Wes helped Rebecca clean Sam´s blood off her body and change her clothes while Cassy and Laurel discussed how they should continue.
"My- my- my fingerprints are on it." Cassy stuttered pointing at the trophy on the floor in a puddle of blood, eyes tearing up as Laurel patted her on her shoulder.
"All our fingerprints are on it. We just say we held it…that´s the promise of the trophy." the Latina tried to comfort her. Suddenly Connor passed them, pushing Laurel aside and running to the kitchen. "Where are you going?" Laurel asked but the reply she got was hearing Connor throw up into the kitchen sink.
"I´m gonna be sick too." Cassy mumbled as she sat down on a chair. Laurel sighed as she looked around and tried to keep her composure and be there for her friend. "Laurel?" Cassy spoke up and she turned to her with a questioning look. "I never thanked you. For what you did for me. For being there for me."
"Of course. If you ever need anything you can always reach out to me." Laurel smiled and pulled her into a hug. "If you don´t mind me asking but what were you doing here? We were here because Wes forced us but…why did you come?" she looked at Cassy who stammered, unsure how to answer her when Connor came out of the kitchen.
"Wes! Hurry the hell up!" he yelled upstairs to where Wes and Rebecca got clean.
2 weeks earlier
Rebecca was at the house preparing for her trial and Annalise made her tell what happened the night of Lila´s murder. Cassy tried her best not to get emotional or angry and stayed further back from their client on purpose.
"I tried to find her to explain what happened with Griffin and apologize, but I couldn´t. Until I got to the roof." Rebecca told them. "Then I strangled her and stuffed her in a water tank." She looked at the shocked and confused faces before staring at Cassy who threw her an angry glimpse and tried to press the urge to shout at her. "Oh my gosh, you guys are so gullible." She then chuckled, revealing that it was a lie. However, Annalise really found nothing humoring about it and started degrading Rebecca and ordering her to start over.
"Maybe we should take a break." Wes suggested and Annalise went to her office, pissed at her sociopathic client. Michaela, Laurel, Connor and Asher walked back to where Cassy was sitting, leaving Wes and Rebecca alone.
"And Romeo saves Juliet again." Connor mocked them.
"God I hate her." Cassy exclaimed, not taking her eyes off of her arch nemesis. "Not only does she make our job harder, it´s a game for her."
"They are inappropriate and unprofessional and crazy." Michaela listed all the things she despised about Wes and Rebecca´s relationship.
"Oh, how´s it going with Aiden, by the way?" Asher asked Michaela. "You two break up yet?" he asked doing a sexy pose for which he almost got hit in the groin.
"Look at me like that again and I´ll file a sexual harassment suit." She threatened him and Cassy rolled her eyes, wanting to tell Asher to stop being such a child when Frank stormed in, ordering to turn on the news because the story of Griffin and Rebecca having had sex that night was leaked to the press. They all watched as the news anchor confirmed to have heard from an anonymous source that the two of them have had relations that night and therefore maybe conspired to have Lila killed together.
Not soon after they all found themselves in court, wanting a gag order which the judge granted. Just when they thought that they could leave again, Mister Keegan, Griffin´s defense attorney, wanted to file a motion to have Lila´s body exhumed for another autopsy.
"What the hell?" Cassy gasped shocked, "They can´t do that can they?" she looked over to the other side of the court room where she saw Lila´s family also gasping in shock. After the judge shot down any arguments from Annalise and the prosecutor and adjourned them, the group left the court room, waiting in the hallway for further instructions. Cassy walked towards Lila´s parents to talk to them.
"You think she´s switching sides?" Asher asked Connor, Laurel and Michaela who rolled their eyes.
"She just found out her best friend might be pulled from her grave." Laurel explained with a concerned look.
"Mrs. Standgard? Hi." She greeted Lila´s mother shyly.
"Cassidy…I haven´t seen you in a long time." The older woman replied in a cold demeaner. "You weren´t at the funeral."
"Yes, I…couldn´t make it…Professor Keating she-"
"She didn´t let you go to Lila´s funeral?" the victim´s mother inquired while crossing her arms over her chest.
"I couldn´t…I didn´t want it to be true and going to that funeral-" Cassy wanted to explain herself but her friend´s mother cut her off again.
