NELLY CARTER
When Castiel doesn't reply to my text, I don't know what to think. Confused beyond belief, I end up plopping down on my bed and staring at the picture he sent. No, I'm not hallucinating, his hair is brown. But why? He's was more obsessed with his hair than I am; he loved it. That's why I always made fun of it, but they were only jokes, and he knows it...is that what his parents made him do? Dye his hair? But that's so stupid! Who cares what your flippin' hair looks like? No one!
"Something wrong?" Sophie asks, plopping down beside me. I'm not quick enough in turning off my phone, and she catches a glimpse of the picture. "Oh, so that's him!" she cries excitedly. "But didn't you say he had red hair?"
"He did," I say, scrolling the camera roll back to our photoshoot at his house the night I stayed over. "See?" I don't see the point in hiding him from her anymore; she'd have snooped through my pictures anyway the second I left my phone unguarded.
"Hmm..." Sophie leans closer to the screen. "He looks better with dark hair."
"But his hair was like...his signature," I say helplessly.
"I don't see the big deal," Sophie shrugs. "I dye my hair all the time. I'm a natural brunette." To emphasize her point, she flips her blondish locks over her shoulder dramatically. "Besides, he's still got nice eyes. He looks really angry, though..."
"Well, if he had to dye his hair, he probably is," I defend him.
"Why would he have to die his hair?"
"Don't ask me, I don't know."
"Oh, well. I guess you can ask him tomorrow. But in the meantime..."
"In the meantime, what?" Sophie snatches my phone from me and loads an app before tracing her finger all over the screen in careful, meticulous strokes.
"Don't look," she instructs. When she's done, she turns the screen around and show me her 'artwork.' I can't help but laugh. With a drawing app, she's doodled all over Castiel's face, creating a handlebar mustache, Harry Potter glasses, and bushy eyebrows. I'm tempted to send it to him, but I'm afraid he'll break up with me for that.
"That. Is. Priceless," I gasp, out of breath from laughing so hard. "Most amazing thing I've ever seen." Sophie glances at the picture again and giggles.
"You have no taste, Nelly," she teases.
"Excuse me? You have no taste!" I point to the Justin Bieber posters on her wall, and she gasps in horror.
"Blasphemy!" She smacks me with my own pillow and announces that she's going to go get her pajamas on. While she's in the bathroom, I quickly change as well, using Castiel's huge t-shirt as my nightgown again. I never want to take it off; I'll probably never wash it. Washing it would defeat the purpose, and then it wouldn't really be his anymore; it'd be mine.
Tired early from running around all day doing schoolwork, I snuggle under my covers and hug Cas's leather jacket to my chest, using it as an extra pillow. I miss him so much.
When Sophie comes back, she laughs at me about the jacket, but doesn't notice the shirt. I'm surprised she hasn't noticed it by now, but I have no intentions of showing her. Slowly, I drift off to sleep.
Sophie shakes me awake in the morning.
"Nelly! Wakey, wakey! It's fun-time Saturday! We're going out with the girls in an hour!"
"I don't want to," I groan, rolling over on my side. Why can't she just leave me alone? I'm tired, for Pete's sake!
"I don't care. We're going! Now get up and get dressed!"
"Ugh, fine." I tumble out of bed groggily and stand up, pulling my hair out of its messy but and letting it fall to my shoulders. I bet I look like a lion.
I'm disappointed to see that Castiel still hasn't replied to me.
Sophie cheers at her triumph and begins searching for an outfit in her closet, eventually settling on a hot pink dress with a white floral cardigan. I grab the first thing in my closet that my hands touch: an off-the-shoulder black and pale pink dress with black lace sleeves. It fits like a glove on the top, while the powder pink skirt flows whenever I move. I pair it with a pair of black wedges (I've been waiting to try heels again; I will conquer them!), chandelier earrings, and a pink rose clip to hold my hair out of my face. I don't bother brushing it; it looks best when I don't. Since I'm going to be going out with a lot of girls, it's probably important to wear makeup, so I spend a lot of time on eyeliner and eye shadow, imitating Rosalya's techniques. Sophie helps me out a little bit, creating a dramatic black line on the top of my eyelid that I have to admit looks pretty damn good.
