Chapter 1 - Understand, Just Cry

“CAST!” Casey turned as volleyball shot towards her face. Thinking fast Casey ducked. She could hear the “zizzz” of the air as it flew inches from her head. It slammed into the ground, rolling under a table.

“Geez Cast your post to hit the ball, and why were you facing the wall?” KK screamed at Casey, who rolled her eyes turning on her heels to fetch the ball. Everyone called her Cast, why? She doesn’t have a clue why, Cast just kind of popped up in 7th grade last year. Now Casey didn’t mind being called Cast, she liked it better than her actually name Casey. Now Kate Kirin was known for KK because she hated the name after her mom, who also went by Kate died in a car accident 4 years ago.

Cast found the ball under the table that had been left out for open house. Sighing she got down on her hands and knees, climbing towards the ball. Pushing the ball back to her team she climbed back out pushing off the dust bunnies. “Great I cleaned the floor…” Cast complained. “May I go to the bathrooms to wash my hands? And clean my pants off?” she added walking over to the coach, well teacher.

“Yea but make it quick Cast!” coach yelled as Cast was already out the doors. She got changed and left the girls locker room. There were bathrooms in the locker room but Cast didn’t need to use them. She probably would get in trouble for leaving, but she had promised to meet someone 10 minutes before lunch. Passing a few girls, who thought they were her best friends stopped and asked about the night’s math homework? Cast smiled, telling them she didn’t know and to go to the math teacher. With that she rushed away giving them all friendly hugs. Once at her locker she put the combination on 40-1-0. Throwing her early binders in, she grabbed her lunch money. Cast slammed the locker shut keeping the combo in. Glancing down the hall she stepped behind the staircase next to her. Standing under them she waited. Soon the person she was waiting for should arrive.

Cast paced in circles for maybe another 2 minutes before a tall, skinny boy appeared. His ebony hair covered half his face showing one dark eye. Dark eyed, in meaning, black eyeliner, with black and red eye shadow. He had what is called snakebite; two piercing’s’ on his bottom lip. He showed off the snakebite in a wide grin.

“Who are you?” Cast snapped her smile fading. This boy was not the person she was waiting for.

“Amanda told me to come meet you, she couldn’t get out of class, and so she sent me” He glared at Cast looking her over.

Her dirty blonde hair fell just too her shoulders, a small nose with light blue eyes. Eye shadow that was mixed with brown, and red. Mascara that outlined long eye lashes. She wore a green t-shirt that fit tight around her skinny figure. Followed by blue jeans, that cut off a little above her ankles. Converse, black chuck tailors, covered her feet.

“What are you looking at!”? Cast folded her arms glaring back at him.

“Names Duncan” he announced chuckling at her attitude.

“So, ok well if Amanda’s not coming, I’m going to lunch” Cast turned to leave. Duncan grabbed her arm before she could take her third step.

“Hey, what’s your name?” his grip was gentle and his voice calm.

“Cast” she whispered pulling her arm free and walked from behind the staircase. Duncan, following with a sly smirk.

Cast sat down across from Amanda at the lunch table. Her tray contained a slice of pizza and a can of sprite. But food wasn’t on her mind at the moment.

“Where were you? Why did you send that boy?” Cast asked Amanda glaring at her. Nothing, but fury dancing in her eyes.

“Teachers wouldn’t let me out, and Duncan asked to leave earlier, so I asked him to meet you” Amanda flicked a green pea at Cast.

“Yea well if you couldn’t make it I would have gotten the idea, doesn’t mean go sending some weird dark evil kid to meet me!” Cast rolled her eyes taking a sip of her soda.

“Well I though you two would get along”

“Excuse me? Get along? People would make fun of me!” Cast pretended to laugh as if what Amanda said was a joke.

“He’s really your type you know.” With that Amanda turned to a friend next to her, ignoring Cast.

“What’s that mean? HEY Amanda! AMANDA! Fine ignore me!” Cast stood up pulling her tray with her. Looking around she saw a table with only a few kids sitting there at the one end. The tables were rectangular with 7 seats on each side. Cast sighed sitting down, resting her head against the table. ‘What was Amanda talking about? My type? Amanda knows everything about me, being friends since we were small toddlers, why would she make a comment like that? Why confuse me? Ahhhhh I hate this! No I hate my life… I hate everything about me… I’m always pretending, why do I always think like this?’
Cast rubbed her forehead with a sigh.

