The Prince and His Pauper

Chapter 7: The Prince to the Rescue

"Well, Thomas? Are you going to release him or do I have to come over there and force you?" I ask that moron rhetorically. I cannot believe he tried to harass that innocent boy behind my back. He's going to get his punishment later..... Right now, I have to make sure this imbecile doesn't lay another hand on him.

I'm not surprised that he started this again. However, what gave him the idea to resume harassing other students without my acknowledgment? I knew from the moment I didn't get called over at the front school that he would be here. Hopefully, I could get it in that thick skull of his to refrain himself from tormenting this boy.

"How did you know I would be here?" Thomas questions, still keeping his grip on Cassiel's buttoned shirt.

"You weren't at the front of the school to greet me like you usually do every day." I bluntly state while keeping my eyes on Cassiel who looks just about ready to lose consciousness.

"Oh....." Thomas breathes out and glares down at Cassiel. He leans to his ear and by the looks of it, he's threatening him before he lets him go, causing him to hit the ground with a loud thud. "Alright, let's go." He mutters glumly.

"You're leaving. I'm staying here to help him." I declare as I walk over to the scared boy.

"Antonio, just leave him!" Thomas shouts, grabbing my arm. "Let's just go."

I shoot him a glare and jerk my arm off from his hold. "I said, you're leaving and if I repeat myself one more time, you can forget about me hanging around you and your friends. Are we clear?" I threaten with venom lacing my voice.

Thomas stares at me in fear and gulps before replying, "Y-yes, Antonio...... I-I'll see you during class then....." He practically runs away from me. Hm, I must have looked convincingly frightening. I shake my head and look over at the equally terrified boy lying on the ground.

I walk over to Cassiel and kneel down in front of him. "Are you alright, Cassiel? That moron didn't hurt you too badly?" I ask him in the soft voice I could muster in case I actually did scared him.

"N-no..... I'm a-alright...... Thank y-you....." Cassiel whispers. He's lying.

"You don't have to lie to me. I'm not going to hurt you. Just tell me where he hit you and I'll see if you need to go to the nurse." I persuade him. He took a moment to think it over by biting his bottom lip but I doubt he is aware of it.

"He...... All he did was throw me to the wall....." Cassiel mumbles though I had to lean my ear closer to him because his voice was so low, I wouldn't have been able to hear him.

That idiot! If I didn't notice his disappearance and came here, who knows what sort of hits Cassiel had to face. I grumble silently to myself. "Then, if you don't mind, would you allow me to see where the wall hit you?" I ask. Cassiel shakes his head and tries to sit up but his arms gave out which lead me to catch him before his face hit the ground.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry!" Cassiel stutters while his cheeks turn a dark red. Cute..... Wait, what?

"It's fine. I know you're exhausted. Want me to take you home?" I offer, propping him up to a sitting position with one arm behind his back.

"No, thank you. I'm sure it's nothing serious. I'll be fine but could you um..... Let me go..... Please?" Cassiel questions, tilting his head up a little to face me.

"Right, I'm sorry....." I mutter but didn't let him go yet. Instead, I lift him up as I stand up then gently set him down on his own two feet, making sure he didn't lose his balance.

"Thank you again for saving me......" Cassiel murmurs but avoids facing me directly, keeping his gaze to the floor. Great, he's afraid to even look at me.