Some people want it all
But I don't want nothing at all
If it ain't you baby
If I ain't got you baby
Some people want diamond rings
Some just want everything
But everything means nothing
If I ain't got you
Alicia Keys- If I Ain't Got You
8:30 PM
Cassie opened her eyes to a bright white surface while hearing steady beeping. She felt tubes coming out of her nose and a clip on one of her fingers.
"Oh, my God, she's waking up," she heard a familiar male voice whisper. "Cass, can you hear me, honey?"
Cassie's vision was still a blur, as she saw a silhouette of a man hovering over. As her vision cleared, she realized that it was her father calling for her attention, his face full of concern.
"Daddy?" Cassie spoke up, her voice slurred.
"Hi," he smiled, kissing her hand. "Daddy's here, baby girl."
"W-w-where a-am I?" Cassie asked.
"You're in the hospital, sweetheart," Austin replied.
"Which hospital?"
"Jamaica Hospital."
"Oh," Cassie said. Ugh. "How'd you get here?"
"Your Aunt Maria drove us here."
Cassie then realized everything that had transpired today. "Where is Mom, anyway?" she asked nervously, as her speech perfected.
"Oh, uhh... your mother... she uhh..." Austin stammered out, his eyebrows furrowing. "She had to... use the bathroom, she'll be back soon," he finished quickly, smiling forcefully.
Cassie stared at her father's smiling face blankly. "Daddy, your eyebrows do a certain thing when you're lying," she deadpanned. "Just tell me what really happened, please?"
Austin instantly looked as if his heart sank. "Well, first things first, C.J., Cheyenne, and your tattooed friend told me and your mother everything about the suffering that those awful girls caused you all year," he started. "And uh... it was too much for your mother to take, and she had to be admitted into the hospital 'cause her blood pressure skyrocketed," he explained solemnly.
Cassie immediately felt mortified at this. "Oh, no," she croaked out, as her eyes filled with tears, and easily came down her face.
"No, no, no, baby, don't cry," Austin reassured, kissing her repeatedly, as his thumbs gently wiped away her tears from under her eyes. "Once she heard that you were a-ok, she felt fine and dandy, now they're just double checking her blood pressure to confirm that she's fine and in normal level, that's all."
"Yeah, but it's my fault that Mom's blood pressure went high," Cassie sobbed.
"You have no place to blame yourself, hon," Austin reassured. "Only thing you have to focus on is getting better, and we'll take care of the rest."
Just then, Angie came into the room with a sigh of relief.
"Austin, good news, my blood pressure's finally nor-" she started.
As soon as she saw Cassie awake and alert, Angie's face broadened into a relieved smile.
"Oh, Cassie, you're awake, praise the Lord!" Angie rejoiced, making a beeline for Cassie's bed.
"Mama, I'm so sorry," Cassie sobbed as fresh streams of tears came down her face.
"No, honey, you don't need to apologize for anything," Angie reassured, as she sat down on the chair by Cassie's bedside. "Everything's all right, we're all together now."
"But I made you get sick!"
"And I'm all better now, now that you're awake and breathing and talking to us."
"Yeah, but--"
"Listen, honey, listen," Angie cut in. "I'm the one who should apologize. I should have listened to you when you were in so much pain, but I was so wrapped up in work and the investigation, I had to let it out, and I'd let it out at the wrong person at the wrong time."
Cassie frowned and hung her head down.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Austin added knowingly, referring to his outburst at Cheyenne's ex-boyfriend's parents.
He placed his fingers on Cassie's chin and tilted her head upward to look at him.
"But there is something that you need to know. If I'd lose my job tomorrow or in the coming days, I wouldn't care at all... because I have my wife and kids beside me," Austin said. "I'd rather be homeless and lose everything than lose any members of my family. Life would be challenging, but I wouldn't have it any other way," he continued wholeheartedly. "Just like I just told your brother and sister, I don't know how I'd live with myself if I lost you. You are irreplaceable." he finished, his voice broken, as his eyes reddened, a sign that he was fighting back tears.
"That's right," Angie agreed. "With that being said, if you have any problems, anything that's bothering you in any way, you are obliged to come and tell us, no matter what's going on in our lives, 'cause we are a mother and father first, especially when the magnitude's too much for you to bear on your own, like being bullied for a long period of time. Cassie, you can't keep things like that to yourself, you just can't," she finished, as Austin nodded in agreement.
