“No one would blame you if you went home,” Melissa said softly. Cassie shook her head and pulled her hood tighter around her face. It did not make her invisible as she longed to be, but she hoped that it helped to hide her at least a little. “Cassie…”
She sidestepped Melissa, pulling the door open she escaped into the now crowded hall. Blending into the masses, she made her way slowly down the hall with Melissa close on her heels. Sighing in resignation, she slipped into her next class, relieved when Melissa did not attempt to try and start taking Calculus with her.
It was a long, slow, tortuous day. She felt like she was walking through quicksand as she wandered through the halls, moving stiffly, ignoring the students that surrounded her. Cassie slid limply into her seat at lunch. Folding her arms over her chest, she kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone else.
“Do you want me to get you some lunch?” She shook her head in response to Chris’s question. “You have to eat.”
She shot him a dark look. He stared fiercely back at her, his eyebrows drawn tightly together, his eyes narrowed. “I’m fine,” she grumbled.
He shook his head and shoved his tray aside in frustration. Loud laughter drifted through the cafeteria, drawing Cassie’s attention. Marcy and her group of followers were gathered around one of the back tables, laughing and talking eagerly. Cassie watched them, confused and fascinated by their behavior. Then, they broke apart slightly, causing an opening in the table that they had swarmed.
Cassie’s heart lurched, her hands fisted, pain and anger tore through her in equal measures. Devon was in the center of the group, sitting casually in his chair, his long legs stretched before him. He was leaning back against the table, his arm resting upon it as he flashed a beautiful, heart stopping grin at Kara. His black hair fell around his magnificent face, highlighting the bright emerald color of his eyes. Eyes she could see in vivid detail, even from her position of fifty feet away. No matter how much she didn’t want to see him, she still couldn’t help but admire how gorgeous he was.
Kara fluttered her lashes at him, practically falling over herself as she leaned forward. Devon leaned slightly toward her, it hadn’t taken him long to move on.
Cassie’s chest clenched tightly, rage suffused her as it rushed up in violent waves that threatened to consume her. Unable to breathe, a fierce shudder began to wrack its way through her body. Her vision blurred with the red haze suddenly suffusing everything around her. “Cassie,” Chris whispered.
She turned slowly toward him. His eyes were wide, his face ashen as he stared at her in open mouthed horror. Shaking, confused, infuriated Cassie struggled to keep control of the volatile emotions crashing through her. Chris scanned her face; a small tremor worked its way through him. Slowly, he reached toward her, his hand quivering.
Cassie threw her arm up, knocking his hand aside. Shoving the chair backward it skittered out from under her, slamming into the back of another one. She didn’t stop to apologize; she didn’t look back at Chris. She didn’t even grab her books. Moving swiftly through the cafeteria, she navigated the sea of bodies with ease. Mainly because they scattered to get out of her way.
Melissa was coming toward her as she moved past. Melissa didn’t miss a beat, but simply turned on her heel and followed Cassie as she made her way swiftly out of the school.
CHAPTER 3
Devon stood stiffly, watching helplessly as Cassie escaped the cafeteria, Melissa following behind. He turned toward Chris, who looked positively ill as he gazed at Devon in open mouthed horror. Devon shrugged past Marcy, completely tuning her and her group out as he moved swiftly toward Chris.
“Well that didn’t go as I had hoped,” Chris mumbled. Devon shook his head, his gaze darting back to the table he had been sitting at. His heart twisted, guilt filled him at the hurt he had just caused Cassie. And yet, he couldn’t stop the small amount of hope that flickered through him. She had been jealous, she had been angered. Perhaps she did still care.
“At least there was some reaction,” Devon said softly, trying hard to bury the hope rolling through him. He could not take having his heart stampeded over again. Once this whole mess with Isla and Julian was over, he didn’t know what he was going to do. He would have to fully face the fact that he had lost the only person he had ever loved, and he was not sure that he could handle that. At least, right now, he had Julian and Isla to focus his anger and hurt on, and once he got a hold of them he was going to make them pay for every miserable thing they had ever done.
Especially hurting Cassie.
Chris still looked shaken, but the color was returning to his face. “She was infuriated! It’s what she always is now, but it was even stronger and harsher. It was deadly Devon, almost inhuman,” Chris mumbled, his voice distant and thoughtful. “Not what I had hoped for at all, and far different than I thought her reaction would be.”
Devon turned away from Chris, hating the desolate look in his eyes, hating the words he had just uttered. If Chris lost hope, then Devon knew it would be over. There would be no reaching Cassie, no helping her. She would be lost to them forever. The word inhuman clung to him, sending a shudder of horror down his spine. Maybe Chris was beginning to pick up on the thing that Devon feared most.
He took note of Chris’s half eaten lunch and the notably missing plate of food where Cassie had been sitting. “When was the last time she ate?” he asked softly.
Chris shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Devon’s frown intensified, his worry gnawed at him. She was going to completely collapse if she didn’t start taking better care of herself. Longing filled him, he wanted to take care of her, wanted to comfort her, wanted to be the one making sure that she was safe and healthy. “Are you going after her?”
Chris sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah.”
“Give me a call if you need me, for anything.”
“I will.”
Chris slipped into the crowd, nearly barreling people over in his rush to get out. Devon watched him go, feeling helpless and vulnerable. Marcy approached from across the cafeteria. Before she could reach him, Devon slipped away, losing himself amongst the crush of bodies. He’d had enough of school today.
***
Cassie slammed her fists into the punching bag, pummeling it with repeated violence. Chris grunted with the force of the blows, but he held tight to the bag. She tried to release all of her anger and frustration on the bag, tried to purge the fury that ate at her, but try as she might she couldn’t shake it.