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Post by Nu on Oct 5, 2017 8:55:43 GMT
Cassidy felt ashamed to admit that she had spent the next few days after being kicked out of Will's room crying herself to sleep every night.
Without Elena, she essentially had nobody else to run to even just to rant.
Except maybe for Miles but their relationship was far too casual for her to really open up to him. They were at most coffee and study buddies and the most serious thing they ever talked about was which side the toilet roll should be facing.
She was trying not to show how much not seeing Will was doing to her but she knew she waa failing miserably. Even with huge sunglasses hiding half her face, she knew she looked defeated.
While she waited for Miles to arrive for their now regular coffee date, Cassidy stared at her phone with Will's name and number on the screen. She wanted to call him, she wanted to hear his voice. She sounded so pathetic.
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Post by Trix on Oct 6, 2017 14:08:58 GMT
The Underestimated Miles could honestly say, he felt a lot more at ease in college rather than the academy. Of course he had a lot more people who exuded emotions that made him go a little crazy, but Lottie was finally back in the same school as him. If he hadn't had her, he wasn't sure he'd talk to anyone on his own, except the obvious, his therapist. But with lacrosse being his greatest love and passion, he also had to keep his grades from sinking, and it was harder in uni than it had been at the academy, which was why he'd sought out a tutor.
Cassidy was a nice girl, older by a couple of years, but she never made him feel like he was young and dumb. Which in his mind, he kind of was. Lottie had the brains, he was certain he'd lost those when he joined lacrosse. But she was helping and that was all he could ask for, and he'd acquired a friend who wasn't his twin or the team of jocks that he was always with. A tutor and a coffee buddy all in one.
Running late, as per usual, Miles found himself rushing through the doors. His hair was still wet and dripping onto his t-shirt, but he felt it highly necessary to shower between practice and the coffee date with Cassidy. Most girls weren't fond of all the sweat, Lottie had informed him of that. "Sorry, sorry! I'm super late, but I have a valid reason!" He pointed to his hair, "Water, not sweat." He flashed her a shy smile before sliding into the seat across from her.
"You waiting for a phone call or something?" His question was innocent, he hardly meant to pry, but he could feel the weight of desperation and defeat coming from her. "I'm here, ya know, if ya wanna talk about anything," He could feel his own embarrassment clashing with her feelings and it made him shift uncomfortably.
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Post by Nu on Oct 6, 2017 15:40:25 GMT
Cassidy was startled out of her reverie by another blue eyed boy who was decidedly not Will and for a minute, she was relieved. Her thoughts has been occupied by the Brit for way too long and having someone else occupy her mind who didn't make her cry was a reprieve.
She slid her phone on to the table face down without exiting the screen and she smiled up at the younger collegiate. "It's fine." She shrugged, laughing at the state of him. "Lemme guess, you just got back from lacrosse?" She raised a knowing eyebrow.
With Miles, Cassidy knew where she stood. It was a good feeling to have. It was comfortable. Why couldn't it be this easy with Will?
His question confused Cassidy for a second before she looked down at her phone and sighed. "The jackass isn't going to call me any time soon. That English pride, I think?" She scoffed before shaking her head. "Sorry, I shouldn't be gossiping like a fourteen year old. You wanna order first?"
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Post by Trix on Oct 7, 2017 2:28:04 GMT
The Underestimated Miles gave her a wider smile and nodded, "I had grass stains and mud everywhere head to toe. Didn't think that was gonna cut it for coffee." He'd been raised with manners, which he supposed came from the Brit side of his family. They were always talking about how different manners were around these parts the whole time he'd been in America. If his dad hadn't been transferred to California, he wondered if he'd have stayed in England. Looking back, he hardly even remembered what it was like overseas.
His nose scrunched up and he frowned, "Sounds like a crappy guy anyway." He overlooked her English comment because she moved on quickly to him ordering and he was both parched and starving from his running around all day. He'd been drinking water, but he was in desperate need of coffee in order to manage staying up and working on an article for his World Civ class. None of it really made much difference to him, but he needed to pass. "Uhh, yes! Black coffee, shot of espresso and one of those croissant things with the chocolate in it," He said in a rush to the waitress that seemed to appear out of nowhere while he settled in.
