36 days later by Katerina Rose (books for 7th graders .txt) 📖

with me now.

We made it to the parking lot where they were loading the band equipment into the bus. The guys were standing outside. Daniel stood his back towards the car when we pulled up.

I jumped out before Tyler had thrown it into park. He had no time to grab me before I was halfway across the parking lot Charging Daniel with fire in my eyes.

The guys were standing in front of him and they backed up with fear in their eyes... Daniel turned around and looked shocked.

"You don't get to throw this away, You don't get to tell me you quit!" I screamed.

"Cassie---" He held up his hands to calm me down...

"Guess what! I quit You.... I quit this!... you can go on your tour and you screw whoever you want to! All I wanted was some time, to figure this out, and you quit! shows me you couldn't handle this anyway" I yelled..

"Cassie" he grabbed me by the arm to take me inside of the building they were loading from.

Tyler came running up and grabbed Daniel to push him off me...

Daniel pushed Tyler back "This isn't your fight... stay out of it" Daniel protested.

"Maybe if you hadn't treated her so badly she wouldn't be here right now" Tyler snapped back..

"Yeah she'd be in my bed not yours" -- Daniel shot back with a look of victory in his eyes.

Tyler drew back to swing at Daniel, I caught him by the arm and pushed him away. "Go!" I yelled... That was not going to solve my issues right now. If anyone would hit Daniel it would most certainly be me not Tyler.

Tyler walked towards the car, I could tell he was still heated.

I stepped back "That's all I am, some sort of consolation prize"

"No, but Tyler has it in his head this is a competition,... clearly you chose me" Daniel said.

"Are you kidding me right now? Your going to choose now to fight with him about me?" I snapped

I grabbed Daniel by the arm and pulled him inside the building with me.

I shoved him against the wall and looked at his shocked face. He was around 6 foot tall but when I was angry everyone under estimated the power I wielded in my body.

"Your going to listen to me right now... You get on that bus and don't fix us don't you ever come back. This isn't about Tyler or some stupid competition you thought you were in this is about you and me and why you can't seem to give me even a little more time to work this out--"

"Work what out! You over thought it! That's what you always do!"

"No! You don't get to defend your decision!,.. you left me!"

"Me!? You left me at the alter!--eloping was your idea!" he snapped.

"We didn't work through anything! We've had so many issues and you just choose to get married despite them!"

"We had our whole lives to figure shit out I just wanted to be happy with you now! Why am I being punished for that!? Why am I being punished because I'm so madly in love with you I didn't want to think about the crap that came between us or could potentially rip us apart in the future?!" He yelled

I couldn't speak.

He continued "You sit there on your high horse acting like this is my fault, I left you... You left me first... back when Jason walked into your life. You act like he didn't mean anything but he ripped such a hole between us that we never recovered from."

"You got married...."

"Are we really going tit for tat here!?" He walked around and ran his hands through his hair "Oh My God Cassandra all I want is you... why are you so hell bent on sabotaging your own happiness!?"

"I can't trust ...."

"Me?... that's it,... you can't trust me." He looked like he was going to cry. "So this is how it ends then"

"If you get on that bus--"

"You'll what?.... come after me? Suddenly trust me?... suddenly realize I made you happy and you ruined it for yourself?... If I get on this bus I'll finish my life with music, and I guess if you don't come after me I'll know we weren't meant to be-- and I hope your happy with Tyler or whoever else it is after him" He threw his hands up. He started to walk out the door.

"Daniel--"

He stopped but didn't turn around. "Don't stop me unless your ready for this now, because I can't do this again. I won't do this again..."


I stayed silent.

He walked out the door, walked passed Tyler, grabbed his bag off the ground next to the bus and got on..

I leaned against the wall, tears welling up from deep inside of me. I slid down the wall and covered my face. My heart was breaking all over again. My head told me I made the right choice but my heart told me I couldn't let him walk away again.

Tyler came in a moment later and picked me off the floor and hugged me. The bus pulled out of the parking lot... and Tyler took me home.


I wasn't sure what was going to happen now but I was sure Daniel and I had come to our end...
Chapter 11

It had been 8 months since Daniel walked out and left me alone. We hadn't spoken, I hadn't the slightest idea where he was and most of my mind was kept occupied on my own life.