“You ok?” a voice broke her thoughts.

“Go away, please.” She whispered. She knew her eyes had started to water. Her life would be a bit worse if someone saw her crying like this.

“It’s ok to cry you know” the voice sounded familiar, but it didn’t ring a bell to Cast, to who it could be.

“Go away” Cast whispered again.

“No” the males voice protested.

“I’m not crying” Cast didn’t know any fast excuses.

“Prove it, sit up” Cast didn’t know what to do. If she sat up, he would see that she was crying, if she didn’t sit up he wouldn’t believe if she said she was or wasn’t crying.

“Look Cast, its ok if people see you crying…. And I can keep it a secret, no one else will see you, but trust me. People wouldn’t care if they saw you crying” Cast was trying to figure out who it could be, telling her these things. ‘He talks as if he cared about how I feel… does he understand me? He’d be the only person to understand my true feelings. Yea Amanda does but, she gave up on helping me many years ago… who is this person, I want to look up, but then he’d see me crying, I can’t risk it, no, I can’t… but…’

Cast sat up, her eyes still staring down at the table. Slowly shifting her head up into a pair of green eyes.

“Oh, this is just great!” Cast stood up wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

“What? It looked like you were upset. So I figured I’d be nice and help you” Duncan said rocking back on his chair.

“Are you like following me now?” Cast left her tray, walking out of the cafeteria. “I was only crying because I was frustrated” Cast mumbled to herself.

“Were you?” Cast turned sharp, Duncan right behind her, walked straight into her. Both of them fell to the ground, Duncan on top of Cast.

“I’m so sorry” Duncan jumped up offering his hand to Cast, who got up without taking it.

“Just get away from me!” she turned quickly walking off.

“Nice move” Duncan looked over his shoulder to see his friend Jake standing there.

“Shut up” Duncan snapped rubbing his forehead and gave a long sigh.

“Why were you talking to her anyway? Let alone following her?” Jake asked walking up to Duncan.

“I don’t know… she’s just different from those other girly girls that act all popular… She seems… so alone.” Duncan stared his friend in the eye.

“ Oh well have fun, heard that, that girl is one of those popular… freaks, yea she might be different but other freaks don’t know that” Jake mimicked a girl that broke a nail. Holding out his hand and fussing over it.

“Yea, what’s that mean?”

“People will make fun of us and yea… not cool. Means you’re not allowed to talk or see her!” Jake by now had his pointer finger in Duncan’s face.

“Yea well I’m willing to take the risks!” Duncan slapped Jakes finger out of his face. Duncan turned, heading back to the café’ doors. Once Amanda saw Duncan she ran up to him.

“Where’s Cast?” She asked almost running him over looking behind him. Her voice sounded frantic and scared.

“I don’t know she ran away from me, why?”

“Well see that kid over there...” Amanda pointed to a blonde haired boy sitting in a group of guys laughing. “Well he asked Cast out and at first she was all sure why not but then she saw how he really treated girls when he wasn’t near his friends and acting cool. He hit her and got her in trouble with her parents. This all happened maybe a week ago, well to the point, he acts like he did nothing and he just told everyone this big lie of how she broke up with him after he gave her a $249 diamond bracelet. Yea let’s say there are some angry girls out to get her right now because of this lie…”

“Well let’s go look for her!” Duncan turned with a shrug.

“Yea sure” Amanda was already out the door when she answered.

“Ummm yea about what I said 2 minutes ago…” Jake whispered rolling his eyes as he followed.
Cast walked up a stair case, slowly, every classroom she past she searched for a clock. Lunch might have been over by now, but the classrooms always hid their times somewhere out of sight.

“I had said some really mean things to him” Cast whispered so quiet that her words were about to be considered thoughts. A couple doors slammed shut from behind her, making her heart jump. Glancing around her, she got the chills. She saw another stair case and for some reason decided to run and hide under them. ‘I’m always hiding from people; I only let them see what I want them to see. My eyes are probably still red, who eve’s coming; they would know that I was crying, they would see it. I’ll just let them pass and no one will notice I’m here.’ Cast could now hear many footsteps passing the stairs.
Girls arguing.