"Photoshoot time?" Sophie squeals when we're both completely ready. I think my deal with Leigh to send him a picture of every outfit he gave me is her favorite thing about me. I sigh and hand her my phone, and she snaps several pictures of me. "Work it, girl! Strut your stuff!" she calls. When I don't react beyond the occasional eye roll, she grumbles and hands me my phone back. "You're boring," she complains.
"Sorry," I apologize sarcastically. "Your turn." Sophie's a much better model than I am. It's almost like she's studied all the right poses. She's also very photogenic, which really isn't fair. We take a few pictures together on her request, and then I select one to send to Leigh while she counts her shopping money.
I attach the best picture with a message that says, do not send to cas until he texts me back. I like the dress, but my feet are going to die. Never thought I'd like pink :p
He replies five minutes later with, oh no, you had a fight? And very beautiful, as always. The color looks good with your skin tone.
Alright, whatever.
I keep texting Leigh while Sophie drives to the store where we're supposed to meet the girls.
Me: kinda. I asked him a question and he won't reply.
Leigh: if you don't mind, what did you ask?
Me: just why he dyed his hair
Leigh: he dyed his hair because he was upset about Deborah, right?
Me: no, his hair is brown again
Leigh: huh?
Me: ikr? He won't tell me why he dyed it. Bottom line, don't send him that picture until he at least gets back to me
Leigh: I'll bet I could bribe him with it. it's a pretty short skirt ;)
Me: be my guest. But I'm serious, okay?
Leigh: understood. Gotta go, packing for xmas
Me: tell everyone I say hi and have fun!
Leigh: will do. Bye
"Who's that?" Sophie asks, parking in front of a cute little café.
"Leigh. He's packing for Christmas," I say. "So, who all are we meeting?"
"Danielle, Talia, Gina, Lindsay, and Hannah," Sophie replies, counting names on her fingers. "Ooh, Danielle's already here!" She points to the girl I remember from the other day, and I recognize her immediately by the deer sweater. It must be her favorite shirt or something. She looks very relaxed, in destructed polka dot jeans, combat boots, and gold leaf jewelry. Her light brown, slightly reddish hair appears to be naturally wavy, and she has it pulled back into a ponytail. Even from here, I can see that her blue eyes are striking. When she sees us, she smiles shyly and waves.
"Hey, Dani!" Sophie calls. "What's up?"
"Nothing. With Blaire gone I didn't really have anything to do except homework," Danielle replies softly as we approach. My first impression is that she's very shy; it probably took a lot of courage for her to address me in the hall. I feel kind of guilty now for blowing her off. And Blaire must be her roommate. "You're Nelly, right? We met the other day," she says, smiling up at me. "You didn't want to talk to me."
"I was in a bad mood, sorry," I defend myself. "I didn't want to talk to anyone; it wasn't just you."
"Oh, good," Danielle sighs, relieved.
"Wait, you two have met?" Sophie asks, confused.
"Yeah, my first day here when I was talking to Cas," I tell Sophie. "We didn't really talk."
"Oh, that's cool!" Sophie giggles. "Yeah, no wonder she didn't want to talk, Dani, she was talking to her angel!"
"Castiel is my boyfriend," I explain to Danielle, sitting down at a small table under the awning. "Sophie's obsessed with him."
"We're all obsessed with other girls' love lives," Danielle admits, blushing. "Only Talia has ever had a boyfriend. He's a tattoo artist."
"Yeah, what's his name?" Sophie asks. "Ethan, or something?"
"Something like that. She doesn't really talk about him all that much," Danielle replies. "Oh, look, there's Talia and Gina now." I turn my head and see two girls approaching, one tall, with long dark brown hair perfectly manipulated into long ringlets and wearing a gray dress, and one shorter girl with black hair and blue eyes, wearing black skinny jeans and a purple tank top, paired with a black blazer. Black seems to be a theme.
