Behind the Shadows [Shadowhunters Cast AU]

zero


Anger boiled under her skin at the sound of her full name. "You messed up? Lucas, this is cheating! And I know this isn't the first time," She whispered, not wanting to draw the attention of their guests. 
Saying those words out loud hurt more than she expected. She had been well aware of the fact that he'd made a hobby of sleeping around, but it just seemed easier to ignore it and pretend that she had no idea. But she couldn't pretend anymore.

"Fuck," Luke mumbled, "Cass, I'm so sorry."


She raised an eyebrow, "Sorry? Do you really think that saying sorry is going to fix this?" Her voice raised, no longer caring for the partygoers. "Just forget it. We're done." And with that, she spun on her heels and marched down the stairs. 


She felt the eyes of every single one of Luke's friends as they followed her across the house and to the front door. Luke was stumbling after her, but he couldn't keep up in his drunken state. Without another word, she grabbed her keys and walked out.

It wasn't until she had driven a couple of blocks that the reality of the argument hit her. They had broken up. This realization forced a cocktail of emotions through her veins. She was sad for the end of the only serious relationship she had ever been in. She was angry at the betrayal of a person she thought she could trust. She was relieved, for she had know that he had been out with other girls behind her back, the weight of the abusive and manipulative relationship finally off of her shoulders. This mixture of feelings filled her mind and heart with confusion. It was the kind of emotion that she could feel physically, as a heavy burden in her chest, as tremors running all over her body, and as a tightness in her throat that made her feel as though she were drowning. And she let it out in one loud sob. Tears rolled down her face, but she couldn't help but smile. It was over.

When she pulled up to a stoplight, she dug her phone out of her pocket. Quickly, before the light turned, she typed out a text message to Connor, one of her best friends (who Luke never liked). Party still on at your place?

His short response came a minute later, as she pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store. Yep.

She smiled, but didn't respond right away. Instead, she opened the car door and stepped out onto the pavement.

The store was surprisingly busy, filled mostly with middle aged men who were picked up emergency bags of halloween candy. It didn't take long for her to find exactly what she needed: the costumes. She didn't waste time looking and grabbed the first thing she saw, which happened to be a black cat ensemble, consisting only of a very short dress and a cat ear headband. Hastily, she rushed into the bathroom and changed before checking out.

She hadn't been away from her phone for longer than 5 minutes, but Connor had sent her several messages

Why?

Aren't you at Luke's party?

You should come by!
There's still some pizza left!

She smiled. Knowing that she couldn't tell the whole story over text, she left her reply fairly vague. I'm on my way, She said shortly. And she was. She tossed the flight dress into the backseat, completely disregarding it, and turned on some music. 


Traffic was surprisingly heavy, even for a night in Los Angeles. Typically, the short drive across town could have about half an hour. Tonight, it took almost double that. But Cassie didn't mind, even as she sat on South Fairfax with nothing but brake lights ahead of her. Instead of getting annoyed, she lost herself in the music that was coming through her speakers.

Before she knew it, she was pulling up in front of Connor's apartment building. With a quick glance in the rearview mirror, she checked that her waterproof eye makeup was still intact. Thankfully, her face looked completely untouched. She smirked, pleased with herself, and climbed out of the car once again. 


When she reached the front door, she took a deep breath and knocked. Almost instantly, the door was pulled back. "Hey," Connor said, a smile spreading across his face. He extended his arms for a hug. 


Cassie smiled back, accepting his embrace. "Hi!" 


"What's up?" He asked a bit cautiously. 


She stepped into the apartment to find a small gathering of her friends in the living room. They all watched her anxiously. "Well, I'm single!" Several gasps escaped the mouths of the people around her. "Were any of you guys aware of the fact that Luke has been cheating on me for months?"

Some looked surprised. The rest knew Luke too well.

"So, where's the pizza?" Cassie asked innocently, not wanting to dwell on the topic. 
Connor laughed, pointing towards the kitchen.