Missing in time // {UNDER EDITING BEFORE CONTINUATION}//

Chapter 17

"David?" Tess addresses her step-dad by his first name. Cassie shakes her head.

"No, Tess. Your real dad." Tess pales at the mention of her real father. Edgar Livingston had been a cruel, drunk man with no respect for woman's rights. In his drunken rage he'd often beat Tess. Her parents divorced when Tess was seven, and her mom married David Algarotti two years later.

"Why-why would my dad w-want to-to k-kill you?" Tess stutters, gripping the edge of the bed so hard her knuckles turn white.

"Because I'm stupid, and I did something really dumb," Cassie says, her head in her hands.

"What did you do?" I ask.

"I- oh my god I'm so stupid. I-I" Cassie suddenly blushes, and looks away, staring down at her feet.

"Never mind," she mumbles.

"Cassandra!" Jessie snaps, using Cassie's full name"why does Tess's dad want to kill you? Right now is not a time to get embarrassed!" Cassie twists the fabric of her shirt in her hands.

"I...thought it would be okay...to-to-" she stops, blushing again. We all glare at her.

"Ikidisgrfnd" she says quickly, hiding her face.

"What?" Andrea asks, I'm not the only one who has no idea what our embarrassed friend just said.

"I- oh god I don't want to say this! I-I...kissed...his girlfriend!" she says, the last two words tripping over her tongue as she rushes to get them out. There's a moment of absolute silence while Cassie buries her face in one of my pillows. What? Cassie kissed another girl? And if this was back when our parents were younger, then...

"You kissed my mom!" Tess suddenly shrieks loudly. I wince and cover my ears. God she's so loud! Cassie sits up, startled.

"What? God no! Thankfully! Some other girl, you're parents weren't together yet, they were still just friends. Some girl named Shannon, or Sharon. I can't remember." Cassie blushes again, clearly embarrassed by her attraction to girls. I don't think it's bad, just weird. I mean, it's fine, but what? I've seen Cassie kiss so many guys before, spend hours goggling at hot pics on Instagram, sneaking into the boy's locker room after gym. I never thought she'd ever looked twice in another girl's direction.

"Wait-" Andrea says suddenly, "why would kissing his girlfriend make him want to kill you? I mean, doesn't that seem a little bit extreme?"

"Oh yeah, right...that." Cassie bites her lip and becomes fascinated by my wall.

"Cass? Is there something you're not telling us?" Tess says slowly.

"I can't tell you. Shit! Why did I think it was a good idea? Shit!"

"Explanation still wanted," I say, leaning against my wall and crossing my arms over my chest.

"Shit! Edgar and Shannon-Sharon-whatever, they were um...they were married?"

"What?"

"Yeah..."

"That's just not cool."

"I know."

"That's insane!"

"What the absolute hell?"

Voices overlap each other, all of us are screaming at once and Cassie's just hiding again in a pillow. Eventually, after everything has sunk in and we've all stopped freaking out, it's quiet enough to hear Cassie's muffled sobs. Tess goes to sit by her, tracing circles along Cassie's back.

"I'm an idiot," Cassie mutters.

"Yes," Andrea says sharply, flat out agreeing with her. Tess shoots Andrea an angry glance before turning back to Cassie. After a moment of silence, Jessie clears her throat awkwardly.

"So, um Cass, question. Why, exactly, did you kiss Shannon if you knew they were already married?" Cassie shrugs, and mumbles something incoherently into the bed. The fact that she didn't deny what Jessie just said proves that she knew they were already married.

"I just..." Cassie lifts her head from the pillow, "I was just so mad at him. And I was drunk, and I wasn't really thinking straight. And I guess, with the alcohol in my system, it made me realize how much I actually like Sharon. I think. Or I guess I was just too out of it to realize what I was doing. But-" she stops to stare at the ground for a moment.

"But I think I did realize what I was doing..." she says slowly, trying to remember, "yeah...I remember like, looking up and looking right at him I think. But I don't think I apologized or moved or anything...I think I just went right back to kissing her. And...and I guess I just though we'd all be too drunk to remember in the morning, I guess." Cassie shrugs, sniffling slightly.

"But wait-" I say, suddenly thinking of something.

"Cassie, if you kissed Sharon-Shannon-whatever it is, in the past, why was he mad at you in the present?"

Cassie takes a deep, shuddering breath before looking up at me.

"He's mad, Kat, because he was never fooled. Each time, he knew who I really was."

A/n sorry this chapter is so short, but it seemed like a nice place to stop. Also, it's late and I'm tired. Oh, and guess what. I got The Amazing Book is Not on Fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's coming tomorrow and I can't wait. I just thought I share that. Idk why...

Anyways, how do you like Missing in Time right now? like, do u think it's going too fast now cuz i feel like now that Cassie is back everything is just getting solved too quickly and stuff. Please tell me your thoughts in the comments! Thanks a ton!