It was early May and I had managed to gain back five pounds. I didn’t look as emaciated, but it was still very apparent to whoever looked at me that I suffered from an eating disorder. Life was getting easier and I had yet to relapse. My ankle was almost completely healed. I was able to walk without crutches, but I still wore a brace on it as well as my knee. While I was on crutches, Mike started getting separation anxiety from me. If we were apart for more than 12 hours, he started to freak out. He’d have anxiety attacks and his insomnia would get horrible if he wasn’t sleeping in the same house as me. It got to the point where Vivian decided to take him to the doctor for it. He was now on a different antidepressant that helped with depression as well as anxiety. His attacks have calmed down for the past month, but we usually spend the night with each other just in case. Both our mom’s have become more lenient about it because of the problems Mike was facing.

On the bright side, Mike was graduating at the end of the month and his grades were starting to look up. My interview at the University of Southern California had gone really well and they were willing to grant me with huge scholarships if I continued on with cheerleading and getting good grades in the fall. Mike had gone for a tour of the school with me and he seemed really positive about everything. It was only two hours from home, but Mike was working on saving money to move into an apartment in LA with me. Before Today had a tour that was getting put together from the first week of July to the last week of August. Mike was ecstatic about it, and so was I, even though deep down we both worried about his anxiety. I was so proud of him for getting this far, and I knew that he was only going to become more and more famous from here on out.

I sat on the beach, letting the last bit of sun before dusk soak into my skin, with Casey by my side. We were both singing with smiles on our faces. We had sung Spiderwebs by No Doubt about thirty times in the past two days. Somehow we both managed to become addicted to the song and sung it whenever it came on the radio. I butt out my cigarette and belted out the last line of the song. Mike was at work and would be getting off in an hour. Abbey and Katie were both at court because the cops finally caught up with them. Stephanie was pressing charges as well as a restraining order against both of the girls. I refused to be part of the trial as a witness. I knew that I would want to bust all of Stephanie’s teeth out if I had to sit in a court room with her.

Casey handed me the joint that he had just pulled from his lips. I grabbed it and inhaled, then passed it back to him. I cracked open another can of beer and brought it to my mouth, then laid my back onto the towel under me, “I can’t believe you guys graduate in two weeks.”

“Me either. I can’t believe Mike and I are actually graduating with our class,” Casey laughed and took a sip of his beer. “I can’t wait to hit the road.”

“I can,” I laughed. “I don’t know how I’m going to handle being away from you guys for like two months! More so, how is Mike going to handle being away from me?”

“I’ll make sure that he smokes and takes his medicine daily, and besides, Cassie, you’re going to be coming to all of our SoCal shows. You’re only going to miss the few up north.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I’m still worried, though.”

“He’ll be fine,” Casey reassured me.


I nodded and closed my eyes, taking in the sounds of the beach. I listened to the few seagulls that called out from the sky and the sound of the waves hitting the shoreline. I knew this was going to be my escape for when the boys went on the road. So much had happened at this beach over the past two years with Mike. I met Mike here. I saved his life here. This was the first place I got high. This was also the first place I got drunk. Mike and I said I love you for the first time here. We made love here. Now I was going to be coming to the place, where we made tons of memories, to look back on them while he’s away.

“Cassie, there’s dolphins,” Casey’s voice sounded from beside me.

I sat up and looked out into the water. You could see dolphins jumping around and smiling. A smile broke out across my face and I stood up, pulling on Casey’s hand, “Come out and swim with me!”

He looked at me, puzzled, “But you’re scared of the ocean?”

I laughed, “Dolphins scare off sharks! I want to swim with the dolphins! Come on, Case!”

I placed my sunglasses on my beach towel and ran out into the water. Casey soon followed right behind me. We swam out to where the dolphins were. They weren’t scared of humans, they were actually quite friendly. I had learned a lot about them. How they interact with humans. How they love pregnant women. How intelligent they are. I felt one brush against my leg and I let out a giggle. Being high and swimming with dolphins had to be one of the best ideas I ever had. We stayed out in the water with them for a long time. I even got to touch them and kiss one on the nose. I was so amazed, and I could tell Casey was too.


“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING!” Mike’s voice sounded from shore.

“We were swimming with dolphins!” I yelled as we swam back to shore.

Mike was in skinny jeans and a tank top. He had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth like usual, when he pulled me in for a hug. I took the cigarette from his lips and kissed him, then took a drag from it and placed it back in between his lips. “I brought you chicken nuggets,” he smiled and motioned over to my beach towel where there was a McDonald’s bag sitting on top of it.

I dug into my chicken nuggets at the speed of lightening, shoving them into my mouth. Mike had also brought Casey and himself Big Macs. “How was work?” I asked as I set the box down and grabbed the beer I had placed in the sand.

“It was good. I got to do nipple piercings for the first time; which was pretty cool,” he shrugged and took a bite of his burger.

“Did she have nice boobs?” I asked, semi-irritated that he would tell me so nonchalant.

“He, was flat chested,” Mike laughed. I blushed at my stupidity and just popped another chicken nugget in my mouth. He smiled, “That’s right, be embarrassed for getting pissy over nothing.”

“Shut up,” I smirked and threw my last chicken nugget at him. It smacked him right in his cheek and I bursted into laughter.

“Did you let her smoke?” Mike asked Casey while I continued to laugh.

Casey smirked and Mike groaned. I stopped laughing and cocked my head, “You’re just jealous because you haven’t smoked in three days.”

“Yeah, because I have to take a piss test,” he groaned. “And now I have to take you home high.”

“I just want to go to bed when we get home,” I smiled and played with the laces on his Vans. “And by bed I mean sleep,” I laughed.

Casey laughed, “You’re so boring when you’re high. You have fun for like ten minutes and then all you want to do is go to bed.”

“I’m a tired person and it makes me even more tired! I can’t help it!” I whined and untied Mike’s left shoe.

“Would you please not do that?” Mike swatted my hands away and re-tied his shoelaces. “Put your stuff on, let’s head home.”


The car ride back made me even more tired. I yawned and rested my head on the window as Mike drove towards his house. The radio was on low, playing some rap station. I felt a rush of cool, night time air as Mike rolled his window down and lit up a cigarette.

I lifted my head from the window and looked at him, “You should wake me up with flowers.”

Mike smiled and exhaled the smoke that was in his lungs, “And why’s that?”

“Because I really want some flowers,” I laughed. “Steal them out of someone’s flowerbed.”

“So you want me to pick you flowers?” He chuckled and switched gears with his right hand. He grabbed my left hand and brought it to his lips, kissing my knuckles, “I can do that.”

“Make sure they’re pretty,” I smiled as he laced our fingers and rested our hands on the center console.

“Nah. I’m going to pick you the world’s ugliest flowers and weeds to wake up to just to show my love for you,” he laughed and cut the engine off.

I pulled my hand from his and opened my car door, “Well, that’s not very nice.”

“I’m kidding,” he wrapped his arms around me from behind and walked up the front steps of his house. I pulled the key from his pocket and opened the door. He kissed my head and moved away from me, “Go on upstairs and change. I’m gonna tell my parents we’re home and I’ll meet you up there.”

Notes

Eh. Filler.
I hate it.

Clothes

ANYWAYS,
I'm sorry everyone that I haven't updated or commented or whatever.
I've been on vacation and to like three different concerts and BLAH.

Next update on this will be out early next week.

Sorry this chapter blows donkey dick.
But I need some fillers to show changes in time and shit.
And I'm preoccupied on the drama I'm creating for Sam's Town.
xoxoxoxox