Here's one of those one shots I promised! If you haven't read, returning, I wouldn't force you too, but it explains how Cassie is still alive... :) I wasn't going to post this one first, but there's been a concrete wall built around my imaginiation, so I can't finish my other one off just yet. Hope you enjoy,
Much love xx
Dads don't like kissing.
She couldn't see out of the smudged windows and so she made do with following the black rubber runner down the aisle on either side of which stood the torn leather seats. The only seat on the bus that was not showing all the signs of wear and tear from everyday use was the big red seat used by the bus driver.
There were signs pinned on the metal that encased them, at the front of the bus there was one that informed them of the bus drivers name. Not that it ever changed. They'd had the same bus driver for five years. His name was Mick and she liked him. He was always up for a laugh and so the kids generally behaved for him. Unlike most teacher he'd realised that respect had to be earned, it didn't just come with age or title. His face was wrinkled, or as he preferred to say 'full of laughter creases'. His eyes were a startling shade of blue and they seemed to shimmer with life, practically glowing whenever he laughed. Which he often did.
The other signs around the bus barked rules at them and ordered them not to dare even poke a toe further than the yellow line at the front of the bus. Most of the rules on there, particularly those that screamed at them not to consume food or drink at they travelled home from school, were ignored. Mick had his own set of rules. They weren't to open the fire door, they weren't to play running around games, which as far as he was concerned – and they agreed with him – they were too old for now, and his final rule was that they were to relax and have a laugh. Six hours of stress and adhering to strict rules was enough, they were allowed to relish in there own freedom once they boarded the bus.
Underneath the seats lay discarded, snack wrappers, dirt, and pieces of crumpled paper as well as several backpacks, some of which had not been zipped up properly and so the content lay strewn all over the floor. Nobody had noticed though. Paper airplanes nosed dived into chewing gum and the sunlight rode on the summer's breeze through the opened windows highlighting the patchwork covers on the seats.
There were students everywhere, bouncing on and hanging over seats so they could talk to their friends sat behind or across from them. The sound of laughter mingling with light-hearted chatter formed an unnoticed beautiful symphony. Every know and then someone would thump there fist on the window in order to gain the attention of someone walking by and a silent mouthed conversation would occur. There were several hands waving in the air as people tried to get there friends attention, they would frantically gesture at the empty seat beside them and then grin stupidly when the person sat there. Cassie often found this hysterical and her and her friends would sit at the back of the bus mimicking them.
The bus went silent and there was a lot of nudging, jostling and poking before eventually everything stopped and people just gazed at the scene ahead of them, the atmosphere previously light hung like a low mist swirling around their heads and mingling with the stale smell of sweat, and the sweet smell of perfume. The silence continued as the teenage boy who had just strode up the stairs and on to the bus swept his gaze across the sea of faces before him.
Kieran Leyton had paused at the front of the bus, waiting to be noticed, before doing so. He was the star of the school football team and the subject of every girl's favourite dream. He ran his hand through his longish thick blonde hair and went back to surveying the bus clearly looking for a seat next to someone he deemed suitable. The first shout of his name caused the others to follow with there own shouts, and soon hands poked the air, waving madly for him to come sit with them. Kieran shook his head; his tanned skin bathed in sunlight before walking up the aisle of the bus, forgoing a seat next to his best friend and fellow football team member Brett, and instead began to walk straight towards her.
She removed her gaze from his perfectly toned body and proceeded to stare out of the window willing her eyes to be able to see through the thick dust. She took deep breaths hoping to calm her self down slightly. The most popular boy in school was heading in her direction and her heart just couldn't take it, if it got any louder then the everybody on the bus would be able to hear it, that was if they couldn't already.
She felt him sit on the seat beside her and she turned to face him. His brilliantly green eyes staring straight into her own chestnut brown ones. He through her a toothy grin and she smiled back at him. His grin showed off his perfectly straight white teeth, he was like a walking Colgate advert.
She knew that in front of her people were passing hastily scribbled notes to one another and all those people with there phones out weren't really checking to see whether or not there mothers or fathers would be able to pick them up from the bus stop. The kids with iPods in weren't actually listening to any music; everyone's attention was on the pair at the back of the bus, and what they were getting up too. Kieran Leyton had sat next to Cassie Dalton and friends. It was hot gossip and people were desperate to pass the news on to all their friends, and even those they didn't really like, everyone wanted to be the 'person in the know', the person with all the gossip that everyone would come to for information. No matter what people said, popularity was still everything to anyone who wanted to succeed in making their time at secondary school a pleasant memory.
She was grateful for the fresh air from the open windows that caressed her face as the bus weaved in and out of traffic. Kieran was easy to get on with, they'd spoken to one another before of course but it wasn't easy to hold a conversation when your best friends were sat behind you giggling and speaking in hushed whispers but they erupted in more high pitch giggles.
