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.

way he'd let Cassandra leave him was if he

do this, Rufus! Wake

look for a way to break inside the car. However, they

dialed Rufus's number and hoped

Rufus just

Please!

already stayed in an oxygen-deprived space for too long and his

another idea—she used her keys to try to break the window open from the corners.

trying. Eventually, the window started to show some cracks, but her hands were already red and swollen.

When enough cracks had shown, she took a deep breath and landed a

window and swung the door open from the inside—all the while, her hand was shivering. She reached inside the car and grabbed Rufus's body in an attempt to drag him

while she was short and slim—she wasn't strong enough

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

him—she tried pumping his chest

wished in her heart that Rufus would open his eyes

fought through the bitter taste in her mouth; she fought through the exhaustion—but to no avail, Rufus remained unmoving.

She was crying, scared and

I never should've said all those things to you, I'm so sorry! Open your eyes and look at me! I won't leave you anymore, please don't leave me like

that

that this would happen, she would never have attempted to break up with him. She thought she was doing the right thing. She'd been thinking over this

with me,

continued to breathe life

chest heaved. Cassandra

and blow air into his mouth. She

sinking in a cold, dark place. Everything about him felt stuck and frozen as if

in the darkness but he could hear a familiar voice. Cassandra! It was Cassandra's voice! She was here and she was

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

have the energy to do so as

was pumping his chest and blowing air into his mouth. Rufus could tell that it was Cassandra's lips that had touched his cold ones; as soon as their

that you, Cassandra? Are you saving me?' Rufus thought

mouth. He couldn't help but feel his heart ache at the thought of

He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay. Hard as he tried, he just couldn't make himself move. He felt disconnected from his body as if everything was too heavy for him.

quickened when he sensed

you, I'm here, ' Rufus

him to push his body more—he wanted to speak to her, feel her,