Lexi's In A New City

Chapter 5

How was it possible to already have a fight when the school year had only just started?

That was the thought that went through Cassie's mind when Isaac had come to her dorm to rant about what Lexi had told him. She didn't think that Lexi would actually tell him what had gone on that afternoon; she thought that the girl would've been too scared to do so. Clearly, she had been wrong.

"Cassie...are you even listening?"

Cassie frowned at the minor accusation. "Yes, I'm listening. You're mad at me because I wasn't nice enough to Lexi, even though she's already getting too close to you."

Isaac scowled and shook his head in disbelief. "You're half right."

"Well, maybe she shouldn't have given you her number!" Cassie cried. "Who the fuck does she think she is?"

"Babe-"

"She has no right to make a move on you!"

"Except she didn't do that!"

"Oh, really? Well then, what exactly did she do?"

"We just so happen to have an essay writing class together because it's a course required for both our programs," Isaac revealed. "I told her that I suck at these kind of classes— and you know that— so Lexi offered to help out with studying. I gave her my number willingly, and she gave me hers, too. That's all it was, I swear to God!"

Cassie stared at Isaac before looking down at the floor. She wanted to believe him because he'd never cheated on her before, and had always been open about girls he spoke to when she wasn't around. On the other hand, a nagging voice continued to warn her that Lexi was not someone to trust. Cassie went back and forth with each thought, trying to decide who to believe.

Isaac suddenly placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her forehead. This interrupted her thoughts and made her heart flutter. She continued to frown, but now it was getting harder to do so.

"Baby, you know I've never cheated on you," he said. "I never have, and I never will. I love you. You do know that, right? I've only ever loved you. I could never cheat on you."

Cassie's frowned faded before she could stop herself. A small grin replaced it as she giggled a little.

"I love you too," she replied. "I'm sorry, but...I worry, babe. I can't help it. Sometimes I worry that I'm not enough for you."

"I understand, but please believe me when I say that Lexi didn't do anything wrong. She was just offering to help me out with school, and how could I not accept it? I love you, Cassie."

Cassie bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything nasty. It bugged her that this girl that they both barely knew was trying to insert herself into her and their friends' lives. It could've just been because she was Nikita's roommate, but it was annoying as hell in Cassie's eyes. Still, she kept her opinion to herself for now. She hugged Isaac tight and kissed the side of his jaw. She pulled away to look him right into his eyes.

"So, there's nothing I should worry about?" she asked.

Isaac nodded. "I promise, babe. I've always been straight with you, and I always will."

As the two watched TV not long after they made up, Cassie couldn't get her mind off her and Lexi's confrontation. She knew that Isaac would want her to apologize for what happened, but she had no intention of doing so. While she knew she could trust Isaac well enough, she just couldn't bring herself to trust Lexi. She would have to keep a close eye on that girl so that she didn't get too close to Isaac.

***

The next day, both Cassie and Mariana happened to have no classes. They decided to spend their day off-campus by bussing down to the mall to window-shop. It was an escape from school, as well as their friends so they could gossip freely. After an hour or two of wandering the massive mall, the two decided to get some lunch at the food court. They got their food and found a seat in the middle of everything.

"So," Mariana began, "did something bad happen yesterday? You seemed kinda upset and quiet last night, but I didn't wanna ask about it 'cause you sounded like you just wanted to go to bed."

"Well..." Cassie paused to rephrase herself. "Yeah, but everything's okay now."

"That's good. What happened?"

"Isaac and I got into a fight."

If they hadn't been out in public, Mariana would've said something loud in her shock. Instead, she clamped a hand over her mouth with wide eyes. She soon composed herself to respond.

"Oh my God," she gasped, "what happened?"

"You know how you told me about Lexi giving Isaac her number?"

Mariana nodded.

"Well, as luck would have it, I had Intro to Criminology with her that afternoon."

"Oh shit! What did you do?"

"I called her a slut, and she was like, 'I'm sorry?', so I told her how rude it was of her to get Isaac's number. I told her that he's my boyfriend, and that she better stay away from him. I didn't even let her explain herself 'cause I thought it was pretty clear what had happened between her and Isaac."

"Wait...what actually happened between them, then?"

"Well, I guess Lexi told Isaac what happened between us because he came in my room last night, mad as all fucking hell. I was like, 'She has no right to make a move on you!', but that seemed to make him angrier. Well, according to him, they got each other's numbers because they have a class together, and Isaac thinks he'll need her help with studying. He asked for her number— it wasn't the other way around."

"Oh, I didn't know that at all. Now I feel bad 'cause I feel like I sort of caused you two to fight over something so stupid. My bad, girl. I'm so sorry."

Cassie shrugged. "It's fine, you didn't know. I didn't know until Isaac told me, too."

"Are you two okay now?"

"Oh yeah. We talked it out, so I think it's all over. But I haven't talked to Lexi since yesterday. At least I won't have class with her anymore."

Mariana furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Why is that?"

"A spot opened up for the elective I've been on a wait list for; that Intro to Conflict Studies class I really wanted, remember? Someone dropped it, and I guess I was number one on the waiting list. I had to drop Intro to Criminology because both classes are on the same day at roughly the same time."

"But now you and Lexi won't have class together! She's gonna miss you being there!" Mariana exclaimed.

Cassie began to laugh, forcing her to cover her mouth to stifle it. Mariana joined her a minute later.

"That's funny," Cassie remarked. "Yeah, I'm really not gonna miss her, or that class. Anyways, we should probably finish lunch soon. There's a few more places here that we haven't checked out yet."

The two girls did just that before returning to a relaxing day of window-shopping.