The Things We Leave Behind

Chapter 3

I open my eyes. I hate doing that. I wish I was still sleeping. I groan as I roll over to check the time on my phone. 11:34. I've slept for about 8 hours. I pull the comforter from my body and let a cold blast of cold air hit me. The warm air that accumulated under the blanket is gone, not to return until tomorrow. I get up and get changed. I put on my acid washed black, baggy jeans and a grey sweatshirt with my old high school logo stitched in the top corner. I open the window to let some fresh air in. I stick my head out the window and breathe it in. We were far from the city and in the suburbs. It was quiet.

There were only a few houses on this street, and they were all spaced out. Behind the house was a large garden which led to a forest. The forest continued for a few miles at least. Possibly more, but I couldn't see further because of the fog that had settled over the sky. The sky was dark and threatening to rain, but it looked like it would hold out for a few hours at least.

There's a light knock on the door and I pull my head back inside. "Come in," I say. Jackie walks in with a cup of coffee in hand. "Morning darling," she replies. She walks towards me and hands me the coffee. I take it and take a sip. It's warm and bitter, but not too bitter that it's gross. "I heard some noise coming from in here and assumed you were awake. How did you sleep?" she asks me.

"Really well," I tell her as I set the coffee down on the desk. I walk over to where I had dumped my black messenger bag I used as a carry-on bag for the plane. "I really needed that long rest." I empty the contents of the bag onto the bed.

"Well, you don't have to if you're too tired, but do you want me to take you to school? I have to sort out your enrolment papers anyway," she tells me.

"Yeah, I think I should go. Try and get settled in," I say. "My class at NYU doesn't start until next week so it's good if I get started on school here."

"Your mum said it was a weekly class?" She questions.

"Yeah, every Wednesday from 10 to 3. It's an acting and scriptwriting course that I was accepted into on a scholarship. I'm really excited to go."

"College level course? Wow, Cassie. That's impressive," she compliments with proudness in her eyes. When their family was living in LA, she was basically a second mother to me. Jackie and my mum grew up together in the rainy city of Seattle. They fell out of contact after high school graduation when my mother moved to LA to attend UCLA. Jackie stayed in Seattle for college but with their class schedules it was hard to maintain a steady friendship. Jackie met her husband, Daniel in college and they got married and moved to LA when they graduated. They ended up moving across the road from where my mum and dad where living.

That's how Logan and I know each other. I've never known life without him. He was always there. Always across the road and when he moved it sucked. But now here I am living in his house that his parents bought when his grandmother was sick. They moved out here to be closer to his family. Funny how live works out.

"Thank you," I beam at her. I was always proud to tell people I was going to NYU, even if it was only for a weekly class.

"Ok well, let me know when you are ready to go, and we'll go. Okay?" She asks.

"Yep, perfect," I reply, smiling. She leaves the room and I get back to packing my bag. Inside I place my laptop and a notebook with a pen, just in case one of the classes has a teacher who is morally opposed to technology. Fucking old people. I grab some cash from my purse for lunch. I grab the coffee still sitting on the desk and drink it really quickly. Hopefully that helps my tiredness.

I unplug my phone from the charger and chuck it in the side pocket of the bag. I pick up my shoes black converse and walk downstairs to meet Jackie in the kitchen. "Ok, I'm ready." I tell her as I pull my shoes onto my feet. She nods and grabs the car keys and I follow her out the front door. I hop in the passenger side and buckle in. The drive to school is only about 15 minutes. Jackie tells me that she drives Millie to school every day. Oh, how I've missed Millie. That little bundle of sunshine. I never had a younger sister. All I got was Gus. Logan has his own car, so he drives himself.