"I know, but I didn't want to make it worse," Cassie said lowly.
"Sweetheart, I hate to break it to you, but at this moment in time, we're already there," Austin said apologetically. "And that's why we're here. We're your parents. Not only that we provide for you and show you right from wrong, but we have a responsibility to defend you from whatever adversary comes your way."
"Look, I've been in a relationship with your father for almost twenty-five years, and I'm counting the time before we were married," Angie said, taking hold of her husband's hand. "And if you ask me, he's slow to anger. However, when someone harms a person he loves... that's when the beast comes out, and that's once in a blue moon, but I'm always there to tame him."
"But that wasn't the case when it came to Cheyenne and Marcus," Cassie pointed out innocently.
Austin's lips went side to side, the look he made when he was upset or embarrassed, as he looked down on the floor.
"That's true," Angie replied lowly. "But speaking of the situation we're in now, your father can't afford to be a loose cannon, ain't that right, Austin?"
Austin ran his fingers through his dark hair, as he nodded his head yes.
"Of course, hon," he replied lowly.
Cassie hung her head down, regretting every decision she made these past several months.
Cassie then picked her head up after realizing something. "Wait, Drew was here?"
"Yep, he was the one who saved your life," Austin replied. "I was wrong about him, he's a good kid."
"I love him," Angie said dreamily, with a smile.
"What?!" Austin exclaimed, dramatically turning to his wife, feigning outrage.
"Now, Austin, you know you're my number one man," Angie reassured. "I just love the way Drew treated Cassie."
"Mm-hmm, good," Austin said, crossing his arms. " 'Cause I am the only baby boy you're gonna have in your entire life."
"Well, what about Charles?" Angie asked, with an amused look.
"Ok, fine, him too."
Cassie smiled a little at her parents' banter. "Does this mean that C.J., Cheyenne, and Drew told you everything?"
"Everything, baby," Austin replied. "And you don't have to worry about anything, it's gonna be alright, we'll take care of this."
Cassie sighed and nodded. Angie kissed Cassie on the top of her head, and hugged her, while Austin kissed her hand repeatedly and held it close to his cheek. For the first time since before the first day of school, Cassie felt a load lifted off her chest.
**************************************************************************************************
The Next Day
Drew grabbed his bag from off the floor and made his way towards the exit from the locker room. He sighed with tiredness after a grueling session of basketball practice. The coach noticed that something was off with him and C.J.'s performance. But unbeknownst to him, they are still reeling from Cassie's attempted suicide that occurred just yesterday, and it was a certainty that things would be off with them.
Drew spent his whole lunch break photocopying his neatly written notes from Trigonometry, English, and Social Studies classes in order for Cassie to not fall behind her classes, while C.J. followed suit with her chemistry and AP Psychology classes. It would be a daily routine for them while Cassie would be gone for several days for the sake of recovery and for the sake of getting her confidence and strength back. Drew was sure to omit what really happened so that her business wouldn't be upfront and center, because Drew knew how Cassie loved her privacy.
Drew literally had the best news of his life late last night, when he found out from C.J. that Cassie had woken up and was talking and aware of her surroundings. The only that worried him the most is how Cassie wouldn't eat what her parents gave her, and how there were still waiting on her results from the blood tests. He still would remain positive and hope for the best. After all, hospital food was always nasty. Unfortunately, as much as Drew wanted to come with C.J. to the hospital to visit Cassie, he had to go back to Brooklyn to visit members of his mother's side of the family for the weekend, and he couldn't bail out of the whole thing. It almost made Drew so frustrated that he couldn't see Cassie.
Drew came outside into the frosty atmosphere of the unseasonably cold weather. Through the midst of the chattering students, he spotted C.J. on his cell phone talking to someone. As soon as he got off the phone, Drew walked up to him to see if there was anything new that occurred.
"Hey, Ceej, any news on Cassie?" Drew asked.
C.J. looked up from his phone. "Oh, hey, Drew," he greeted. "Yeah, the test results came back, there weren't any traces of the drugs in her system so far, but the doctors aren't taking any second chances, she might be checking out of the hospital as late as tomorrow night."
"Damn," Drew groaned in dismay. "That must be so frustrating for Cassie, it's like being in jail."
"Psh, you tell me," C.J. agreed.
"How's your mom and dad? They good?"
"They're both fine," C.J. replied. "They never left the hospital, you know."
"Really?"