"Talia's the tall one and Gina's the short one," Sophie whispers in my ear. I nod, scanning the two girls. Judging by the way they walk, they're not quite as friendly and open as Danielle and Sophie.
"Where's Lindsay and Hannah?" Gina asks without even saying hello.
"They're coming. Hannah was having a hair crisis," Danielle tells them. Talia glances over Danielle and Sophie until her eyes land on me.
"Who are you?" she asks. Her tone is sharp and critical.
"This is Nelly," Sophie jumps in for me. "She's my new roommate!"
"I was transferred here from Florida," I explain, maintaining eye contact with the rude brunette. I can't have her mark me as a target.
"What, did you get kicked out?" Gina laughs.
"No," I snap, trying not to sound too defensive. "I just didn't like my school."
"Well, you're not going to like TA much better," Talia drawls. She carefully flips a bundle of perfect ringlets over her shoulder and glances around. "Damnit, where are Hannah and Lindsay?"
"There they are!" Sophie points out to a black convertible in the distance. "That's Lindsay's car!" The car parks, and two girls step out. One of them has platinum blonde hair cut short and is wearing a Daisy Duck tank top, while the other is dressed in a pretty retro green dress, her strawberry blonde hair styled in loose, beachy waves. It looks like she spent a lot of time on her hair, so I infer that she's Hannah and the other girl is Lindsay.
"Sorry we're late," Hannah apologizes quickly. "You guys ready to go?"
"Yeah," Danielle says, jumping up to Hannah's side. They must be pretty good friends; they seem to have similar styles.
"Sophie, is this your roommate?" Lindsay asks, looking at me. Sophie grins widely and nods.
"Yep! Nelly, Lindsay and Hannah. Hannah and Lindsay, this is Nelly."
"Nice to meet you," Lindsay says with a warm smile. Hannah doesn't seem to really notice I'm here; she's too busy talking to Danielle about some project for school.
"Where are we going?" I ask Sophie.
"I think we're just going shopping," she says. "Not that you need to," she adds sarcastically. "And breakfast at Starbucks."
"The Starbucks is right around the corner," Lindsay says. "Oh my gosh, they have the best-"
"I'm getting a tattoo!" Talia announces suddenly. Everyone stops and whips around to stare at her.
"Seriously?" Hannah asks incredulously.
"Yep!" Talia says proudly. "Today! Evan said he'd set me up for free. If any of you guys want one, he said that's cool, too."
Wait...a tattoo artist named Evan? They said it was Ethan!
"Ooh, I want one!" Gina says enthusiastically. "I've been meaning to, just haven't gotten around to it."
"What about you, Soph?" Talia asks as we resume walking.
"Well, it'd be cool to get the Biebs's signature on my wrist or something," Sophie says, examining her wrist, "but isn't it supposed to be painful?"
"Well, yeah, but it's worth it," Talia says. "What about you, new girl?" It takes me a moment to realize she's talking to me.
"No thanks," I say, my voice shaking. I can't possibly be the same Evan, can it? And do I want to find out?
"Come on! Just a little one!" Gina urges me. "Hannah, Lindsay, Danielle? What about you guys?" Hannah and Danielle both shake their heads furiously, and Lindsay hesitates before finally answering.
"That's nice, Talia, but I think I'd have to mentally prepare myself a little more," she says.
I've secretly always wanted a tattoo. Lysander has one, or at least that's what Rosa told me. I've never seen it, though, and I've never asked him about it. And Lysander...he's just so damn classy, for lack of a better term. If he thinks tattoos are cool, then why not? Besides, maybe it'll show Mom and Simon that sending me away wasn't the best idea.
If it's really the same Evan, then I'll change my mind. But what are the odds of my only ex from Chicago living in Georgia now? Like, one to five billion. Or five trillion. I don't know, but it can't be him.
"I'll do it," I say boldly. "Just a little one, though. Like, on the small of my back or something."
