Cassie
The next morning I woke up to a bright sunny day. My dream must have been good, too good to even remember. But it left me with a tingling sensation that I usually carry throughout the day.Mel was still sleeping on the top bunk of our shared room. That slowpoke. I'll bet she'll snooze her alarm for another hour before turning the house upside down just to get to work in time.I went ahead and got dressed but Mel was still dead asleep when I came back to check on her. It won't be of any use trying to wake her up. You could abduct her to another planet and she wouldn't feel a thing. I should be worried about her.I left a sticky note on her forehead and made sure to lock the door when I left. The studio was quite a ways from our apartment, so I had to walk towards the bus stop to get there. It was still pretty early and the warm summer breeze was blowing. I was wearing my rubber shoes since I intended to have a little jog, I was lacking exercise these past few days and my body was craving the constant pumping of blood and the sudden surge of adrenaline from my notorious crazy acts.A car honked from behind me and I saw the familiar white sports car following me. I instantly moved over to the side but instead of driving over, it stopped in front of me. The driver pulled the top down and Matthew leaned over to my side."Care to join me?" he asked, smiling. I was taken aback by his sudden kindness but he never bullied me even when we weren't practically on good terms so I guess it would be rude of me to decline the offer. Plus, it’s not like he’s a suspicious person anymore."Sure. But I have one condition," I said, grinning.Matthew shrugged."I'll drive," I said. He raised an eyebrow at me, probably debating whether to lend his precious baby to me. Some guys tend to be over protective of their cars, sometimes they even care more about it than their own girlfriends."Sure," he finally said. He moved over towards the passenger seat as I hopped on the driver's seat. I had to sit on the edge of the seat and Matthew chuckled. Yeah, yeah. I know I have short legs but should be thankful for them nonetheless."Seat belt, please," I said as I put on my own. Matthew did the same. Aside from the fact that it’s mandatory that he wears one, he’ll definitely need it."Wait," he said suddenly remembering something. "Do you have a license?"I smiled at him but didn't answer. Then slowly shook my head. I saw alarm forming in his eyes before I stepped on the gas. He didn't say anything, probably due to shock, since I was gradually increasing our speed as we got out of the main roads and up the hill.Since there were barely any cars in this part of the city, I turned to see how Matthew was doing beside me. He was clutching the door and the seat belt so tightly and his face was ashen pale. I let out a hearty laugh. Who's laughing now?"Slow down," he managed to say. But his words were only blown by the wind.But that just encouraged me to drive faster and he fell silent, I'll bet praying to the gods that no misfortune shall befall among us. I have to admit, his car is sick. If I had a car like this, I'll take it out for a ride every frigging chance I get. I stopped the car when we reached the top of the hill. I went out of the car and inhaled the sweet scent of grass still wet from the morning dew."Ahhh!!!" Then I screamed. I yelled from the top of my lungs. I shouted with every ounce of energy I've got in my system.Matthew got out of the car, too. But unluckily fell on his knees, his arms supporting his weight. I went closer to take a better look at him and he looked like he was about to gag but nothing was coming out so I patted his back instead. I think he got just a tiny little bit of carsick."Are you okay?" I asked, just in case he felt worse than he looked. Which isn't good. It's such a shame that a guy with good looks has such a bad stomach.He grabbed my hand and I guess it was gravity because even when he felt so weak, he easily dragged me down like a rag doll and I fell on my knees beside him. I can see droplets of sweat forming on his forehead and his breath came in small raspy gasps."Are you crazy?" he weakly muttered. "What if you we were caught for over speeding? And you don't have a license, too."So he was worrying about that, I thought. His strength of mind was commendable considering his current state. I wonder how he could think of the consequences of my actions when I could have caused him his sudden death. This guy surely is something."I never went over the speed limit. And I had a license," I said innocently and showed him the card in my wallet. “I’ve been driving four wheel drives since I was fourteen.” Well, if I could handle driving those trucks, these posh little cars are nothing to me.He breathed a sigh of relief and slumped over the side of the car. I lay on my