#vevolucas

The loud, thumping music was something louder than Cassia was used to. Sweaty, barely dressed bodies agreed with her, but while they were usually accompanied by the whirr of professional cameras recording, using the long black arms to zoom in and out. It was hard to even think, with the heavy bass rattling her brain, shaking her bones. It was kind of a good feeling, she thought.

It may have been the drinks she had in her, or the club playing her favorite song, but when Ashton and Orion snuck off to hook up, she just kept dancing.

When she was like this, mostly wasted and focused on the music, she was lost all sensibility. She wasn't worried about what would happen if she was hungover in the morning, or how completely wrecked she probably looked, with her makeup smudged and dark waves out of control swaying to the music.

A few times, she felt hands sliding around her waist and down to grip her hips, and she wouldn't deny that she let it go once or twice- it was nice to get attention while not in a studio once in a while. They all disappeared after a few songs, though, either finding better dancers or ones that were willing to pay attention to them in the way they wanted.

The last time, though, was different. The hands sliding over her were larger, thinner. They didn't immediately head for her ass or yank her hips directly back into another prominent boner; instead they curled around her waist, holding firmly, but not gripping. It felt different. Cassia wasn't really sure if it was the alcohol or the way it felt, but she decided right that moment, she wasn't going back home that night. If Orion and Ashton got to fuck, why shouldn't she?

Her logic was pretty fucked up, which she knew she would've realized had she not been wasted. Choosing to ignore it, though, was something she would've done even had she not been drunk- the alcohol only added extra encouragement.

The fingers on her waist slid down a little, tapping a ways away from the large palms; she could only imagine what else they could do. The thought had her in a panicked frenzy of hormones- she couldn't remember the last time that'd happened.

"You look incredible in that dress," a low voice sounded in her ear, fingertips pressing into the tight material. "So incredible."

Cassia didn't reply- it wasn't necessary. She knew who it was near immediately. There was only one that she'd ever heard in her time in England, and it almost made her smug that here he was, hitting on her. She knew that he'd be on his knees begging if she snapped her fingers; he had to be wasted, too.

She was giddy, though. It was exciting, it made adrenaline pump through her veins. He reached up and brushed the hair off of her shoulder and inched closer, his chest just barely hovering over her bare back, and it was driving her crazy. She did the only thing she could really think to do, which, in hindsight, had been pretty stupid.

Half-turning, she slid a small hand up his bare arm, looked up into dark blue eyes, and uttered a few words that drastically changed everything.

"Take me home," she commanded, ignoring the amused look in Luke's eyes. She might've been slurring, she might not have, Cass wasn't really sure. All she could think was how it'd feel with that dick (literally) on top of her, and she could barely control herself. "Take me to yours, now."

-

Cassia woke up with a killer headache and an overly warm body. She let out a soft groan, not bothering to even begin to try to remember what had gone on the previous night. She figured she could probably call off work and roll over and go back to sleep- they wouldn't miss her too much.

She wiggled her body a little, curling into a more comfortable position on the abnormally soft pillows. They smelled like fresh, clean cotton, and not at all like the familiar smell of her perfume and cigarette smoke lingering from when Orion came to her loft to cuddle.

Squeezing her eyes closed tighter, she tried to block out all forms of light, hoping that maybe that would ease the dull throbbing behind her eye, making her wince in pain.

"You look rough," Luke's voice rang out too loudly, making her groan loudly and bury her face in the soft pillow. "And I mean 'Slutty Gang Bang 6' rough."

"Shut up and get out of my house." She grumbled, the throbbing now more profound than dull.

"Actually, sweetheart, you're in my bed," Cassia felt the bed dip a little next to her, and then the safety of the warm covers was ripped off of her, immediately sending shivers down her body. "Naked, too."

Cassia froze at that, her entire body tensing up. When she realized that, not only was she naked, that she was naked in Luke's bed, her hand shot out, blindly grabbing the fluffy duvet and yanking it back over herself.

"Did we..?" she choked out, slowly peeking out, opening her eyes one at a time.

"Sleep together?" Luke asked. Her eyes met his, and Cass was angry to see that he looked amused, like it was all some big joke to him.