"Cool. I'll let Evan know. Sophie, you gonna do it or not?"
"Nah, I'm with Lindsay on this one," Sophie replies. "Maybe some other time."
"Alright. Three it is. He said to come after lunch."
We walk around for a while window shopping after getting breakfast at Starbucks. I don't really talk to anyone because I don't know them, and I'm too busy contemplating my decision. Was it a good one? Is it too late to back out? And most importantly, could it really be Evan? The same Evan that was paid to date me?
He was a phenomenal artist. That's the only compliment I'll ever give him, but it's true. He was always talking about becoming a tattoo artist, because that's what his brother (the one who was paying him) was. He had several tattoos himself. At the time, I admired them.
It can't possibly be him, so I dismiss the thought from my mind. I'm still a little iffy on what to get, though. So, since I'm not talking to anyone, I text Rosa about it.
Me: If you were gonna get a tattoo, what would it be?
Rosalya: I would never get a tattoo. Ouch!
Me: but if it didn't hurt?
Rosalya: idk, a rose? Y?
Me: I'm gonna get one
Rosalya: no you're not
Me: yes I am!
Rosalya: where?
Me: lower back
Rosalya: hahahaha I'm gonna tell Castiel hang on a sec
Me: no! don't tell him!
Rosalya: y not?
Me: I don't even know what I'm getting
Rosalya: what about that symbol you're always wearing? The swirly one
Me: oh the infinity thing! Yeah, that's actually a good idea, thanks!
Rosalya: no prob. Whatre you doing for xmas?
Me: hanging out here mom and simon are coming
Rosalya: you know it's really weird when you call mr faraize simon
Me: sorry
Rosalya: eh, who cares. I'm going w/ lysbaby and leigh for xmas
Me: sounds fun is cas going?
Rosalya: no he's w/ his parents
Me: I'm sure he's thrilled about that.
Rosalya: ha, yeah right. Still gotta meet your roommate!
Me: we'll video chat you tonight, k?
Rosalya: kk :)
I start texting Lysander and Kim as well to keep my mind preoccupied. It's a bit of a challenge, but I manage to keep the conversation away from Castiel and his hair and my impending tattoo. I'm going to get it, I decide. Evan or no Evan. For the first time ever, I ask Lysander about his tattoo and if it hurt when he got it. His only reply is, Pain is subjective. Way to be vague, buddy. I don't tell him that I'm going to get one, but I think he's probably figured it out.
Hannah and Danielle both buy a couple of pairs of shoes, and Sophie pounces on a Justin Bieber poster she doesn't have. Gina buys glittery black nail polish, and Lindsay buys a Peter Pan charm bracelet. Apparently she loves all things Disney. That's totally fine with me.
Talia "splurges" on a pair of diamond earrings.
After a quick lunch at Subway, we head to the tattoo shop. To my horror, Talia keeps making comments about this Evan character, who is beginning to sound more and more like the Evan I know. His eyes are emerald green. His hair is short and black. And in answer to Sophie's question, his pet name for Talia is "baby." I mean, a lot of guys call their girlfriends that, but that's what he always called me. I like princess better, but I still refuse to say when Sophie asks me again.
The tattoo shop is on the corner of a fairly busy street, and it looks busy inside, so it must have a good reputation. That's a good sign. I won't get an infection or anything, hopefully.
I'm starting to get excited. What will Castiel think? It seems only fair for us both to 'change' during our time apart. He dyes his hair, I get a tattoo. His hair actually looks good dark, in my opinion. But what do I know? Anyways, Simon is completely against tattoos. Mom doesn't care either way; I think Dad had a couple, so she shouldn't be bothered by it, but Simon will go beserk. That'll be hysterical. I'll probably feel bad about it later, but oh, well. The more I think about it, the more I think that I really do want a tattoo.
A woman with tattoos snaking up her left arm and a piercing in her nose greets us right away.
"Hi! Can I help you?"
"We're getting tattoos today," Talia tells the woman with a smug smile.