“She’s got to be around here somewhere… I can’t believe she would ever break up with him after he gave her that diamond bracelet. Oh she’s dead!” a voice so angry stood out of the crowd.

“Yea Cast is going down!” Her name stood out like a blue brick among red. Casts eyes went wide.

‘What? What are they talking about?’ Cast hid a little deeper under the stairs. If there hadn’t been a whole group of girls, she might have had a chance to live if she showed herself. Cast sat as far back as she could. Her stomach turned, and then it hit her. Brian must have told them that they broke up, but a diamond bracelet? Why would they be mad anyway? It’s my choice, god what he did to me I have every right! Maybe if there wasn’t a whole mob Id go ask what the deal is, but a mob against one confused girl doesn’t seem to work out now does it…’ she pushed her back up against the wall. Her stomach kept turning shooting small pains throughout her body. ‘I wish I had eaten something… no dinner, no breakfast, and no lunch don’t work out…’ Cast rubbed her stomach. She didn’t care if a teacher found her, she probably gets a detention but she didn’t care at the moment. She wanted to kick herself for how she treated Duncan, when he was only trying to help. Cast sat with her head on her knees. Alone. Everything so quiet. Cast felt so alone. Her eyes were like a faucet that was getting turned on and off. She didn’t even know what part of the school she had walked to.

The hidden clocks secured in the classrooms must have gone around a couple times before more footsteps echoed down the hallway, the sounds getting closer bouncing off the walls. Maybe a teacher. So the teachers were probably looking for her by now. What if they did find her behind these stairs? Please don’t. Please. The footsteps crept closer stopping in front of the stairs. Maybe the persons trying to figure out either to go up the stairs or continue on. North Docks Middle School was a 5 floored school. Only the first 3 were used. The top 2 floors just contained storage and empty rooms.
Whoever was standing there wasn’t moving. Echo’s hit the walls once more heading back down the hall. Cast sighed burying her face against her knees hoping that the held in tears would stay there. As she examined the wall in front of her more footsteps returned. The person was back but instead of going past the steps or up them they headed towards Cast’s hiding place. Cast braced herself for either screaming girls or a whiny teacher. She didn’t look up or see who was there. Why weren’t they saying anything? Do they see me? Then a hand settled on her shoulder. She pushed her face to look at the person, confused.

“You just keep popping up.” Cast whispered her eyes filled with tears blurring out Duncan’s shape.

“You know Amanda, my friend Jake and I have been searching for you for the last hour! We were all worried” Duncan’s voice raised a little. Cast stared down at the ground. She didn’t know what to say.

“I’d hate to say it but, I was scared… those girls… what did I do, and what about a diamond bracelet?” Cast glanced up at Duncan.

“Did they see you?” he asked wiping a tear away from Cast’s face. She shook head slowly.

“But what did Brian say to them? He never gave me a diamond bracelet… if anything I had every right to break up with him… they were my friends… why would they believe him over me? Why do they hate me now over one lie he told?” Cast asked.

“It’s all about looks… are you ok? Your paler then a ghost!” she could see that he was really worried.

“You met me for about a total of 2 minutes earlier… why do you care so much about me?” Cast’s mouth asked plain out.

“I don’t know, well, because I understand how you feel and I know how much it hurts to be alone. I know how it feels when no one understands you, when you have to pretend to have friends. I know and understand how you feel, and I guess I want to help you…” Duncan stopped to see Cast’s reaction. Her eyes had flooded again staring back at the tiled covered floor.

“I’m so sorry” she whispered choking on her words, “for what I said to you, before…” Cast tried to hold from crying, but that was so hard. Duncan leaned forward hugging her.

“Please, don’t say sorry, I understand, just cry” he said not to loud but just enough for the words to reach his ears. Cast tried to hold the tears but they poured out onto his shoulder, letting it all out. Duncan patted Cast on the back comforting her, whispering just cry, please.



~END OF CHAPTER ONE~

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