016 | failed attempt

"All right, you're all dismissed."

Cassie was glad that the club activities were over. She went out together with Samantha and Yvonne.

She wanted to talk to Baker, so when she saw Baker on sight, she would not hesitate to talk to him even though the others would start their gossips about what happened between her and Baker. She wanted them to know about it, so the others would think of Baker in another light.

She saw Baker who was about to step out of the school gate, so she yelled. "Stop right there, Mister Cinnamon!"

Baker heard a familiar voice, so he stopped his step.

Samantha, Yvonne, and the other remaining students looked at Cassie with a perplexed look.

She descended the stairs as soon as she could to narrow the distance of her and Baker. Samantha and Yvonne called her, but she paid them no mind, so Samantha and Yvonne just stood still and watched as how would the situation unfold.

She was still out of breath, but she gathered her lost breath in haste. "Yeah, you saved Nat back then, but you told a lie that only made the situation worse for her, you bastard!" she glared at Baker. "You better tell Nat you're sorry right in this instant!"

She had a feeling Baker wouldn't do it, but she still tried.

"I won't," as she thought so. "It's not even worth it."

"What the—!?" her fists clenched. "Not worth it!? It's all thanks to you Nat's being regarded as a liar in her school when you're the one who's a liar in the first place, so you should be regarded as a liar too!"

"Liar? What is Miss Sanders talking about?" the other students started to get confused about what Cassie told.

"I had a lot of reserved questions for Cassie after that," Yvonne heard what Cassie told.

"Me as well, Yvonne," Samantha never thought Cassie would accuse Baker as a liar.

"I don't care, then so be it," he replied.

Baker didn't want to prolong this, so he resumed his steps to proceed walking only to be blocked by Cassie.

"I'm not done yet, you bastard!" she wouldn't let him leave that easy.

"It's meaningless," Baker insisted. "I won't apologize. I believe I told you the reason."

She recalled where she once asked him why Baker did lie. He told something strange.

"Is this about what you told the other day?" she knew it was, but she didn't get Baker at all.

She recalled how he told the words 'because she deserved it'. "Nat did nothing wrong, so why would you tell Nat deserved it? It doesn't make sense!" she demanded an answer. "You need to tell me right damn now, you bastard!"

"You should be asking her about that matter, not me. You regarded me as a liar after all," Baker responded. Something came up in his mind, so he would tell it. "But it's even more strange you don't know about it. I guess she didn't tell you about it."

"What are you talking about...?" it just created more confusion. "Nat didn't tell me?"

Baker didn't want to stay for long, so he resumed walking. But she didn't even have the energy to chase him after she heard that from Baker.

"Nat is hiding something from me?" she didn't want to give Natasha a seed of doubt, but those words from Baker was like a poison.

Samantha and Yvonne descended the stairs to go where Cassie was.

"You know you have a lot explaining to do, Cassie," Yvonne reminded.

"Yeah, I can't just leave you hanging like that," she agreed.

She didn't want to leave them out of details, so she would fill Samantha and Yvonne later.

**

"Welcome back, Dear," Bryan hugged Natasha tight once he opened the door for her.

"I'm back, Mum, Pops," she smiled.

Diana hugged her tight next once Bryan was done.

"How did it go?" Diana asked.

"How did it go?" she didn't know what Diana meant.

"I mean your friend. How did it go?" Diana clarified the question.

"Oh," she got it once Diana clarified. "It's nice to have fun in a while, so yeah it went well."

"I'm glad to hear you had fun, Dear," Diana was delighted to see her daughter had a smile.

She went to step the stairs and then turned around to look at her parents. "I'll go upstairs."

"Be sure to go down once it's dinner, okay?" Bryan reminded.

"Got it," she nodded.

She turned the knob to enter her room. She placed her backpack on the floor and then opened her cabinet to change her apparel. She grabbed what she first saw and then proceeded to undress herself to wear her home apparel.

She fished her phone from the pocket of her skirt and then she sat down on her bed. She unlocked her phone.

She saw the saved number of Liam in her contacts. She smiled when she recalled that she made a friend and exchanged contacts with each other.

She almost dropped her phone on her face when it vibrated all of a sudden. She was relieved it didn't fall on her face or else it would hurt. She answered the call from Cassie.

"Hello, Cass," she greeted.

"Hey, Nat," she didn't know if it was her imagination or not, but Cassie sounded down.

"You sound down, are you all right?" she asked.

"Do I? I don't think that's the case. It must be your imagination," Cassie tried to sound convincing. "I'm all right, so don't worry about me," Cassie hoped Natasha would buy that.

"If you say so," she didn't want to press Cassie further.

"How about you? Should I worry?" Cassie asked.

"You don't need to, of course," she answered.

"I bet that won't happen," Cassie would worry regardless Natasha told the lie or truth.

"I have good news for you at least," she didn't want their call to be all about worries.

"Good news?" Cassie didn't expect that. "Spill it."

"I made a friend," she spilled the news.

"For real!?" Cassie was surprised, considering what happened after those photos of Natasha and Baker were posted in Smith Secret Files.

"Yeah, I did," she confirmed. "I didn't expect it really."

"Congratulations, Nat!" Cassie was relieved that she had someone, so she wouldn't be alone.

"Thanks, Cass," she smiled

"Who is this friend, Nat?" Cassie was curious, so she asked.

"He's Liam Speaker, Cass," she answered.

"Liam? That sounded a boy's name," Cassie then just realized— "No way! It's a male friend, Nat!?"

"I was even surprised myself," she expected she would make a female friend instead of a male friend.

"So what's the story? C'mon, spill!" Cassie was excited to know more about the details.

"I will. No need to rush, Cass," she would certainly tell Cassie.