"Okay, great! All...seven of you?"
"No, just three of us," Talia says. "Evan is supposed to be doing them; he's my boyfriend, see."
"Okay, that's fine," the woman says, her smile faltering slightly at Talia's tone. "He's with a customer right now, but he'll be out soon. Is he doing all of yours?"
"Yes," Talia says snidely. Gina starts to object, but Talia gives her a pointed stare and she shuts up. "We're willing to wait as long as necessary."
"Okay, then!" the woman says, regaining her cheery attitude. "If you're not a hundred percent sure on what you'd like, there are some portfolio's and magazines over there," she informs us, pointing to a table. We meander over to the waiting area while she attends to another customer.
"Why does he have to do all of ours? Lia, that's gonna take forever!"
"Because their policy is that you have to be eighteen or have an adult with you, and we don't have an adult," Talia snaps. "Evan will do it anyways. And like I said, he said he'd do it free. You," she snaps, glancing at me, "can go first."
"Why me?" I ask, squirming nervously.
"Because you'll probably be the quickest," Talia says dismissively.
"Hey, baby!" I freeze. That voice... "Glad you could make it!" A man I know all too well crosses the shop and pecks Talia on the lips, his hand snaking around her waist. "Who all am I doing today?" he asks, glancing around at our circle. His eyes land on me and widen slightly, but otherwise he has no reaction to my presence. But it's him, all right. It's him. If I had butterflies before, they're nothing compared to what I feel now. How is this even possible? There are millions of people in the world, and I have the misfortune to run in to this bastard twice. That shouldn't happen.
"Uh, me, her, and her," Talia answers, pointing to me and Gina. "She's going first," she adds, gesturing to me.
"Alright. Do you know what you want?" Evan asks me. How is it possible for him to be so calm? I nod in response, unable to find my voice. "Great, come on back." He offers me his hand, but I ignore it, standing by myself and smoothing out my dress self-consciously. This is insane...I should just back out...but I already told Rosa I was going to do it. I already promised myself. And what would Talia say if I backed out? What would Evan say?
Evan leads me into a private workroom with his name on the door and closes it. It's a pretty small room, with nothing in it but two chairs and all the tattooing supplies. A mirror decorates the far wall, and a copy of his personal portfolio rests on the self. A few posters for things like Star Wars line the walls, but I'm too nervous to look any closer. He pushes me down on one of the chairs and takes the one opposite me, pulling it closer and resting his face in his hands, staring at me intently.
"Long time no see, huh, Nel?" he says, unable to contain his grin. "You've gone up a few classes, haven't you? Those girls are filthy rich. And you've updated your wardrobe," he adds, referring to my dress.
"Is Talia paying you to date her?" I snap, crossing my arms.
"Well...yes," Evan admits. I gape at him; I wasn't expecting an actual answer. "But it's all good. I'm giving her a free tattoo. And whaddya know, I get to see the love of my life again. I've missed you, you know." Without warning, he takes my hand and gently runs his thumb over the back. I jerk it away.
"I broke up with you," I remind him. "Don't you dare touch me."
"Fine," Evan sighs, shrugging. "I don't really care; you never were much fun. What kind of tattoo are you getting, then?"
"The infinity symbol," I tell him, "on my lower back."
"A big one or a small one?"
"Small one."
"Do you have a picture?"
"I wouldn't think it'd be that hard!"
"It's not, I'm required to ask. You can take off your dress, now."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh my God, you're just as stupid as before," Evan complains, rearranging his tools on the workstation. "I can't tattoo your lower back with that dress covering the area, so strip."
"That's it! I'm getting another artist." I stand up and try to leave, but Evan grabs my wrist.
"Don't be a baby. What, you think I'm going to rape you?"
"Maybe," I growl, ripping my hand away.
"You're so arrogant," he laughs. "Look, I have to do my job or my uncle's gonna kill me. So just unzip it and I'll see what I can do, alright?"