"Oh it´s very true. Our baby girl is dead because of those two people sitting in there and you…her best friend, are representing her murderer?" she accused her with tears in her eyes.
"Trust me, if I had a choice I wouldn´t. I hate Rebecca just as much as you do but I don´t have a say in this." Cassy assured her with a breaking voice.
"I can´t even look at you. First you treat Lila like crap, when she has never done anything but be there for you, then you don´t even have the dignity to show up to her funeral and now you side with the very people that put her in that grave. You are a disgusting person." Mrs. Stangard shouted with another judging look before walking away and leaving Cassy alone in the hallway. She pressed her eyes together, causing a few tears to roll down her cheeks and bit on her lip to the extent that it started bleeding. Cassy walked back to her peers who all seemed to be rather concerned.
"Are you-" Laurel wanted to comfort her, seeing as they could hear Mrs. Stangard shout through the halls.
"I´m fine." Cassy passed them and ran to the restroom.
After the hearing they all returned to Annalise´s house, Cassy refusing to speak to anyone and just bluntly staring around.
"It´s our job to keep that body in the ground." Frank explained, handing out files on all the cases that Keegan´s examiner worked on, telling them to find anything that they could use to diminish his report. He didn´t even do as much as glance at Cassy who also tried to avoid any form of contact with him after their tense encounter the other night.
"Also come up with alternative source for the bites on Lila´s neck." Bonnie ordered, giving examples for what they should look.
"Is it okay if I take a couple hours off on Wednesday? I have an interview at Sterling and White." Michaela bragged with a sassy side eye to her peers and Bonnie agreed under the conditions that she was quick about it.
"Shouldn´t we all be working full time on this?" Wes demanded causing Michaela to comment on him being too overly invested.
"What an adorable setup." The prosecutor on the Lila Stangard case suddenly stood in the living room, requesting to meet Annalise.
"What do you guys think she wants?" Asher asked curious once the prosecutor disappeared in Annalise´s office.
"She wants that motion going through just as little as we want." Michaela suggested, keeping her eyes on the files.
"I just hope they don´t exhume her body…I don´t know how I could live with that knowledge." Cassy remarked and Laurel gave her a comforting pat on her back.
"Could y´all please shut up and work?" Frank ordered in a harsh voice with an angry glimpse towards Laurel and Cassy, neither of them really knowing for which one it was meant.
The following day in court Annalise used a report on the medical examiner Griffin´s attorney hired, in which it stated that he was released from his contract with the D.A.´s office for his negligent work. She then pursued to have the examiner that did the original autopsy tell the court that he believes the marks on Lila´s neck were insect bites. After the judge adjourned the hearing, Annalise and her group left the court room saying, that whoever would get the Stangards to testify against the exhumation, would win a prize better than the trophy.
That evening Cassy lay in her car, ready to go to sleep when she got a phone call.
"Mom? Why are you calling this late?" She picked it up surprised and listened to her mother talking. "No, I´m not in Kappa Kappa Theta anymore, I told you. I left after what happened with Lila…I´m staying at a friend´s…No, you don´t have to send me any money, I know you two are having some problems…No, seriously mom don´t, I´m fine…Okay, bye, love you too." She hung up with a frown, feeling bad for lying to her mother. She put on another jacket and pulled the two blankets she had over her freezing body. It was getting really cold at night but she didn´t have the resources to pay for the gas she would need for her car if she turned on the heater.
The next day the students were meeting at the house to go over the case when Annalise called Cassy into her office.
"Someone´s in trouble." Michaela smirked and Cassy rolled her eyes, biting her lip anxiously as she stepped into the room and saw Frank standing there with an annoyed and mad look on his face.
"I need you to go with Frank and talk to Mrs. Stangard so she´ll testify against the exhumation." Annalise told her with a stern face and Cassy looked from her boss to Frank who exhaled unimpressed.
"No, no I won´t do that." She chuckled as she looked back to Annalise who gave her a surprised look.
"I thought you were Lila´s best friend. Surely her mother knows you and will listen to you." The attorney said, confusion written all over her face.
"Yeah, no, you see, the last time she saw me she called me a disgusting person, so no, I don´t think she´ll do anything I tell her." Cassy faked a smile and Annalise nodded understanding.
