1988
"Listen, Cass. I love you. A lot. But I'm a senior and you're a freshman. We're too far apart in age. I'm sorry."
Cassie sighed as she gently set the phone back on the receiver, closing her eyes to try and hold back her tears. Her throat was tight and her head ached from the strain of trying not to cry. She knew she never should've become friends with Jake, but something about him had just beckoned her. His sweet, gentle, funny persona had gotten to her just like she suspected it would, and now she was suffering the consequences. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling as tears streamed down her face. The pain in her chest was almost unbearable as she rested her hands on her stomach. This was the first time she'd ever fallen in love, and it'd been with somebody she couldn't have. A person that claimed to love her but couldn't commit for one of the stupidest reasons she'd ever heard.
A loud sob escaped, making her body shake as she let all her pain out. She was so depressed, so exhausted, that she didn't even move. The 15-year-old just lay there, staring at the ceiling while she cried. Ever since her mother had sent her to live with her uncle in London, she'd been without friends. Sure, Jake had offered to be her friend. And she did know a few kids at the skate park, but they never really showed any interest in being her friend. She knew that if she continued to be friends with Jake, she would keep hurting herself and he would continue to unconsciously lead her on. So, as much as it broke her heart, she made the brave decision to cut him out of her life; at least until her mental health was better. Her body continued to shake with sobs as somebody wrapped lightly on the door. It opened, and a few seconds later the edge of her bed sank under somebody's weight. A hand stroked her forehead, pushing her bangs from her forehead. "What's going on?" Joe asked gently, wiping Cassie's tears off of her face with his thumb. Cassie just continued to cry, ignoring Joe as he sat with her. After a few minutes, he grabbed her hands and pulled her into a sitting position, opening his arms as she moved into his embrace. He held her tight as she wept into his chest, rocking the two of them as he whispered positive affirmations in her ear.
"I'm not forcing you to talk, but I think it would do you some good if you did," he told her. Cassie nodded, finding comfort in his heartbeat as she took some breaths to calm down. Taking hold of his hand for a bit of courage, she launched into a teary account of what happened with Jake. By the time she was done, she was too tired to cry anymore. She pulled away from her uncle, scooting beside him as he grabbed a tissue off her nightstand and handed it to her. He rubbed her back as she dabbed at her eyes and blew her nose.
"Ya know, I went through the exact same situation when I was just a little older than you. It hurts...a lot. But I promise that it gets better." Joe explained. Cassie nodded, standing to go to the bathroom so she could touch up her makeup. "I'll be downstairs with the guys, love. Feel free to join us when you're ready," he said. Cassie finished with her makeup, putting her black curls in a messy bun and replacing her school uniform with a pair of sweats and a Guns N Roses tee. She wrote the heartwrenching events of the day in her journal before deciding to go downstairs. She found the guys sitting around the living room. Steve was sitting on the floor with his acoustic, Phil was on the couch with Joe and Rick, and Sav was laying on the floor watching the tele. Still feeling under the weather, Cassie shuffled over to Rick and sat down, cuddling into him as she watched TV. Knowing it didn't hurt his stump, she rested her head on his shoulder, humming as the drummer rested his head on hers. "You okay?" Steve asked, looking up at her. Joe gave him a look, causing Steve to just give her a gentle smile and drop it. The 15-year-old closed her eyes, falling asleep to the sound of MTV and the guys talking quietly. While she hated that she didn't have any friends, at least she the guys. And that made her okay.
