Forever and Always His

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

                A week has gone by, and every day during lunch, Cassandra sat with Max and I at our table. The two of us were still curious as to why she left her crew of friends to come sit with two losers like us, but we didn’t question it.

                After school today, Cassandra was already waiting for me by my locker. She had her phone in her hands and a set of headphones on. She was nodding gently to the beat of her music, as she flipped through the pages of a thick book she was holding in her free hand.

                When she spotted me, she let out a sigh of relief, as she pulled her headphones out. She shoved her book into her bag, as she flashed me a pearly white grin. “You’re finally here!” she let out a breath. “You had me reading an entire two pages of that book!”

                I laughed, as I put away my books to go home for the day. “Was it really that bad?”

              Cassandra rolled her eyes, nodding her blonde head rapidly. “Yes! I will never understand Shakespeare’s language.”

                Chuckling, I closed my locker. I gave her a curious look, before crossing my arms. “Why are you waiting for me, anyways?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

                “I was wondering if you wanted to go get some coffee.” She paused. “Max could come too, if he wants.”

                “I’ll come.” I smiled. “But I doubt Max will. I’m pretty sure he has football practice right now.”

                We began to walk down the empty and dark hallways, and out of the school. Cassandra turned to me with a frown, as she twisted her pouty glossed lips. “Really? I never knew Max was on the football team.”

                “Well, he just tried out this year.” I said. “He made it as the team’s wide receiver.”

                Cassandra stared down at the ground, before looking up at me with a weak smile. “I don’t mean to sound rude or anything, but I just haven’t noticed yet because I never see him hanging around the jocks.” She paused, before rolling her eyes. “You know the whole clique thing, right? All jocks hang around jocks, and the nerds stick with the nerds?”

                I chuckled, nodding. “I guess you have a point. But Max always sticks by me. For what reason, I really don’t know.”

                Cassandra giggled, as we stopped in front of a small café. My eyes widened, as I could feel my face go pale from just standing outside of the café that I once visited traditionally. Out of all the cafés in town, Cassandra just had to choose the one that brought back the most memories? She just had to choose the Gingerbread House, the café that Everett and I used to go to all the time together?

                “Is there something wrong?” she asked me, as she held the door out open for me. “I know the name of this place is kind of cheesy, but they serve the best coffee. I swear on it.”

                I blinked, as I gave her a weak smile. “Right, I know.” I muttered, letting out a deep breath of air. “I just haven’t been to this place in months.”

                Cassandra and I entered the Gingerbread House, as the scent of coffee and cinnamon filled my nose. Immediately, I was hit with a warm impact. A faint smile appeared on my lips, as I couldn’t help but feel at home.

                “What can I help you two-“ the waitress stopped her sentence, as she eyes lingered on mine for a long moment, before a hearty laugh escaped her lips. “Riley Monroe! Honey, I hardly recognized you there!”