"Alright, Frank take Laurel with you she´s more sympathetic to strangers than Michaela." Annalise motioned for Cassy to leave as she turned her focus on the files in front of her.
"Annalise, can´t I please take Michaela?" he begged as he stepped forward and she looked up annoyed, frustration in her eyes.
"I´ve got enough with partner-switches and disobedience. Take Laurel, end of discussion." She ordered, gesturing him as well to leave.
That same day everyone met up in court again where Lila´s mother told the judge not to allow the exhumation and cried, saying how Griffin and Rebeca both killed her baby girl. Cassy sat in the audience, pressing her lips together to fight the urge to cry. She felt awful for that woman but also guilty for not showing up to Lila´s funeral. The judge called a recess, where Rebecca ran out and Wes tried to comfort her while the rest of them stayed back.
"That was tough, huh?" Asher asked Cassy quietly after Connor followed a dude he hooked up with once and the group dispersed.
"What do you mean?" Cassy acted clueless, clearly not good at denying her tearful eyes.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" he offered and she scoffed, remembering how he stormed out on her when she offered to listen.
"Oh you mean like you wanted to talk about your feelings?" she asked sarcastically, walking away a few steps before he could catch up.
"I´m…I just meant that if you want someone to talk to, we can maybe…I don´t know grab a drink or something." He suggested with a genuine smile and for a brief moment she actually thought about it.
"Whatever." She chuckled before leaving for good.
A few days later they all met up at the house again and Bonnie tasked Wes, Asher and Connor to go to a bar and talk to the prosecutor´s assistant to find out why she turned and suddenly supported the motion for exhumation, leaving the girls behind for what Rebecca called a "girls night". Cassy was annoyed enough with having to spend her time working out a defense for Rebecca but spending an evening with her wasn´t what she had hoped her Friday night to look like. Michaela, Cassy and Laurel worked on the case, as well as on school assignments when Laurel got a call from her boyfriend and went to the hallway to talk in private, not knowing that Rebecca was eavesdropping.
"Don´t tell anyone." Cassy heard Laurel say to Rebecca. "I haven´t decided yet."
"Decided what?" Michaela asked as she passed the two women.
"She wants to leave and take a job with her boyfriend." Rebecca answered for Laurel, earning an angry look.
"You idiot. There are million and one legal aids clinics and one Annalise." Michaela scoffed amused and Laurel agreed begging her not to tell anyone. "And what if I do?" she replied sarcastically.
"She´ll tell everyone your fiancé wants you to sign a prenup." Rebecca smiled cocky getting Michaela´s wrath as a reply. "Oh please, it was practically sticking out of your bag."
"So your future in-laws don´t want to give you any of their gay son´s fortune?" Cassy pouted, mocking Michaela in the process and the three women looked at her. "Don´t worry, I won´t tell anyone."
"Right, or otherwise they will tell that you live on the backseat of your car." Rebecca winked at Cassy who looked up confused and shocked as to how she knew. "I´ve lived at enough places to know what a homeless person´s car looks like"
"You´re living in your car?" Laurel asked concerned and Cassy shrugged.
"And how do we know you won´t tell?" she wanted to know from Rebecca, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You stop making fun of me and Wes. We´re not screwing. I know that´s what you all are thinking but we´re not." Rebecca explained and the three students agreed to her terms.
"You´re right, she´s a bitch." Michaela agreed with Cassy once she walked to her, thinking that Rebecca was out of ear shot.
"I heard that." The woman in question smirked and Michaela swallowed embarrassed.
Hours have passed in which the girls worked on their projects and watched Rebecca, when Wes and Asher returned to the house, the latter completely drunk. They went into Annalise´s office to talk about their findings and Cassy listened, cracking herself up over Asher.
"Her name´s Natasha." He slurred, barely keeping his balance. "Maybe…it´s Brenda…why am I thinking Jaime?"
"Are you drunk?" Bonnie asked unimpressed and Asher laughed.
"No. Wait did you say drun- Oh, yes, I´m hammered." He scoffed and sober Wes stepped forward to tell them what they actually wanted to know. After sharing the information Annalise ordered Rebecca and Wes to come into the office and sent the rest of them home.
"Where´d you leave Connor?" Cassy asked Asher who was inspecting his hand as though he had never seen one before.