She wasn't surprised that Kieran had chosen to sit with her over some of the other kids on the bus, other than his best mate who was currently eyeing up Amy, there was no one else he could sit next to without seriously harming his reputation. Unless you counted the huddle at the front of the bus shooting her murderous looks. Lacey Jefferson, Mia Hope and Roxanne Birch were well known around school since they'd slept with the majority of the football. They were the type of girls who thought orange fake tan and caked on foundation looked good with there straw like extensions and bright yellow bleached blonde hair. A lot of the kids and even some of the teachers had been heard referring to the trio as 'Barbie dolls'. If Cassie was honest she found that statement quite derogatory and offensive, towards Barbie that is. In her opinion Barbie was a lot better looking and more human than those three girls would ever be.
As far as social ranking went Cassie Dalton was listed quite high, she had a natural academic ability that meant she could afford to not pay attention during her lessons and her teachers knew this and often let her cheeky behaviour slide, after all she was making them look good with her A* grades, why get her into trouble and pulled from their lessons? Her attitude in lessons earned hr respect, and she wasn't afraid to stand up and fight for what she believed in, including stopping pointless bullying which made her incredibly well-liked by the less popular students.
She was pretty, but she wouldn't go as far as to call herself vein. She could handle leaving the house without make up to run to the shops, and she didn't feel the need to constantly gaze into a mirror. Cassie Dalton was born naturally beautiful. She was aware that thoughts like probably made her appear big headed but she didn't care, she was confident with her looks, and the confidence shone through in her personality. People liked her, because she a genuinely nice person to be around, and because she pretty.
The combination of pretty and likable had left her with a constant stream of male attention and requests for dates. She hardly ever took guys up on their offers, preferring a night in with her friends to a night out with a testosterone fuelled teenage boy. However she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to date Kieran. He didn't seem anything like the other boys, and Cassie was usually good at judging people. Her first impressions of people were never wrong.
She didn't have a chance with him though, if she did, he'd have made it known by now. Kieran Leyton was not one to mince his words.
She smiled at him as she pressed the bell before swinging her bag onto her shoulder and making her way down to the front of the bus. Her friends followed her, obviously eager for information. Information which, fortunately for Cassie, they wouldn't get until at least tomorrow because her dad had offered to pick her up from the bus stop with Janet and take her shopping. She couldn't wait, her dad was useless when it came to choose fashionable clothing, but Janet was amazing.
Janet had become almost like a second mother to her, however there were still times when things were awkward between them. Her father would mention something about when Cassie was a baby, and Janet would tense up. She wanted her own baby, and Cassie understood that, what she didn't understand was why her dad was so unwilling to father another child. If loosing her had been the reason before, now she was back, what was his excuse?
She cleared her head of the all the thoughts and stepped off the bus and into the heat of the afternoon. She was glad she'd opted for a skirt and a short-sleeved blouse underneath her cardigan. The sun was scorching and she couldn't wait to pick up a tan. She had to make her way through the park to where her dad had said he would park the car and wait for her. There wasn't much in the park, just a few gravel paths, a sprinkling of trees and some grass. She linked arms with her friends, Calliope on her right hand side, Emma on her left with Amy walked just a head of them rambling on about how gorgeous Kieran was and how lucky Cassie was to have sat next time and had an entire conversation with him. Cassie couldn't help but laugh at her friend's antics. She could see her dad's car and was about to raise her arm and wave at the couple sat inside when was distracted by a forced cough from behind her.
It was Kieran.
"Err… Cassie… I was wondering if… I was wondering if I could talk to you?" He was cute when he stumbled over his words.
She smiled at him, walking back towards him gesturing for her friends to carry on without her.
"What's up?" She asked.
"Err… I was… well, I was wondering what you're up to tomorrow?" He ran his fingers through his hair.
She bit back a giggle, "Nothing yet… why?"
His facial expression was contorted into a look of nervousness, " I was… well…"
He hadn't been able to get the words out. That's when he'd done it. He took a step forward and placed his hands of Cassie's waist pulling her into him. She'd been shocked and a unresponsive at first as he'd place his lips on her gently and kissed her. She was glad she'd chosen to wear her strawberry flavoured lip balm. Slowly she had responded, the feel of his soft lips upon hers sending shivers down her spine. She leant up placing her arms around his neck as one of his hands made it up her back and towards her hair. He ran his fingers through her hair tenderly as the kiss deepened. Her heart was banging loudly against her chest, and she was sure that she could hear another loud thud from somewhere in the distance as well as the excited giggling of her friends. Eventually the pair pulled apart when the lack of oxygen became an insistent problem.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" He grinned at her, finally able to speak.
She chuckled softly, "Nothing… care to fill up my timetable?"
He laughed making Cassie shudder with delight. She had caused that laugh!
"Of course, meet me here at around half past eleven?"
She smiled up at him, "Okay, where are we going?"
"That's a surprise…" He winked at her again before turning around jogging back out of the park they way they had come. When he got to the gate he turned a blew her a kiss dramatically making her laugh loudly.
She turned around to face her friends who were grinning like loons apart from Amy who was of course, true to her nature, giggling hysterically.
That's when she saw him.
