"How can you lose when you never stop fighting?"
Cassiopeia Walker-Simmons looked at her star from a tiny window in space her whole life. She never imagined that it'd be even more beautiful from the ground. Yet every time she gazed upon the dazzlin...
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KOOKIE CASSIE
Children are perceived as innocent creatures. They're praised for being angelic, and it's rarely acknowledged that with some effort, these creatures can become demons, and easily torment those around them. Cassie witnessed this first hand.
She never bothered anyone. She'd sit in the corner of the classroom while they were on break, absorbing words in a book normally twice her size. Cassie would usually try to stay out of the way as much as possible, even going as far as to take her book with her to the toilet and spend the entirety of her break in a toilet cubicle, knowing that if she went back to the classroom she'd be targeted by the predators.
This day, no matter what she seemed to do to avoid it, the predators were eager to attack the prey.
"Hey Cassie," a sickly sweet voice sang. She recognised that voice instantly, and she gripped her book tighter. Cassie wasn't ready for what was about to come today of all days. "I really love your hair!"
Cassie's eyes slowly lifted from behind the pages of her book. She tugged at the ends of her curly hair, it bouncing straight back as she let go. A tiny smile grew on her face at her words, and she felt something warm bloom in her chest. "Thank you!"
The girl giggled. Cassie furrowed her brows, not fully understanding the joke. The girl paid no mind to it, her sinister laughter killing the happiness that had begun to develop. "You know what would be even better?"
"What?" Cassie naively asked, not prepared for what was about to to be said.
"If you cut it all off."
Cassie's frown remained on her face. "You said you loved it?"
She giggled again. It was like a knife being driven down her ear drums, and she wanted nothing more than to be deaf. "As if someone could like that."
Cassie's smile dropped a fraction. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she gave the girl a watery smile, reciting the words proudly, them having been drummed into her head when she cursed her reflection. "All that matters is that I feel comfortable in my own skin."
It was completely erased when a chorus of shrieks attacked her. She didn't fight back, simply closing her book softly shut and clambering to her feet. Without uttering another word, she walked away from them, praying that they didn't notice the glassy layer covering her eyes. The only thing keeping the tears at bay was the reassuring weight of the book in her hand - at least books would be kind to her.
"Where are you going, Kookie Cassie?"
Cassie visibly shrunk under the insult. The book was now being cradled to her chest, and it felt a lot harder to breathe. She didn't have that far to go until she was in the safety of the corridor, and that one thought kept her going as continuous insults were thrown at her back. They weren't as venomous as they could be, but the vindication they were spoken with just drove the dagger deeper in her chest.
The moment her feet stepped out into the hall, her shoulders relaxed. Now she could go to the bathroom and hide away in there until class started again. Cassie resisted her grimace at the thought - it smelt weird in there and the bathroom stalls were a bit too tight for her; it was better than that room. She'd rather choke on the smell of piss and shit than endure the venom children could spit.
Footsteps sounded behind her - instantly, her whole body tensed.
Cassie picked up the pace, her tight, black curls bouncing rapidly. She kept her head down, hiding the stains on her cheeks and the redness of her eyes. She couldn't let anyone see. She couldn't let anyone see her as weak. She was already the freak who's biological parents killed themselves with no friends, and she didn't need to her tormentors another reason to attack her.
She rounded the corner sharply, a squeak slipping past her lips as she crashed into a hard wall. She tumbled to the ground, her book spiralling out of her hands. Pain flared up her entire back; she stayed silent.
"Cassie?" The familiar husky voice hit her ears. Cassie's gaze darted upwards, seeing Ryan offering a hand towards her, a mop thrown hazardously in the middle of the corridor. It was as if seeing his face broke down her barrier because one minute she was perfectly fine and the next she was a sobbing mess.
"Oh honey," he cooed, helping her off of the floor and kneeling in front of her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."
Cassie sniffed, a faint smile painted on her lips as Ryan's thumb wiped away her tears. "It's not your fault."
Her saying this acted as a reminder for where she should be. He frowned at her, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her square in the eyes. "Cassie, why aren't you in class?"
Footsteps answered her question. Before she could speak, another call of her nickname - Kookie Cassie - was sung down the corridor. Cassie watched Ryan's expression carefully, shrivelling as she saw it darken. His eyes held thunder, and nothing could contain the storm.
The children came around the corner, halting in their tracks when they saw Ryan consoling Cassie. Before they could blink, the children had quickly sprinted away.
Ryan shook her head viciously, muttering a few choice words under his breath. He wasted no time pulling her into a tight embrace, uncaring about her snot wet his janitors uniform, his only focus on keeping his arms wrapped tightly around the fragile child. He thickly swallowed as he felt her chest heave up and down, animalistic howls accompanying the action. Ryan hated seeing her like this - and he saw her like this far too often. Ryan just hoped that his warmth would soothe her pain, even for a little while. And it did. In his embrace Cassie felt safer than she had in a long time.
Once the sobs had long since subsided, he pulled away, but still kept his hand on her shoulder. He found that when she was like this, it was best to keep physical contact with her, even if it was just a fingertip on her arm. It was as if it kept her grounded to reality.
He gave Cassie a bright smile, though the light didn't truly meet his eyes. He plucked up her discarded book off of the ground, dusting off the cover and passing it back to her. His gaze quickly darted between Cassie and the mop bucket, and after a moments hesitation he brought his radio to his lips.
"Is it okay if I take a break?"
The crackle of the radio responded instantly. "Sure. Everything okay?"
Ryan cast a glance at Cassie, her nose running and downcast eyes. "It will be."
After he had put his cleaning supplies away, he let his fingers slip between Cassie's. She gladly accepted it, gripping it tightly.
"I'll let your teacher know that you were sick and won't be in for days." Ryan said, looking at Cassie from the corner of his eyes.
She seemed as if she could breathe when he said that. He wanted to ask so many questions, like why she hadn't said anything or how long it had lasted for, but her timid voice broke all of his thoughts off.
"Why don't I have any friends?"
"You're different. People are scared of that."
"Why?"
His words stuck in her mind for years. It was a light in the dark, a push forward when she felt like stopping. It reminded her that being the way she was was a blessing. She never did thank him for those words, being too young at the time to comprehend just how much that singular sentence would impact her.
"Because they don't know how to use you."
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hey guys! sorry this update took a while - every time i went to write i just couldn't, but now it's here! hopefully i'll get into more of a routine eventually.
