Desolate Me

I'm Awake Now

“Why Cassandra South,” he propped his head on his fist, “you have a dirty mouth.”

“I’m Irish. You’re lucky I’m not spouting off the f word.”

“Do Irish people really say fuck in every sentence?”

“Some…” I smiled. “But my mother washed my mouth out with soap the one time I tried. Left a bad taste and all…”

“Irish Spring?”

I laughed and smacked him. “You are horrible.”

“So, I propose practice after school, maybe a little magic training, homework, and then a movie marathon.”

“Um…no on the magic training and yes to everything else. I’m still a little…drained from last week.”

“I’d say.” The second that venomous voice hit my ears I felt like throwing up.

I looked at her, tucking my emotions away so she couldn’t see them. She was pretty much the same, even the bright, vomit inducing hair.

“Ah, the tramp rears her ugly head. What do you want? If it’s to gloat, please do it somewhere else. I don’t want to hear it. Or see it.”

“Of course you don’t.” She smiled sweetly. “Because who wants to know what their ex did right after breaking up with them.”

“You’re right.” I smiled. “No one wants to hear how you whored yourself out to my leftovers. You know what that says about you, right? Low self esteem. You should work on that. Talk to someone.”

“Why you little…”

“I’d watch myself if I were you,” I said coldly. “If you two talk as much as you fuck you’ll know what I’m capable of. And believe me when I say it’s worse than tagging a car and slashing tires.”

The group of girls that stood behind her went quiet, all of them paling and making their fake tans turn yellow.

“You don’t scare me, Cassandra South.”

I stood up and leaned over the table so she was the only one who could hear me.

“You should be. You got the guy, what you wanted. Leave me alone and I won’t make your worse nightmares come true.”

As to make my point, the ground below her shook violently. Her eyes widened and she stepped back.

“Be careful or the Earth might just swallow you whole.”

“Fine. But this isn’t over.”

“Oh I think it is.” I sat back down and continued to stare at her. “Now go away.”

She snarled at me one last time and left, her heels clicking on the linoleum. Bren caught my eye and he stared at me with an all knowing understanding that only we could share. I was still mad at him on some level but…he’d been where I was once. I wasn’t the only one to be screwed over by a Marks Twin.

“You ok?” Garin asked.

I blinked and looked at him. “I’m fine. Just getting some perspective.”

“So, this afternoon…?”

“Sure. But let’s do it here. I really don’t need my father giving me that look.”

“What look?”

“The one all parents get, like they know exactly what’s going on in your life and they’re just waiting for you to talk to them about it.”

“Are you going to talk to him about it?”

“No. I’m pretty sure someone else has already. There’s no need to tell both sides.”