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 he

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

inside the car. However, they were in a deserted area

came to her. She dialed Rufus's number and hoped

just lay there,

wake up! Please! You're scaring

get worried as Rufus had already stayed in an oxygen-deprived

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

the window started to show some cracks, but her

shown, she took a deep breath and landed a clenched fist through the

her hand was shivering. She reached

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

She gathered all her energy and soon, she was able to drag him out of the car in one piece.

resuscitate him—she tried pumping his chest hard and fast with her hands, then

that Rufus would open his eyes to look at her. However, Rufus remained lifeless.

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

lose hope. She was crying, scared

I never should've said all those things to you, I'm so sorry! Open

her heart that

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

Rufus! Stay with me, I'm so

bawled as she continued to breathe life

chest heaved. Cassandra

continued to pump his chest and blow air into

him felt stuck and frozen as

couldn't see anything in the darkness but he could hear a familiar voice. Cassandra! It was Cassandra's voice!

eyes and hold her in his arms.

do so as

pumping his chest and blowing air into his mouth. Rufus could tell that it

Cassandra? Are you saving

that ran in Cassandra's mouth. He couldn't help but feel

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

heart beat quickened when he sensed how scared Cassandra was.

darling. I'll protect you,

his body more—he wanted to speak to her, feel her, and hold