There was something wrong with this picture.

Cassidy was currently in a girls bathroom, halfway across campus from the history class that she was supposed to be in right now.

Today had been....bad.

It had started fine.

Cassidy had brought Eli's leftovers from the magic cinnamon rolls he'd made this morning.

She wasn't sure if New Guy liked sweets, but she felt bad that he always brought stuff and she never did.

For the past three and a half weeks, he'd bring something to class with him. He brought an extra fork, just for Cassidy.

The only thing Cassidy ever had to share was her water, which went pretty fast between the two of them.

So Cassidy had nervously sat down and went for her backpack.

And then Derek opened his mouth.

The teasing had been fine.

Actually, nonexistent since Leo Henderson had started sitting next to her.

She wasn't sure if it was because he was on the football team, or if it was because he was tall and intimidating.

She didn't really care.

For almost a month, she didn't get attacked.

Even Mr. Gurshed had left her mostly alone.

But, that day, everything relapsed.

"What have you been offering Leo, to have him sitting so close? Almost close enough touch, eh Cassidia?" Derek sneered.

They'd only ever shared food or passed notes.

Cassidy tried to ignore him.

"Are you really that good? You don't look it, but I guess that's what makes it all the more suprising." Ian snickered next to him.

Cassidy hadn't done anything, but she suddenly felt ashamed.

Sleazy.

Ugly.

"This is the first time I've ever seen DeeDee put out."

Xander.

What a douche.

He didn't smile. Not like Derek, who pretended to be innocent, or Ian, who pretended to be funny.

He didn't have to.

It was so much worse, with the bitter hatred shining through.

The factual statements.

Cassidy jerked in her seat as time came back into focus.

But her hands slid away from her backpack and dropped limply in her lap.

Leo strolled in.

When he saw Cassidy, he grinned.

He put down his backpack, unzipping it.

The other two boys had turned around, faking as though nothing had happened.

But Xander and Cassidy were at a standoff.

Neither one moved.

"Guess what I have?" Leo wiggled his eyebrows.

Cassidy dropped her eyes.

She broke first.

And that made her feel worse.

Like the dirt had dug its way into her soul.

"Cass? Where's your book?" Leo asked, leaning towards her.

He was stunning.

Warm.

Happy.

Cassidy felt something inside of her choke and struggle.

She moved her head to look away from him.

"I'm not hungry. I don't feel good. I'm going to call and get picked up." She muttered, grabbing her bag and standing up.

"Cass-" he reached out.

She kept her eyes on the floor and left.

That was all normal.

She'd just forgotten what normal looked like.

The absurdity of the current picture was that she had walked into a bathroom across campus, pulled out her recently fixed cell phone to read the message from her dad saying that she needed to get a ride home again.

And then she'd heard crying.

It was soft, but undeniable.

Cassidy had stared at one of the closed stalls.

She could pretend she didn't hear it?

But there was still an hour and a half left to kill.

And right then, her mind pushed an image if her sweet sister Lucy, crying in a stall somewhere.

Cassidy sighed and knocked on the stall.

"Hey, are you okay? I'm here,  if you want to talk about it."

The crying hiccuped a little, and the latch flipped open on the stall.

Cassidy came face to face with....

"Loisa?!"