It was only a few days later when Spring Break ended, and school resumed once again. Lexi had spent the first Tuesday back at school enduring yet another dreadful eight AM lecture. But she perked up when Isaac texted her after class. He asked her out for an early lunch at The Bean's Knees and she happily accepted his invitation. While they had reunited in person the previous day, any chance to see him again was one she wanted to jump on.
Lexi approached The Bean's Knees to find Isaac waiting for her outside. She hurried over to keep him waiting any longer. Despite it being well into March, winter hadn't let up much at all. Snow continued to pile up across New York City as it grew colder out every day.
"Hey, babe."
"Hey. Aren't you cold?"
Isaac shrugged. "It's not as bad as it was yesterday."
"I guess," Lexi remarked casually before kissing his lips. "Let's get inside."
The couple entered The Bean's Knees, which was as busy as they had expected. Lexi went looking for a table while Isaac got in line to buy lunch. She ended up grabbing one of the last empty tables near the entrance of the café. Once seated, she took her coat and hat off before settling into her seat. She had to wait for several minutes before Isaac joined her with food and drinks in hand. He handed her the food and coffee she'd asked for before taking his seat.
"Thank you."
"Of course," Isaac said. "I'm glad we were able to hang out."
"Me too. Do you have another class today?" Lexi asked.
"Yeah, at one PM."
Lexi glanced at the clock on the wall to see that it was just after 11:30 AM. "I'm glad I only had one class today. I fucking hate eight AM lectures. They're the absolute worst."
"Yeah, they're a bitch," Isaac remarked. "I only have the other class today, and then I'm free to do whatever. I mean...I say that, but I'll most likely just stay home and do homework. I'm a little behind on my readings."
"I'm all caught up on mine," Lexi announced after swallowing a mouthful of her garden salad.
Isaac rolled his eyes. "Congrats. Do you want a trophy?"
"Well, since you offered..."
"Seriously?"
Lexi burst into a fit of laughter. "I'm only teasing, babe."
"Oh, I know," Isaac said before laughing.
Before Lexi could think to say something else, someone she hadn't seen in months suddenly entered The Bean's Knees with others in tow. Her blue-green eyes almost bulged out of her head.
"Cassie's here."
Isaac raised his eyebrows but didn't bother to look over at his ex-girlfriend. "Is she alone?"
Lexi shook her head. "She came in with a few people, but I don't know any of them. I'm gonna assume they're people from one of her classes."
"They're probably working on a group project or just hanging out," Isaac guessed.
"Most likely," Lexi whispered. She watched Cassie shoot her a dirty look as she entered the line to buy something. Her long, dark brown hair was in a messy ponytail and it looked as if she hadn't slept in a couple of days.
"Did she mouth something to you?" Isaac asked.
Lexi covered her mouth to suppress a snicker. "No, but she did shoot me a nasty look just now. Can't say I'm surprised."
"Yeah, I'm not surprised either."
Lexi noticed Cassie leaving the counter with an everything bagel and a large coffee in her hands. She joined her group at another table, which sat just a few feet from where Lexi and Isaac sat. Cassie paid the couple no mind as she began eating and chatting with her friends.
"It's so weird to see Cassie acting nice for once," Lexi remarked.
Isaac stole a quick glance before turning back to his girlfriend. "It really is. Has she bothered you at all this semester?"
"No, not at all."
"Wow. I'm shocked."
"Honestly, so am I. But I have to admit— it's nice to not have Cassie bully me for a change."
"I bet. I'm happy to hear that she's left you alone."
"It's so much nicer than you can imagine. Come to think of it, has she bothered you recently?"
Isaac shook his head.
"Good. Anyways, I'm done talking about her. Any interesting going on with Felipe or DeShawn recently?"
"Felipe and Nikita are...dating, I guess? It's weird— Felipe says they're dating, but I've seen him date other girls before. He's super casual with it. But he seems super serious about Nikita," Isaac explained. "So, I think it's more than dating, but he won't say."
"Yeah, I've noticed how Nikita acts with him," Lexi remarked. "I think even they don't know what's going on between them."
Isaac nodded. "They seem happy though, which is good. As for DeShawn, he's doing alright. Hey, have you spoken to Mariana since that big hangout we had a while back?"
"We've texted a couple of times, but that's really been it," Lexi admitted. "It hasn't been anything super deep or serious— just talking about class and whatnot. I don't mention Cassie at all, and neither has Mariana. She seems to be alright, which is good 'cause I was worried about her for a while there."
"Yeah, so was I. She's texted me a little, but not as much as we used to before everything happened. I think she's worried about Cassie finding out 'cause if she did, she'll lose her fucking mind."
"On you or Mariana?"
"Both."
Lexi shook her head with disbelief. "Yeah, I can see it."
At this point, the couple had finished eating their lunches. Lexi drank the last of her oat milk latte as Isaac checked something on his phone.
"I should probably head off to class," he suddenly remarked. "It's almost 12:30, and the building it's in is quite a hike from here."
"It's okay," Lexi replied. "I'm just gonna hang out here for a while longer and do some schoolwork. Thank you for lunch."
