~*Smile Again*~Chapters 17 & 18~Pg 15~ - Page 2

Chapter 3

"Cassie!!!" my mom called as soon as I stepped into the house. I finally got through the day, went to Scott's house and did all our home works together just so we could all copy off of each other and then I came home, which was around 6- dinnertime. And my mom hates it when I or anybody else misses dinner. But this time, I saw that my mom was dressed in an elegant evening dress and was putting on her earrings as she came downstairs in high-heels (yuck!)

"Hey"- I say to her, not wanting to get on her bad side, as she looked kinda distracted.
"Hey, honey," - she says struggling to put on her earrings and I go over to help her. She kisses me on my forehead and puts a strand of loose hair behind my ears.
"So, where are you going?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you about tonight?" I shake my head. "Well, your dad and I are going to this dinner thing with his coworkers and we'll be late and you guys can order pizza or something." She tucked 20 bucks into my hand. "Also Lucas is in his room, doing his homework, I think," Yeah, right, I think to myself. "And Michaela isn't home yet and she has her car, I think, so she'll be fine and call her if she's late, ok?" I nod to show that for once I've been paying attention.

Right then a car horn blares and dad is waving from his car. I wave back and head up to my room.
"Have a good time!" I yell as I go up and slam the door, not waiting for an answer. I go into my room and the first thing I do is fall on my bed and lay down for a minute or so, thinking about Mrs. Pratt next door. She is English and has been our neighbor ever since I was born. She lives all alone, and you'd think someone who lives all alone, obviously is someone who is very cranky or just plain mad. But, she is the total opposite of that. She is really nice and kinda funny, too, if you think about it. Anyway, as weird as that sounds right now to you, I couldn't help feeling sorry for myself. Mrs. Pratt- who once had everything a girl could hope for- a house in England, nice family, a loving husband, respecting children and just about everything else, now had none of those things. Her husband passed away 20 years ago, in a car accident and she was too depressed and her children were concerned, so they sent her to the US for a vacation for a month or so. During that time, she fell in love with this really handsome guy and she decided to stay. Then a tragedy, took him away, too. He died from a heart attack. Ever since, she stayed here and her children never came for her, as far as I knew. How do I know all this stuff? Well, I guess you could say she is my only female friend. We have tea and cookies every Friday and she talks and I listen. It's kinda like I'm her shrink. Not that she's crazy or anything. So I'm thinking, she has lost everything but she still feels the will to live, while I, on the other hand who has lost almost nothing, feel no point in living anymore? Maybe I was just destined to be like this forever.

Are you wondering, why I am a selfish girl, with no concern over anything but myself and my miserable life? I mean, I do have everything I ever dreamed about. I have a great family (not really, but still every other teenager in America says they hate their parents), some cool friends, who just happen to be guys and decent grades (mostly C's) but in my heart I know that this isn't the life I want. I didn't always used to be like this- miserable and wallowing in self-pity, I mean. It was all ok, 2 years ago, when I was bubbly and funny and blonde. I had girl friends and I was close to Michaela. It was until that night, that everything changed...
In a way, I feel that Mrs. Pratt and I have a lot in common than we think there is. After all, both our souls had been sucked out by fate and some really mean girls.
Right then, Michaela came in and she yelled "I'm home!" and I shoved her the $20 and told her to order pizza. Then I slammed the door in her face.

After a while, I felt tears welling up in my eyes and I willed myself not to cry. I thought about Mrs. Pratt and Michaela and the frightened expression she had on October 17, 2 years ago, my mom and dad crying by me and David running and Lucas holding on to mom's leg. It all came back to me as it did every day and at some time in that evening I thought about going into Michaela's room and telling her everything from the beginning. I had never uttered a word about that to anyone and I guess that held me back. I got up from my bed and picked up the phone. I dialed Scott and asked if he could come over. He said he was going to dinner with his girlfriend, but he said if I really needed him, he could cancel. That's how much of a good friend he is, canceling his dinner with his GF for me. I told him to go ahead and have fun and thanked him. For a while, I thought about calling Damien, since Jake was also out with his GF, then decided against it. I thought, since I hang out with them every day, I'd give Damien a break.

