Don't Scream (Complete)

Chapter 10

Cassidy Hoskins 

Both Iona and Ponnie were starting to piss Cassidy off, greatly. 

Two weeks into her time at Cliffton High, Sylvia advised Cassidy that it would be a great move up the social ladder for her - or both of them - to join the cheerleading team. It would have worked too, if not for Iona Fortuna. 

The Head Cheerleader that Cassidy had been unfortunate enough to anger on her first day of school lived up to her promise to get back at Cassidy. Iona didn't reject Cassidy from the cheerleading auditions immediately, but let Cassidy do a few pathetic routines before singling her out and booting her aside. 

Sylvia, on the other hand, made it into the team without a hitch. Cassidy wasn't surprised. After all, on the day they met, Cassidy genuinely complimented Sylvia on her limberness, saying she would be a shoo-in for the cheerleading team - and she was right! 

Sylvia tried to console Cassidy on not making it into the team, but Cassidy brushed her concerns off, saying it was okay. And to Cassidy, it honestly was. If Cassidy couldn't make it into the cheerleading team, she'd find another way, or another club. It wasn't the end of Cassidy's social life just yet. 

Ponnie, on the other hand, was again making a mess of everything. While Iona dealt with Cassidy's social life, Ponnie dealt with Cassidy's romantic life. Time and time again over the course of the next couple of weeks, Cassidy pleaded, begged, cried, lied, threatened, bribed and blackmailed to try and get Ponnie to switch tables. The female nerd in grandmotherly clothes, however, was persistent to stick to her seat, and it was injustice that her seat happened to be in the most strategic position for any girl to be able to talk with Scott Riverson. 

Not that Ponnie even talked to Scott. Ponnie, despite holding onto her seat next to Scott like her life depended on it, ignored Scott himself thoroughly, as if he wasn't worth her attention. 

If Cassidy had at least made friends with Scott outside of class, it wouldn't have been so bad with Ponnie being the barrier separating them. But Scott still hadn't accepted Cassidy's friend request on Facebook and the latter was getting quite impatient and a little worried. Why had Scott accepted Sylvia's friend request and not hers? 

Cassidy actually began to worry that Sylvia may have become the apple of Scott's eye, meaning he had a crush on her. But Cassidy dismissed the idea when Sylvia told her one day that Jack, the guy that Sylvia initially had her eye on on the very first day of school itself, had asked her out successfully. 

So what could it be then? What was the reason that Scott was deliberately putting himself out of Cassidy's reach? 

That's when it struck her. Maybe, just maybe, he was doing it to make Cassidy jealous. 

What a player, Cassidy thought. Trying to make a girl jealous so he doesn't reveal he's got the hots for her. 

Cassidy continually convinced herself that that was the reason why Scott wasn't showing any indication of friendship towards her. After all, the alternative answer was much less desirable. In Cassidy's popularity-crazed mind, Scott trying to make her jealous was flattery and she pleased herself with the feeble idea for a couple more days before she decided to come back down to earth. Scott wasn't trying to make her jealous, not at all. 

Cassidy wasn't sure why it wasn't working. She'd done her best to charm Scott, even dropped him several hints. A subtle wink across the table in chemistry, brushing her leg against his whenever they passed each other by, even lowering the neckline of her jumper on one particularly cold and skimpy Monday morning when she knew Scott was looking. 

But the big and annoyingly handsome guy seemed to pay close to zero attention to her. It was as if she was invisible. Cassidy's playful affection began to ebb away and in its place was growing anger. 

"I mean, seriously, how clueless can he get?" Cassidy whined one day while she and Sylvia were at Cassidy's house doing homework on a sleepover night. "I've dropped Scott dozens of hints, the only reason he's not already all over me has got to be because-" 

"He's got his eye on someone else?" Sylvia suggested. 

"It's so not fair if that's the case. I mean, anyone can see I'm clearly worthy to be Scott's girlfriend. Am I not accessorized enough?" Cassidy asked, getting to her feet and parading around her room for Sylvia to scrutinize. 

Even in her pajamas, Cassidy thought she looked fashionable with the sparkly wrist bangles, fancy eyeliner and natural blushed cheeks. Her outfit was trendy 24/7 and she even had a silver chain with a cross attached to it around her neck. It wasn't as though Cassidy was a real Christian. She only went to church a couple or so times in her life, but the purpose of wearing the cross around her neck was more so for accessorizing than for religious purposes. 

"You look fine, Cass. Scott's totally messed up if he's not getting your signals," Sylvia reassured her. 

Cassidy smiled. The endearing nickname that Sylvia had chosen for her was adorable. She couldn't help but enjoy hearing it. A sudden memory - no, not a memory, a thought - appeared in her mind's eye, of Scott calling her "Cass". The thought cheered her up and she giggled slightly. 

Sylvia's phone beeped and she picked it, examining whatever text she'd gotten. "It's Iona." 

"What did the witch say?" Cassidy asked. 

"Party tomorrow night at Iona's house," Sylvia reported. "Apparently, half the school's invited, and Iona clearly states right here that only the cool kids are attending." 

"I wonder why I haven't received an invite then?" Cassidy wondered aloud, her voice dripping with mock curiosity. "Oh well, I'll just assume my invitation got lost in the mail. So, who else is going to be there?" 

"Well, I guess it'll probably just going to be - wait, are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" 

"That depends on whether you're thinking about the same thing I think you're thinking about...I think?" 

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. "You know, Scott might show up at the party. I mean, that's what the popular guys do, right?" 

Cassidy snapped her fingers. "Perfect. For once, Iona's done something right. I don't care whether it's gatecrashing or not, I am going to that party. Parties are the best place to hook up with boys, am I right?" 

"Won't Iona kick you out if she sees you?" 

"That's exactly why I'm going to have to go undetected. Forget our homework and come help me pick an outfit."