"I hate you," I mutter, but I do as he suggests, because it seems to be the only option. Of course, I can't unzip it all the way by myself, so Evan has to help me. He tells me to sit backwards on one of the chairs, and slides the dress part of the way down so that he can get to my back. He begins the process.
"So, what've you been up to, baby doll?" he asks.
"A lot more than you," I snarl.
"Oh, I don't doubt it. How many kids?" I gasp at his suggestion, and he cracks up.
"I'm kidding. You always were a little slut, though, weren't you?"
"Was not!"
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." After cleaning the area of my back I want tattooed, he starts tracing a stencil. I hate the feeling; it tickles and I don't like him touching me. I just want to leave. "Do you want words on it?" he asks, focusing on the tracing.
"What do you mean?"
"A lot of people want words making up part of the symbol," he says. "Something like 'love' or 'forever.'"
"Hmmm..." That's a tempting offer. "Love sounds good. And maybe..." I hesitate.
"Yes?" Evan asks.
"Well...maybe, like, some silhouettes of birds above it on the left?"
"Absolutely. As if you've ever been in love," he huffs.
"For your information, I have!" I bark.
"Yeah, right."
"I am," I correct myself.
"With me?"
"No, you moron. And for the record, he knows all about you."
"I'm sure. And who is this Casanova?"
"That's classified."
"Ah, so he doesn't exist."
"He does exist! And he's a helluva lot better than you ever were!"
"You sure you don't want me to put his name in?"
"He wouldn't like that."
"He doesn't exist, baby." Evan finishes up with the stencil and tells me to look at it in the mirror and tell him what I think.
I love it. The word 'love' is just like Sophie's necklace, interwoven into the infinity symbol, with little bird silhouettes of birds flying away above it. It's the perfect size; not too big or too small, and is right at the small of my back.
"It'll do," I tell him.
"What, that's all I get?" he jokes.
"You're a jerk, so yes," I tell him. He huffs and gets out all the needles.
"Just relax," he says. "It'll hurt less." I take several deep breaths as he gets down to work. I gasp when it starts; it hurts! It feels like he's drilling into my spine. "You doing alright, baby doll?" he asks. I can hear the smirk in his face.
"Yeah, I'm great," I manage.
"I must say, you have a lovely back," he comments. "I'm afraid this dress is really getting in the way, though."
"You're the slut," I snip.
"I disagree. Only girls can be sluts."
"You're an idiot. Haven't you ever seen James Bond?"
"I'll bet you let your current 'love' walk all over you, don't you?"
"I do not!" He drills a little harder, and I gasp again. He laughs.
"Right, what was I thinking? He doesn't exist."
"He does! His name is Castiel!"
"Sure it is."
"It is!"
"Just let me finish," he grumbles. That sounds like a marvelous idea.
I sit as still and quietly as possible while he finishes up. It's a relatively small tattoo, so it doesn't take very long. When he's finally done, the pain begins to subside, and he cleans the area again before covering it with a bandage.
"Keep that on until it falls off," he says, zipping up my dress. Suddenly, he starts rubbing my bare shoulders, wrapping one arm around the top of my chest and another around my waist, nestling his face in my neck.
"Evan what are you doing?" I whisper.
"Having fun," he whispers back. "Just like the good 'ole days, yeah?" He kisses my neck from behind, pulling at the hem of my dress.
"Please stop," I beg, trapped between his body and the chair. I won't be able to get out unless he gets off of me, and I know from experience that if I become aggressive, then he becomes aggressive.
"Mmm...no. I gotta give you one last try, baby. I may get my five hundred yet." He grips me harder, lifting me off the chair and pinning me against the wall. "Consider this your form of payment." Um, no. This cannot happen!
What did Castiel say to do? Oh, right, the kick. I jerk up my knee and hit him where it hurts, sending him reeling away in pain.
"Damnit, Nelly!" he gasps. "I was teasing, what, did you really think I'd do anything? What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," I bite, choking back angry tears. "Goodbye, Evan." I storm out of the room before he can see the first tear fall.
