009 | her familiarity?

Natasha didn't want to go through that again. She saw it occurred at her former school, so it made her recall an unpleasant memory.

She might be all right for now, but she didn't know what could possibly transpire in the next following days. So she needed to gather proof to shut Charlotte and the gossip down. Although it might be useless since Charlotte and the others would be stubborn believing about, she would do it anyway, so she wouldn't look like the idiot one.

She heard the ringtone of her phone when someone was calling. She wondered who it was, so she fished her phone in the pocket of her skirt.

She was surprised that Cassie was calling. She expected Cassie would call around the time she got home. Regardless, she wouldn't turn down the answer.

Before she could speak—

"Hey, Nat!" Cassie greeted.

"Cass!" she was glad to hear the voice of Cassie. "What's up?"

"I think I shouldn't ask you whether it's good news or bad news because it's going to be both," Cassie said.

She had her guess that it was about Baker, but she would ask Cassie to make sure what exactly was it. "What's this news about, Cass? Could it be related to Mister Cinnamon?"

"Bingo!" Cassie had a feeling Natasha would know who she was referring to. "I didn't do much when I got to talk to Mister Cinnamon."

"Didn't do much?" she was confused about that part. "Didn't you tell me that Mister Cinnamon is a difficult one?"

"Yeah, I did tell you that," Cassie wouldn't deny that. "But I got to talk to him in a ridiculous, unbelievable way!"

"What's this 'ridiculous, unbelievable way' you're talking about, Cass?" she asked, genuinely curious about it.

"You know I tried, tried to talk to Mister Cinnamon, but it wouldn't succeed. I mean, I kept squeezing some ideas that might help me, but nothing was squeezed. I don't want to stir up some misunderstandings as well, you know that Mister Cinnamon isn't just a normal student, he's a popular student. One wrong move would cause misunderstandings. You get me, right?"

She didn't get it. If Cassie managed to talk to Baker, why would she ask such? "You're basically telling me you didn't succeed, Cass? Is that it?"

"No, no!" Cassie denied. "I only told the first part of what happened! And this is where the 'ridiculous, unbelievable way' would take place!"

"All right. I'm all ears," she responded.

"When the school time was over, I wished it would be convenient to meet Mister Cinnamon, and it did happen!" Cassie still couldn't believe that. "I think that's when Mister Cinnamon went out of the convenience store."

"What!?" she found that hard to believe. "You aren't messing around, Cass?"

"Trust me, Nat. I'm not," Cassie insisted.

"So what happened?" she wanted to know.

"I told Mister Cinnamon that he should apologize to you for telling a lie, but as expected of Mister Cinnamon... he told me he wouldn't," Cassie answered.

"He's awfully stubborn, huh," she didn't know why she expected it would turn out all peaceful. She was such a fool. She overlooked what Cassie told her earlier... it was good news and bad news.

"I'm sorry if I couldn't help that much especially when I met him through some kind of wish," Cassie apologized.

"No. Don't tell you're sorry, Cass. It's Mister Cinnamon getting all stubborn," she didn't know it would be this difficult.

"But Mister Cinnamon told something odd to me," Cassie recalled what Baker told.

"Odd?" that caught her attention. "What do you mean by that, Cass?"

"I asked him why did he tell a lie, but he told me that you deserved it, Nat," Cassie answered. "Odd, right?"

It just added confusion. "I deserved it? What the hell is he talking about?"

She couldn't get Baker at all.

"Do you know Mister Cinnamon by any chance, Nat?" Cassie asked.

"No, I don't!" she answered. "I don't know why he would tell something like that!"

"Hm," Cassie pondered, but some idea came up in her mind. "Maybe Mister Cinnamon knows you, but you don't?" she concluded with that likelihood.

"Knows me?" it was still a mystery to her. "But I don't recall seeing him or him interacting with me or whatsoever."

Cassie wouldn't doubt Natasha. It could be a distraction or another lie from Baker. "Could it be Mister Cinnamon told a lie to make us confuse?"

"Told a lie?" it made sense to her. "Yeah, that could be it."

"Why is he telling a lie?" Cassie didn't get it. "He won't gain something from it."

She didn't want to use her head of thinking about what was Baker thinking all over again. So the best solution she had was to talk to him. "I think it's best to settle this if I can directly talk to him."