"Can I make that a large cup, like the biggest one you've got? It's gonna be a long night."
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Post by Nu on Oct 10, 2017 9:14:47 GMT
Cassidy gave a polite laugh, shaking her head. "I don't think the staff here would appreciate cleaning up after that." She grinned. She was beginning to genuinely relax as she spent a little more time with Miles.
But when Miles kind of agreed with her assessment about Will, she felt a little guilty. Miles didn't know Will and here she was tarnishing his image of someone she actually thought highly of.
"Will has his moments. Very far and few in between but he..." she bit her lower lip and shook her head.
Silently thanking the waitress' timely presence, Cassidy tried to calm herself down. She was talking about Will like he was someone she needed to defend. Dangerous territory.
She looked at Miles with a raised eyebrow. "Long night? You're not pulling an all-nighter are you? What did I tell you about studying too hard?" She asked, big sister instincts kicking in.
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Post by Trix on Oct 12, 2017 17:02:17 GMT
The Underestimated "You're probably right. I didn't much appreciate getting knocked arse over teacup by the whole team, let alone trying to scrub the mud from my hair," He scrunched his nose and frowned.
The name, although common, struck a cord in Miles. He did his best not to let it affect him, but he couldn't help it. Hearing his brother's name always made him feel sick because he'd lost out on having an older brother for most of his life. Still, it was highly unlikely that the world was small enough for her to know him. Miles frowned, "I've been told that it's a guy thing. Not that I would really know much about acting that way, but my sister warned me that I better not turn out like every other guy." He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. She had actually threatened his life if he turned out that way, and she was scary enough that he took her word for it.
Miles looked at her and smiled sheepishly, "It's this super long paper I have to write and I didn't get the writer and reader gene like Lottie did. It's going to take me forever." He'd always been much more fascinated by sports and hands on things while Lottie had spent her life with her head in the clouds. Will used to read to them, he remembered not paying any attention because the stories always bored him. Lottie was captivated by every word though, he always thought maybe he should have paid more attention. "I'll be fine, it's just the one paper!"
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Post by Nu on Oct 19, 2017 11:04:01 GMT
Cassidy gave Miles a sweet smile. "You couldn't even if you tried. And that's not a bad thing. At all." She patted his hand warmly. Miles was adorable but she had long since found out that guys just did not like it when they were called that. Especially ones who played sports. But that was exactly what sweet, unassuming Miles was.
Giving Miles such a Mom look, even Cassidy was surprised, she laughed and shook her head. "Seriously Miles. You're gonna burn out before this semester finishes if you keep this up." She leaned back in the chair she occupied and regarded Miles for a bit. She didn't know what was it about him that reminded her of Will and it annoyed her. Miles was way too nice to be associated with a curmudgeon like Will.
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Post by Trix on Oct 23, 2017 15:24:21 GMT
The Underestimated That name again, and this time comparing the two of them to each other. Miles tried to look past it once more, but something was tugging at him. It was all too coincidental. "Oh no, I do! I mean, kind of. My parents still have their accents, but my sister and I moved to the States before we could really develop one. I was born in England," Miles gave a shrug. He had pushed the man from his mind again, making it easier to talk about his family because he had grown so used to disregarding Will as part of the family for so long.
Miles laughed nervously, "Well that's a relief. I kinda like living and uh, I wouldn't put it past Lottie to kill me sometimes." Although they would both be positively miserable without each other. Some kind of twin thing, it was always next to impossible being apart. "You'd like her though, I mean, when I say things like that it makes her sound like some kind of terrible sibling. She's really really awesome though."
He scrunched his nose and waved his hand dismissively, "No way! I'll be fine. I just need to ace this paper and study for my exam before practice tomorrow and ya know, hope that they don't knock me on my head anymore so that I may actually retain all of the information I'm crammin' in there." Miles snorted and scratched his head, shifting his eyes away from her. She was probably right though. But if his grades weren't good enough then he couldn't play and if he couldn't play he wasn't going to keep his scholarship. His parents, while they weren't poor, also didn't have money to just fork over to him. The scholarship had been the only reason he went to college in the first place.
