The Cheerleader's Side Piece

The Story That Was Left Unsaid(9)

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains suicide attempts/abuse.  If this is a triggering subject please skip this chapter.

This chapter just explains the night Cassie tries to commit suicide.

Some things are better left unsaid.

I never believed that especially after the eight years I spent without Cassie. That quote was nothing but bullshit to me. Things being left unsaid only causes more issues. Causes pain, misunderstandings, and so much more crap. It's dumb. It's useless. That's how I used to think.

That was until this Saturday I came home.

~

I worked over thirty hours in a hospital. It was the children's hospital and my patients were all dying of cancer. One was only eight, the other six, and the last one ten. Two boys, one little girl. I spent every hour speak to one of them, reading them stories and making them smile. It was the part of the job that broke me the most. Children are innocent. They aren't born evil; they're born to love and accept all. They smile and laugh, maybe even give a cute jiggle. Children are suppose to be pure and live happily.

But these kids didn't have that.

They knew what death was and they knew it was coming soon for them. They saw their mothers and fathers sob over them, saw their sisters and brother get confused over the heavy emotions. They also knew that everyday could be their last time with their families. However, every single one of them smiled, cheered, and told stories. They didn't cry over their disease, no they made jokes about getting more ice cream or getting able to sleep in longer than their siblings. Those kids made me remember the good in the world... even if I was surrounded by the bad.

Getting home, I kicked off my shoes and dropped my purse by the door. It was ten in the morning and all the curtains were open. Cassie was aware that I was working, but I was still worried over leaving her alone for so long. Walking over to her room, I gently pushed it open to see her sitting on her bed, staring outside with a book on her lap. She's taken an interest in Cyrano De Bergerac... which is hilarious since she bitched about the book in Junior year. Crawling next to her, I took her book away and rested my head on her lap. A little chuckle came from her as she untangled my hair and began to message my scalp. Inhaling her sugary scent, feeling her boney fingers run through my hair, and laying on her lap was everything I wanted in life. I was about to fall asleep when she muttered, "Antonia?"

"Hm?" I opened an eye and moved my head to see her face, "Antonia? You never call me that."

"I just wanted to try it," she mumbled, bending down and giving me a peck. She straightened her back and smiled down at me, "Antonia Louisa Meryl... so long... so fancy. It suits you."

Groaning a bit, I twisted so I could stare up at her completely, closing my eyes I said, "Cassidy Winters... simple, smooth, and sly. Suits you."

"I'm not sure about the simple part," she muttered.

I pinched her hip, getting a yelp, "What did I say about your mental health? It's not something that defines you. You are not the illness. The illness isn't the boss of you, got it?"

"Crystal clear," she again gave me a peck, this time lingering a little longer. She again straightened her back, stilling playing with my hair. "How was work?" She asked.

"Sad... tiring," I muttered, snuggling into her a bit more, "but this... this moment... makes my day a million times better."

"That's good," she said. She was quiet again, just playing with my hair as I try not to doze off. I try to spend as much time as I can with her. Since I'm a well-known therapist, I tend to have packed schedules. Lately, I've seen her only in the middle of the night or when I leave in the morning around seven sometimes.