Meet me under the Willow Tree

Chapter 2: Cassie

"I feel trapped in a life that I never asked for."

        I head inside and hang my jacket and coat on the hanger. The fall air grows chill, and I usually bring a winter jacket to school. I love fall. The air is chill and crisp and the trees are beautiful and auburn. Most of all, I love coming home to warmth and the smell of fresh food. I walk into the kitchen, where Mom is looking at a mac n cheese recipe. Her recipe has always been mine and Maeve's favorite. It reminded me of when Maeve would come over after preschool, and Mom would make us food. I creep up behind Mom and I give her a hug. "Cassie!" She gasps. "Oh gosh, you scared me. How was school, honey?" She asks, hugging me back. I relax into her arms like a child. It feels so good to be held, so comforting. Hugs from your mother can really be the nicest thing in the world sometimes. "Meh, it was okay," I say and roll my eyes, "Ms Hoffman caught me writing to Maeve again. Hey speaking of which, can Maeve sleep over tonight? Pleeeaaaseeeee?" I draw out my 'please' like a little kid asking for ice cream. She sighs, in a playful 'what-am-I-gonna-do-with-you' way. I think it's because of how often I ask to hang out with Maeve. Pretty much anytime I approach her saying, "Hey, Mom...?", she'll ask what me and Maeve are planning. "If it's okay with PJ and Perry, it's fine with me! I can go get snacks if you want. Doritos for Maeve, right?" She asks. I smile and nod. "And takis for meeee." Mom makes a face. She hates Takis. I don't know how someone can accomplish hating Takis, but apparently my mom can. "How do you eat those things? Gross. They dye your whole mouth red." "They're my favorite. Let me just call Maeve and make sure that it's okay over there." I say, and kiss Mom's cheek. Even if my dad sucks, I'm grateful for Mom and everything she does for me. I head to my room, ready to call Maeve. My room has always been my safe haven. The walls are white, but there's one purple accent wall. It has fairy lights and polaroid pictures. A desk and writing supplies. A big pink bean bag chair. 

     When Mom and Dad were fighting, I'd come in here and listen to music so loudly that the rest of the world would fade out into nothingness. Nothing. That's what I've been feeling a lot lately. Happy sometimes. Maeve has probably been my main source of happiness, lately. Nobody could pick me up out of dark places like she could. She's like the sun for me. I pick up my phone and type out Maeve's name. I've typed it out so many times that I could do it with my eyes closed. She picks up after a ring and a half. "Hey. What did your parents say?" I ask, excitedly. Her parents are really nice, so there's no doubt in my mind that they said yes. Her mom, PJ, has been a lot happier since she married Perry. "Uh, they said yes. I just gotta finish sweeping the kitchen because I kinda made a mess..." "Oh? What did you do?" Maeve hesitates for a second. "Ok so I was trying to make muffins, right? Just to be nice and because baking is very fun. For you, your mom, your dad, and Mateo. I kinda spilled the mix. All over the floor." "Pfft, of course you did. It's okay though. You don't have to make anything. My mom's out getting snacks. Oh, and making her famous mac n cheese." "Does she know what I want?" "Cool ranch doritos? Yes." "Um, okay so I kinda gotta finish cleaning real quick. I'll be over in like, 20-30 minutes or something. Is that in time for dinner?" I roll my eyes. Of course she's thinking about dinner. "Yes," I say. "Ok. Bye, see you soon!!""Bye!!!" I smile at my phone after we've hung up. This is gonna be so much fun.

One of my favorite things to do is watch my mom cook. She's so good at it, and it's so comforting to watch her do what she loves. Before Dad comes home, the house is warm. Comforting. Filled with good scents of Mom's cooking. Windows all fogged up from the steam in the kitchen as the world grew dark outside. My brother Mateo stayed out of my way. He's in his room playing on his switch. I think that's Mateo's escape. Mine is my music and my mom and my best friend. But Mateo's way of feeling safe and forgetting about the world is indulging in a fake one. Now, though, there is nothing to escape from. Mom had the pantry filled with yummy snacks for me and Maeve. Sprite, doritos, frozen pizzas, ice cream. All of Maeve and I's favorites. My mouth watered just looking at them. Anxiously, I check the time. It occurred to me that neither Mom nor I had ever asked dad about this plan. I hoped, desperately, that it had been a good day for him. That he would feel lenient enough to not get mad when he found out about the sleepover. But I figured that if my mom wasn't worried, I wasn't gonna be. The mac n cheese smelled heavenly and I hoped Maeve would hurry up and come over. I thought of all the fun things we'd do. The karaoke we'd sing and the colors we'd paint our nails. Pink is my color, for sure. Maeve looked really good in a soft purple. What if we made cupcakes? Maeve was good at that. We could make rainbow frosting and top it with colorful sprinkles. My daydreaming was abruptly interrupted by the sound of the front door quickly opening and slamming shut. Wind from the outside blew inside, filling the once-warm house with a menacing cold feeling. My dad was home.