Would You Still Be There?

At lunch, Austin and I entered the cafeteria just as it started pouring. The door closed behind us, and we approached our group of friends; me not wanting to talk to anyone. When I sat down, Anthony called me.

"Hello?" I asked, picking at a thread on my jacket.

"Are you sure you don't want me or dad or Elizabeth to pick you up?" Anthony asked.

"I'm with Austin. I'm fine," I muttered quietly, closing my eyes as they filled with tears.

"All right, Cassidy. I'll pick you up after school," Anthony said. I shook my head despite the fact that he couldn't see me.

"Don't. I want Austin to come with me, so he can give me a ride," I said, my voice faltering a bit.

"Okay. I love you Cass. I'll see you in a while," Anthony said.

"I love you too," I said, and I hung up immediately. I placed my phone down on the table, and I folded my arms on the table and put my head down, letting a sob rip through me. Austin pulled me closer to him, and I relaxed against him, feeling him rub my back soothingly.

"Cassidy?" Ben asked cautiously, and I sat up and looked at him. I wiped my tears away and sniffed, looking up at Austin instead.

"Baby, I think you need to call your brother and tell him to pick you up. You're not gonna get through this easily," Austin said softly, taking my hand and lacing his fingers through mine. I looked down at my lap and sniffed. I shook my head.

"I can't do that!" I said hopelessly.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because they'll send me right back to therapy. That's why I want you with me when I go home," I said, and I dried my eyes with my jacket sleeves. Austin took both of my hands and looked down, then back up.

"I understand. I'll be with you every step of the way," Austin said. I gave him a faint smile and he let me hug him.

"Thank you," I whispered in ear. I sat back down, and he pressed his lips against mine in a sweet kiss. Our friends were silent, and I remembered that Ben was the only one who knew we were dating. So, when Austin and I pulled away, they were all staring at us. Then I looked up and met Kylee's eyes from across the cafeteria. She was gaping at us, and the next thing I knew, she was rushing out of the cafeteria out into the rain.

When school was let out, Austin and I walked to his car, trying to stay somewhat dry... but we weren't doing so well. He opened the passenger door for me, and I got in quickly, allowing him to close the door. He rushed around the car as the rain fell harder, and he pulled his door open and got in as I buckled my seatbelt. He let out a deep breath and started the car, and he looked back to see if anyone was in his way.

He pulled up in front of my house as the streets started to flood, and I hoped to God this storm wasn't gonna get worse. We both removed ourselves from the car, and I took a step over the water and onto the sidewalk that had yet to be covered by water. Austin grabbed my hand, and we hurried up the drive as thunder boomed in the sky. A flash of lightning lit up everything, and I shivered. I hated thunder and lightning. Absolutely despised it.

We made it to the front door, and I turned the handle, finding the door locked, and I rummaged around for my house key as wind whipped though my hair, making it impossible for me to see. Meanwhile, Austin knocked on the door, and in seconds, my dad pulled it open and ushered us inside quickly as the storm would surely get worse. He closed and locked the door, pressing his back against it as he let out a sigh.

"I thought you guys wouldn't make it home very fast. There's supposed to be a hurricane. We need to get down to the cellar. Elizabeth is home safe, and her and Anthony are down already with everything we're gonna need. Quickly you two. We don't have much time," my dad said, and he turned off all the lights that were on as we rushed through the house and out into the backyard. My dad unlocked the cellar door, and they both followed me down, my dad locking the door from the inside. We met Anthony and Elizabeth, who were huddled into a corner by the fire that looked freshly built, and I shuddered at the thought of the storm. This was going to be a long night.

Austin and I set our wet backpacks in front of the fire, and we both removed our shoes and socks, sitting down a couple inches away from my siblings. I cuddled up against Austin, beginning to weep. This was not how I wanted today to go. This was far from what I wanted. My mother dead from something somehow and now a hurricane? It was unbelievable.

"How'd mom die?" I asked, surprising myself with the loudness of my voice.

"Heart attack at work," my dad said, and I put my face in my hands. Austin rubbed my back and kissed my forehead. I was so glad he was here. Because who knows where he'd be right now if he wasn't with me.

"We'll just have to stay here until the storm dies down. We'll know when," Anthony said, and I agreed. You could very easily hear the wind and thunder, telling us that the storm was growing stronger by the minute.

"We should at least lighten the mood and try to have fun. I brought cards and board games with me," Anthony said. I looked over at him as he pulled out a regular deck of cards, then an Uno deck out of his backpack. He left the board games alone and started shuffling one of the decks.

"Maybe after everyone gets some sleep, Anthony. Come on, guys. I have some blankets and some pillows over here with me," dad said, and I looked up at Austin who stood up and grabbed a blanket and a pillow, returning to me and setting the two items on the cold floor.

"What time is it?" I asked him, and he pulled out his phone and turned it on.

"It's three twenty-seven. Let's lay down for a while, yeah?" He asked me, and I nodded. He layed down first and I followed, placing my hand on his chest and my head on the pillow. He pulled the blanket over us, and I snuggled closer to him, sighing a little bit.

"We'll get through this, darling. I promise we will," he muttered quietly, and he pressed a soft kiss onto my lips. I closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to come. But it never did. I layed there for a while as everyone else fell asleep, and I listened to the wind outside. I listened to the rain beat down against the ground, and I would hear the occasional sound of thunder. After a few hours of laying in Austin's comforting arms, I was able to drift off to sleep. Slowly but surely.

Notes

Hi!! :)