HAVE MERCY!!! ch.2 (I ♥ Cassie)

Cassie’s recapped POV:

“Tom, it’s oka—” I started to say, but he cut me off.

“It’s not okay! Stop saying it’s okay!”

My phone buzzed.. and buzzed.. and buzzed. It was the only noise in the silence. Tom dropped my hands and looked at my pocket which lit up with the light of my phone. “You better answer that,” he said and then walked a couple feet away and traced circles in the gravel of the alleyway with his shoes.

 "I ♥ Cassie"

Tom's Present POV:

I didn't know if Cassie was actually that naive.. Through all these years you think that she would have noticed by now.. Any normal person would have.. But that’s why I liked her. Cassie wasn’t normal, she was different, and we all reminded her of that regularly. She would only reply, “Well, being normal is so overrated! Where’s the fun in that?”

I looked over at her, she was chatting away on her cell phone. Her red hair seemed really bright in the sunlight; she was gorgeous. It’s a miracle how she doesn’t have a boyfriend.. I’m way out of my league I guess.. And the internal argument began again…

I traced miscellaneous words and shapes into the gravel. I don’t know how long I had been doing that, and I don’t know how long Cassie had been off the phone, but she just stood there, watching me. Her face looked intrigued, or puzzled, she looked at me like that more than any other expression. She looked as if she were trying to figure me out.

Everyone else knows how I feel about Cassie, but before we left I wanted to tell her how I felt. I just wanted to get it out of my system. I know that she doesn’t like me back, so I thought that by doing it now, well I can get over her faster.. She can reject me, and we can be done, and by the next time I see her, well hopefully she would have forgotten about the whole incident. I won’t see her much this summer, as opposed to seeing her everyday like I normally do. The guys all advised against me telling her. Brandon said that he didn’t want his sister to get hurt, he’s the only one who thinks that Cassie may like me back. And well.. Brandon is afraid that if I tell Cassie now, and it turns out she does like me back, then I’ll leave.. and it would break her heart.

I don’t want to break Cassie’s heart. I know for a fact that she doesn’t feel the same about me. I love her, and I just want her to know that. Even if she doesn’t feel the same, I will, and I think I always will.

“Cassie,” I loved saying her name. It gave me a major case of the butterflies.

“Yeah Tom?” she bit her lower lip and looked up to me, tilting her head to the side.

“Uhmmm..,” After all the times I had rehearsed this scene in my head! All the countless times of running the lines I’d say! All the responses she could deliver!!!! If only I could ask… “Who was on the phone?” I am such a coward..

“Oh, it was Brandon, he was just wondering where we had wandered off to,” she added quietly, “He sounded rather worried.” This is to be expected of him.. He knows what I was planning to do.. if only I could do it though.

I tried to come up with something quick, to bring it back to that moment! It was a one time chance.. And it was ruined, “Brandon can be such a worrier,” I tried to smile, but I felt sullen, and tired..

“Yeah,” she half smiled, and looked very thoughtful, “he is isn’t he?” She stared at the ground, and at the words I had traced, looking confused.

I glanced down, and read what I had thoughtlessly traced with my foot. I could have died… I didn’t want to see her face, and I didn’t want to know her reaction. My face felt hot and then I faced my fear and looked at her.

She was still looking at the ground, but she didn’t look confused, in fact, she was smiling. The first real smile I had seen from her that day. She shook her head then looked up at me. Oh, here it comes..

“Tom,” she started, I could already feel that my face was red, “You’re really something you know that?”

That was all?! That was all she had to say to that!?!!?! Well, at least it wasn’t bad, but..

I smiled shyly and replied, “Not yet.”

“What do you mean?” she asked with a puzzled look.

CRAP! I didn’t mean to reply with that…I wanted to so desperately say something.. ANYTHING! I was searching for something romantic, or something to tell her how I felt with few words, but powerful words. I reached to the back of my brain, and angrily, I mentally kicked myself for lack of response. Now I had been standing there for what seems like ages. I should have said something like, ‘I’m not something yet, but I’ll make something out of myself, and I would like you to be a part of that with me.’ But, as I have said, I am a coward.

I cleared my throat, “Uh, never mind,” yes, I am a pathetic loser, “Let’s go back, Brandon is probably about to call the police.”

I turned back to head to the house, but Cassie caught my wrist. She intertwined her fingers in mine and I felt shocked. She must’ve seen it on my face, because she giggled, and kissed my cheek. “I heart you too Tom.”