"Just tell me, Luke." Cassia growled lowly, using her free hand to rub at her eyes.

"No," he said simply. "Made out, then you puked on yourself in the cab here. Figured you probably needed the sleep."

"That dress is gonna be ruined." she groaned softly. Mostly, she was just thankful he didn't try to sleep with her while she was that drunk, despite how much she probably (embarrassingly enough) begged for it.

"It is. I'll give you some of my clothes to go home in," Luke said cheerily. He was, perhaps, the biggest asshole that she'd ever met, and it was near infuriating, how smug he got. "Or, you could stay here and stay naked." he added after a few moments.

"I'd rather drink battery acid," she grit her teeth. Gripping the covers so they wouldn't slip off and reveal her, Cassia sat up. The sharp pain immediately returned, making her head feel like it was about to split in two; this was by far the worst hangover she'd ever had. A small whimper forced itself past her lips while her eyes clamped shut, and only moments later, the cool rim of a glass was pressed to her lips.

"It's not battery acid, but it'll help your head." Luke said, hinting at some form of obvious kindness that Cass hadn't seen (or heard, to be more accurate) before.

"Thanks," she mumbled, taking the glass from his grasp, taking a swig and making a face. "God, this is awful!"

"Homemade remedy," he explained with a laugh. "Tastes like shit, but within 10

minutes you'll be up, guaranteed."

Frowning down into the deep green liquid that was probably only bubbling in her mind, Cassia took another large drink. By the time she'd managed to get it down, there was a towel and a pile of clothes on the bed next to her.

"You look like a raccoon, go clean yourself up. The shower's right through that white door, help yourself to the spare toothbrush under the sink," he brushed his hands off on his dark colored jeans, making his way to the door. "I'm making cereal for breakfast. If you want some, cool, if not, you can see yourself out after."

He started on his way out, but paused to glance back at her. "Unless you wanna stay and fuck. In that case, just get back in bed after." He gave her a cheeky wink, then left, door closing behind him.

Cassia sighed. She probably did look like a raccoon, but there's no way she was staying for a fuck- despite her coming for one. God, she’d been so incredibly drunk. She couldn’t believe that Orion and Ashton let her have that many drinks- or, really, just Orion. Ashton was the type to encourage it (and then claim that he’d had experience with alcohol poisoning, and that he’d tell you if you were getting it).

Taking a second, she looked around the room the was sat in. It was obviously Luke’s bedroom, though she hadn’t pictured it looking like it did. Other than the messy white sheets (which were due to her), the room was pretty clean. A few knick-knacks sat on a small desk in the corner, and a water bottle on the bedside table, and a tall laundry hamper by the door halfway full of clothes and scrubs alike made her feel a little better. He wasn’t totally alien, then.

What was really special, though, were the cameras. Huge, fancy shelves screwed into the walls at several different heights housed more cameras than Cassia thought was humanly possible. Old polaroids, new polaroids, Canons, Nikons, and even an expensive looking Leica on one of the top shelves. Camera straps hung from a nail by one of the racks, in vibrant colors, and also neutral black, which looked the most worn. Luke hadn’t been kidding when he said he did photography in his spare time.

Sighing, Cassia reluctantly forced herself out of Luke’s warm bed and padded into the bathroom, following his “instructions” as best she could. She didn’t even want to look in the mirror- she knew she probably looked worse than he’d let on.

Once fully clean, teeth brushed, decked out in a baseball tee and sweatpants, Cassia made her way downstairs. His house was big- bigger than she’d imagined it would be. She’d always pictured him living in a ratty apartment, not a clean, decent sized house. Especially not on a intern/photographer’s paycheck.

She found the kitchen quickly; from the bedroom hallway to the main steps going down, the lower floor opened up into a large living room and kitchen attached, without walls or entryways in between. Sat at the table was Luke, who was eating cereal, as promised, out of a giant bowl.

