The Bruised Angel
13
“Cassandra Kitlin Travis! Where in the bloody devil have you been?!” I said while attacking her in a hug.
“I’ve been sick.”
“Did your parents take you to a doctor?”
“Yes.” She had a dead look in her eyes as she spoke, like it wasn’t the whole truth.
“Cassie-”
“Miss Shire, I know you’re happy about Cassandra being back but please control yourself,” the teacher said.
“Sorry.”
We sat down and I started the interrogation.
“Cassie, what’s really going on?” I whispered.
“Nothing,” she mumbled.
“Cassie…”
“I’m fine, Aly.”
“Cassie, I’m worried.”
“There’s nothing you could do even if I wasn’t alright.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
“You can trust me.”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what?”
“Just don’t worry about it, I guess I’m still tired from being…sick,” she hesitated slightly on sick.
Before I could ask her anything else the bell rang. We went to lunch and I didn’t want to be overheard so I didn’t say anything. I kept shooting her these looks which she made sure to ignore. At the end of the day I went to Cassie’s locker.
“Can you come over?” I asked.
“I don’t think I can, my parents don’t want me out so soon after being sick.”
“Cassie,” I whined.
“Fine, I’ll call and ask.”
She called her mom and she said Cassie could come over until four thirty. I basically pulled her out to Tam’s car.
“Hey Cassie! Long time no see.”
“Hi Tam.”
“Where to?”
“Our house.”
“You know sometimes I feel more like a chauffer then your sister.”
We laughed as she drove to our house. When we got there I pulled Cassie up to my room.
“Now tell me the truth.”
“Aly, I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Cassandra Kitlin, I know you and you would never willingly miss that much school unless something was really wrong. Plus you didn’t call or anything.”
“I was just really sick.”
She reached over to my desk to get a Life Saver and her hoodie sleeve went up and exposed her wrist.
“Cassie, what’s that?” I asked, pointing a shaking hand to her wrist.
“N-nothing.” She said hurriedly, pulling the sleeve down.
Before she could stop me I had pulled the sleeve up again to expose the fading bruises.
“W-what is all this?”
“I fell down a flight of stairs when I sick, that’s why I couldn’t talk. I was hurt really badly.”
“Why didn’t your parents tell me?”
“I didn’t want anyone to know.”
“Oh Cassie.”
I hugged her and just held her there.
“You promise these are just from falling down stairs?” I asked.
“Yes,” she whispered.
She left shortly after saying she had a lot of catch up work to do. When she left all I saw was the haunting image of her bruised wrist.
As I lay down that night I couldn’t help but think what if Cassie was…abused?
“I’ve been sick.”
“Did your parents take you to a doctor?”
“Yes.” She had a dead look in her eyes as she spoke, like it wasn’t the whole truth.
“Cassie-”
“Miss Shire, I know you’re happy about Cassandra being back but please control yourself,” the teacher said.
“Sorry.”
We sat down and I started the interrogation.
“Cassie, what’s really going on?” I whispered.
“Nothing,” she mumbled.
“Cassie…”
“I’m fine, Aly.”
“Cassie, I’m worried.”
“There’s nothing you could do even if I wasn’t alright.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
“You can trust me.”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what?”
“Just don’t worry about it, I guess I’m still tired from being…sick,” she hesitated slightly on sick.
Before I could ask her anything else the bell rang. We went to lunch and I didn’t want to be overheard so I didn’t say anything. I kept shooting her these looks which she made sure to ignore. At the end of the day I went to Cassie’s locker.
“Can you come over?” I asked.
“I don’t think I can, my parents don’t want me out so soon after being sick.”
“Cassie,” I whined.
“Fine, I’ll call and ask.”
She called her mom and she said Cassie could come over until four thirty. I basically pulled her out to Tam’s car.
“Hey Cassie! Long time no see.”
“Hi Tam.”
“Where to?”
“Our house.”
“You know sometimes I feel more like a chauffer then your sister.”
We laughed as she drove to our house. When we got there I pulled Cassie up to my room.
“Now tell me the truth.”
“Aly, I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Cassandra Kitlin, I know you and you would never willingly miss that much school unless something was really wrong. Plus you didn’t call or anything.”
“I was just really sick.”
She reached over to my desk to get a Life Saver and her hoodie sleeve went up and exposed her wrist.
“Cassie, what’s that?” I asked, pointing a shaking hand to her wrist.
“N-nothing.” She said hurriedly, pulling the sleeve down.
Before she could stop me I had pulled the sleeve up again to expose the fading bruises.
“W-what is all this?”
“I fell down a flight of stairs when I sick, that’s why I couldn’t talk. I was hurt really badly.”
“Why didn’t your parents tell me?”
“I didn’t want anyone to know.”
“Oh Cassie.”
I hugged her and just held her there.
“You promise these are just from falling down stairs?” I asked.
“Yes,” she whispered.
She left shortly after saying she had a lot of catch up work to do. When she left all I saw was the haunting image of her bruised wrist.
As I lay down that night I couldn’t help but think what if Cassie was…abused?