The Howard household had finally settled into an uneasy quiet after a day that could only be described as disastrous. Cassie Howard, now infamous thanks to her viral Target meltdown, sat at her vanity, brushing her hair and staring blankly at her reflection. She could still hear her mom's scolding voice echoing in her head, punctuated by the smug laughter of her sister Lexi.

Cassie sighed deeply, setting her brush down. "This day can't get any worse," she muttered to herself, slipping into her pink satin pajama set. She padded toward her bed, ready to bury herself under the covers and pretend the day had never happened.

And then came the knock.

Cassie froze mid-step, her heart skipping a beat. The knock was loud and deliberate, echoing through the house. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was almost midnight.

"Who the hell is knocking this late?" she whispered, creeping toward her bedroom door.

She heard Suze's muffled voice from downstairs. "Who is it?"

There was a pause, followed by a familiar voice that made Cassie's stomach drop. "It's Nate Jacobs."

Cassie's eyes widened. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no."


Downstairs, Suze opened the door cautiously, squinting at the tall figure standing on the porch. Nate Jacobs, in his usual confident stance, leaned against the doorframe, his expression unreadable.

"Nate?" Suze asked, clearly confused. "It's late. What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to Cassie," Nate said smoothly, his tone calm but firm.

Suze hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. "Cassie's… well, she's not exactly having the best day."

"That's kind of why I'm here," Nate replied, his lips curling into a faint smirk.

Cassie, who had been eavesdropping from the top of the stairs, nearly tripped over herself in panic. "Oh my God, why is he here?" she whispered to no one.

Lexi appeared in the hallway, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "This should be good."

Cassie shot her a glare. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"A little," Lexi admitted with a shrug.

Before Cassie could argue, Suze called up the stairs. "Cassie! Nate's here to see you!"

Cassie winced, her whole body stiffening. "Tell him I'm asleep!"

"She's awake," Lexi called out, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.

"Lexi!" Cassie hissed, her face turning bright red.

"It's better to just get it over with," Lexi said, patting her sister on the shoulder.

Reluctantly, Cassie descended the stairs, her bare feet barely making a sound on the wooden steps. Nate's eyes met hers as soon as she reached the bottom, and she could tell by the slight curve of his lips that he was holding back laughter.

"What do you want, Nate?" Cassie asked, crossing her arms defensively.

He stepped inside, casually shoving his hands into his pockets. "Just thought I'd check on you. You know, after seeing the video."

Cassie's stomach churned. "What video?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"Oh, come on," Nate said, his smirk widening. "You know. The one where you're screaming at Ashley Tisdale in Target and getting arrested. It's all over TikTok."

Cassie groaned, covering her face with her hands. "This cannot be happening."

"Oh, it's happening," Nate said, leaning against the doorframe. "You're a star now, Cass. Congrats."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she snapped, dropping her hands to glare at him.

"A little," he admitted, his tone teasing. "But honestly, I'm impressed. I didn't think anyone could make Ashley Tisdale look like the reasonable one in a fight."

Cassie groaned louder, turning to Suze. "Can you please make him leave?"

Suze, who was standing off to the side with an expression of thinly veiled amusement, shrugged. "I think you two need to work this out."

Cassie shot her mom a look of pure betrayal. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

"Hard to be on your side when you've got the whole Internet calling you a Karen," Suze quipped, sipping her wine.

Cassie turned back to Nate, who was now openly laughing. "You think this is funny?" she demanded.

"Oh, it's hilarious," Nate said, straightening up. "But, hey, look on the bright side. At least now you're famous for something other than being in constant drama with Maddy."

At the mention of Maddy, Cassie's face turned even redder. "Maddy probably posted it everywhere just to humiliate me!"

"She didn't have to," Nate said, shrugging. "You did that all on your own."

Cassie let out a frustrated scream, stomping her foot. "Why are you even here, Nate? Just to rub it in?"

Nate's smirk faded slightly, and he held up his hands in mock surrender. "Relax, Cass. I just wanted to see if you were okay. You know, emotionally."

"Oh, I'm fine," she snapped, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thanks for checking."

Nate chuckled, shaking his head. "You're a piece of work, Cassie. But hey, at least you're entertaining."

With that, he turned and walked out the door, leaving Cassie standing in the entryway, her face burning with humiliation.


Upstairs, Lexi was already typing away on her phone, no doubt sharing the latest development in the never-ending saga of Cassie's life with her friends. Cassie stormed back into her room, slamming the door behind her and throwing herself onto the bed.

"This is the worst day of my life," she muttered into her pillow.

From down the hall, Lexi called out, "You said that yesterday!"

Cassie groaned, burying her face deeper into the pillow. If this was rock bottom, she couldn't imagine what came next. But knowing her luck—and Maddy Perez—it was only a matter of time before things got even worse.