Cassie felt anxious all day at work. Her anxiety was getting worse and worse as the hours were passing by. One o'clock. Two o'clock. Three o'clock. Every hour that passed by meant that she was getting closer and closer to seeing Jordan. She wasn't sure how much longer she could handle the anticipation.
She was playing with the rings on her fingers when she noticed a page of a newspaper sticking out from one of the drawers. She didn't think anything of it as she pulled it out, planning to put it in the garbage. However, her eyes caught the large headline placed at the center of the page.
ONE YEAR AGO TODAY MARKS THE BOATING ACCIDENT THAT INJURED 5 TEENS.
Her eyes landed on the publish date. June 3rd. The newspaper had been in the restaurant for nine months. Of course, out of all of the newspapers that could have been left untouched, it had to be that one. It had to be about the night that still haunted her.
She started to read the published story as tears clouded her vision. She started to remember everything - the things she forced herself to forget and the things she couldn't stop thinking about.
It all started with Jordan. He had just come back from freshman orientation, where he spent the weekend in Los Angeles. Cassie drove him to the airport as he talked about his excited he was. She said her goodbyes to her boyfriend, who seemed like the happiest person in the world. She had a smile on her face, glad to see him so overjoyed. She had the same smile on her face when she returned home that Sunday, but he no longer showed the same excitement. He seemed cold and distant.
"Did orientation not go as planned?" Cassie asked him at school as she stood at his locker. She asked with concern in her voice, noticing that he was acting differently. If the case was that he had a bad time at orientation, she wanted him to know he could confide in her. He had always been there for her, listening to absolutely everything she had to say, and wanted to make it a point that she could play that same role for him. "It's okay if it didn't—"
"Why are you asking so many questions?" He cut her off, shaking his head. He was confused why she would think that his weekend went poorly. He was meant to be in Los Angeles. Not in West Coral.
She was taken aback by his response. She didn't expect him to get so defensive. He was never like that. "I asked one question," she retorted. "And I only asked that because you're acting closed off."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said as he closed his locker.
At lunch that same day, he was quiet. He didn't try to chime into the conversation or talk about his weekend in L.A. Cassie tried to text him that night - and he left her on read. She thought she was the only person receiving the silent treatment, but when Jake and Toby mentioned that Jordan was acting strange, she started to put the puzzle pieces together.
That same week, he continued to avoid his friends. Cassie was getting irritated, and suspicious by his sudden change in personality. She tried to make plans with him, but he kept telling her he was busy. He never told her what he was busy doing. That was when she showed up at the boat rental shop, ready to confront him.
"You've been acting really weird since you came back from L.A.," she told him as he sat at the front desk of the shop, looking down at his phone. "Everyone is really bothered by you."
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?"
He continued to type on his phone as Cassie answered, feeling discouraged. Was he even listening to her? "Because you've been acting weird. Like... quiet at school. You're usually not like that."
"Well, you've been acting kind of... annoying," was his response back to her. She could tell he didn't feel bad saying that. The Jordan she fell in love with would never think about saying that to her face. He was the sweetest person she knew. Again, that backed up her claim that he wasn't acting himself. This was just another example. "Like right now."
"Are you trying to gaslight me?" She accused, confused why he was talking to her like that. Why was he steering the conversation towards her?
He didn't answer, instead continued to look down at his phone. What was so important on his phone that he couldn't look at her? She didn't hesitate to snatch it out of his hands, answering that question for herself. The first thing she saw was a group chat titled 'USC BOYS' and two football emojis. She then saw that his teammates were texting in the chat.
It started all to make sense to Cassie. She thought Jordan had a terrible time at orientation, yet it was the exact opposite. That was the reason he had been acting so distant - he was already texting his friends from school and acting like a college student. It seemed like he didn't want anything to do with his hometown anymore. He got a glimpse of his new life and never wanted to turn back. Maybe he belonged in Los Angeles after all?
Cassie didn't have anything to say. The only thing she did was hand his phone back to him and leave the boat rental shop.
