Lexi's Love & War

Chapter 16

After Nikita had told her to fuck off at the Halloween party, Cassie returned to her apartment for the night. Seeing so many people staring at her during her and Lexi's spat made her feel judged for losing her shit. She didn't leave the party empty-handed, though; she'd managed to smuggle some beer bottles in her purse beforehand. Now she wept as she walked to her apartment, entered, and then sulked inside of her bedroom.

This is pathetic, she thought as she sunk into her bed.

Her phone suddenly went off just as she was about to begin drinking away her sorrows. She grabbed it to see a new text from her best friend.

Mariana: I just heard what happened. WTF were you thinking screaming at Isaac like that?! Where are you now?

Cassie: At our apartment. I need to be alone. Stop texting me.

More tears continued to fall, leaving faint trails of black mascara on her fair-skinned cheeks. Cassie didn't even bother salvaging her makeup; it wasn't worth the effort. She openly wept while trying to get as drunk as possible. Seeing Isaac happily kissing Lexi on the lips had enraged her so fast that she needed to let them know how much she disapproved of their brazen actions. She wished more than anything that she was the one kissing Isaac's lips instead.

Isaac...why can't I win you back? Why did you move on with HER? Out of every girl you could be with...

Her thoughts trailed off with no conclusion, so she continued to sob while drinking more and more. She needed to make it up to Isaac. Lexi could go to hell for all she cared, but Isaac deserved an apology. So, she grabbed her phone and sloppily typed several texts to her ex-boyfriend.

Cassie: Baby, I'm so sorry for what I did! I didn't mean to hurt you...I just overreacted. I love you and I miss you. Please, PLEASE forgive me!!! I promise to stop being such a bitch! I promise! I love you so so so much.

Cassie: I miss you...I love you...I'm sorry for fucking up.

Cassie: Isaac??? Please respond!!!

After waiting several minutes for a response, Cassie realized that Isaac wasn't about to text her back. He could've been busy enjoying himself or had chosen to ignore them out of anger. One other possibility was that he was too preoccupied with Lexi to notice his phone go off. Upon that last thought popping up in her mind, a fresh batch of tears began to fall down Cassie's face. She tossed her phone onto the floor and solely focused on getting plastered. She felt like she couldn't do anything else but cry over her ex moving on with the girl she hated most.

He needs to see how wrong she is for him, she thought. Once he sees it, he'll come back to me.

***

"Thanks for doing this."

Lexi looked up from a sizzling pan of scrambled eggs and turkey bacon. "Anytime! Greasy food is my guilty pleasure."

"Seriously, this all looks so good," Nikita remarked as she buttered some whole-grain toast.

"I love cooking. It's a nice way to relax, and I enjoy trying new food. Plus, it works out to be cheaper than eating out all the time."

"And healthier."

"Yeah, that too," Lexi laughed.

Once breakfast was made, the girls sat in the living room to eat. Despite appearing to be grateful over Lexi's gesture, Nikita seemed pissed off over something.

"Annoyed that you're hungover?"

Nikita shook her head, much to her roommate's surprise. "No, it's about last night. I never saw what lead up to Isaac leaving and Cassie bitching you out. What the hell happened there?"

Lexi rolled her eyes. "It's so stupid," she began. "Isaac and I were sitting together, and I'm not gonna lie— we were flirting quite a bit. I won't go into details there, but I'll admit that we kissed at some point. Not even two seconds after that, Cassie was screaming in our faces about me kissing him."

"Jesus Christ, it's like she refuses to let that shit go," Nikita sighed, shaking her head. "Did you tell her fuck off?"

"I was about to, but Isaac did it first. He said, 'Why the fuck do you care? If I wanna kiss Lexi, I'll do it.'. Cassie called him a bastard, which caused Isaac to say something along the lines of, 'Stop giving a shit about who I'm dating. I'd rather date Lexi than argue with you!'. And then he left to cool down."

"I saw him leave in a huff, but I didn't know why until some idiot next to me shouted, 'Holy shit, there's gonna be a catfight!'"

Lexi cackled. "Yeah, right! Cassie doesn't strike me as the violent type."

"You're right about that," Nikita noted.

"Good. Anyways, once Isaac left," Lexi continued, "Cassie called me a slut, so I told her to shut up. Then she suggested that I fuck off so she could have Isaac all to herself. I said, 'Are you deaf? Your relationship's over! Also, don't take your anger out on me,' 'cause I'd had enough by that point. She called me a bitch, and that's when you showed up. Which reminds me— thanks again for doing that."

Nikita shrugged it off. "It's no big deal. She knows better than to scream at me because I'm all too happy to rip her a new asshole for being such a bitch. I hate how she's treated you since last year, which is why I have no problem reaming her out."

"Really? But you've known Cassie longer than you've known me. I don't wanna ruin your friendship"

"Oh, please. I've never really been close with her— or to Mariana, for that matter. I'm nice to them, sure— but that's it. I've never really had a lot of female friends 'cause I've always seen girls as being too catty. Guys are straight up with their feelings, so I tend to have more guy friends. You're cool, though. I consider you to be a good friend."

An amused smirk crept onto Lexi's face. "Thanks. I have a feeling this shit isn't over, though."

"It isn't, but Cassie will just have to deal. Oh, yeah, I forgot— did you ever find Isaac after all that shit went down?"

"Yeah, I did. He was out on the front porch and saw Cassie leave after you scared her off. He was more upset that he left me to deal with her than with what she did. I wasn't upset about it, and I told him so. Oh...and he asked me out on a second date."

Nikita's eyes almost bulged out of her head, but she relaxed and smiled after a moment. "That's awesome, Lexi! I remember you saying that you weren't sure if that was gonna happen. So, I guess this means that things are still good between you guys?"

"They are, and I'm glad," Lexi admitted. "I invited him here so I can make him dinner. I figured you wouldn't mind 'cause you're going to another party tonight. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Nikita said. "I have a question though: are you two a couple now?"

Lexi shook her head. "No! Things are still not too serious between us, but we're definitely more than friends. We're just dating and having fun. I 'm not really been looking for a relationship right now, and something tells me that Isaac has the same mindset. Given everything that he's recently been through with Cassie, I can't say I blame him if that's the case."

"I wouldn't, either. Then again, that could change. If things continue to work out, a relationship wouldn't be so outlandish," Nikita responded.

"Well, I prefer not to think about it right now," Lexi revealed. "But I guess I shouldn't rule out that possibility also. I don't know what's going on between us, but I'm just gonna go with it for now."