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Post by Nu on Nov 1, 2017 4:34:48 GMT
Coincidence number one. Although she knew knowing English people wasn't exactly rare in these parts of town, it had to be a coincidence that Miles was English right? Don't they all run in the same circle here? She knew a bunch of them hang out together. Will wasn't the type to "hang out" though but still... "And it's just the four of you? You, your sister and your parents?"
She laughed at Will's description of his sister. She sounded delightful. "She does sound lovely. Girl after my own heart." Cassidy reassured Miles. "And she's...your twin?"
Cassidy still had that motherly look on her face but she shook her head affectionately and shrugged. "If you say so. I could always help plan out your study sessions you know. If you need it. You've improved drastically so far, I'd hate for this one night of cramming to jeopardise that."
She held her hands up and shook them lightly. "Sorry, I'm being a nag. But, do you want me to help you tonight?"
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Post by Trix on Nov 2, 2017 16:44:27 GMT
The Underestimated Miles felt a little pang in his chest at her question. It was just the four of them, but it hadn't always been that way. He shifted uncomfortably for fear of giving away too much about his family all at once. Lottie always told him that it was easier to pretend like their older brother had never been part of their lives, the same way their parents had, but both twins struggled with that because he had been such an important part when they were so young. "It is now," Miles nodded and gave a quick half smile to lighten up his own mood. Thinking about Will always got him and he wasn't sure if he would ever get over the fact of what his parents had done.
Talking about Charlotte helped significantly. She was his best friend. "Yup! I'm older by a minute and thirty-seven seconds. She hates it because she says she's the mature one despite the fact that I'm older, but it's fun for me," He always pulled the age card on her. And she used it against him just as frequently.
Miles laughed and shrugged, "I guess it couldn't hurt, huh? I just wish I was a better writer, it would make this paper a lot easier. I've never been the one who was good with words, that's always been Lottie and our older brother." When he realized what he'd said, he went white and shook his head hoping that she wouldn't ask him about it. Miles trusted Cassidy, and he liked her enough to open up to her, but his family was messed up. It was a topic he stayed away from whenever he talked to anyone.
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Post by Nu on Nov 3, 2017 18:52:24 GMT
Cassidy nodded, not knowing what else she could say to add to that. It was feeding her growing suspicion, but she kept her mouth shut. It couldn't be that big a coincidence.
Laughing, she was reminded of her cousin and her older sister by a year. "I've been on the receiving end of that argument from my cousins." She added.
She was happy to help Miles; he was one of the easier tutees that she had. They had built a rapport beyond their studies and she would be more than happy to help him out wherever she could. And as he spoke, Cassidy's hand itched to get her phone to pull up his records. She had barely glimpsed at it when she first got the info packet over email.
The look on Miles' face confirmed her suspicions but she checked her phone anyway. And there it was, plain as day. Spencer, Miles Wesley. "Oh..." she breathed out softly before looking up at Miles. "You're...you're Will Spencer's brother."
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Post by Trix on Nov 3, 2017 22:17:30 GMT
The Underestimated At first, Miles wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly. He didn't even know what she was looking at, but when she looked up, there was something wrong. She was looking at him differently now, like she was picking apart his features and under a scrutinizing gaze, he felt panicked. But when the words dawned on him, he began to slowly piece together what was really going on. Will Spencer's brother. It had been years, over a decade since he'd been lumped in with the likes of Will. Of course it was still his brother in his mind, but for someone else to say it, it just solidified things.
And the way she said it, it made him realize she'd been talking about his brother the whole time. She knew who Will was! She could finally help him reach his brother, apologize and fix things. Fix things for him, for Will for Lottie...their family could be together again and everything would go back to the way it was supposed to. His face remained blank as he processed because there were more things going on than had been addressed. She knew Will, but she'd had his file the whole time and should have known sooner than this about him being Will's brother.
