The Mystery of Ghost Town, USA ✓

The Mystery of Ghost Town, USA (8)

A/N: This story is absolute rubbish. I am SO sorry. But I couldn't just scrap it. So here's the penultimate chapter (second to last). I'll hopefully finish this one up soon and we can all be on our way pretending such a thing never existed.

She froze. "I told you not to mention that name," she snarled.

"Oh, come on! Just tell me," I said.

"No, I refuse to discuss her."

"Why?" I questioned.

"Because I said so!" She was on the brink of tears when she told me that. I knew she would crack if I pushed her just a little further, so that's exactly what I did.

"Cassie," I began.

"Don't call me that!" she said.

"Why?" I asked again.

"Be-because!" she stammered.

I celebrated that little victory. She was that much closer to cracking.

"Fine," I said, looking at my nails nonchalantly, "You don't have to talk about Violet, just listen."

She was staring at me, and I knew I had caught her attention. "I-I'll leave. I'll leave you alone out here and you'll never find your way back."

Her threat was an empty one, I knew. There was no way she was going to leave, not then, not ever, as long as I had new information on Violet for her.

"Sure," I said. I was agreeing with her, without a trace of sarcasm.

"Just tell me about Violet!" she yelled at me.

I grinned at her, knowing she had cracked finally.

"Alright, alright," I said. "Calm down."

She sighed in defeat and muttered, "Please," so quietly that I could barely hear her. I smiled genuinely at her.

"Okay," I said. I took a deep breath and went on, "Violet really misses you. She misses you more than you know."

"I doubt that," she said.

"Why?"

"I miss her more than she misses me. It was all my fault. I'm certain she hates me."

"I'm certain she doesn't," I said, "Take this from someone who has been living with her for the past couple of months."

"Really?" she asked. Her eyes shined with the prospect of hope. I nodded at her in reply. She gave me a half smile at that, the closest thing to a real smile I'd ever received from her.

By then we were at the point where she had told me before that she couldn't go past. She hesitated for a split second. I encouraged her by saying, "Come on!" I tugged on her sleeve and pulled her along towards the house that I'd begun to call home. Believe it or not, I actually liked living there.

She followed me reluctantly at first, but soon she was running ahead of me. "Hey! Wait up!" I called. Luckily I knew where I was, so I laughed and sat down in the grass as Cassandra entered the house. I decided it was best if I gave them some privacy, at least for a little while. That doesn't mean, however, that I am uninformed of what happened that afternoon. Violet was kind enough to fill me in later, as a sort of thank-you.

There was a lot of yelling and more crying and hugging. Both of them felt like they were solely to blame for their falling-out. They shared their best friend's secrets to the whole school. It was their fault. They didn't blame the other at all. I saw Violet smile as she walked out the door. Everything was well.

Oh, wait. I just remembered the reason I came to the town to begin with. I'm still supposed to demolish this wonderful town to build a mall!