Sometimes

Chapter five

I watched with wary eyes as Mr. Henderson turned back to the white board.

    “Well at least they’re talking again,” Cassie said, offering me a smile.

I shrugged and tried to focus on copying down the assignment.  So far this lesson I’d barely managed to answer any of the questions that had been set.  I’d tried to keep my mind on the battle of Hastings, but Cassie wouldn’t stop asking me about the fight that had happened the night before. 

    “They are talking, right?” she asked.

    “If you count my dad asking Leanne to pass him the milk then yes, they’re talking,” I replied, scribbling down the last of the homework. 

    “I don’t reckon my mum will go off the handle like your dad did, when she finds out about my belly piercing, I mean,” Cassie said.

I bit my lip at the nervous look on her face.  “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

    “Yeah, it’ll be alright.”  She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear with a sideways glance at me.  “If not, I’ll come and live with you.”

    “You can share a room with Leanne.  You both seem to have a reckless streak in you.”

    “You’re just jealous you don’t have the nerve to be spontaneous,” Cassie said.

I raised my eyebrows at her.

    “Don’t look so surprised,” she said.  “I’m just being truthful.”

    “Oh no,” I replied.  “It’s not that.  I’m just surprised you know what spontaneous means.”

Cassie pouted before pinching my arm.  “Nice way to treat your friend.”

I was about to reply when the bell rang.  Cassie gathered all of her things into her bag and made for the door.  Sighing, I stuffed my notebook under my arm and ran after her.

I caught her up a few classrooms down. 

    “You know, you did basically call me boring.”

Cassie huffed and swung her bag onto her shoulder, narrowly missing hitting me in the stomach with it. 

I stuck my tongue out at the back of her head.  “Fine then.  Be that way.”

    “I’m not being any way.”  She stopped in the middle of the busy corridor and turned around to face me.  “I don’t care if I called you boring.  You called me dumb.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled her out of the way of passing students.  “Cass, I was joking.”

    “No, H.  I’ve had it with people calling me dumb just because I’m blonde.”

I bit the side of my cheek to keep from laughing but Cassie narrowed her eyes at me.

    “What?”

    “Nothing,” I replied.  “I mean, it’s just that you’re not actually blonde.”

Cassie slapped her hand over my mouth so suddenly that it knocked me backwards into the wall. 

    “Don’t say it so loud.  What if Mike hears?  He’ll never date me if he finds out I’m a bottle blonde.”

    “Ihavetogettoclass.”

Cassie frowned.  “What?”

I pulled her hand away from my face just as the bell rang again, signaling that we needed to get to our next lesson.  “I said, I have to get to class.”