Hiding Scars
Chapter 6
Cassandra had no idea how she'd gotten home. The last thing she remembered was watching the fireworks show. When she woke up, she was lying on her couch in her living room with Cherry lying on the floor beside her. Cassandra tried to sit up, but her house began to spin around. After the spinning slowed, she got to her feet and dragged herself to her bathroom, getting there before all of yesterday came back up into the toilet. When the vomiting stopped for a moment, she turned and saw Cherry sitting in the doorway, looking at her, with an expression that seemed to say, "This is all your fault, ya know." Cassandra groaned and leaned her head against her arm, which rested on the toilet seat. Another moment later, she was vomiting some more.
Cassandra stayed there for an hour. She had to be at her book signing by 2 pm, and it was already noon. She found a towel under her sink in the bathroom and took a shower in the stall, rather than dragging herself up to the second floor to shower. She sat in there for a while, just letting the water wash over her skin. Finally, she stood up and rubbed down her skin with soap, then her hair and she scrubbed her face. She hadn't yet looked in the mirror, and she didn't want to. When she was done in the shower, she stepped out and dried herself off. The mirror in the bathroom was foggy, so she wiped her hand over it to clear the steam. Looking back at her was a haggard looking face, with remnants of eye makeup smeared everywhere.
"Oh lord," Cassandra said to herself. She poked and pulled at the skin on her face, but knew she was going to have to climb the steps to change and put on fresh makeup. She wandered into the kitchen with her towel wrapped around herself, and opened the refrigerator. Inside, there was a large, unfamiliar pitcher with a note attached. Cassandra picked it up and read it.
Dear Cass, I think you'll need this. Instant hangover cure. -Paul
At the very least, Cassandra knew that Paul had probably helped her home if he had made that for her and brought it over. Cassandra pulled the pitcher out of the fridge and sniffed. It was a bloody mary mixture, and from the smell, it already had vodka mixed in. Thankful, she pulled a glass out of a cupboard, poured some of the mix into her glass and added some pre-cut pickles and celery sticks that she found hiding behind the pitcher. She took a large drink of the bloody mary, refilled her glass, then made her way upstairs.
Cassandra barely made it on time to her own book signing. She had found a travel mug that was not see through, and poured herself more of the bloody mary mix and took it with her. She kept it at her side while she sat at the little table in the bookstore. Cassandra had hoped, and assumed, that she wouldn't be very busy, but the word had spread quickly about her book during the last couple of weeks, so there was a line out the door. She had a stock of permanent pens next to her, and she began the process of signing books and meeting new fans, occasionally taking drinks from her hangover cure.
-
Heero and the others had gone early to the main drag for the festival. Heero wanted to find the location of the book signing, so that he could see Cassandra, or rather, Relena. The others had offered to go with him, but he said that he wanted to go alone. Soon, they found the bookstore, and Heero got in line, with plans to meet up with them later, whatever happened.
-
After about an hour and a half of signing, Cassandra's wrist was getting sore. She still felt sick, and she was desperately hungry, but she had to keep going. Book after book got set down in front of her, she asked the name, then signed her name.
She was on a roll when a book was placed in front of her and she automatically said, "And who should I make this out to?"
"Heero," a deep voice said. Cassandra looked up and met blue eyes looking down at her. Slowly, she placed her hands over the book and pulled it towards her, still staring up at those eyes. He smiled, and Cassandra felt her stomach drop.
"Sure," Cassandra said. She picked up her pen and wrote the name 'Heero,' then in her recently developed flourish, signed her name, Cassandra Cooper. She closed the book and pushed it back over to him, her entire body shaking. Heero looked down at her and smiled again.
"Thank you, Miss Cooper," he said. He held his hand out to shake hers, and she nervously reached up and shook his hand. His thumb rubbed against the back of her hand gently, then pulled away, and he was gone. Cassandra looked down and saw that a small slip of paper had been left on the table, distinctly bearing the name "Relena" in small handwriting.
"Shit," she mumbled to herself as she brushed the piece of paper into her lap before the next person in line got to the table.
-
Heero caught up with the others, who were waiting in line to get ice cream. "Did you see her?" Duo asked. Heero nodded.
"She looks terrible," Heero commented. Hilde tilted her head and glared at him. "I just mean, she looks like she's not feeling well today or something," he added quickly. "But I left her a note, so hopefully she'll read it."
"Did she seem freaked out?" Quatre asked.
"She was nervous," Heero said, but he smiled and glanced back towards the small bookstore. Heero stepped away as the group reached the counter to order their ice cream. He shifted from side to side, his phone held tightly in his hand. He hoped that she would call him, or get in contact with him somehow. But he had to keep reminding himself that she would be there until at least five o'clock. His friends joined him a moment later, and they walked off to do some more sightseeing and festival attending.
-
Cassandra didn't read the note until she got back home. Only after she was sitting on her couch with Cherry lying next to her, did she feel brave enough to unfold the note and read it.
Relena/Cassandra-
I know that it's you. I read your book, and knew that you were writing about us, back when we were teenagers. When I tore up the invitation to your birthday party that day. I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to know you are alive. I have spent the last four years assuming you were dead. Duo, Hilde, Quatre and I came here to find you. I didn't know what to expect from this trip, whether we could convince you to come back with us, or if we could at least talk to you to hear about why you disappeared on us. If you are in trouble, you know that you can always rely on me.
We will be here for three weeks. I hope that you will get in touch with me. I want to see you.
-Heero
Below his name was his cell phone number. Cassandra let the note drop into her lap as the tears began to flow over her cheeks. Soon, she was sobbing hard, her body lurching as she tried to breathe through the tears and the sobs. Her pent up fear, anxiety and loneliness sprang forth, the tears dripping onto the note and causing the ink to run. She cried until she had no tears left, and until her muscles ached with the effort of hard sobbing. Cassandra got up from her couch and went to the bathroom to blow her nose and splash water on her face. Her cheeks were red and blotchy, her eyes bloodshot, and her makeup smeared under her eyes. She was a complete mess. Instead of trying to do anything else for the rest of the day, she wandered to her bedroom and passed out on her bed, without even changing out of her clothes.