Then she remembered the night of the accident. It was the weekend after Jordan's freshman orientation and the day after high school graduation. Giovanni was hosting a party at his house to celebrate. Not many people could go - like Toby, Jake, or Parker, as they were celebrating with their families. Juliana couldn't make it, either, as she was celebrating with Jake. Brittany was celebrating with Toby. So, that left the rest of them to party.
Cassie had finished an entire double bottle of wine, including more drinks. She was at the point that if she consumed any more alcohol, she would be annihilated.
The drinks were speaking for her as she argued with Jordan over the music. Her hair was a tousled mess as there was mascara under her eyes, including wine spills all over her shirt, which exemplified how drunk she was.
"Why even come to the party?" She hissed at her boyfriend, holding the empty double bottle of wine in her hands. Jordan, who hadn't had a sip of alcohol that night, could tell she was extremely under the influence. "Go back to texting your little USC football boys... since you seem fucking gay now."
"Gay?" He questioned her accusation. "Really?"
"Yeah," she said as she nodded her head, stumbling from side to side. She tried to keep her balance straight. "Since you like texting them more than me and I'm your fucking girlfriend."
"God, Cassie," he said as he rolled his eyes, growing annoyed at her. He thought she was acting immature. "God forbid I'm excited for college and already have friends! I didn't think that would be such an issue for you."
Her jaw dropped, trying to comprehend the conversation switch. Jordan had been taking accountability for absolutely nothing that past week. He denied his attitude change, how closed off he was being, and how he was hardly paying attention to his friends from home. "And I didn't think you'd change after orientation."
"Alright," he said, brushing her words off as if they didn't mean anything.
"Did you fuck another girl in L.A.?" She questioned, anger in her voice. She was trying to gather up more and more information about his sudden change.
He rolled his eyes. "Oh, here we go," he hissed. "Another fucking question."
"Did you?" She shouted, grabbing the attention of Max and Giovanni from across the backyard, who were making drinks.
"No!" He answered, shouting back at her. "It's like you don't even know me!"
"I don't!" She shouted back. "Not the person standing in front of me. You've been acting so different... like an asshole."
"Really? Again? Another insult, Cassie?"
"Yeah, because it's true!"
"It's not true! You're the one who has been so annoying lately."
"Trying to gaslight me, again. Okay."
"Is that even a real word?"
"Guys!" Giovanni shouted over their bickering, feeling stressed. "Please stop yelling. We're trying to have fun."
Cassie nodded, knowing he was right. She was too drunk and too angry to be aware of her surroundings. She wouldn't have caused such a scene if she was sober. "Sorry. I'm gonna walk home now."
"Walk?" Questioned Jordan as he chased after her. She was walking awfully fast down the driveway. "You're not walking home, Cassie."
She scoffed. "Leave me alone. Go suck one of your teammate's dick."
"Could you stop?" He angrily requested as he caught up to her speed. He was bothered she continued to talk about his teammates like that. "Stop walking!"
"No!" She shouted back, speeding down the street. "It's only like... a forty-five minute walk home."
"Only?" He questioned, flabbergasted she was talking lightly about such a long walk. He continued to follow after her as she turned down the street. "Someone is going to steal you."
"Good. I hope so," she said sassily. They started to near Jordan's small blue house. Cassie noticed a large sign sitting on the front lawn. She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to get a better view of what the sign said. She was too far away - and too drunk to see clearly. "What is that?"
"What?" He questioned.
"That," she clarified, pointing to the sign. She then stopped in front of it, getting the best view possible. Her heart snuck to the bottom of her stomach when she read the sign: FOR SALE. She turned around slowly, meeting eyes with her boyfriend as he stood in the street. "You're moving?"
"I was going to tell you," he was quick to defend himself, noticing she was angry. "It's not something that just comes up in conversation."