"He´s in the car. Completely out." He said in between hiccups. An hour later everybody left the house but Cassy decided to stay back and continue working, seeing as it was warmer and more comfortable than her car.
"She makes you work night shifts now?" Sam joked, startling the young girl. She was still unsure how to feel about their encounter a few days ago. "You working on the Lila Stangard case?"
"Yes, um…I just know I can´t sleep anyway so…why not put it to use." Cassy smiled slightly when Sam came closer and sat down next to her on the couch, way too close for comfort.
"Any new findings?" he replied the smile and leaned in to look into the files, which Cassy quickly closed and put away.
"I´m not sure it´s a good idea for you to see them." She cleared her throat awkwardly as she scooped away, however, Sam didn´t give in and got closer, placing one hand on her thigh. "Mister Keating, you´re kinda making me uncomfortable." Cassy whispered, knowing her boss was in the next room working as well. She looked at her teacher´s husband, who stared at her uncomfortably long before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers. Everything happened so fast, Cassy didn´t even fully realize what was happening until it was too late. She quickly pulled away with a shocked face and her mind wandering to all sorts of places.
"Oh my god…oh my god." She stuttered shocked and Sam also seemed surprised by his actions.
"Cassy, I am sorry, I didn´t…please don´t tell Annalise." He begged her quietly as she stood up and grabbed her purse.
"It´s you isn´t it? The picture on Lila´s phone." She then realized, as all the moments he seemed uncomfortable when she talked about Lila´s affair, the little flirtations he had with her and the way he wanted to talk about Lila and know what Cassy knew, came back to her. He looked at her shocked which was all she needed as an answer. "You were sleeping with my friend and now you were trying to-…I gotta go." She said, her voice breaking and eyes welling up at the disgust she felt before running out of the house and driving off.
Laurel was lying in her bed and preparing for her classes when she heard knocking on her door.
"Cassy?" she wondered when she saw the emotional wreck Cassy was, standing in front of her. "What happened?" Laurel wanted to know when she let her in.
"Mister Keating he…he-" she sobbed, trying her hardest not to break down and Laurel quickly understood what she was trying to say.
"Oh my god, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Laurel asked worried, reaching out for Cassy who pulled away.
"Yeah he didn´t actually-…he put his hand on my thigh and he- he-…he kissed me." She cried and Laurel looked at her, her mouth wide open as she processed the information.
"That sick bastard." She mumbled and Cassy sobbed, wiping her tears away.
"I- I shouldn´t have come here…I´m sorry…I- I- I should go." she walked towards the door but Laurel´s voice held her back, saying she could stay and she shouldn´t be driving. "No, I can´t I…I´m- I need to go." She said in a hoarse voice before leaving the apartment and running down the hallway.
The next day they all met up at the courthouse. Cassy was unable to look at Annalise and tried to make as little eye contact with Laurel and the rest as possible.
"Are you okay?" Laurel whispered to her friend once they sat down and Cassy looked at her with a fake smile.
"Why wouldn´t I be?" she lied when suddenly the bailiff announced that the judge was coming. Laurel decided to let the topic rest for now as she resumed to listen to the judge telling them that the motion for an exhumation has been granted. Cassy exhaled and closed her eyes, disappointment taking over her as she realized what that meant. To top that off she knew she had to face Sam again as soon as they got to the house and was unsure if she should tell Annalise or not. She must know that Sam was the affair as the picture was all over the news and she must have recognized him.
Cassy stood outside the courthouse, trying to get cell reception when Frank approached her. She put her phone away with a sigh as he came to a halt in front of her.
"We´re talking again?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You´re the one that went off on me." He retorted making the younger woman scoff.
"You´re the one that threatened me?" she reminded him and Frank exhaled, trying to calm down by doing so.
"Okay let´s start over…I am sorry for threatening you. I wanted to ask you for your saliva." He admitted while handing her a tube and she looked at him confused.
"My saliva? What do you need my saliva for?" she wondered, taking the little test tube and he rolled his eyes.
"You want me to find your family or not? I need your DNA to match." He explained and she nodded wildly, turning away so no one would see her do it.
"So you found something, yes?" she asked hopeful and he put the tube in his suitcase with a shrug.
"I might have a lead." He told her with a stern look while her eyes sparkled with hope as he turned around and walked to his car.