His shoulders were hunched over his breakfast, his elbows resting on the island. He must’ve gotten changed from when she was showering, because instead of the crinkled clothes that he’d worn to the club, he was dressed in a dress shirt and a pair of black jeans. A bit of blonde hair poked out from underneath the black beanie, like little flyaways that didn’t quite make it in. Cassia coughed softly and his head shot up, baby blues scanning her body from over his clothes.

“Hey,” Luke said through a mouthful of cheerios. He nodded his head towards the other tall chair across from his, swallowing. “Hungry?”

Cassia shook her head, and found herself tugging on the hem of his shirt. “I, uh. Work, I’ve gotta get going.”

One of his eyebrows quirked up, and he gave her a quizzical look. “Baby, it’s Saturday.”

“Right,” she breathed out. “Saturday, right.”

Luke smirked a little, eyeing her. “Are you hungry now?”

Cassia shook her head, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes. She was getting nervous for some reason, her stomach tying knots in itself.

“Nah, Orion’s probably worried sick,” she explained in a matter-of-fact tone. “I didn’t have my phone, so, you know.”

“Whatever you say,” Luke shrugged, munching another spoonful of cereal, swallowing before speaking again. “I live on 32nd and North. Can you find your way home from here?”

Cassia nodded. “I’ll walk, mine isn’t too far from here. Don’t worry about me getting kidnapped or anything.”

“I wasn’t concerned about that,” Luke snorted. He got up and poured his milk out in the sink, setting the bowl inside. “I didn’t want you getting lost and having to have me come find you.”

“Such a gentleman.” Cass snorted, fingers closing around the hem of her (his) shirt.

"You could always stay," Luke looked back at her, leaning against the countertop, his arms crossing over his chest. "I wouldn't mind that."

"Right, all I've gotta do is fuck you," she rolled her eyes, her arms coming up to cross over her own chest. Luke's eyes flickered down to watch, but returned to her face quickly. "No thanks."

"You've gotta repay me somehow, right? Why not sex?" Luke said, and Cassia stopped. The rage bubbled up inside of her, churning faster than molten lava inside an active volcano, and god, was she going to explode.

"What did you just say to me?" she grit her teeth together, and Luke opened his mouth. She didn't give him time to respond. "You think I owe you something? Why? Because you didn't take advantage of me while I was drunk?"

"I-" Luke started, his cocky attitude deflating visably.

"Do you know how rapey that sounds? Drop your pretentious attitude and get your head out of your ass, Luke. Girls don't like that, and they won't ever owe you anything for being a nice guy." Cassia fumed. Her cheeks were flushed, her light freckles totally invisable, blending under the harsh red; her arms hurt from flailing around.

"I'm sorry," he said, pushing himself off the counter, taking a step towards her. "I'm sorry, okay?"

"I want an apology," Cassia demanded, her face hard-set. "I want you to apologize like you mean it. Say you're sorry for being an asshole, and for all the snide comments, and everything else!"

"I apologize," Luke moved back to the island, standing where he'd been seated minutes before- a few feet from Cassia. "Cass, I'm sorry. I was a douche."

He sounded sincere, but then again, sociopaths were charming and endearing and could get whatever they wanted. Not that Cassia thought he was a sociopath- he was just lying through his teeth, and it was obvious.

"Goodbye, Luke." Cass shook her head, headed straight for the front door. Ignoring a half-hearted plea from Luke, she headed down the freezing street, beginning her trek home.

-

Ashton picked her up three blocks from her and Orion's apartment.

Apparently, they'd panicked when they couldn't find her, and since she didn't have her phone on her, had desperately roamed the London streets all night, taking turns so the other could sleep, but never once pausing the search.

Of course, Ashton was a compulsive liar, so Cassia just went along with it and thanked him for his valiant efforts.

"I'd do the same for anyone." he'd told her, giving her a sincere look.

Orion was a mix of angry and overjoyed when Ashton lead her through the door. Overjoyed that he'd found her, and angry that Cassia had disappeared.

"What were you thinking?!" she wailed, following Cassia into the kitchen where she fixed herself a bowl of cereal.

"I wasn't, I was drunk. I wanted someone to fuck, so, when Luke showed up, I left," she paused, then added. "Not that you noticed."

