Helpless

“I can give you anything you need.” Cassie held his hand and stared at him. Skye kept looking away from her, but she was persistent. “Just tell me what’s going on,” she added, eager to offer help to him. 

"Why are you helping me? I'm nothing! I can't return everything you will give to me. Why are you even doing this to someone like me?" Skye raised his voice, slapping the reality at her. At this point, he only wanted to get away from her because he couldn't risk her getting involved in his situation. He tried to pull his hand off her grip, but Cassie didn't let go. She even moved closer to him and tightened her hold on him. "Isn't it obvious? Since I met you in the hallway, you're the only real man who appeared before me. I… I don't know why, but I think…."

"Don't. Please don't," Skye said and sniffed as tears pooled in his eyes. "Look. You're just driven by your emotions. I'm not an ideal guy for you. Besides, you have Ethan. You are the king and queen of the campus. You're just confused," he said while he was as if stabbing his own heart. He didn't imagine himself someday pushing her away when she finally had feelings for him. Skye was only this for her sake. She had no future with a rubbish man like him. That was his love.

"I thought you liked me," Cassie said in discouragement while she lowered her head and loosened her grip from his hand. Skye sniffed and wiped the tear on his cheek. It took a lot of courage before he could say in a saddened tone, “You thought wrong.” He then stood up from the floor, got his old black bag, and walked away from her.

Sobs were heard from the section of the shelves where Cassie was. Even if Skye left her crying, he could listen to her pain from a distance. He stopped, and his feet wanted to run to her and tell her he loved her too. At this point, he could only clench his fist and convince his mind to stop thinking about her. 'You did the right thing. In that case, she will be safe,' he painfully said in his mind before he continued to walk away as if nothing had happened.

After Cassie had recovered from the rejection, her knees felt numb that she couldn't stand properly. She hung her hand on the shelf to support her before she could finally walk out of the library. It had been weeks since she was declared queen, so the crowd following her wasn't as several as before. She walked into the hallway with a weakened heart and frowned face until she got behind the kiosk where they ate snacks. 

Cassie hardened her fist and beat her legs out of frustration as her hair became messy. "Who does he think he is?" she thought for one second. "He's a gentleman man who doesn't pretend," she answered herself as if she was crazy. Her mind was in a war for him. While she was thinking of him, an expression of him flashed in her mind. "Sad? Afraid?" she mumbled when she realized how his eyes were in her mind. She groaned, "Agh, I don’t care what he says anymore!” 

Because of this, Cassie went to their classroom. While she was finding Skye’s friend, her cellphone rang. Without hesitation, she ended it and texted her mother.

Cassie: [Mom, don’t stop by the university. I’ll go out with my friend tonight. I’ll get home soon.]

Right then, she turned her phone off and found Skye’s only friend. “You know Skye, right?” Cassie asked a man who looked smart. It was Dominic. “Y-yes,” he stuttered while he couldn’t believe that the queen of the campus would look for his nerdy friend. “So, you know where he lives?” she asked again. Dominic only answered her with a nod. "Good. Can you give me his address? There's something we need to talk about," Cassie asked for favor with a tone of a commander. 

Their classmates staying in the classroom were baffled by this scene, but none of them interrupted her. Immediately, Dominic got a paper and wrote down his exact address. Cassie left the moment she got it, leaving Dominic with an open mouth. "What the hell just happened?" he said with wide eyes.

The bell rang at the whole campus, and a day in school was done. Students went out and rode their expensive cars to go home, while Skye still had to be in a convenience store near his house to work part-time as a cashier. His face was still frowning because he had no idea how to pay the rest of the balance he had left. Every day, the salary he got was just enough to survive on his food and living. He massaged his forehead while he waited for another customer. 

Skye didn’t know that Cassie was on her way to his space. A cab stopped in a quiet street where Cassie went off after paying. She still had the paper of the address and started to walk to find the exact residence. As she observed, the road was indeed dark and steep. A tinge of fear went inside her mind, so she moved and observed the houses faster. This area was totally far from where she had been living. The smell from the garbage was roaming around, the air was colder, and houses were a wall apart. However, none of those stopped her from seeking him.

Along the way, she saw three men wearing all-black clothes. One man had a dragon tattoo on his arm, and she thought she could ask for directions. She walked faster, and the three men heard her approaching. The two hid their baseball bats behind and acted normal. "Excuse me, sir," she bravely said and stopped just in front of them. “Do you know where this is exactly?” 

The men looked at her with devouring eyes. Her jewelry shone in them as if they had hit the jackpot. Her leather boots, slang accent, and appealing smell revealed how luxurious she was. Then, they were pleased to look at the paper she set before them. A grin flashed at the side of the boss’ lips. “Oh, are you looking for Skye?” he casually said.