So, when the pizza arrived, I took 3 slices of cheese pizza (I eat a lot and if people have a problem with that, then that's their problem) and went up to my room to work on my video. You see, for Christmas, Michaela asked for a car, since we had our licenses and I asked for video equipment. Even when I was a little girl, I always had a thing about shooting films. I would use my dad's video camera and shoot funny scenes, like my mom giving Lucas a bath and my dad coming out from under the car, when he was fixing it or just anything that happened by accident. So, I crept downstairs with my video camera and tried to make no noise, seeing how that would ruin my documentary. I stood by the stairs and saw that Michaela was in sweat pants and a simple shirt - which reminded me of myself and partly I was surprised, cause Michaela hardly dresses simple. What with the heels and the pink min-skirts and the small tank tops. Also her hair was up in a messy ponytail, instead of an elaborately supervised hairdo with hair spray and stuff. She was in front of the TV and was eating pizza and drinking something. That picture looked so familiar to me and I started to record it. Suddenly, she dropped her pizza on her lap and with a frustrated groan, she started to get up. I never moved that quick in my life. I leaped off and hurled myself at the stairs, like my life depended on it. Thank god, that she didn't see me, I thought. I mean, she would've thought I was a raving lunatic, sneaking up on her like that. Anyway, I kept recording. She walked across the dining room and as unreal as it sounds, she tripped on the rug. She gave a little scream and went down. The whole time I was recording it and silently smiling to myself.

Note from the writer:

Cassandra's dad moved away from Calif to North carolina and he got married to her mom and they had 4 children: cassandra and her twin sis Michaela and David whos in college and Lucas who's in 6th grade and her dad never told her why he moved away from cali. just wanna let you know, that her parents are not divorced. 😊

great part!!!! 👏 continue soon!!!!!!! 😊

Chapter 4

David goes to North Carolina State University in Raleigh and he comes over during Christmas and Thanksgiving and Easter. He is majoring in mechanics and aerospace engineering. Although, that sounds as exciting as watching a grass grow and if you don't get my drift, well, frankly it's as boring as hell, I try to support him. I mean, I need a rich brother, who can actually support my life when I am in my 30's and I don't have a job and I get kicked out of our house by my parents and no boy friend. It's a sad fact of life that I've learned to live with.

Anyway, since Easter was coming up, my brother was planning to come down from Raleigh for the weekend. And my mom was going all berserk, cooking up a big storm and a chance for spring cleaning greeted her. My mom is so weird, but then again, aren't all parents? Anyway, she loves cooking and cleaning, and crappy stuff like that. But, the one interesting thing about her is that she is writing a book on some political stuff, and as much as it pains me to say it, I don't really care. So, since now you're getting me and starting to know me, I might as well be honest with you, right? I couldn't care less about anything, even if the world was being scheduled to be destroyed, oh say, I don't know, tomorrow?

That Friday was like any other crappy day at school. I went to all my classes and had some crappy lunch with Jake and Scott and Damien. But thank god, it was Friday, because, like I said, on Fridays, I have a tea party with Jane. She insists that I call her Jane instead Mrs. Pratt, because according to her I was her best friend, which I kinda agree to.

So, I was somehow happy, knowing that I would spend some time with Jane, cause I didn't want to spend a lot of time, talking to the guys about how hot the new girl was. Anyways, when I walked up to her door, Jane herself ran out the door and hugged me. This is a first, I thought. I mean, sure, she hugged me all the time, but this gave me a feeling of being happy. Which was totally impossible.

When she finally, let me go, she said, in a high and giggly voice " Cassie, I have to tell you, something very important. My daughter- Caroline is coming from England to visit me!"

"Oh my god, Jane!!!! Are you totally serious?"- I jumped up and down and for a moment I really did feel happy. Not only did I know how important it was to her that her children were finally coming around, I now myself saw it with my own eyes.

We laughed and hugged and just for a second I felt my old-self tugging at the very end of my conscience, telling me that this is the me that I should be or rather the me that I wanted to be. I mentally kicked myself and we went inside. I had to know all the details.

"So, when exactly are they coming?"- I asked eagerly.

"In about a month or so. Isn't that so exciting?" I had never seen her this happy and that almost made everything worth. After all, she was very important to me. I mean, I was closer to her than my own family, which sucked.

After, they had their tea and cookies, they sat on the porch, drinking lemonade and watching the world pass them by.

Suddenly, she said "I have a favor to ask you, Cassie." she looked at me intently. I hated that name -Cassie, cause it was the name of the girl, who used to bully me in 5^th grade, but I only let Jane call me that, no one else. Usually, people just call me Cass. Even though, that's not very different from Cassie, it was the world to me. I mean, I didn't want to be called by the same as the girl who bullied me.