"Where? To L.A.?" She questioned, anger in her voice. She dropped the wine bottle that was still in her hands. It sat in the grass beside the for sale sign. He nodded his head. He wasn't sure what else to say. "Of course you are! You fucking hate Florida! You can't wait to go back to L.A. because you're so obsessed with it!"
"You know what, Cassie?" Jordan questioned, shaking his head in disbelief. He paused for a moment, arguing back and forth with himself if he wanted to voice his thoughts. But as they fell from his mouth, he knew it was what he needed to say. "I don't want to be with you anymore."
In that moment, Cassie wasn't heartbroken by Jordan breaking up with her. She wasn't saddened by his words, either. To her surprise, it wasn't the drinks making her feel that way, it was the situation. She could tell the thought of college and living in a new city was changing him, while she wasn't changing with him. She would say she hardly recognized him, like she said earlier, but she did. He was acting like the same arrogant asshole that she hooked up with the summer entering her sophomore year of high school. It made her feel like he had been fooling her for a year and a half. Was he actually the sweet, caring guy she fell in love with? Or was he just putting on a show, while underneath he was still the cocky player? She had no idea.
"Did you fuck girls when you were in L.A.?" She asked him for the second time. She wasn't sure why she was so fixed on asking that question. She was just getting a million suspicions about him.
"No," he answered truthfully. He could never do that to her, especially not after he was cheated on. "But now I can."
Cassie's question was answered - he still was the same egotistical asshole who loved jumping from girl to girl. She was convinced he had been fooling her. It made her question who she fell in love with. Nothing hurt more than that.
"Fuck you!" She insulted before grabbing the for sale sign and forcefully throwing it across his front lawn. He was alarmed, looking from his now ex-girlfriend to the for sale sign lying flat in the grass. He had never seen her take her anger out in that manner. She was acting a lot like her older brother. "I'm going back to the party."
Jordan tried to talk to her as she walked back to Giovanni's house. She ignored him as he followed behind her, not listening to a word he was saying. She was so angry that she was seeing red, which only made her focus on the things in front of her.
In the mix trying to talk to Cassie and the bustling party, Jordan found himself standing on Giovanni's docked boat. Alongside him were Max, Trevor, and Giovanni. They were planning to boat Max home, as he had too many shots of cheap vodka, and was throwing up.
Cassie stood at the edge of the boat dock, debating whether or not she wanted to join them, thinking they could bring her home in the process. But as Jordan was demanding that she step onto the boat, she started to change her mind.
"I'm not coming," she told him, clenching her fists in anger. She couldn't believe he was moving to L.A. and informed her that he was going to get with other girls. It made her blood boil. How could he say that to her? How could he act that way? After everything they'd been through, she felt like their relationship meant nothing to him. "Fuck you, Jordan! I fucking hate you!"
He channeled the same anger she had towards her, desperately wanting to get the last laugh - except his words would stick with her forever. "I never want to speak to you again! Get away from me!"
To Jordan, he was trying to one-up her angered insults, but to Cassie, his words stung. She took everything he said very seriously. How could she not? She loved him. Everything he said, she took into account. His words made her feel like a terrible person. Was she really nothing special, or had she acted too inappropriately, which made him never want to speak to her again? Was she really that easy to say goodbye to?
"Don't fucking talk to my sister like that!" Trevor shouted at Jordan, always coming to his little sister's rescue. She was his only little sister. It was his duty to defend her, even if it were against Jordan, someone who he'd grown to appreciate that past year and a half. He grabbed Jordan by the neck, practically choking him. "I'm going to fucking murder you if you say one more word to her!"
Jordan was having trouble breathing with Trevor's hands wrapped around his throat. To defend himself, he shoved Trevor backward. The two began fighting in the back of the boat as Giovanni started to sail farther out into the canal. Cassie watched at the end of the boat dock as they continued to yell at each other. She stood there with tears in her eyes, trying to make sense of what happened. Her heart started to feel heavy in her chest.