"Yup, they swore up and down that they will not leave until the doctors say that it's OK to take Cassie home."
"Wow."
"Yup. I gotta give props to my dad, though. With everything he and his family been through with my uncle Chris trying to kill himself because of bullies when he was around our age way back when..."
C.J. sighed and shook his head. "I'm surprised that he didn't lose it by now."
"He can't," Drew said solemnly. " 'Cause it'll make Cassie feel worse than ever."
"Yeah, that's true," C.J. replied, nodding his head knowingly. "She kept on blaming herself for everything."
Drew sighed and pressed his lips in dismay. Just then, he felt his blood boil when he felt obnoxious chattering and cackling from within the vicinity of the school. He looked to see that it was those two harridans Simone and Ashley making all that noise. He felt his eyebrows twitch in anger when he heard their conversation.
"I'm shocked that bitch didn't show her face today, 'cause I was about to punch her out," Ashley snickered.
"Girl, right?" Simone agreed.
Drew looked at C.J. to see that his eyes were glued on them, listening in to their conversation, a death glare fixed on his face.
"But we not gonna see her for a long time."
"Why?"
" 'Cause it's word that she in the hospital 'cause she OD'ed, Daquan was walking by her house to go to Richard's house and he saw the ambulance."
"Oh, shit. She's a fucking druggie!"
The pair then doubled over in laughter, making Drew clench his fists. Malditas perras.
"She probably choked on that!" Ashley spat out through her laughter.
"I know, right? What a loser."
"Oh, hell--" C.J. started, before throwing his bag on the ground and making a beeline for Simone and Ashley, alarming Drew.
"C.J., no!" Drew yelled frantically, running after C.J..
C.J. approached Simone, wasting no time in grabbing her by her neck and choking her senseless, pinning her to the metal gate. Much to Drew's dismay, a huge yelling and hooting crowd quickly formed around C.J. and Simone before he could get to him.
"Who the fuck you think you are, talking shit about my sister, huh?!" C.J. yelled at Simone, while Simone flailed her arms all over the place, trying to get him off.
"Get. Off. Of. Me!" Simone choked out.
"I said who do you think you are, bitch?!"
"Get the fuck off of her!" Ashley yelled, running towards C.J., trying to pry his hands off of Simone's neck with her own. But that attempt failed when C.J. shoved Ashley to the ground with one hand.
"I ought to choke you out," C.J. hissed at Simone.
Drew pushed through the cackling and shouting spectators and finally got to C.J. as Simone's eyes were starting to roll back. Drew then managed to pry C.J. off of Simone, making her drop to the ground coughing violently as Ashley rushed to her side. C.J. thrashed angrily in Drew's iron grip.
"Get of off me! Let me go! " C.J. bellowed out. "Let me at her!"
"C.J., no, it's not worth it!" Drew yelled back. "Think of Cassie, think about your mom and pops still up in that fucking hospital! Is this what they want?! Huh?!"
C.J. hesitated as he burst into tears but then gave up as he threw his arms around Drew in a tight hug. Drew hugged him back tightly.
"She almost died!" C.J. sobbed. "My twin sister!"
"I know, Ceej," Drew replied softly. "It's alright now."
"They called her a drug addict," C.J. said, his voice muffled. "Why did they say that?"
"Just don't listen to them," Drew reassured him. "They got nothing else to say."
Drew's eyes darted to the snickering students, clearly enjoying the whole thing.
"The fuck y'all looking at?!" Drew yelled at the crowd. "Go back to your fucking house!"
The crowd then dispersed a little, still snickering as they left, making Drew more angry. Just then, their coach and another dean came up to Drew and C.J., while Simone was still coughing.
"What's going on here, and someone better tell us right now," the coach growled.
"Well, obviously he choked her!" Ashley replied. "He needs a straitjacket, 'cause he's crazy as hell!"
"Bitch, I'll knock you the fuck out!!" C.J. yelled, squirming in Drew's grip, while Drew struggled to keep him close. "I'm fucking sick and tired of you bitches talking shit about my sister! Just leave her the hell alone!"
"C.J., chill!" Drew hissed.
"Alright, C.J., come to my office," the coach said.
"Coach, I can totally explain this," Drew spoke up.
"No, Drew, it's alright, I wanna hear it from him," the coach replied. "Now let's go."
C.J. looked at Drew before following the coach back inside the school. Drew's blood boiled like scalding water inside his veins while looking at Simone clutching her neck, feigning innocence.