Cassie

What? Who is that?
I know the name, I've heard it somewhere before, I just can't remember where...
Oh wait, it's me!
"Cassie," that's what my best friends call me. My real name is Cassandra, but I have never been a fan of the full version of my moniker.
I remember when I was little, I would get so mad when my parents called me by my full name, I wanted to be called "Cassie" like all of the popular girls in my class, so my besties decided that the only name they would call me was "Cassie."
It stuck and it has been that way ever since.
My friends actually prefer "Cass" instead, but I really don't like that.
Sometimes when I'm in trouble, which has been more infrequent as I've gotten older, my mom will call me "Cassandra," and I know it's not going to be good.
I am kind of a rule follower, so I'm really not in trouble with my parents or other authority figures that much.
There was one time when I was 13, my friend and I went to the mall without our mothers' permission, that was a big deal since we lived in a small town and our moms were friends.
When we got home, my mom grounded me for a month and I was not able to go to my best friend's birthday party that I had been planning for over a month.
I was so upset!
My mother kept calling me "Cassandra" because she was so disappointed in me.
I learned my lesson though and never did anything like that again.
I think that knowing what my mother's expectations were helped me to see that I need to behave myself and respect the authority figures in my life.
The other time, although it wasn't my fault, was when I was 16 and I got into a car accident.
My friend's older brother was driving us home from a party when he fell asleep at the wheel and we ended up in a tree.
Luckily, no one was seriously injured, but it was still really scary.
After that, my parents made me take defensive driving classes and I had to get my own car insurance.
I was really scared to drive for a while after that, but I eventually got over it.
Those were the only two times I can remember my mother calling me "Cassandra," so I guess it did the trick!
Even though I have only been called "Cassie" by my friends for as long as I can remember, I have always been proud of my full name and I think it suits me well.
The name "Cassandra" is of Greek origin and it means "she who excels in prophecy."
I think that is a pretty cool meaning, and I hope that one day I will be able to live up to it.
I like my name, it's unique and pretty, just like me!