She was wrong when she thought she was happy that Jordan broke up with her. She wasn't. She was so upset with Jordan's attitude and not taking accountability for his actions that it distracted her from how she really felt. The truth was, she was heartbroken. She loved him. They had been together for a year and a half. But he betrayed her. Not by leaving Florida for his dream school, or his sudden personality change, but because he wasn't going to try to make their relationship last. He was starting his new life in L.A. - and Cassie wasn't going to be in it.
As Jordan and Trevor continued to fight in the back of the boat, they rammed into Giovanni, who was just trying to drive the boat and get Max home safely. He lost his balance as his hands were ripped off the controls. As he tried to stand up, he grabbed the controls but couldn't see the direction in which the boat was heading in. That was when the boat started to soar back in the direction of the house.
"Cassie!" A low hoarse voice called out for her. She stood in place, paralyzed at the end of the boat dock. "Cassie! Move!"
She couldn't. Her legs couldn't take her anywhere. The only thing she could do was cry. Tears were streaming down her face, which clouded her vision. She couldn't see anything that was surrounding her. It felt like nothing mattered in that moment except for her aching heart.
"Cassie!" The voice called out again, this time even louder. She wiped her tears, finally seeing what was in front of her: the boat flying towards her. Her eyes widened as she continued to stand in front of the boat dock, horrified and confused.
In one swift motion, she was lifted from the end of the boat dock and practically thrown into the grass. The figure that grabbed her toppled down beside her.
She heard a loud crash from behind her, but the only thing she was focused on was the hand of the figure next to her. Blood was oozing out of the deep wound and staining the grass red.
As she was panicking about the wound, her eyes caught sight of what was in front of her. She started to shake uncontrollably. Tears formed in her eyes once again as she crawled back in fear.
The boat had crashed into the dock. There was damage everywhere. There were small parts of the boat scattered out on the grass in front of her. People at the party were screaming at the sight.
But the shrieking of the person beside her was quick to grab her attention. It was Luke. He was the one who saved her. He was grabbing his hand in pain as tears were streaming down his face. Her nurturing instincts were immediately kicked in as she grabbed Luke's wrist. She noticed his thumb was completely detached from his hand. The sight made her nauseous as the oozing blood covered her hands and her clothes. Instead of freaking out and alarming Luke, she remained calm.
"It's okay. It's okay," she assured him, grabbing his face. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably as she watched him sob. She could tell he was in an excruciating amount of pain. "You're gonna be okay, Luke. I promise."
She looked back at the crashed boat. She could hardly see with the tears in her eyes. She turned back to Luke, removing her hand from his face. The blood on her fingers painted his face red. Seeing him in so much pain made her start to cry. "Help!" She cried out.
June 3rd was easily the worst night of Cassie's life. Seeing so many people she loved in pain truly affected her. It was a haunting sight because she would never think about inflicting pain on anyone. Even almost two years after the accident, Cassie still suffered from nightmares, flashbacks, and negative thoughts. She felt like that night, including the other traumatic events she had experienced, stunted her maturity growth. She still needed to go to therapy to help her cope with the pain she felt and the gruesome sights she witnessed.
After the crash, Giovanni was ejected from the boat. Thankfully, he landed on the grass, but suffered from a broken collar bone, leg, hip, and arm. He was in a wheelchair for months, but it didn't slow him down. He was able to decorate the chair to his liking (motorcycle theme, of course), and enjoyed Max strolling him around. Max suffered from a concussion, a broken nose, and a dislocated shoulder. He had to get surgery for his shoulder to properly heal. Trevor suffered from a concussion as well, which made him nervous that he would have to sit out that football season. He also had to get stitches in multiple places. Jordan suffered from whiplash, stitches along his arms and legs, and a dislocated knee cap.
Cassie blocked out being in the hospital with her parents after the accident. All she could remember were the tears streaming down her face and screaming "his thumb! His thumb! It's gone!" She blocked out the rest of the night to save her mental health.
That was part of the reason why she was dreading talking to Jordan later that evening. She would rather not be reminded of that night. Her fight with Jordan, the things they said, and the accident.
She wished that night never happened.