Cover by @justablip
Spinoff to "Love Has No Labels"
Cassie Phillips is a troubled junior at Forest Hills High School, who's been bullied, pushed, kicked on, and shoved since freshman year. She's clearly hurting, and her torment has affected her life...
"Oh, yeah?" Drew replied, his face brightening up at her comment.
"Mm-hmm, I guess that tattoo artist of yours should take a bow," Cassie replied.
Drew smiled, making Cassie's heart flutter, much to her dismay. She shouldn't be feeling this way about him, he was a douchebag. She noticed one of his two front teeth were crooked. For Cassie, it was cute. She mentally shook those thoughts away in disgust. Come on Cassandra, pull yourself together.
"Thanks, I got it for my eighteenth birthday this past March," he replied, peeling his sleeve upward, showing his tattoo to Cassie.
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"It's really nice," Cassie said shyly, marveling at the articulate Japanese water wave designs of his tattoo. She then did a double take as she realized something he just said.
"Wait a minute. Eighteen?" she asked. He was two years older than her, an actual legal adult.
"I know what you're thinking, I didn't get left back for two years, I just started school late for some reason when I moved from Puerto Rico when I was seven," Drew explained.
"Ah, I see," Cassie replied, nodding her head in understanding. "Did it hurt?"
"No, not really," Drew said nonchalantly. "I kinda have a little bit of a high tolerance for pain."
"Oh, that's cool." You lucky son of a bitch.
The pair fell into silence as the train bypassed the 75th Avenue train station, until Cassie broke the silence, almost feeling comfortable talking to Drew. He didn't seem like a douche anymore.
"What brought you to Queens?" she asked.
Drew then sighed, as a frown appeared on his face. "My mom, my sisters and I moved here from Crown Heights," he replied huskily. " 'Cause of a divorce between my parents. My dad left without looking back, the bills were piling high 'cause he was the breadwinner, and the landlord kicked us out, and now we live in a shitty apartment in the projects at South Jamaica."
"You mean the 40 Projects?" Cassie wanted to know.
"That's right."
Cassie then felt sad for Drew, while feeling so much remorse from her past thoughts about him. She should stop being judgmental sometimes.
"I'm so sorry to hear that, Drew," Cassie apologized wholeheartedly. "It must be hard for you guys."
Drew scoffed, crossing his arms defiantly. "It was the easiest thing ever," he replied bitterly. "My dad's finally out of my life. Hijo de la gran puta."
"Geez, Drew," Cassie said, taken aback at his words describing his father. "You got quite the mouth."
"You speak Spanish, Cassie?" Drew asked, his face brightening up.
"A little bit," Cassie replied shyly. "But don't tell my parents I know some curse words."
"What d'you mean 'a little bit'?" Drew asked, with a smirk. "You don't have any Hispanic in you?"
"No, but I took Spanish classes during Freshmen and Sophomore year," Cassie replied. "My mom's black and my dad's white, by the way."
"Oh, I could have sworn you were half Puerto Rican," Drew said, looking stumped. "Sorry for my ignorance, though."
Cassie giggled. "That's OK, I get that a lot."
As the train moved forward, on the way to the Jamaica-Van Wyck stop, Cassie had another question for Drew that popped in her mind.
"What do you think about the school?" she asked.
"It's cool," Drew replied. "Except for those girls all over my personal space, I mean, back the hell up so I can breathe, damn!" he said, making Cassie giggle. "I'm like any other guy, what's so special about me?"
"It's 'cause you're pretty handsome with that tattoo," Cassie said innocently.
"I guess, but thank you," Drew replied. "I especially didn't like those two bitches from this morning."
"Oh, don't remind me," Cassie sighed sadly.
"I'm tellin' you, if that four-eyed bitch and that bootleg Beyoncé tried that shit in my old school, they'd get their asses beat, real talk," Drew spat out.
Cassie burst out laughing at Drew's description of Simone and Ashley. "Thanks for the laugh, I needed that," she giggled.
"Nah, I'm serious," Drew replied. "They not worth anything."
Cassie smiled at Drew. For the first time since Brianna left, Cassie felt her spirits go up a little after Simone and Ashley bullied her this morning.
At last, her stop was approaching. Cassie put her backpack on, getting ready to get off the train.
"I guess this is your stop, right?" Drew said.
"Yeah," Cassie replied, a little sad. "But it was great talking to you."
"Me too," Drew agreed, with a smile.
The train jolted to a stop, and it was a mass exodus out of the train as the doors opened. Cassie got up, fixing her backpack on her back.
"See you tomorrow, Drew," Cassie called, waving goodbye to Drew.
"Alright, Cassie, get home safe," Drew replied, bidding Cassie goodbye.
Cassie smiled at Drew, as she disappeared into the midst of the commuters eager to go home. For the first time, as soon as Cassie knew it, she developed a crush. On a tattooed eighteen-year-old. Her mother had better give her dad a pacemaker.
