Nothing Goes As Orchestrated

Cassie woke up alone in Alex's bed. Though it was early, she shrugged it off and got up, gathering her clothes that were folded neatly next to the bed. She didn't bother to change out of the pajamas Alex had let her borrow and made her way downstairs. It was unusually quiet. Finding no sign of Alex, she rummaged through her purse and found her phone, sending him a quick text before leaving.

His car wasn't in the driveway, confirming that he wasn't home. Though she had no idea when he'd left, she figured he probably needed to clear his head. What he was going through couldn't be easy. Cassie wasn't stupid. Though he may not have loved Chelley, she knew that there's no possibly way to spend so much time with a person and not have some kind of attachment.

She drove home and showered quickly before going to work. The day passed rather quickly, but she didn't hear from Alex at all. On her way home, she decided to drop by his house to see if he was okay. His car wasn't there when she pulled up. Growing slightly worried, she sent him another text and drove home. It was no surprise that Rian was sitting on her couch when she got home. He had all but moved in with her and Angie.

"Hey," he said as she walked into the living room.

"Hi," she replied, falling onto the chair, "Have you talked to Alex today?" she asked.

Rian shook his head, "Nope. Why, what's up?" he asked.

"Chelley broke up with him yesterday and he took it kind of hard. I stayed with him last night and when I woke up this morning, he was gone. I've sent him a couple of texts but he hasn't responded. That's just not like him," she explained.

"Chelley broke up with him? Why?" he asked.

Cassie shrugged, "She somehow found out that Alex and I used to date and I guess she was pissed about it and started screaming at him and everything kind of just came out. Alex admitted everything to her and she threw a bunch of shit at him and said she never wanted to see him again," she said.

"You were there for it?" he asked and Cassie nodded, "What'd she say to you?"

"Well, I was only there for part of it. I walked into the house in the middle of it, I guess. And she didn't see me. I heard her screaming as soon I walked in and decided it was better if I didn't get in the middle of it."

"You're pretty smart," Rian said with a laugh, "By the way, how was your trip?" he asked.

"It was good. My interview with The Matches went well. They're really nice guys. I even got a chance to sit down with Justin and talk to him for a little bit, even though he's not in the band anymore," she said, "And Alex and I enjoyed the time we spent together. We talked about a lot of stuff."

"Such as...?" he asked.

"Well, the whole baby thing, for one. He gets it, finally. So we're past that whole issue. Oh, and we talked about Matt."

"What about Matt?" Rian asked, cutting her off.

Cassie sighed, "Um, me kissing him. And," she paused nervously. Rian still didn't know about everything that went down between her and Matt. "Um, Matt had said some shit to me at yours and Alex's birthday party and he tried to kiss me. And he also said some shit to me at the New Year's party at the Runner Runner house. I never told Alex, but I guess when they talked about us kissing, Matt told him everything. I don't know why. But he was pretty upset with me for not telling him when it all went down."

"Why didn't I know about any of that, other than you and Matt kissing?" he asked.

She sighed again, "It's like I told Alex," she began, "I wasn't about to ruin any friendships over something like that. Matt's not a bad guy. I know that what he did was shady, and so does he, but it wasn't worth starting shit over when I can, and did, handle it myself," she said.

"Cassie, you should've told me anyway. I could've told Matt to knock it off."

"You could've knocked Matt out, too. I'm not saying you would, but come on. Remember how strained things got between you and Alex when he and I first started hanging out?" she said.

"Alright, alright alright, fine. You're right," Rian said.

Cassie nodded, "I do feel better now that everything is out in the open," she said, "Although, Chelley does know where I live, so I might end up with a flaming bag of poop on my doorstep."

Rian laughed, "You would deserve it, you have to admit," he said and Cassie nodded in agreement, "But that doesn't really seem like her style," he said, "So I don't think you have anything to worry about."

As Rian turned his attention back to the TV, Cassie looked at her phone. Seeing that she hadn't gotten any response to the texts she had sent earlier, she sent another and then headed into the kitchen to make dinner.

When the food was ready, she took plates out to Rian and Angie, who had come home while Cassie was cooking. As they ate, she kept a close eye on her phone.

"I'm getting really worried," she said.

"He's fine, I'm sure," Rian said.

Cassie sighed, "Then why isn't he answering my texts?" she asked.

"I don't know, Cassie. You know, he probably went down to Huntington Beach to hang out with the Runner Runner boys and clear his head. Have you tried calling any of them to see if he's there?"

"No, but I'm going to now," she said, getting up and taking all the dirty dishes into the kitchen. After putting them in the sink, she called Peter and sat down at the table. He answered in the middle of the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Peter," she said, "Um, this might sound weird but is Alex there by any chance?" she asked.

"Nope, not here. Why? Did you lose him?" he asked.

"Sort of," she said and quickly explained what happened.

"Oh," Peter said quietly, "Well, he didn't come here. If he does show up, though, I'll let you know. Alright?"

"Thanks Peter," she said and hung up. After staring at her phone for a minute, she dialed Alex's number. His voice mail picked up after a few rings and she sighed but left him a message anyway, "Hey Alex, it's me. Maybe I'm overreacting but I'm worried about you. Let me know if you're okay."

Only minutes after she hung up, her phone vibrated in her hand. Alex's name flashed across the screen and she quickly answered it.

"Alex, where are you?" she asked.

He was silent for a moment and she wondered if his pocket had called her. But then he spoke, "Boston," he said.

"Boston?" Cassie asked, confusion falling across her face, "Why are you in Boston?"

Alex sighed heavily, "I needed some time to myself," he said, "A lot has happened in the last few days and I just need a little time to get my head around everything."

"Oh, okay," she said, feeling hurt that he had left without telling her, but trying to hide it from him. But she failed. He could hear it in her voice.

"I want to come back to you, Cassandra," he said, "So please don't be mad. I just need this time for me. Please tell me you understand," he pleaded.

Cassie felt a small smile tug at the corner of her mouth, "I understand," she said, "Take your time, Alex. But don't change your mind."

"I won't. I promise."

"Alright," Cassie said, "Take care of yourself. And just... let me know that you're alright, if that's not too much to ask," she said.

"Okay," he said with a nod, even though she couldn't see it, "I'll see you when I get back."