Lexi's Love & War

Chapter 4

It took just a few weeks for all returning NYU students to find their rhythm again back at school. Classes were harder than they had been the previous year, but that was to be expected. Students tried to absorb all that they could in order to pass successfully, with assignment due dates and upcoming tests hanging over their heads. With all this newfound stress, it only made sense that many students looked for ways to unwind whenever they had the chance.

That explained why Lexi and Nikita decided to relax by watching some movies at the boys' house late one Friday night. She sat alone on the couch and watched her friends grab food and drinks, or chat with one another. She munched on some popcorn, content to have this small break from schoolwork for a change.

"Are you gonna share that?"

Lexi's blue-green eyes glared at a familiar face but relaxed a moment later. "I'll only share for you."

Isaac grabbed a small handful before plopping down in the space beside her. "Thanks."

"Anytime. Thank you for organizing this."

"It was all DeShawn's idea, actually. I have a feeling our place will become something of a party house eventually."

Lexi laughed. "Probably."

"And don't worry— you'll always be invited," Isaac remarked with a chuckle.

"Oh, I wasn't too worried about that."

Nikita suddenly approached the pair. "DeShawn just told me that Mariana and Cassie are coming."

"What? Are you sure?" Isaac asked.

"I wouldn't tell you this if it wasn't true."

"Great. Thanks for the heads up, though."

Nikita nodded before wandering off.

This admission left a bad taste in Lexi's mouth. Her first encounter this school year with Cassie was still fresh in her mind, so she wasn't thrilled to see her again. But she also knew that it was now inevitable, leaving her with few options. Lexi simply grinned as she ate some more popcorn.

"I'm not gonna bring up what happened last time," she blurted out. "I don't wanna think about it or talk about it 'cause I don't wanna see another outburst from Cassie."

"Same," Isaac replied. "I'm just hoping that she doesn't create another scene, especially in front of our friends."

"Your know...come to think of it, I don't think she'll actually do that."

"Really? How come?"

"Mariana won't want to deal with that. If Cassie's gonna listen to anyone telling her to not lose her shit, it's her best friend."

Isaac raised her eyebrows with newfound realization. "True. I really hope you're right."

"Me too," Lexi said, laughing nervously despite doing her best to fake confidence.

A few minutes later, they saw Cassie and Mariana enter the living room. Lexi watched as Mariana began greeting everyone, while Cassie ignored the group and walked directly to them. Lexi braced herself for another fit but quickly noticed that Cassie seemed calm for a change. Her face was particularly hard to read, but it was easy to see that she wasn't looking for a fight tonight.

"Isaac, may I please talk to you?" she asked in a sweet voice.

"Uh...sure," Isaac reluctantly answered.

Once he excused himself, he followed Cassie to a side room just a few feet away. However, Lexi could still see them despite them standing under the dim lights. She couldn't hear what they were saying, as everyone else was chatting quite loudly in the living room. She knew that staring was rude, but she was too curious to look away from what was unfolding.

Just minutes after the two began their chat, Cassie suddenly kissed Isaac on the lips before sauntering off. The unexpected move made Lexi's jaw drop.

Now I REALLY wanna know what they talked about, Lexi thought. God, Cassie is so damn desperate to win Isaac back. I seriously doubt that kissing him on the lips like that is gonna work.

While Lexi's mind kept filling up with similar thoughts, Isaac was too busy trying to process what had just taken place. He ran his hands over his face with a heavy sigh before leaving to find his roommates, who were now chatting in the kitchen. He needed to discuss the incident with anyone, and his buddies would be fine to hear about it.

"Hey, we're about to start the movie in a few," DeShawn remarked.

Isaac nodded silently.

Felipe could tell that something was up with his best friend. "You alright?"

"I'm feeling weird. Cassie just kissed me."

Both of his roommates' eyes went wide with shock. But it was DeShawn who spoke first.

"What the hell? Where did that come from?!"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Isaac said with a hollow laugh. "Cassie pulled me aside to tell me that she misses me and that she still wants me back. She also apologized for insulting Lexi and me the other day. I told her I wasn't interested in getting back together— again— and that's when she kissed me. I think she saw how freaked out it made me 'cause she bolted soon after."

Felipe laughed, but DeShawn just shook his head in disbelief. "Either she can't accept that you don't want her, or she just doesn't get it," he said.

"I'm gonna go with the first one" Felipe declared. "Cassie's not stupid, but she sure as hell is stubborn."

"You got that right," Isaac noted with a scoff. "I think I've been pretty frickin' clear that I'm not interested in her. I don't know when she'll finally accept the truth."

"Who knows. If you don't want her, Lexi's single!" Felipe joked.

DeShawn rolled his eyes. "Dude, they're just friends."

"I'm only kidding! Relax, dude. I wasn't serious, Isaac."

"I know you weren't," Isaac remarked. "It's fine, man. Let's start the movie now."

"Shit, good idea! We need to stop talking."

The three friends returned to the living room to get things underway. Isaac managed to sit on the couch beside Lexi again. She noticed that Cassie was sitting on the opposite side of the room with Mariana, her eyes fixated on the TV screen.

"Is everything alright?" Lexi asked.

Isaac nodded. "Cassie told me that she still misses me and loves me, and then said sorry for what happened the other day. I told her that I don't want to get back together, and then she just kissed me out of nowhere."

Even though she had seen the kiss and had a small inkling as to why Cassie wanted to speak to him in the first place, Lexi giggled. "It's so funny that she's quick to apologize to you, but she still hasn't apologized to me. Not that I care, but still."

"Tell me about it!"

"I know you said that you're done with dating, but maybe you should give it another shot...just so Cassie will leave you be."

Isaac stifled a laugh by biting his lip. "No thanks, I'm good with staying single."

"Are you sure now?" Lexi inquired with a sneaky grin.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

The movie finally, so the two promptly piped down to tune in to what they were about to watch.