had dropped by half an hour earlier because she wanted to hang out before heading back to her place for the night, but Lora suspected there was something else distracting Cassie. Since arriving, she'd been quiet and subdued, and Lora was fairly certain that the talk Cassie had with her mother the previous night about her math grades was weighing heavily on her mind. As a result of Sydney's meeting with Daniel Barnett, she'd restricted Cass's weekend and weeknight activities until her grades improved, and while Lora thought her friend's limitations were a bit extreme, Sydney had been adamant about her decision.
"So, what do you think, Cass?" Lora asked in an attempt to draw the young girl out of her funky mood. "Does this outfit look okay for a casual date?"
"How would I know?" Cassie replied sullenly, and without glancing up from her glossy fashion magazine. "I've never been on a date before."
"But you will," Lora assured her. "Someday."
When she didn't get a response, Lora sat down on the bed next to Cass and gently smoothed a hand over her soft, auburn curls. She'd always been able to talk to Cassie and reason with her in a way that Sydney couldn't grasp. Sydney was the strict one, the disciplinarian, and Lora was the softer, gentler voice of understanding. It was a good balance for Cassie, and she at least trusted Lora enough to open up to her, rather than keeping everything buried inside where it could build into the kind of resentment that drove a kid to do drugs or to hanging out with the wrong crowd in an attempt to rebel against a parent's rigid rules.
Flipping the last page in the magazine, Cassie tossed it aside with a sigh and finally looked up at Lora, her expression filled with teen angst and frustration. "Do you really think my mother will let a boy get close enough to ask me out?"
The sarcastic tone of Cassie's voice had Lora biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Cassie didn't need her amusement, but rather her support and assurance, and Lora did her best to provide it. "Cass, hon, you're only fifteen. You're young and have plenty of time to date boys."
An indelicate snort escaped the younger girl, and she flopped dramatically onto her back and stared up at the ceiling fan above the bed. The position accentuated Cassie's figure, especially the round firmness of her breasts that most grown women would kill to possess. And those very adult curves were a big reason why Sydney felt the need to shelter her teenage daughter.
"Most of the girls in my classes already have boyfriends. I'm probably the only one who's never been kissed." She slung her arm over her eyes as if the thought traumatized her. "God, if my mother had her way, I'd die a virgin!"
A truer statement had never been spoken, but Lora wasn't about to add to Cassie's anguish by admitting that out loud. "Losing your virginity isn't all that it's cracked up to be, you know."
Cassie lowered her arm, her pretty hazel eyes brimming with a young girl's hopes and wishes. "I'm not looking to lose my virginity," she said adamantly. Then her voice turned soft and forlorn, "I just want to be able to say yes if a guy asks me out on a date. Is that so much to ask?"
No, it wasn't a whole lot to ask for at all, but unfortunately Lora wasn't the one who made those kinds of decisions in Cassie's life. All she could do was talk to Sydney and fight the good fight on Cassie's behalf. Maybe she could suggest a group date with friends, which would be far safer and not nearly as intimate as a single date.
As Lora mulled over that idea, a thought occurred to her. "Does this conversation about dating have anything to do with the Halloween party you want to go to?"
Cassie averted her gaze and shrugged. "Maybe."
Lora took her answer as a yes, but didn't push the issue for now. When Cassie was ready, Lora had no doubt she'd bring up the subject. Or, the boy she was interested in would garner up the
"So, what do you think, Cass?" Lora asked in an attempt to draw the young girl out of her funky mood. "Does this outfit look okay for a casual date?"
"How would I know?" Cassie replied sullenly, and without glancing up from her glossy fashion magazine. "I've never been on a date before."
"But you will," Lora assured her. "Someday."
When she didn't get a response, Lora sat down on the bed next to Cass and gently smoothed a hand over her soft, auburn curls. She'd always been able to talk to Cassie and reason with her in a way that Sydney couldn't grasp. Sydney was the strict one, the disciplinarian, and Lora was the softer, gentler voice of understanding. It was a good balance for Cassie, and she at least trusted Lora enough to open up to her, rather than keeping everything buried inside where it could build into the kind of resentment that drove a kid to do drugs or to hanging out with the wrong crowd in an attempt to rebel against a parent's rigid rules.
Flipping the last page in the magazine, Cassie tossed it aside with a sigh and finally looked up at Lora, her expression filled with teen angst and frustration. "Do you really think my mother will let a boy get close enough to ask me out?"
The sarcastic tone of Cassie's voice had Lora biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Cassie didn't need her amusement, but rather her support and assurance, and Lora did her best to provide it. "Cass, hon, you're only fifteen. You're young and have plenty of time to date boys."
An indelicate snort escaped the younger girl, and she flopped dramatically onto her back and stared up at the ceiling fan above the bed. The position accentuated Cassie's figure, especially the round firmness of her breasts that most grown women would kill to possess. And those very adult curves were a big reason why Sydney felt the need to shelter her teenage daughter.
"Most of the girls in my classes already have boyfriends. I'm probably the only one who's never been kissed." She slung her arm over her eyes as if the thought traumatized her. "God, if my mother had her way, I'd die a virgin!"
A truer statement had never been spoken, but Lora wasn't about to add to Cassie's anguish by admitting that out loud. "Losing your virginity isn't all that it's cracked up to be, you know."
Cassie lowered her arm, her pretty hazel eyes brimming with a young girl's hopes and wishes. "I'm not looking to lose my virginity," she said adamantly. Then her voice turned soft and forlorn, "I just want to be able to say yes if a guy asks me out on a date. Is that so much to ask?"
No, it wasn't a whole lot to ask for at all, but unfortunately Lora wasn't the one who made those kinds of decisions in Cassie's life. All she could do was talk to Sydney and fight the good fight on Cassie's behalf. Maybe she could suggest a group date with friends, which would be far safer and not nearly as intimate as a single date.
As Lora mulled over that idea, a thought occurred to her. "Does this conversation about dating have anything to do with the Halloween party you want to go to?"
Cassie averted her gaze and shrugged. "Maybe."
Lora took her answer as a yes, but didn't push the issue for now. When Cassie was ready, Lora had no doubt she'd bring up the subject. Or, the boy she was interested in would garner up the
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