Why Beg Now

Although I had passed by the elite residential wing several times during my few months at Blackridge Academy, this was the first time I was actually stepping inside.

The transition from the general student quarters to the private dormitory felt like crossing a border between two entirely different worlds. As the heavy, brass-handled oak doors clicked shut behind me, the suffocating afternoon heat vanished. A blast of crisp, perfectly chilled air-conditioned breeze hit my face, cooling the sweat on my forehead instantly.

I walked forward slowly, my sneakers sinking into a plush, dark carpet that completely swallowed the sound of my footsteps. I couldn’t stop my eyes from wandering. The corridor was breathtaking. The walls were lined with polished mahogany panels, illuminated by soft, recessed lighting that gave the entire space a serene, heavenly glow. It looked less like a school building and more like a five-star boutique hotel.

A wave of bitter resentment washed over me. In our dormitory, the fans barely functioned. Just last night, the rusty blades in my room had done nothing but violently churn the humid air, blowing a sickeningly hot breeze that made it impossible to sleep. Here, the air was clean, pure, and expensive. It was a tangible reminder of the invisible wall separating the scholarship kids from the royalty.

I turned a corner, trying to map out where Cassian’s private suite could be, when a sharp click echoed down the hallway.

A door twenty feet ahead of me opened. The school principal, clad in a flawlessly tailored designer suit, stepped out into the corridor, adjusting his gold cufflinks. He turned to close the heavy door, but as he spun back around, his eyes landed directly on me.

His face changed instantly. The professional, relaxed expression vanished, replaced by a dark, hard scowl that pulled his features into a mask of pure irritation. He didn't just walk toward me; he marched, his polished leather shoes striking the floor with a rhythmic, imposing snap.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice low but sharp enough to slice through the quiet hallway.

I froze, the air catching in my throat. My hands instinctively curled at my sides. "Sir, I—I was just..." I stammered, the words tangling up in my mouth.

The principal stopped a foot away from me, looking down his nose with absolute condescension. "I already gave you your expulsion letter, Reese. Aren't you supposed to be on your way home right now?"

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look him in the eye despite the tremor in my legs. "I... that's basically what I am here to do, sir. I really didn't mean to cause any trouble, I really..."

He held up a single, manicured hand, cutting me off with a flick of his wrist. "Save me your excuses. I have better things to do with my time than listen to a delinquent plead for a second chance. Excuse me."

Without waiting for a response, he brushed past my shoulder, his expensive cologne lingering in the air as he walked fast-pacedly away from me, disappearing around the corner without a backward glance.

I stared at the empty hallway, a hot spark of anger flaring up in my chest. "What the fuck is wrong with everybody in this school?" I muttered under my breath, my knuckles clenching.

Just then, my eyes flicked back to the door the principal had just vacated. He hadn't pulled it shut all the way. It was sitting slightly ajar, casting a thin sliver of light across the dark carpet. From inside, the muffled sound of low, cruel laughter drifted out into the corridor. There seemed to be a lot of people in there.

Not knowing which room belonged to Cassian, but driven by a desperate, reckless impulse, I walked up to the oak panel. I extended my hand and slightly pushed the door open.

The scene inside made my stomach violently drop.

The suite was massive, furnished with leather couches and a marble wet bar, but the focus of the room was centered entirely on the floor. A boy—a freshman, judging by his slight frame—was on his knees in the middle of the room. His body was completely soaked, his uniform drenched in water that had clearly just been poured over his head. An empty ice bucket sat on the table nearby. He was shivering violently, his hands pressed together in a desperate, trembling gesture as he begged the boys surrounding him.

Cassian Vale was sitting casually on a large, sprawling leather couch in the center of the room. He looked entirely detached, one arm draped lazily over the backrest. Beside him sat Julian, his best friend, who was watching the freshman’s humiliation with a smug, satisfied grin.

The door creaked louder as I pushed it further. Julian's eyes flicked up first. The moment he saw me standing in the doorway, his grin vanished into a hard glare. He leaned over, saying something quietly to Cassian.

Just as he spoke, Cassian's head turned toward me.

