The Worst Days of Our Lives

Chapter 15: Chance

Their feet swayed gently in the clear, chemical filled water of the pool. Their hotel towered behind them and yellow windows glowed gently in the background. It was nearly midnight and the pool was about to close and the both knew it. Cassandra sighed and looked behind her. “I don’t want to go back in there.” Chance nodded and laced his fingers in hers. There was no chill in the air due to the Georgia heat. The water was heated as well and they were comfortable where they were. Cassandra’s parents were up in the hotel room with her brother. They were visiting him for a week and had brought Chance with them. He was excited to spend a week with Cassandra, however, he was not as excited about spending a week with her controlling, judgemental parents.  

They felt the compulsive need to criticize and belittle everything that was different than them. They claimed open-mindedness, but Chance and Cassandra both knew this wasn’t the case. They would strive to appear to be the perfect family, with perfect kids. Cassandra had been beaten down and shamed whenever she shattered their false image. Chance hated seeing her being humbled by people who believed they were flawless, especially since they were no where near perfect. He assumed that most of her self-esteem issues probably stemmed from the constant ridicule and inability to reach the goal of perfection that her parents set for her. No matter, she was never enough for them.

Currently, they were fawning over her brother, who was an infantryman and had, apparently, fulfilled his destiny. Chance understood why a parent would be so proud of their son for defending his country, but he couldn’t fathom why they had to make Cass feel so worthless in the process. They were just starting to make offhand comments about how Cassandra’s grades had slipped since she started dating Chance. As soon as she had realized where the conversation was headed, she grabbed Chance and ran from the room quickly, with only a quick wave and a half-hearted “I’ll be back,” for her parents.

She tore down the hallway despite Chance’s protests. He knew running helped her focus on not panicking. She didn’t stop, with him trailing her, until they reached the pool.“Why do they have to ruin everything,” She breathed out shakily as he enveloped her into a tight embrace. She hugged him back and he moved his hand to stroke her hair gently. They stayed there until her breathing was no longer shallow and rushed. He grabbed her hand and led her over to the pool.

He didn’t want to force her to go back in, but he knew the hotel manager would. “Cass, do you think you can handle going back to their room?” He asked cautiously, not wanting to upset her and send her in a panic again. “It’s not like I have a choice, do I?” He hated that she was right, a girl like Cass should never feel belittled by rude and ignorant jackasses like her parents. “You know what? One day you will. One day, we can stay out here until the pool closes, then we can go back to our own room and your fucking parents won’t be there. I swear to you, one day I’m going to make you forget every harsh word that they ever spit at you. You deserve so much more, Cass,” He mumbled the last sentence while leaning closer to her, merely inches apart. “Thank you,” Was all she could say before he closed the distance and kissed her with a fierce passion, tangling his fingers in her long, wavy hair and pressing her closer to himself. He heard her legs drift out of the water, as she moved them over one of Chance’s own legs, pulling herself into his lap. He moaned and leaned forward, to press himself against her harder yet, when he lost his balance and tipped the rest of the way forward, into the water. He heard Cass screech as she realized they were about to hit the water and he cursed right before he went under.

When he came up for air, Cassandra was staring at him with a look of shock mixed with horror on her face. Her hair was dripping and all of her clothes were plastered to her body and he smirked. She rolled her eyes at him and splashed a wave of water in his general direction. “Hey!” He shouted at her as she slowly moved to the side, as if she was going to get out. Chance wrapped his arms around her waist and lept into the air backwards, falling into the water and taking her with him.

He came up laughing until he felt a punch in the middle of his chest, knock the air out of his lungs. He gave her a disgruntled look and rubbed his chest, trying to be dramatic but in reality, it kind of hurt. They climbed out of the pool, attempted to wring out their soggy clothes, and made their way back into the air conditioned hotel. They were shivering when they arrived back at the room. All attempts of sneaking in were foiled when Cassandra’s Dad swung the door open wide, like he was about to leave anyways. He looked them up and down a few times and sighed before pushing past them into the hall, Cassandra’s brother following the same routine. Her mom was checking her makeup in the mirror, cast the two of them a disgusted look, and returned admiring her reflection. “Your brother was going to take us out to a nice dinner,” Looking back at them, she placed her hands on her hips, “Obviously you two have managed to ruin that plan. Imagine that.” Cassandra’s hands clenched and Chance could swear he heard her teeth grinding. “Really? Not even an apology for ruining the wonderful evening we had planned?” Pronouncing every word carefully, like if she didn’t something else would come out, Cass fumed, “I am sorry, Mother.”

It didn’t seem to help because her mother admitted a dramatic sigh before Cassandra snapped, “You know what Mom?” Chance reached out for her then and gave her a warning look. Cassandra took another deep breath and somehow managed to plaster a smile on her face. “Dad is already waiting for you. You look absolutely stunning,” Chance imagined how the words must’ve tasted like vinegar, “It would be a shame, no, a crime, if you had to stay pent up in this hotel room. Why don’t you guys go on. We will just stay in and rent a movie. Go have fun, Mom. You deserve it.” If Chance didn't know Cassandra as well as he did, he would think she was genuinely sincere.

Thank god her mother never payed attention to anyone but herself and bought every single word. Her face lit up like a christmas tree and she began speaking quickly and incoherently about what a lovely night it would be. She only stopped as she opened the door and gave them both adoring looks,

“Goodnight, Cassandra, goodnight Chance.” With that, she closed the door and the sound of the automated lock could be heard clearly and the silence of the room. They both let out the breath they had been holding and smiled at each other. They were alone, in a hotel room, for the first time in a week.

Cassandra smiled and looked down self consciously when she realized she was still wet from the pool, she had almost forgotten. “I think I’m going to go shower,” There was a hint of something in her voice that made her blush and Chance smile. She turned on her heel and when her back was too him, she crossed her arms and peeled the tank top she was wearing away from her tanned skin. She let it drop to the floor as she walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open.

He laughed and couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, although he was kind of nervous. Getting caught would just make her parents love him, all the more. Chance walked over to the door and locked the deadbolt, in case her parents decided to come home early. Following her, he stripped and left his clothes in a wet ball outside the door. The sound of running water pervaded the room and steam started to leak out from the doorway. Chance decided to let go of his worries and let his instincts take control.