"Tell Castiel to watch out!" Evan calls after me. "He's got a god-awful girlfriend!"
Instead of running out to the front door, I go down the hall to the fire exit to get out. My face would give away what happened in two seconds flat. Once outside, I sit against the wall and let myself cry. Of all places to be, I get stuck in a town with my one and only ex, missing my boyfriend like crazy, dealing with queen bees and Justin Bieber, and I still have the nerve to feel sorry for myself despite everything Castiel's been through.
Castiel. Maybe talking to him would calm me down. I fumble with my phone to find his number and press the call button, taking deep breaths so that my voice is as unemotional as possible. I can't let him know what happened, but I don't have anyone else to talk to.
"Nelly?"
"Castiel!" Of course, my voice cracks, and I burst into tears. Why am I such a wimp? It must be getting close to my period or something.
"Nelly?" Castiel asks again. This time, though, he sounds worried. "Nelly, what's wrong?" I'm going to have to tell him; I gave it all up by deciding to cry.
"I-it's Evan," I manage through my tears. "He...he's here, Cas, I don't know how, but he's here..."
"Evan?" Castiel asks, his voice tight. "The Evan that-"
"Yes, that Evan," I sob. "And he...he..."
"What did he do?" Castiel demands.
"He tried to..."
"What?"
"Cas, you know what he tried to do, don't make me say it," I beg. Suddenly, I hear a huge crash coming from Castiel's end of the phone. And another, and another. What's he doing...? "Castiel!" I yell. "Castiel, stop!"
"This." Bang! "Is." Bang! "All." Bang! "Wrong!" Bang! "I should be there, I should've beaten him up, made him regret ever-"
"Castiel, whatever you're doing, stop it before you kill yourself!"
"What does it even matter at this point?" he cries. "That disgrace to mankind is with you. My parents are with me. Nel, this isn't going to-" he stops himself.
"Cas?" I ask, confused about what's going on.
"You need to come live with me," he says finally. I can't have heard him right.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I'm serious! You can't go to that school with that bastard following you around. I won't let you. It's just a matter of time before you wake up drugged in the back of a van."
"Cas, I don't understand."
"It's simple," he says fervently. "Just tell your parents that you can drive yourself back to school after New Year's because you need the car to get around town. Then come to my house and I can hide you in my room or in the basement or something for a week or so until my parents leave. They're not even home half the time, anyways. If the police come looking for you, you can hide in the trunk of my car or something, and my birthday's in about a month and then I can officially move out, and then I'll finish school somehow and get a job and then-"
"Castiel, slow down," I tell him. But I can't help the smile that comes to my lips. "That's a great thought, but it's just too risky...what if they find me?"
"What're they gonna do? Arrest me for protecting my girlfriend against a rapist and her idiotic parents? And if we can sign you up for an online school, you can't get in trouble for that either." He's got a point there.
"And my birthday's in March, so then they can't tell me what to do, right? We just have to make it work until then."
"So it'll work?" Castiel asks hopefully.
"We can give it a try," I say. "What's the worst that can happen? But..." I hesitate, "you don't think it would be better just to tell Mom and Simon the truth? And what about all my things?"
"Nel, they might feel bad about it, but there's no other option for your school at this point, and they're not just gonna take you out of it and bring you back, because I'm here. If it bothers you, we'll find a way to let them know you're safe and you're doing school. They wouldn't be happy, but they do let you do your own thing for the most part. And they'll send your things back home, right? You can magically reveal yourself on your birthday or at the end of the school year or something. Just wear my clothes for all I care, or we can get you some things; my parents are rich, remember?"
"That's true, I guess. But I don't really want you to buy me anything..."
"Shut up. So I guess I'll see you in about a week," Castiel says. He sounds really happy for the first time since I left.
"I love you," I tell him. "Thank you."
"Anything for my princess."
Do you guys realize that this story is over 300 pages on word right now? Like, that's insane...anyways. Hope you liked it! What do you think of Nel and Castiel's plan? Is it going to work out?
~Ava