Her father had got out of the car, slamming the door behind him, and was now storming down the path towards her. She took a deep breath and began to walk towards him, her friends finally noticing his presence chose to flee the scene quickly. Perfect, she thought, now my best friends have ditched me he can rant at me all he likes without having to feel guilty.
Suddenly she was face to face with him. "Hey Dad" she attempted to sound cheering full but the infuriated expression on her fathers face was making it hard.
"Don't 'hey dad' me young lady. What the hell do you think you're playing at?" His tone was menacing.
"What?"
"Don't feign innocence Cassie, I saw you!" His voice was a warning, 'don't mess with me' it said.
In that moment everything clicked, he had seen her kissing Kieran. She wanted to laugh, her dad was getting all worked up because of his fatherly need to protect her.
"Oh dad" She sighed, "I..." She never got to finish her sentence.
"Cassandra Dalton!" he bellowed, "Come on, back to the car, we're going home."
He grabbed hold of her wrist and began to tow her down the path towards the car. Anger filled her system and suddenly she was submerge under a sea of irritation. She pulled her arm out of her fathers grasp and rounded on him.
"How dare you!" She screamed, "How bloody dare you! I'm sixteen dad, I'm not a little girl anymore, I'm not some child you can treat like a doll, you can't dress me up and make me live my life the way you want me too!"
"Cassie…" The warning tone was back.
"No! Don't Cassie me, I'm sick of you acting like I'm the eight year old child I was before the accident! I'm not that girl anymore. I've grown up, and in case you hadn't noticed I happen to be rather attractive! Guys are going to notice me and I'm not going to turn them all down and remain fridgid just because my dad can't handle the fact that there might be elements of romance in my life!" Her throat was stinging and there were tears building up behind her eyes.
Her dad sighed, "Cass, it's not just kissing though is…"
She couldn't believe him; she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So you don't trust me? You don't trust me to make my own decisions?"
"It's not that Cassie." His eyes were pleading with her but she wasn't going to give in now.
"You think that I'm going to have sex with every guy that takes a second look at me? Is that it?" Now it was her voice that held the vicious warning tone.
Her dad looked uncomfortable, "No, I don't. You're just young Cassie."
"Let me reiterate what I said earlier, I'm sixteen! I'm legally of age to sleep with as many guys as I want, and you know what, I'm not going to remain completely celibate for my entire life just to please you! I will have sex when I'm ready and with whom I deem appropriate! Just because I kiss one guy, one guy, who I will point out initiated the kiss, not me, does not mean I'm going to jump into bed with him!" She'd had enough of this now; her dad was being ridiculous.
She stormed off towards the car, yanking the back door open and sliding into the seat. After pulling the door closed behind her she placed her head in her hands. She was aware she was shaking uncontrollably, and that tears were cascading down her cheeks and she looked like a human waterfall, but she didn't care.
"What's happened love?" It was Janet, her voice soft and concerned. Would she think the same as her dad?
Cassie simply settled for shaking her head.
"I saw you kissing that boy…" Janet pressed, "is that what this is about?"
Looking up she could see Janet's caring expression. She nodded.
"What's your dad said?" She sighed, "You know he's only looking out for you right?"
"I shouted at him." She whispered, "God the things I said, it's so embarrassing now" Her cheeks flushed at the memory.
Janet placed her hand on the younger girls knee and squeezed gently before looking up at the window as her boyfriend, the girl's father, opened the door.
"We" She emphisized the 'we', "are having words later, but first of all you're going to drop me and Cassie off in town, we're going shopping. You, Leo Dalton, are going home to calm down." Janet was very matter-of-fact, and Leo didn't argue, his girlfriend's expression scared him slightly.
Several hours after the argument in the park Cassie was laid on her bed. The cream floral covers hugged her thin frame tightly, even though her eyes were closed the teenager was not asleep, she was simply trying to pretend she was, that way when her father opened her bedroom door he'd turn around and retreat back downstairs without speaking to her.
"Cassie?" It was him. She screwed her eyes shut. "Come on sweetheart, I know you're not really asleep."
She opened her eyes and sighed, maybe she'd just have to face him head on, wasn't that what her mother had taught her to do with all her problems?
"I don't want to talk to you." She mumbled.
Her dad sat down next to her sliding his arm around her shoulders and pulling to him.
"Well I need to talk to you," He sighed, "I'm sorry Cassie."
She looked up at him.
"You're my only daughter, and I know you're growing up but that's never going to change how I see you. You're always going to be my little girl, and I'm always going to get protective over you. I suppose I'll just have to learn to control myself. I love you Cassie, and I hope that one-day when you do decided to have sex with a boyfriend that you'll come and talk to me, or to Janet if that makes you more comfortable. I'd just want to know you'd though it through, I know you know about contraception and STI's and all of that, but I'd want to know that you're happy and that you're not being pushed into it by anyone…"
She smiled at him, "I will, I promise"
"Good" He smiled at her, "I really do love you Cassie, even when I'm frustrated with you, I'll always love you." He kissed the top of her head.
She hugged him tightly. "I love you too dad".