I took a sabbatical off from the band. I didn't write and I didn't sing. Alex told me he would be ready whenever I was.

Levi and Ally went back to college. They decided it was time for them to get a degree since the band was over until further notice.

I mostly stayed in, saw Tyler in the halls occasionally. Nothing romantic, we decided after everything happened we didn't want to destroy our friendship by dating. He was now in a relationship with a girl named Elizabeth, and I couldn't of been happier for him.

It had been 8 months though and I couldn't help but wonder why Daniel hadn't come home to see me. Not once.

I had made friends with my neighbor next door. A pretty blonde, also single. We hung out on a regular basis. Hailey and I usually had weekly movie nights alone together. She helped keep my mind off of Daniel. She knew the whole sad story. Its how we bonded. She had also dated someone from high school and it ended badly. She often encouraged me to pick up writing again but I hadn't been ready till recently to even attempt it.

A quick knock on my door and Hailey's face emerged.. "So good news, we are going out tonight" She smiled holding tickets in her hand.

"Oh?"

"Yes! Got tickets to a cool new club downtown, I know its not usually your scene but you've been moping around for long enough I can't take it anymore... I'm getting you out and possibly laid" she laughed.

"Seriously?, I don't hook up with randoms" I smiled.

I was parked on the couch in my sweat pants eating a bowl of cereal watching Gossip Girl on netflix. Clearly I was in no mood to go clubbing.

"Well so you pretend, get a few free drinks and come home to finish watching Blair and Chuck battle it out..." She smiled..

"Who's the entertainment?" I asked knowing every hot club had a band.

"No one anyone's heard of, but just come for the good time.. come on! At least go so I can meet someone" She smiled "I need to get me some... I'm tired of pining for my ex"

I sighed. "I don't have anything to wear"

"Luckily, I have a closet full of clothes that will be brand new to you" She giggled.


Hailey dressed me up in a cute little black dress and red heels. We did our hair and make up, she was wearing a red dress that was so skin tight I'm not sure a crow bar would of pulled it off. We went down to the club and against my better judgement I decided to have a drink.

We sat at a table close to the stage. She wondered off to talk to some guys that had been eye flirting with us since we walked in and I people watched for a few moments.

She came back over with one of the guys "This is my friend Cassie, ..Cass this is Alyx. He wants to buy you a drink" she smirked.

"I have one, thanks though" I smiled politely at him.

"She'll take it" She smiled at Alyx and he wondered off to the bar. "Cut it out, your going to scare them away"

"Good, maybe I'll miss the being date raped in the parking lot later too" I smirked.

"Woman..."

"Hailey... I'm here, count your blessings" ---"I'm staying to see this no name band and then I'm going home.. "

"Oh I think you'll stick around" She giggled and wondered off to the bar again.

The houselights came down on the club and the stage lights came up. The crowd cheered and I thought it was odd people were cheering for a band no one knew? Maybe they were drunker than I thought they were.

I looked around for Hailey, no sign of her. Alyx came back with a drink in his hand, he set it in front of me and sat down next to me.

He had me distracted while the band walked on stage. I heard the guitars being checked for sound a little,... and a voice rang out on the mic.

"Hey How are you guys?... Anyone hammered yet?" the crowd cheers.

Alyx is trying to keep my attention with some line about how I'm prettier than Hailey, and through I'm flattered at the lies I cant help but think the voice behind me on stage sounds familiar.

"So even though half of you may not remember this when you wake up tomorrow we're going to play some good music for you,... this is an old one but I'm sure you know it... good to be home!!" The voice yells out...

It clicks..

I whip my head around, ignoring Alyx altogether.

Daniel stood on stage a few feet from my face. Guitar in hand. Ripped jeans, Tshirt and jacket on. His brown hair was grown out in front of his face. He had his glasses on. Something he never wore during a set unless his eyes were puffy for some reason.

I started to get up. Alyx grabbed my arm "Can I get your number?"

"I'm--- I'm not ----Hailey will give you hers-- I have to go,.. but if you see her tell her I'm going to kill her" I said and stumbled backwards...

I was trapped in a sea of people at tables and standing around... The only exit door close enough was right next to stage. less than a foot from where Daniel was standing. Do I dare? ....

I looked