"Luke?" Orion frowned, putting her hands on her hips. "Who's Luke?"

"I knew a Luke once," Ashton mused. "Sang in a band. I toured with them for a while, we were pretty great."

"Tell me later, Ash," Orion said distractedly, spitfiring at Cassia as she walked to the living room. "Seriously, Cassia. Who's Luke, and did you..?"

"I work with Luke, and no, we didn't. I told you, I was wasted."

Orion frowned, but sat next to her on the couch. "Are those his clothes?"

Cassia glanced down at herself- she'd almost forgotten about the sweats and baseball tee he'd lent her.

"Yeah. I puked on my dress." she said shortly, and started eating her cereal without any further explanation.

Orion sighed, realizing that the conversation had probably ended. "Your dad's been calling your cell all morning. I told him you weren't here, but," she frowned a little. "Your phones in your room. I'd call him back."

Cassia’s eyes widened immediately. Her legs moved quicker than she could think, carrying her up the narrow steps to the loft. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

“I didn’t think it was that big a deal!” Orion’s voice drifted from downstairs, but she wasn’t listening. Phone already in hand, she plopped down on the bed, frantically dialing her father’s number, impatiently listening to the ringing feedback.

She got his voicemail the first and second times she called. The same voicemail, the same gruff “Don Grant’s voicemail. Leave a message.” every time.

She was about to lose it, honestly. Her fingers frantically tapped on the keys, sending text after text to her dad, and then to her little sister. Both of which were futile- there was still no answer.

Finally, after what felt like 4 hours of horror (in reality it was 4 or 5 minutes), she finally got an answer from her father.

“Dad?” she breathed out, eyes wide. “Dad, is everything okay? I didn’t have my phone last night, I’m so, so sorry. Is Kennedy okay? What’s going-”

“We’re alright,” her dad interrupted, his voice gravelly, like his voice box had been pelted with small stones. “For now, at least.”

“What’s-?” Cassia started. Her heart rate felt like it’d increased tenfold; when she got a call from her father, he either was giving her updates on Kennedy, or was asking for something. None the less, talking to her father was a rare treat, and she treasured every moment of it, even if it made her anxious on occasion.

“The check bounced,” Don sighed deeply- it was the kind of heartbreaking sigh that made your own breath catch. In short, it sucked. “We don’t have enough for the mortgage this month, if we cover the all the debts.”

“What?! That’s- That’s impossible!” Cass spluttered, her legs carrying her off the bed and around the loft, pacing frantically. “I worked extra, I’ve got extra money just for you guys! It can’t have bounced!”

“Don’t panic,” he soothed softly. Despite this, Cassia knew that he was more afraid than he let on to be. “We’re fine, okay? We’ll just tell the bank-”

“What? Tell the bank that you can’t afford it this month? And get foreclosed?” she rushed out, probably sounding snappier than she’d meant to. “I’ll work extra. I’ll send you my paycheck, alright?”

There was a soft sigh from the other line, and she could almost hear the sigh in his voice. “Thank you, Cass.”

Rubbing her eyes, Cassia bit her lip. “I love you, dad. Tell Kennedy I love her, too.”

A quiet pause, and then, “She says she loves you too.” “I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said, frowning a little. “I’ll fix everything, okay? I’ve got this.”

“I love you.” was all the response she got, before the soft click signalling the end of the call sounded.

Cassia sighed deeply, maneuvering her way around the clothes and other things scattered on her floor to her bed. She eased herself back down on to the bed, curling up with her knees pulled to her chest, head tucked in between. She wasn’t sure how she was going to convince Jack to give her another shoot, or how she’d even go about asking Jack about another shoot, but she’d figure something out. If all else failed, she could always get a third job in a strip club or something. Pole dancing couldn’t be that hard, right? Probably not right, she thought with a sigh.

It was horrible of her to want to blame her mother for this mess her family was in, but she couldn’t bring herself to. The closer it got to Christmas, the worse she felt, and the worse she felt, the more she blamed herself.

She could’ve stopped her mom from spending so much; she could’ve prevented this. It wasn’t fair that their family was left with the guilt and grief and the debt. It wasn’t fair.