Now.....

     " Cassie... CASSIE! Earth to Cassie!"

I jumped startling me out of my painful reminiscence .

      "Huh... what? Oh sorry Jake." I said as I turned my head toward him. "What were you saying? I spaced for a minute." I apologized, still half out of it.

       "It was nothing terrribly important. I was just wondering if you were ok, cause you seem tired."

        "I am, but im OK. I have to be OK." I responded doggedly. He sighed looking exasperated.

        "It won't help you to work this hard if you kill yourself doing it."

         "I told you im fine."  I said getting annoyed. rolling his eyes, Jake putting his hand lightly on my scarred shoulder. Almost immediatly i flinched away, then relaxed remembering that Jake wasn't Dwayne and  would never hurt me.

       It was last year. earlier in the day i had embarresed these tough gangster guys and they found me later walking by the electric fence of the military instillation next to our school. They cornerd me against it, burning my left shoulder, then beat the crap out of me. Now my left should bears the scars from that fence and i could barely stand anyone touching me. I also had to wear  three-quarter length sleeves now. It sucks.

       Then suddenly Jake pulled me into a corner by some lockers, I tensed for a moment, then relaxed knowing he would never hurt me. We stood there for a few moments with my head on his shoulder trying not to cry. Then suddenly Hey There Delilah came blasting out of his shirt pocket half deafening me. I jumped. It was his girlfriend Louisa. Then I remembered something as he glanced at it.

      "oh Crap! What time is it?" I glanced at my watch. "Shit, i'm gonna miss the bus and be late late for work!" I grabbed my black backpack, then paused looking at Jake.

       "It's ok i need to go talk to Louisa anyway." he said as Hey There Delilah came blasting out again.

        "Thanks Jake, you're the greatest" I said as i kissed him on the cheek and sprinted out the school doors.