. The bell rung, and Cassie instantly walked unsteadily out of the classroom. She headed towards the staircase on her way out of the building, not wanting to bear any more of school, as tears streamed down her face uncontrollably while choking back sobs. Simone and Ashley were right. She was nothing more than a dummy, a stupid white trash cunt. Cassie felt a sob come up her throat, as she heard a boy's voice call out her name.

"Cassie!"

Cassie turned to see that it was Drew calling her name. She rushed towards the staircase and ran down a flight of stairs, before Drew caught her, and held her by her shoulders. Cassie snatched herself away from his grip.

"Hey, stop that!" Drew snapped, while Cassie hung her head down. "What's going on with you, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Cassie choked out, holding back a sob.

"Something is wrong, and silence isn't golden," Drew said. "What else have they been doing to you?"

"And why do you care?" Cassie retorted. "Why would someone like you get involved in someone like me? I'm a messed up person, Drew, you don't deserve someone like me!"

"They said something else to you, did they?" Drew asked angrily. "And you gonna fucking listen to them?"

"Well, they were right about me!" Cassie sobbed. "I'm nothing more than a stupid white trash cunt that can't even pass a single test! I bombed the midterm, and my mom's gonna be on my ass 'cause the school already sent a note home the day before the test, and she cursed me out on top of that! I don't even know if I could go back home!"

Cassie hung her head down and started sobbing quietly.

"Oh, Cassie," Drew sighed, going in to hug Cassie. But she moved backwards, away from Drew's embrace.

"Cassie, what's wrong with you?" Drew asked with frustration.

"I already asked you, why are you involved with someone like me?"

"Am I not allowed to?"

Cassie pressed her lips together and looked down on the ground.

"Don't you know how much you're worth, Cassie?" Drew questioned. "You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen, inside and out. Plus, despite that failing grade, you are smart, and you are the only person other than my family who actually makes me smile. Cassie, you are something special."

Cassie squeezed her eyes shut as more tears came streaming down her face.

"And you avoiding me... i--it makes me feel a certain way, like, all the times we hung out together, and most importantly, coming for you, when no one was there, to save you from those two pervs!" Drew continued. "It makes me feel like that all of that isn't worth a damn!"

"It does matter, Drew," Cassie croaked.

"So then why are you acting this way?"

Cassie ran her fingers through her hair in agitation.

"Just being with you is only going to make it worse for both of us," she managed to reply, her voice broken.

"Cassie, what are you talking about?"

"I gotta go."

With that, Cassie ran down the stairs, ignoring Drew frantically calling her name and out of the school. Cassie walked to the train station, as the tears were burning her face now, uncertain at what her future would be.