"O-o-k" - I said, slowly nodding.

"Ok, I was thinking that I should, well, maybe, you-know, fix up my place a little bit, since my daughter is coming and all. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, she is coming with her children, too."

"Really?"- I asked her, now quite interested.

"Yeah, she has three children. I don't really know them very well, because you know, I haven't been in touch with my children that much. I mean, sure, they would call once in a while, but we've never been very close. But now is the perfect timing, I would get close to them, and convince them to stay. Perfect, huh?"- she winked at me. She was a funny lady, even though she was pretty old. She had almost gray hair, and round glasses. She was shorter than me and had gray-blue eyes. Later, as I was about to go home, Jane gave me some of the pasta that she had made.

"Take it home and eat it or, you know, give it to your brother, so that you don't have to cook" she looked concerned, after all, she knew that cooking always bothered me, except, ahem, I've, uh, never cooked before in my life. I mean, sure, I fry eggs and easy stuff, like that but I wouldn't say, cooking is my personal favorite.

Anyway, I came home and found that Lucas was at home with Michaela, and mom and dad were out again. As soon as I came in, Michaela said something about going out with her friends, but I didn't get the details, seeing as how I wasn't even paying much attention, but spacing out as usual. She slammed the door behind her and I was left alone with Luke.

About 10 minutes later, he came downstairs and told me that he didn't have dinner and he was hungry. So, I heated up the pasta from Jane's and made him eat it. Or rather tried to make him. But he wouldn't eat it.

"This is so gross! Where did you get this thing?"

"It's pasta and it looks totally fine. Just try it."

He made a face at me.

"Aww, you poor baby, do you need me to feed you?"

So, he took a fork and took a big bite.

"Ewwww!!!" he yelled and threw up on the table.

"What the hell?" I screamed and slapped his head. God, just the thing to make my day perfect.

He ran to the bathroom and I scrambled sponges and a bucket full of water. He came back and I demanded him to clean it

.

"Why me?" he whined

I looked at him, like he was crazy. "Because, you idiot, you are the one who threw up, not me! I mean, you're 11, dude, you should be able to clean up after yourself!" with those words, I ran upstairs, to start on my homework. Another crappy thing for me to do.

Later, as I settled on my bed, I really wondered if Jane's spaghetti tasted that bad. I mean, she's been cooking for, what, her entire life?

I went downstairs, to check on Luke. He was in the living room, watching soccer. And the table was half cleaned. He had some crackers and a soda in front of him. Poor guy, I thought, he probably is hungry. So, that's when I got this wacky idea that maybe I could cook for him. I grabbed a cook book from the kitchen and leafed through the pages and spotted a recipe for pasta puttanesca. It looked fairly easy. So I got out a pan to boil the spaghetti. Meanwhile, I made a sauce and it tasted ok, I guess, cause I have never in my entire life cooked pasta before. When my mom made it, I was never in the kitchen and she never asked me for help. So, I put the pasta on a plate and brought it to Luke. He looked more scared than surprised. He also knew that I never cooked and neither did anyone in my family except my parents.

"Try it" I said with a wicked smile

"No but thanks, Cass, I'm not hungry. I think I'll pass on this"- he answered. So all my work is going to waste. he probably thought, it was going to taste disgusting.

"Yeah, you're right, it probably tastes really gross" I said, not able to keep all the sarcasm out of my voice.

I went upstairs and finished my French homework. Or tried to, anyway.

Originally posted by: erier101

No one liked the part??

NOOOOOOOO i loved it.... i told you before i am just too lazy to write a comment.... really loved the part......... continue sooooooooooooooooon

great part, kinda reminds me of my bro. 😃 sad at the end, when he
didnt try
the pasta!!!! 😭

Nice Part!!!!!!!!! 😃

Cassie's character is wonderful.
Please do continue soon.

Originally posted by: MUNNIBABA2006

NOOOOOOOO i loved it.... i told you before i am just too lazy to write a comment.... really loved the part......... continue sooooooooooooooooon

thanx munni, luv ya😳

Originally posted by: candyprincess

great part

thanx

Originally posted by: desikudi818

great part, kinda reminds me of my bro. sad at the end, when he
didnt try
the pasta!!!!

yea i noe that was sad 😭

Originally posted by: Andekhi

Nice Part!!!!!!!!!

Cassie's character is wonderful.
Please do continue soon.

thanx will cont today
😊