After Everything

Chapter Twenty-Three: Missed Goal

Trevor stood in the lunch line, catching Brittany's gaze. They both smiled at each other, being reminded of the dance they shared at the fundraiser. They would both kill to have a moment like that again.

Until that moment, Trevor never realized how attracted he was to Brittany. In the past, he thought she was annoying and always meddled with drama, but now he saw her differently. She was a leader - always setting trends, sticking up for herself and others, and putting things into her own hands. She was not only beautiful but she also had a captivating charm that continued to pull him in. He so badly wanted to learn more about her.

His swooning was interrupted by Jordan, who tapped on his shoulder to get his attention. He turned around with furrowed eyebrows, meeting eyes with Jordan. He felt caught off guard after spending the past few minutes thinking about Brittany. "What's up?" He greeted. "How'd you do on the English test?"

"I got a ninety-six," Jordan answered. Trevor stayed silent, now feeling uncomfortable to voice his much lower grade. "I need to tell you something."

Trevor noticed Jordan's nervous behavior. "What?"

"It's about Cassie," he said as Trevor was suddenly extremely nervous. He felt his heart starting to race in his chest. He blamed his protectiveness for his little sister for making him feel that way. "She's... uh... she's not okay."

"I'm not following," he said, feeling confused about what Jordan was trying to say about his sister. He began to act protective. "Did you do something?"

Jordan shook his head. "No," he answered. Trevor was relieved. When it came to his sister, he would do anything even if it was ill-mannered. If Jordan said yes, he wouldn't hesitate to fight him right then and there. It didn't matter that they were at school. He would risk detention for his sister. "I'm concerned for her," he explained. "She told me she feels dead."

"The fuck?" Trevor questioned. "What does that mean? Is that code for she's going goth now, or...?" He was not taking her comment as seriously as Jordan was - but if he heard her say it in person, he would. "Maybe that explains why she's wearing a black sweatshirt over her soccer uniform. She's already showing signs of gothic behavior."

Jordan was not finding his flippant remarks very funny. "I'm serious," he said sternly, watching as a smile fell from Trevor's face. "She said she feels really pressured by your parents and is having a hard time in school because of it."

As Cassie's brother, he knew a thing or two about her anxiety. "That makes more sense," he answered, nodding his head. "Did she say anything else?"

"No," said Jordan. "But I'm really concerned that she said she feels dead. I told her to talk to your parents about how she feels but I know she won't," he said as Trevor agreed. "That's why I'm telling you. There's only so much I can do as her boyfriend. You live with her. Maybe you can keep an eye on her or convince her to talk to your parents?"

Trevor nodded at his friendly commands. "Yeah, of course."

Meanwhile, Luke walked across the cafeteria and towards Alivia's lunch table where she and the theater greeks were discussing the fall musical.

"Hey," he said as he approached the table, his eyes on Alivia. The theater geeks looked up at him with fear in their eyes, not knowing what to think of his presence. "Alivia. Can I talk to you for a second?"

She nodded her head as she stood from the table. "Yeah," she agreed, following him towards the back of the cafeteria. "What's up?"

He turned around, running a nervous hand through his light brown hair as he spoke. "Cassie told me you're pregnant."