Cassandra The African Girl (COMPLETE) (EDITED)

Chapter 25

Mrs. Brussel's mouth moved, but I couldn't hear anything. I endured Social Studies for two hours, reaching my limit. If the bell didn't ring soon, I'd doze off.

"Brrring!"

Thank God, it's over. Social Studies always bores me. During the health break, I head to my locker for my next lesson's books. Chloe didn't have a locker, so I shared mine with her—a big mistake, in hindsight. I spot her and Conrad holding hands. Our eyes meet, and I quickly look away. Why are they coming over here? 'Act normal, be normal,' I tell myself.

"Hey, Cassie," Chloe says, smiling sweetly.

So, we're just going to pretend like nothing happened, huh?

"Hey," I smile back.

"I just wanted to say we're sorry for misleading you. I know you like Conrad, and I hope we're still friends," she says.

She's mocking and embarrassing me. How dare she? If only Conrad knew her true colors. Okay, this is really embarrassing. And why are they still holding hands?

"Oh, that," I scoff. "That's all in the past, and I've completely gotten over it," I lie. Chloe glances at Conrad, who returns her look. Do they think I'm lying? Well, I am, but they can't know that. "In fact, I have a boyfriend," I lie again. Their shocked expressions say it all.

"What?" Chloe coughs.

"Yeah, I have a boyfriend, and we just started dating," I say, making it up on the spot.

"Really, who?" Conrad asks, disbelief evident.

Uh-oh, I have no idea where I'm going with this.

"Will!" I blurt out.

"What?" Conrad asks, confused.

"William, he's my boyfriend," I lie.

"Isn't Roberts dating that girl Bianca?" Conrad asks.

"They broke up," I say, making up more lies.

"They did?" Chloe asks.

"Yeah," I confirm.

"Okay," Conrad says, eyeing Chloe, who's already looking at him. Why do they keep doing that? Do they think I'm lying? Well, they must. Since they're not buying it, I decide to do one of the bravest things I've ever done.

"Excuse me," I say, before running across the room to where Will is. I wrap my arms around his neck, lift myself onto my tiptoes, and kiss him. This isn't how I planned my first kiss, but it's happening. The kiss is fire, though, and his lips are so soft.

After we separate, I look him in the eyes and say, "Thank you," before rushing to class without looking back. Chloe and Conrad definitely saw it.

I spend the entire Chemistry lesson thinking about that kiss and how I'm going to explain myself to Will, not to mention what I'll do if Bianca finds out. I get butterflies in my tummy when I think about the kiss and the way I wrapped my hands around his neck. Oh, that was nice, but I'm never doing it again.

Everyone leaves the lab, and I'm the only one left. As I'm almost done packing, I hear a voice at the door. "Hi?"

I already have an idea who it is, but I look up anyway. Yup, it's him. "Hi," I say, pretending to have forgotten what happened earlier. But just his presence gives me butterflies, though I don't like him that way—it's just the kiss.

He raises his eyebrows, demanding answers.

"I... not here," I grab his hand and lead him outside. What do I tell him? The truth? What is the truth? That I used him to avoid embarrassment?