"Of course, babe," Isaac said as he finished packing up his belongings. "I'll text you after I'm done class, okay?"
"Sounds good. I love you, babe."
"I love you too."
Lexi kissed her boyfriend without a second thought before he left The Bean's Knees. She then got up and threw out her empty coffee cup and food wrapper to buy another drink. Once she was back at her table, she pulled her laptop and notebook out to type up some notes from her morning lecture. But before she could even think to get started, she felt someone staring a hole in her head. She looked up from her belongings to find Cassie standing by where Isaac had been sitting moments earlier. The nasty scowl etched onto her face already had Lexi preparing for what was about to go down.
"Can I help you?"
Cassie rolled her hazel eyes dramatically. "You just love to show off the fact that you're Isaac's girlfriend, don't you?"
"And how exactly did I do that?" Lexi questioned in an innocent voice.
"By making out in public like you did a second ago. You just had to kiss him here, didn't you?" Cassie sneered. Her tone was low yet dangerous.
Lexi shrugged nonchalantly. "It was one kiss. Why do you even care?"
Cassie dismissed the question. "Just remember, bitch— you may have Isaac, but I'll always be more successful than you. Mark my words."
"Just fuck off already. I have better things to do than to listen to you bitch at me for the millionth time," Lexi snapped.
The remarked stunned Cassie, but she recovered a moment later. "You're a fucking bitch."
Lexi ignored the final insult by throwing her earbuds in and turning on some music. She began to type up her notes without even looking back at her enemy. She mustered some courage to glance up a minute later, only to find that Cassie had already returned to her table. Her classmates either hadn't noticed the confrontation or didn't care, as they appeared to be busy working. Cassie did the same thing a moment later without even so much at looking back in Lexi's direction.
God, it's so pathetic of her to act out like this, Lexi thought as she focused back on her notes. I couldn't imagine going out of my way to make someone so miserable all the time. Guess I shouldn't have said anything to Isaac about how nice it was to not have Cassie bully me. Maybe she heard us talking about her? No, I doubt it— we weren't speaking loudly. Well, whatever— if she did hear us, I really don't give a fuck. It's not like she deserves my kindness.
Despite the confrontation, Lexi managed to forget about it as she carried on the task at hand. She spent the next hour typing up her notes before checking how she'd done on some of her assignments. She smiled at her high grades— even when she doubted her skills, she could still prove herself wrong.
I should probably head home before it gets too cold out there, she thought.
Lexi packed up her things and bundled up before finally leaving The Bean's Knees. She made the slow and cold journey home, where she found her apartment to be empty. Nikita was either still in class or hanging out with Felipe somewhere; both of which were fine with Lexi. She quickly changed into some comfy clothes before laying on her unmade bed.
I know Isaac's still in class...but I gotta tell him what just happened, she thought as a newfound smirk crossed her face.
Lexi: Hey, remember when I told you how nice it was that Cassie hasn't bullied me this semester? Well...looks like I jinxed it.
Surprisingly, she got a response from him a minute later.
Isaac: You're kidding.
Lexi: I wish.
Isaac: What happened?
Lexi: Once you left, Cassie came up to me and bitched about showing off our relationship cause we kissed in public.
Isaac: Wtf???
Lexi: Then she said that while I may have you, she'll always be more successful than me.
Isaac: Jfc
Lexi. Yeah. I told her to fuck off, she called me a bitch, and then she went back to her table. That sums it up.
Isaac: Unreal. I was hoping you'd go the whole semester without her bullying you.
Lexi: So do I. It was wishful thinking lol
Isaac: I'm sorry.
Lexi: Don't be. It was kinda funny tbh
Isaac: Why don't you tell Mariana what happened?
Lexi: Oooh, good idea! I will. Sorry to bug you while you're in class.
Isaac: lol it's fine. Prof paused to take a break during the lecture anyways. It's about to start again tho, so I gotta go.
Lexi: No worries. Talk to you later!
Once that conversation was over, Lexi fired off another text. She hesitated a little, but sent it to Mariana anyways. The last thing she wanted was to stir up even more drama between herself and Cassie. After all, Mariana would be caught in the middle of this messy situation. But Lexi wanted to tell her what happened. If she had been serious about wanting to befriend Lexi, she would most likely be upset over Cassie's actions.
Lexi: Hey, can I talk to you?
She probably won't respond if she's in class right now, Lexi thought as she laid down on her bed. But her thought was quickly disproven when she heard her phone go off a minute later. She grabbed it and read Mariana's brief response.
Mariana: Yeah, what's up?
Lexi: Cassie yelled at me for the first time this semester.
Mariana: Fuck, really?
Lexi: Yeah. I had lunch with Isaac at The Bean's Knees, but Cassie only came up to me once he left. She was upset that we kissed in public and told me that she'll be more successful than me. Just stupid shit.
Mariana: Omg I'm SO sorry.
At least she's not happy about what Cassie did, Lexi thought as she typed a reply.
Lexi: It's not your fault. I'm not mad at you.
Mariana: I know, but I still feel bad. I'll talk to her about it tonight.
