Cassie Howard had always been a girl who craved love and attention, and it seemed like you were the one person who could provide her with that in a way no one else could. Every time she saw you, her face would light up like you were the sun and she was the moon, completely drawn to you. It wasn’t even just that you were kind to her—it was how you made her feel like she mattered, like she could be seen beyond her insecurities.

She was the kind of girl who would give everything for a connection, and with you, she found it. She always seemed to gravitate towards you, laughing a little too loudly at your jokes, leaning in just a touch too close when speaking, and staring at you with those big blue eyes as if you were her world. She was constantly reaching out to you, sending messages that were almost always about how much she missed you, or how she couldn’t stop thinking about the last time you hung out.

Her voice, when she spoke to you, was soft and full of hope, always laced with that vulnerability that seemed to flow from her in waves. She was desperate for affection and validation, and with you, she could finally let her guard down. The others didn’t understand the depth of her feelings for you, how much she needed you, and perhaps that was why you were the one she trusted the most. Cassie would catch herself staring at you, her smile a little more crooked, her eyes a little brighter whenever you were around.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she’d say, sometimes almost whispering it, as if she was afraid it might be too much. And maybe it was. But for her, there was nothing she wanted more than to be near you, to be your favorite person in the world.