A Graduation Gift

Cassandra stood at the side of the road, holding the phone in her hand and dumbfounded. She didn't know what had just happened.

She heard something loud. Where could it have come from?

Suddenly, she had a good guess on what had happened so she turned around and ran back to the Garden Villa immediately.

The wind blew across her face as she breathed heavily and quickened her pace.

Her heart was beating rapidly and she could only see darkness but she held on to the one person who was keeping her going.

It was Rufus! Rufus!

Rufus could feel his body aching all over when the terrible car accident happened. But nothing could compare to the ache his heart was nursing.

"Cassandra..."

Rufus murmured the little woman's name. A glimpse of a familiar figure was suddenly running towards him.

Was it Cassandra? Or an illusion?

Rufus couldn't tell who the figure was because he couldn't even open his eyes. Before he knew it, he had already fainted.

Cassandra saw Rufus's Range Rover crash into a wall from a distance—the front of the car looked quite damaged.

Her chest tightened at what she'd seen; her heart began to beat so fast that she felt it would jump out of her chest anytime soon.

She ran and ran until she'd closed the distance between them.

When she arrived at the car, she saw Rufus slumping over the wheel. His legs were stuck inside the car and he looked terrible. It was hard to digest the entire scene.

Cassandra felt as if someone had grabbed her heart and crushed it—she couldn't breathe.

She tried to ram the door open but it was locked and she couldn't break it from the outside.

She then tried to smack the window hoping that Rufus would wake up to the noise but he didn't even flinch. He wasn't moving at all. Did he just faint or was he...dead already?

Cassandra was crying and shrieking, "Rufus, wake up! Don't leave me! Rufus!"

What Rufus had said before came true.

he'd let Cassandra leave him was if

you anymore, Rufus! Don't do this, Rufus! Wake up!' Cassandra shouted in her

to look for a way to break inside the car. However, they were in a deserted area and no one was even passing by.

came to her. She dialed Rufus's number and

work. Rufus just lay there,

up! Please! You're scaring

already stayed in an oxygen-deprived space for too long and his legs had been stuck for

with another idea—she used her keys to try to

window started to show some cracks, but her hands were already

had shown, she took a deep breath and landed

inside—all the while, her hand was shivering. She reached inside the car and grabbed Rufus's body in

and big while she was short and slim—she wasn't

this didn't stop Cassandra from trying anyway—this was an emergency after all. She gathered all her energy and soon, she was able to drag him out of the car in one piece.

the road and started to resuscitate him—she tried pumping his chest hard

that Rufus would open his eyes to look at

that rolled down her cheeks and into her mouth; she fought through the bitter taste in her mouth; she fought through the exhaustion—but to no

lose hope. She was crying, scared and desperate.

you, I'm so sorry! Open your

heart that was filled

doing the right thing. She'd been thinking over this break up for quite awhile—now she just wished she'd

Rufus! Stay with me, I'm so

she continued to breathe life back into him.

Rufus's chest heaved.

his chest and blow air

about him felt stuck and frozen as

he could hear a familiar voice. Cassandra! It was Cassandra's voice!

could open his eyes and hold her in his arms. He wanted to tell her, 'Cassandra, I'm yours and yours only.

have the energy to do so as he couldn't feel his body

started resuscitating him. Someone was pumping his chest and blowing air into his mouth. Rufus could tell that it was Cassandra's lips that had touched his cold

you saving me?' Rufus thought to

ran in Cassandra's mouth. He couldn't help

He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay. Hard as he tried, he just couldn't make himself move.

beat quickened when he sensed how scared Cassandra was.

I'll protect you, I'm here, ' Rufus consoled

only motivated him to push his body more—he wanted to speak to