Lexi nodded at the idea, only to suddenly freeze. The only way Mariana would know about the confrontation was because Lexi had told her about it. As far as Lexi knew, Cassie hadn't told her what had gone down. The chances of her telling Mariana what had happened were non-existent— especially if Cassie didn't want to piss her off. This was going to present a problem if Mariana were to bring it up to her best friend.
Lexi: Wait— Cassie's gonna know that I told you about what happened. I don't think she's gonna come out and tell you.
Mariana: SHIT
Lexi: I just realized that. This is awkward.
Mariana: No shit. I'll see if Cassie tells me on her own. I'll figure something out, okay?
Lexi: Sounds good. I'm sorry you're in this position.
Mariana: It's not your fault. It's shitty all the way around. Thank you for being so understanding.
Lexi: Of course!
With the matter now taken care of, Lexi decided to chill out for the rest of the afternoon. She grabbed her laptop from her backpack and began watching a few episodes of The Walking Dead while bundled up in her cozy bed.
***
It was early evening when Cassie made her way home from The Bean's Knees. Despite the icy sidewalks and freezing weather, she managed to walk to her apartment with some added joy in her step. She and her classmates had finally finished the group assignment they'd been working on for the past month and a half. Between this and the work she had to do for all her other classes, she'd been stretched almost too thin this semester.
God, this semester has been so fucking crazy! I wish it was over already, Cassie thought as she finally made it home.
She entered her apartment to see Mariana's boots and coat in their rightful spots. Knowing that her best friend was home, she quietly made her way to her own bedroom. It was still too early to go to bed; it was just after five PM. But she didn't want to disturb Mariana if she was busy doing homework or trying to relax after a long day of school.
Cassie set her black tote bag on the floor of her bedroom and changed into some more casual clothes— a dark grey matching set consisting of sweatpants and a lightweight sweatshirt. She then went into the bathroom to wash off her makeup. Her makeup routine these days consisted of only the necessities— concealer, powder, tinted eyebrow gel, and black mascara. It was all she had the energy for during the school week.
Once done her nightly skincare routine, Cassie examined her now bare and clean face in the mirror. The dark circles under her eyes were proof of the many late nights and early mornings she'd had since the beginning of the winter semester. It looked ugly, but they had been well worth it. Cassie's grades were as high as ever despite her intense classes. She knew that was largely thanks to the sacrifices made in both her social life and sleep.
I can't wait for summer to come already, she thought.
She left the bathroom to find Mariana sitting on the couch. Seeing her best friend so suddenly made Cassie flinch with raised eyebrows.
"Jesus! I thought you were still in your room."
"I came out when you were in the bathroom," Mariana explained. "Sorry about that."
"No, it's cool. I just got home, like, 15 minutes ago. How was your day?"
"It was fine. How 'bout yours?"
"It was long, just like always. I finally finished a group project though, so that's awesome. We got together at The Bean's Knees and worked on it for several hours to get it done. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now."
Mariana nodded. "That's great, girl. I'm glad to hear that."
With that, Cassie headed into the kitchen to heat up some leftovers for dinner. Mariana followed her there, much to the former's confusion.
"Is everything alright?"
"Oh, yeah. I was just wondering if something interesting happened while you were there," Mariana said.
Cassie frowned. "Where?"
"At The Bean's Knees."
"Uh...no, not that I'm aware of," Cassie remarked. "Why do you ask?"
Mariana seemed to relax in an instant. "Oh, I heard rumours in my last class that something crazy happened there today. I know you were there just now, so I figured I'd ask you about it."
"Oh. Yeah, nothing weird happened while I was there. It must've happened earlier than that. Or some other day, I don't know."
"I guess. Anyways, I'm so done with school anymore. I'm sick of lectures and assignments and shit."
Cassie let out a half-hearted laugh. "I totally feel that! This semester has been kicking my friggin' ass."
"Once school is over, we'll be able to relax."
"Until our last year at NYU begins."
Mariana frowned slightly. "Let's not get too ahead now, okay? Worry about this semester first. Then we enjoy our summer break before we even think about our last year at college.'
"Yeah, that's fair. Let's do that," Cassie said warmly. "Now, I need to make dinner. I'm so damn hungry!"
"I should make something to eat too," Mariana replied. "I know you're busy, but we should just hang out together for the night. We haven't done that in so long."
Cassie managed a tired smile and even perked up a bit. "I'd love that."
As the pair heated up dinner one at a time, Cassie couldn't help but ponder Mariana's strange question. She hadn't heard of anything weird happening at The Bean's Knees today. Maybe Mariana had gotten the days mixed up. Or maybe it was nothing more than a silly rumour spread by her best friend's classmates.
But why would she bring it up out of nowhere? It's not something that would've affected me... unless I was directly involved, she thought.
Even with these thoughts clouding her mind, Cassie decided to not bring up the subject again. There was nothing too concerning to mention, and the matter seemed to be put to bed now. Besides, she really wanted to catch up with Mariana. Given how little they had hung out during second semester, this time together was something Cassie had been craving for months. There was no way she was going to pass it up now.