Chapter One: Failing Herself
She never thought she’d be so quick to fail anything.
Cassie slumped down onto her bed and sighed, trying to calculate what she’d have to do for the rest of the semester to get her grade up to even barely pass.
She had been a wonderkid in grade school, didn’t even need to study, and now that habit had come to bite back. A consequence for not having to try. Her phone buzzed, and she sighed, rolling over to check it.
Are you in your dorm room?
It was her friend Tanya who stayed in the dorm room next door. They’d known each other since they started high school and had been inseparable for the most part.
Yeah, but I wish I was drinking instead.
Even though Cassie was just barely over 18, not quite old enough to drink yet, anything to help clear her mind was preferred.
There was a knock at her door, and she jumped, surprised.
“It’s Tanya, let us in,” came out a muffled voice through the door.
Seemed like she wasn’t going to get to wallow in her sadness alone.
“Alright, alright,” Cassie sighed. Climbing off her bed, she opened the door.
“Hey girl, I brought pizza,” Tanya said, shuffling past her. “Also, Ricky’s here.” She motioned to him as he followed her in.
Ricky and Tanya had been dating since a couple weeks after Tanya met Cassie, and he had basically forced his way into his friendship with Cassie as well.
“How did you do on the test?” she asked them, hoping that she wasn’t the only idiot in the class.
“We both failed colossally,” Ricky answered, slouching down onto the small couch by her desk.
“I’ve never done so bad. It’s like he’s out to get us,” Tanya added, pulling out a slice of pizza and taking a bite.
“Yeah, sure, he just has something out for everyone who went to Morton High,” Cassie rolled her eyes, grabbing a slice as well. “Was our high school just that bad? Do you think everyone else in the class failed?” She was unable to take her mind off it.
“If that was the case, he would have had to grade on a curve,” Tanya shook her head.
“Thanks for the food, by the way,” Cassie said, stopping and taking a bite.
She needed to figure out a solution—and soon. She didn’t have any huge plans to flee town like Tanya did, but she hated the idea of failing anything.
“There’s still half a semester of class left. We have time to fix this,” Ricky offered.
“With failing this, we’d have to get at least a 93 on all our other assignments, and at least a 90 on the exam to pass. And that’s the bare minimum,” Cassie said. She pulled up a chair for herself, still running the numbers. “With our grades looking how they have been, I’d have to say the chances aren’t too high for that.”
Math was her best subject, which would make her assume physics would be easier, but it had been an uphill battle since day one. She wished it wasn’t, but you can’t change what’s already happened, can you?
“What are your plans for break?” Cassie asked, trying to get her mind off of this.
“We’re going to spend it in Ricky’s mom’s beach home. It’s early enough in the season, and we might get the whole beach to ourselves.” Tanya was glowing at the mention of it, obviously excited.
Cassie tried not to be jealous. It had been ages since she’d dated anyone, and with her grades like this, she wasn’t sure she’d have the time to date anyway.
“What about you?” Ricky asked, chugging down a soda he grabbed from her fridge.
“Eh, nothing exciting,” Cassie said uncomfortably. “My mom’s marrying this guy I’ve met maybe four times. They just started dating less than a year ago.”
“Wow, she’s a quick mover.” Tanya almost sounded impressed.
“She definitely is,” Cassie sighed. “She wants me to be part of the bridal party. I don’t even want to go, except maybe I’ll find someone for myself.”
“At a family wedding? Scandalous,” Tanya teased.
“I mean a son of one of my mom’s friends,” Cassie clapped back, laughing. She was glad to have the two of them. They made things easier.
Cassie caught a look from Ricky that she couldn’t really decipher. Was he interested in her? He and Tanya had been her best friends for so long they were almost family. There was no way he meant anything behind that look. She pushed the thought away and tried to enjoy the rest of the night.
