Words Unspoken ✔️

Chapter 1: First Day of School

"Morning, Daddy," she said, kissing the top of her father's head. She loved his dark hair with its wisps of gray.

"Hi, sweetie," Austin replied. "I wondered when you'd come downstairs."

"I woke her up," Cheyenne chimed in.

"Yes, 'cause your mother threatened bodily harm to you," Austin deadpanned, making Cheyenne suck her teeth.

"Where's Mom anyway?" Cassie wanted to know, preparing her breakfast.

"She had to leave for the hospital early," Austin replied. "Some administration mumbo jumbo."

"And I noticed C.J. left early too," Cheyenne added.

"Heh, don't get me started with him," Austin warned. "He left for Rashawn's house for some reason I don't know."

Austin then peered at Cassie's face as she ate her breakfast. "Everything OK, baby?" he asked her.

Cassie looked up to see her father's concerned face. "Yeah, yeah, everything's fine," she replied, forcing a smile to ease his worries.

Austin then smiled knowingly. "Is it because of Brianna not being with you?" he asked.

Cassie sighed. "Well..." she started.

"Of course it is, the two of you were inseparable," Cheyenne said, with a knowing look. "And that's understandable."

"Look, honey, everything'll be fine, anything can happen this year, trust me," Austin reassured, taking Cassie's hand into his. "Maybe you'll find someone new to talk to, huh?"

"I hope so," Cassie sighed.

Austin looked at Cassie with pity. He kissed her hand and said,

"Whatever happens, just remember that you are strong, and I'll always be proud of you."

Cassie then smiled softly at her dad, before finishing her breakfast and grabbing her belongings.

"Bye, Dad," Cassie said, before kissing him goodbye for the day.

"Bye, honey," Austin replied. "Be safe, alright?"

"Ok," Cassie said, before heading out the door, into the street before heading towards the bus stop.

While walking towards the bus stop at Sutphin Boulevard, Cassie tried to block out her worries about Simone and Ashley. She replayed what her father told her before she left. At that moment, Cassie felt a sliver of hope, despite her despair.

It was a fifteen minute ride to the Sutphin Boulevard train station, but for Cassie, it felt less than that. Before she knew it, she was waiting on the platform for the train along with disgruntled commuters and bewildered tourists from the AirTrain, a service to and from the airport. After some time, the E train in its rickety glory pulled in the station, causing a pandemonium as soon as the train doors opened. Cassie felt like she won the lottery because she got a seat throughout the crowded subway car.

"Manhattan-bound E to World Trade, next stop Jamaica-Van Wyck, doors are closing," the operator said through the train intercom in a bored, monotone voice.

As soon as the doors closed and the train jerked forward to move out of the station, Cassie took out her schedule for the fall semester and saw that she had Trigonometry for her first period class. Great, she thought to herself sarcastically. She just prayed that neither Simone or Ashley was in any of her classes.

Just then, she felt eyes watching her every move. She looked up to see a man seated on the opposite row by the doors, watching her every move. Cassie immediately felt threatened, despite him being very handsome and not much older looking than her. But along with the well-groomed eyebrows, the color matching his streaky jet black hair, brown eyes, and firm lips, there was some sort of edge to his looks, which was unnerving to Cassie. It was a sort of edge that made Cassie debate on whether to not call the cops but to call her father. And by past memories, he sure could set it off. She couldn't determine his race, but Cassie was torn between white or Hispanic.