A friend stops her on the way there

As Cassandra made her way to the soup kitchen, she ended up crossing paths with her friend Paula. The shorter brunette was one of the few people still willing to hang out with her despite her compulsive lying.

"Cassandra!" Paula said, walking up next to her, "Where are you going so fast?"

"The soup kitchen," Cassandra answered, continuing to walk, "I'm going to volunteer there today."

"Yeah right," Paula said with a snort, "You'd never volunteer at a soup kitchen. This is another one of your lies, isn't it?"

"You got me" Cassandra said with a sigh. Why did she think she could get away with lying to Paula?

"Knew it!" Paula said with a snap of her fingers, "So, where are you really going."

"I... don't know," Cassandra said, slowing to a halt.

"You don't know?" Paula asked, "How can you not know?"

The redhead frowned, "I was heading in the direction of the soup kitchen, but I'd never volunteer, so why would I go there?"

"Maybe you're just hungry," Paula said jokingly, "Street urchins like you need their soup."

"Ugh, you're right," Cassandra said, her face darkening, "That's all the food I'll get outside of school anymore."

Paula raised a brow at this, "What are you talking about?"

"Hey, it's not like I can get a regular meal living on the streets," Cassandra said, "The soup kitchen's the only place that'll serve me."

"What are you talking about?" Paula asked, " Why are you on the street? Did something happen at home?"

"No, I don't have a home," Cassandra said, "I'm just a street urchin."

"Yes you do!" Paula yelled, "You have a house! I've been there! Why are you lying to me so blatantly?"

"I... I don't know," Cassandra said. She wasn't lying, was she? But she wasn't a street urchin: she had a house. So why did she say something that was such a blatant lie?

Paula meanwhile looked at her friend in concern. Despite her gut instinct to think her friend was lying, she couldn't help but admit that Cassandra sounded dead serious when she said she was homeless. Was Cassandra actually telling the truth, and lying now to avoid an argument? Did she hit her head on something? Or was there something more going on here?