Later that Saturday, Christina and Cassie went to the mall. She seemed very happy for Cassie, more than Cassie was, and she didn’t mind that she didn’t get it.

“So if you also didn’t get picked, that means I’ll be signing that modeling contract with Tameka,” Cassie said.

“Better her than me,”

“Come on, you weren’t that bad, in fact we were the same there. I don’t know why they picked me. I was terrible,” Cassie tried to comfort her.

“Yeah, but girl you are what they need and you deserve it sweetie. I’m actually proud you,” she rested her arm around Cassie’s shoulders. They walked towards a boutique.

“You know Devon asked me out tonight? I don’t know what to tell my father because I really want go on that date,” said Cassie.

Devon was Cassie’s boyfriend, a Grade 12 student at Cape Town High, whom Melody did not like at all. She didn’t understand why Cassie would choose him out of all the cute guys at school.

“Hey you can tell him that you going out with me,” Christina suggested but Cassie disagreed. She didn’t want to get her friend into any kind of trouble.

“No you can forget about that one I don’t want to get you into trouble. I wouldn’t like that at all,”

“Come on Cassie I just wanna help you that’s all, isn’t that what friends are for?” Cassie had no choice but to allow her to help out.

“Ok then, thanks my friend,”

When she got home she went straight to her father.

“Come on Daddy, please, we’ll be back before ten,” she begged for her father’s permission to go out with ‘Christina’ so she said. They were all in the lounge except for Mel, who was in the bed room.

“Don’t come home very late, Cassie, ten is the latest,” he finally allowed her.

“Thanks Dad, you the best,” she kissed him on the cheek and then left.

“Don’t you think you’re spoiling her too much by allowing her to do everything she wants to do?”

“No I want her to enjoy some quality time with her friends that’s all, as long as there will be no boys,” he wasn’t paying much attention, he didn’t even look Tracey in the eyes, he was concentrating on the football that was playing on the television.

“Who said there won’t be any boys?” a voice from behind said, they both turned and saw Melody standing behind them.

“What do you mean?” Daniel asked.

“That Cassie is actually going on a date with Devon, a guy from school whom she has been dating for a while now,” she explained as she went to sit next to him.

“No she went out with Christina, you saw them leaving together,” he did not want to believe her though deep down he knew that it might be true.

“Of cause Daddy, Christina’s her friend and so it’s her job to cover up for her,” she handed him her phone, “here call her and ask her yourself if you don’t believe me,” but Cassie’s phone sent them straight to voice mail.

“I’ll wait up for her. She and I have got a lot to discuss,”

Mel and her mom went to bed and he just sat there alone waiting for Cassie. The more he thought about her, the angrier he became. He had no problem with Cassie having a boyfriend, she was sixteen anyway, but lying about it made him very unhappy.

He waited almost the whole night and what made him angrier was that it was way pass ten and she hadn’t shown up yet. Just a minute after eleven Cassie arrived, she was very shocked to find her father waiting for her.

“Oh D-daddy, you’re still up?” she just froze in front of him.

“Cassie where have you been?” he couldn’t hold his anger.

“I told you where I was going and you didn’t seem to have a problem with that?”

“Are you sure that you were out with Christina?” her heart started to beat faster.

“I can’t believe you, what kind of a question is that father?”

“Answer the damn question Cassie, Mel told me everything,” he said pointing a finger at her.

“Um I- I,” she was speechless. Damn you Melody, you had to ruin my life again, she thought .

“Answer the question Cassie,”

“Ok then, I knew you would freak out if I told you the truth so I begged Christina to lie, she didn’t want to but I insisted,” she explained.

“I don’t have a problem with you going out Cassie, but lying about it makes me sick,”

“I’m sorry OK,” tears fell off her eyes.

“Tears won’t help you out of this one Cassie, from now on you are grounded; no more friends for two weeks,”

“Two weeks, no ways!” she ran upstairs crying. Before she could enter the room she went back to her father. “Why not send me away if you no longer want me here? I wanna go to my mom, I hate it here!” she said.

“There’s no way you are going there, I won’t allow that,” he tried to calm himself, he felt a bit guilty for being that hard on her.

“Why? I want you to be happy with you family. It’s obvious that I’m the intruder in this house, so let me leave,” she was actually getting angry. She was also getting angry and her dad had calm down.

“Cassie I think you should go to bed now, before you say things you might end up regretting,” he went back and turned off the lights.

Let’s chat: Is Cassie justified in saying what she says? Was Mel right in telling on her sister?