back, like a starfish. We just stayed there quietly like that when I heard the familiar classical music that signifies an incoming call from my phone. I took it out from my pocket and saw that it was Mel. I tossed it on the ground and closed my eyes. She must be in the studio by now."We should go," Matthew said, realizing what the phone call meant. The phone rang for the second time but I ignored it. I played an invisible piano with my hands, instead."We're already late, anyway," I said, not opening my eyes. I could feel him lying down beside me. Picking on the blades of grass ruthlessly. I could feel his warmth radiating through the space between us. It feels like yesterday that we don't even look each other in the eye.I guess Clark was right. I made a mental note to tell him thanks later."Who taught you how to drive?" he asked."My dad," I opened my eyes and almost got blinded by the sunlight. I raised my hand as if to hold the sun inside the palm of my hand. It will probably feel suffocated. And slowly, bit by bit, die away.Just like...I shook my head. I shouldn't be thinking such thoughts on a perfectly good day."It's the same," Matthew said, lying on his back and staring at the sky. It was an azure blue. It was so bright that it almost hurts the eye. So beautiful that I can't take my eyes off of it."What is?" I asked. Matthew looked deep in thought. As if he was remembering a memory from somewhere far away, from a very long time ago, from deep within his heart."The sky," he answered, looking at me, then back at the heavens above. His voice was deep, as if emanating from the bottom of his soul."I used to stare at the sky. Before," he paused, but decided to continue. "When the boy group I used to be in was disbanding and I didn't know what to do. I was lost.""You're still here," I said quietly, shifting towards my side to look at him properly. I think I had a vague idea of what he's saying."You're right," he scoffed. "No matter how far we go, we're still under the same sky."The sky never changes, I thought. People do.People come and go. The sky never moves.It stands there, waiting.Still waiting.Matthew“Matthew,” I felt a hand lightly tapping my cheek. “Matthew, wake up.”I slowly opened my eyes and was greeted by a blinding light. My hair’s plastered to my forehead with sweat. My arm felt stiff and I felt disoriented for a little while. Right, we were up on the hill. I must have fallen asleep. It sure felt nice having some peace and quiet once in a while. Cassie was already up, stretching.“What time is it?” I asked, dusting off some grass from my pants.“It’s nine in the morning,” she said, unbothered.“Already!?” I asked with a jolt. I must have slept more deeply than I thought. I took out my phone and saw missed calls from at least five people. I sighed. Landon left a voice mail. Which in itself was a bad omen.Get your ass in here right this instant, it says.“Did I get you in trouble?” Cassie asked, a crease forming on her forehead. I noticed her eye
Cassie100 facts about Landon Hart100 facts about Matthew Rayner100 facts about Clark ClineI scrolled down the screen but there wasn't one with the same headline as Kasey's. Weird. But what's more weird is how I could work with these people and know next to nothing about them. As a Communications intern, I totally suck. How am I supposed to promote them without even knowing the basic stuff about them? This is so frustrating. I don't know why I prefer to consult Google instead of asking the people themselves."Are you stalking us?" Landon said, rolling his seat towards mine and leaning closer to look at my computer. Unlike Clark, Landon could be a bully at times that's probably the reason why we got along with each other. He’s someone like a partner in crime. We both like playing pranks on the other guys."It's called working," I said making quotation marks with my fingers in the air, emphasizing the word work. "I'm doing my research.""Com
Matthew"Where's Cassie?" I asked. These past few days she's been mostly late for work. Sometimes she doesn't show up all day at all. Mel told us she was having a hard time sleeping at night so she lets her sleep in during the day. At times she doesn't feel so well that we told her to take the day off so she won't get worse."Good morning," Cassie said weakly coming into the room. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, which was a rare sight. I tried to look her in the eye but she was looking down. I can see the layer of dark circles forming under her eyes. She quietly sat on her desk and powered up her computer."Is she okay?" I whispered to Mel who was equally observing her. Cassie moves like a zombie from The Walking Dead. I’m seriously concerned about her.Mel shrugged. "She barely touches her stash on the fridge. I have to force her to have a few spoonfuls every time I eat with her."So she wasn't eating, I thought. No wonder she's too thin. Her cheeks, which was her