His dark, unreadable eyes locked onto mine. A slow, mocking smile crept up the corners of his lips. It was a look of pure triumph, a silent acknowledgment that he had broken me without even trying. Looking at that smirk, I very well wished I could just tear his face up. I wanted to lung across the room, to erase that arrogance with my fists, the thought of my dreams, my scholarship, my brother’s safety—my entire life was in this monster's hands made me very calm.

I took a deep breath, steeling my resolve, and entered the room. As I crossed the threshold, I intentionally left the door wide open behind me. It was a calculated move. In case things went sideways, in case they decided to turn their violence on me, I needed a clear exit. I needed to be able to run as fast as I could. At least if I kept my life, I could still live and find another way. But if I ended up like the boy on the floor, or worse, there would be no dream of rugby ever again.

Cassian watched me note the open door, his smile widening slightly. "Wow," he drawled, his smooth voice cutting through the tense atmosphere of the room. "Look who decided to join us. The arrogant pussy actually showed up."

A chorus of sharp, mocking laughter erupted from the other guys lounging around the suite. These weren't just any regular students; this specific category of guys belonged to the wealthiest, oldest money in the country. Their parents basically owned the city's industries, but even among these golden boys, Cassian was the topmost of all. He was the sun they all revolved around.

I bit the inside of my cheek until the taste of iron filled my mouth, holding my tongue. Every instinct screamed at me to insult him back, to call him a coward who hid behind a gang of wealthy sycophants, but I forced the words down.

Cassian uncrossed his legs, leaning forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "So, to what do we owe the surprise visit, Reese?" he asked, his tone mocking.

Instead of answering immediately, my gaze drifted down to the freshman shivering on the carpet. The water was pooling around his knees, and his teeth were chattering so hard I could hear them clicking from where I stood. I couldn't help but wonder what the hell the guy had done that was so bad to deserve this kind of torture.

Cassian tracked my gaze, noticing the way I was looking at the boy on the floor. He let out a low chuckle. "Oh, well, I guess you're curious about what he did, right?"

I looked back at him and rolled my eyes, refusing to give him the satisfaction of asking.

Cassian didn't care. He continued explaining anyway, his voice dripping with casual malice. "Very well then, let me tell you. It's going to be so bad for you to go home expelled and have to live with the suspense of not knowing what he did to earn his place down there."

He motioned with a lazy wave of his hand to one of the varsity players sitting in a nearby armchair. "Explain to our guest what happens to people who mess with me."

The player stood up from his armchair, a cruel smirk plastered across his face as he walked toward the center of the room. "Oh, that?" the guy said, gesturing toward the soaking freshman. "This idiot thought it was a good idea to insult Cassian in the locker room. Said some garbage about how Cassian only gets the captaincy because of his dad's name. So, we had to remind him how the hierarchy works around here.

I rolled my eyes again, the sheer pettiness of their cruelty making me sick to my stomach. I opened my mouth to say something biting, to point out how fragile their egos were, but I quickly changed my mind. I couldn't afford to defend someone else when my own ship was sinking.

"That's not why I'm here," I said, my voice steadying as I looked directly at Cassian.

Cassian’s smile morphed into a sharp, intrigued smirk. He crossed his legs again, leaning back into the expensive leather of the couch. "So, why are you here?"

The room went dead silent. Dozens of eyes were pinned to my chest, waiting for my next move.

I took a deep, stabilizing breath, feeling the suffocating grip of my chest binder tighten against my lungs. I looked Cassian dead in the eyes, swallowing every ounce of pride I possessed.

"I'm really sorry, Cassian," I said, the words tasting like poison on my tongue. "The punch... it shouldn't have happened. I apologize."

Immediately, the entire room erupted into loud, boisterous laughter. The guys leaned against each other, howling at my sudden submission.

But Cassian didn't laugh.

He just sat there, his smirk remaining firmly in place, his dark eyes boring holes into mine as if he were scanning my soul for signs of deceit. beside him, Julian wasn't laughing either. His face was twisted into an angry scowl, well probably because we just almost fought ourselves about w hours ago.

Slowly, Cassian uncrossed his legs and the room instantly quieted down, the laughter dying out as the captain stood to his full, intimidating height.

"You came to beg?" Cassian asked, his voice a low, dangerous purr that sent a shiver down my spine. "Why? I thought you had all the power you could ever need, Reese. So use that power to get your scholarship back.