Will must have mentioned him if they were friends or even acquainted which is what it sounded like. But she didn't know of him, she didn't know of Lottie or his family. And when that feeling overcame him, he felt ice cold. Will had done the exact same thing that their parents had tried to get them to do. He kept their last name and their accent, but nothing else that tied them together. Did he pretend that he was orphaned? That he'd never known his family? That he had no one? It took a few moments, but he finally processed what he needed to and he could feel his emotions getting the better of him. Her shock and what he pegged as almost disappointment registered in him and he frowned, "You know him. He's your Will. The one you were talking about, but...did he...did he even mention us?" His voice was quiet and he felt prickling beneath his eyes.
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Post by Nu on Nov 6, 2017 1:02:04 GMT
Her guilt only doubled when Miles called him her Will and when he asked if Will ever spoke about him and his family. And by the way he said it, Cassidy's heart broke, feeling like this wasn't the first time he had to ask this question of someone who knew Will.
"No." She admitted. "But that's only because we've never actually..." she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a beat before scooting forward to grab Miles' hands, squeezing it lightly. "Miles, Will and I...I don't even know where we stand. Until a week ago, all I knew about him was that he was this brash, ridiculously smart Brit with a mouth that you wanted to just punch." She said with a bit of a chuckle. "We didn't actually have the kind of relationship where he could talk about something like family." Miles' broken expression just made Cassidy want to reassure him.
"Are you guys not...has he..." she didn't even know how to ask what she wanted to ask without sounding like an asshole. So she took another route. "Will doesn't do well with people, does he."
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Post by Trix on Nov 6, 2017 16:26:49 GMT
The Underestimated Miles did his best to rein in whatever emotions he was feeling because if he continued on this way, he was going to experience one of the episodes that he tried hard to fight against. Her guilt weighed on him and he then felt guilty for putting her in this kind of situation. They were friends, she should have felt comfortable talking about someone who did her wrong. It shouldn't have mattered that it was his brother, the one he hadn't seen or heard anything from for half of his life. That wasn't her fault, it wasn't his own fault, it was just what had happened. Lottie always walked him through things like this, telling him to accept that something happened, to feel what he needed to and then to let it go. If he let it fester and become a larger problem, he would have an episode.
Her explanation didn't make him feel much better. The only thing he recognized was that Will had always been smart, just like Lottie. He didn't know Will as brash and mouthy, but he might have been too young to notice. He wondered if sarcastic wit came with the intelligence that ran in their family because he knew that trait from a few people he was related to. She grabbed his hand and he looked up at her, giving a small nod to acknowledge that he was listening.
Her hesitation made him frown, but he knew what she was getting at. "It's not that necessarily. Our family...well...my parents kind of screwed up. They screwed everything up for all of us and I guess...I guess Will just wants nothing to do with us now. I mean, maybe he doesn't know I'm here," He tried to sound hopeful because while Miles had been searching for Will, he could have been missing him each time. Sure, he'd called and left a message on what he'd thought had been Will's phone, but he could have gotten a new number. There were so many ways they could have just missed each other. "I've been trying to reach out, but I keep coming up short."
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Post by Nu on Nov 6, 2017 21:53:24 GMT
She wished she could ask him freely about that but there were plenty of people who would be insulted to even be considered possessing the mutant gene so she kept quiet and tried to put him at ease by stroking the back of his hand.
Knowing that their parents were the reason they weren't together made her see Will in an entirely new light. She immediately reasoned that that was the reason why he was so closed off. He didn't let people in because his parents had essentially forced him out.
It wasn't her.
And as much as it pained her to admit, having Miles here made it seem easier for her to get back to Will. To tell him that his brother was trying to reach out to him. Just any excuse to see him. But the maternal side of her was questioning whether she should even care about someone who would cast their own brother out because of what his parents did. It angered her in a way she didn't expect. She had a brother and the thought of him ostracising her for something her parents did made her sick and lonely, even though they didn't normally get along in the first place.
She couldn't even imagine how Miles felt.
"How long have you been trying to reach out?" She asked, a prickling feeling rising inside her.
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