CassieI woke up and the memory of what happened last night flashed before my eyes. I instantly slapped myself just for the sake of it.Stupid. Baka. Pabo. Bobo. Calling myself stupid in every language I know wouldn’t cut the embarrassment I’m feeling right now.I buried my face in my pillow and screamed. I just subjected myself to complete and utter humiliation. I swear I won't be able to show my face in the studio after this. At least not to Matthew.Damn it! I hate being sick. I act like a drunk whenever I am. I get upset for reasons that never bothered me on normal days and say whatever I want. I'm perfectly able to handle it on my own but now I realized it's actually very embarrassing when other people get involved.Oh my god! I replayed the things I said last night. Did I just admit to him that I wanted to die? Now he's probably thinking I'm suicidal. I mean I do. I did. But I won't kill myself! Those are just passing thoughts.I picke
CassieIt’s been a month since I've been working with these rock stars but up until now, I still haven't gotten used to all the ruckus they make. For one, the pounding and strumming seems to be getting louder each day but my eardrums have luckily adjusted.If only these people would be a little more serious, I thought as I watched Landon jump up and flail all around the room. It's obvious the kid was playing around."Here, water," I said tossing each one of them a bottle. They instantly gulped mouthfuls before putting down the now empty bottle and wiping their sweat. The room was fully air-conditioned but moving around so much must have caused them to sweat a lot that they started stripping off their soaked shirts before I knew it.I really don't mind seeing half-naked guys, not as much as they wanted to show off. I think Clark's got the best build among the four of them, maybe because he often plays the bass without a shirt. He's tall and lean. Not much tattoos either.
MatthewThat girl, she clearly passed the entire burden on me, I thought as I scanned the album for some possible designs for her first tattoo."Where's she planning to put it?" the tattoo artist asked me. He was Kasey's friend so we could take our time choosing but I didn't think it would be this hard."Collarbone," I answered. I looked over to where Cassie and Kasey were waiting; they looked like they didn't have any problem at all. Well, it was me who's carrying the world on my shoulders. I should watch what I'm saying next time."She's cute," the artist said. "Who's she dating between the two of you?"I gave him a 'mind your own business' look. He seemed to have understood and he looked away from her. It just felt wrong having guys thinking things about her."What about a flower? Or a butterfly? Girls like those stuff," he suggested.I shook my head. Those are too mundane. I was looking for something symbolic."How about a cat? Does she have any pets?" he
MatthewWhat am I doing? As far as I know, I’m not a babysitter. Then why am I in a salon picking out a hairstyle for a twenty-two year old girl with long wavy hair that’s most of the time frizzy. First a tattoo, now a hair color? What’s next? Eyeliners and black clothing? This girl is sure late on rebellion. I wouldn’t wonder if she starts listening to emo music anytime soon. In fact, I would be more surprised if she doesn’t.“How about it? Find anything?” the hairdresser asked. She’s been asking me the exact same thing for about a dozen times. Seriously, what do I know about girl’s hair.I shrugged. “What do you think? You’re more knowledgeable at this matter than me.” I sighed.“Are your curls natural, dear?” she asked Cassie, gently holding her huge curls on her palm. She seems to admire them. Well, if only she would dye her hair blonde, she would definitely look like Goldiloc
Cassie"Hey, girls! What are we watching?" Landon said one day when all my mood swings were gone and everything is back to same old normal.Stuck in the same routine.Which means all day hanging out in the studio with nothing to do so Mel decided to have a movie marathon right then and there with the projector on in the multimedia room. We were having a rerun of the The Wandering Samurai movies when Landon came in albeit looking for the two interns that suddenly disappeared."We're on the second movie of The Wandering Samurai," Mel answered, not taking her eyes off the screen. I think she would deeply appreciate it if I actually make her some popcorn. That way she would have the whole theater feels experience. Although the multimedia room isn’t so bad in itself."I guess that's the part where we sang Mighty Long Fall," Landon said, taking a seat."Really? I didn't notice," I said. I've watched all three movies but I guess I was too fixated compari