Brightly Grim

Cassie: Brothers

"Who was that girl making drama before?" John asks me, pulling me back from the swirling orange and blue lights I was floating in.

"Mh?" I snap back to reality, shaking off the psychedelic haze. "Oh, Katie? She's just my sparring partner."

"It always has to be complicated with you," he remarks, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"What's interesting is complicated; it's just the way it is," I shrug, accepting the inherent complexities of my life.

"Guess you have a point. What does Stephanie think of Katie?" he inquires, curiosity coloring his words.

"Oh, you're very interested, aren't you?" I raise an eyebrow, teasing him playfully.

"Come on, it's weird that she was here while you were with Katie," he points out.

"It's over between me and Stephanie, if you must know," I say, relinquishing this information to John with great reluctance. As I guessed, his face lights up in the most annoying way, just like how it would light up when he saw an opportunity to snatch my candy when we were five.

Unable to resist, I grab a pillow from the nearby chair and throw it at his head. The impact seems to jog his memory.

"Damien called me earlier, all riled up, and then he came back and punched Seth. Do you know what's going on with him?" John asks, concern lacing his words.

"Oh, he's just young and in love," I dismiss, waving my hand dismissively in the air. "I saw him with Lora this morning."

"So why did he leave in the first place?" John raises an eyebrow, probing for answers, and I sigh.

"He was mad at me."

"Why?"

"Because I had a threesome with Stephanie and Lora," I confess, matter-of-factly.

John blinks, taken aback by my blunt admission. "What? When?"

"When we went to change for the pool yesterday,"

"Wow. You are quick..." He looks away, contemplating the situation.

"Come on, not you too..." I sigh, lighting a cigarette to calm my nerves.

"I'm not mad at you. I just don't understand why," he says, his confusion evident.

"Why not? We had fun," I respond, my tone nonchalant.

"I just thought you were serious about Stephanie."

"Not in that way. We became good friends."

"After she cheated on Damien with you?"

"Yeah, pretty much," I confirm.

"Couldn't she have broken up with him first?" John questions, seeking clarity.

"It got messy between them. She kissed some girl, then he slept with her, and they spent the whole day screaming at each other in the house. I had to put an end to it," I explain, and he bursts into laughter.

"So you actually slept with Damien's girlfriend to make his life easier?" John makes sure his tone transfers just how ridiculous he finds my claim for moral high ground.

"Yeah that, and well, she's hot." I flash him a grin,

"Yeah, she is," John agrees and smirks too wide for my liking. I search for another pillow to toss.

"I told you to be careful."

"I don't see why me and her is such a bad idea."

"You two are already touchie enough to make me sick."