Cassidy 1. Fashionista 2. College student, sophomore, with moderately good grades 3. Moderately popular, has a good group of friends and is generally well-liked 4. Comes from a nuclear family: parents still together and an older brother 5. The older brother is the black sheep of the family, the rebel, the trouble-maker 6. Allergic to both cats and dogs 7. Recently dumped by her highschool sweetheart 8. Light brown hair with strawberry blonde highlights running through it; a chic bob that comes to her chin, cut to that length after her break-up 9. Dark brown eyes 10. Light olive complexion 11. Has had the same best friend since the second grade, Erika, whom she first met at a neighborhood-wide birthday party for Erika and her twin brother, Steven 12. Unaware of Steven’s long-term crush on her 13. Loves the rain, especially in the spring and summer, but hates the snow; gets cold easily 14. Confident and likes to laugh, but is not very witty and not very good at telling jokes Cassidy added the finishing touches to her burnt orange dress—gold hoop earrings, a chunky brown belt, thin leggings, and brown leather riding boots—and carefully applied her makeup, focusing, as always, on bringing out her chocolate brown eyes. She took one final glance in the mirror to check her appearance. Pausing, she ran her fingers through her hair. It hadn’t been this short since the fifth grade when Steven, her best friend’s brother, accidentally spit bubblegum into her hair, forcing her to get it cut. She had hated it then, but now she rather liked her new bob. It made her feel fresh and light, as though she were walking through a like spring shower, even though it was currently the middle of autumn. Finally, content with what she saw, she headed out of her apartment and drove to Erika’s house. She and Erika went way back, and the girl was like the sister she never had. Convenient, since Cassidy’s older brother hadn’t been a part of her life since he dropped out of high school during his junior year and ran off to the West Coast. Erika had been the first one Cassidy called for comfort after being dumped by Mike. They had gone out for four years, but one day, Mike just cut ties without a word as to why. After some hesitation, Erika finally confessed that she saw him with another girl, and that told Cassidy everything she needed to know. Cassidy made it to Erika’s house 15 minutes early, but she decided to knock anyway, assuming her bestie would be home. To her surprise, Steven answered the door instead. He looked rather surprised, too. He stood in the doorway without saying anything for a moment, mouth slightly agape, until he finally began, “Your hair...” She laughed. “Remind you of anything?” she asked with a wink, and she could’ve sworn she saw his cheeks turn red. Cassidy asked if Erika was home, but Steven told her that his sister had gone out to the store. After clearing his throat, he also added that his sister should be back soon, if Cassidy wanted to stay inside and wait. The girl gladly accepted the offer and stepped in. Through conversation, she learned that Erika had asked her brother over without explaining that she also had plans with Cassidy that day. Both speculated the reason for her actions, which eventually led the two to reminisce. Before long, the two were laughing and talking casually, a pleasant atmosphere developing between them. Meanwhile, Erika sat in a coffee shop alone, checking her watch and wondering how much alone time she should give her brother and her best friend.