𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙁𝙊𝙐𝙍
—𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯—

BEXLEY DIDN'T WANT to go to the cafeteria again later on that day, even if Poe was going to be by her side. She didn't want to be near anyone at the moment, she needed to focus on the tasks at hand; her reading. Hell, she could be practicing her piloting skills at the moment if she wanted to.

So, instead of answering the door when Poe knocked for her, she ignored it. Bexley kept her eyes on the book in her hands, her eyes skimming over each and every word to store in her memory. Poe presses his ear to the door, concerned as the girl didn't respond to him.

"Bexley?" he asks, tapping his knuckles against the door again. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Bexley says quickly. "I'm just not hungry right now. Go on without me, alright? We can meet up in the morning."

Poe furrows his eyebrows, confused in her words. "Come on, you need to eat, you didn't this morning."

"I'm fine," the girl insists, not paying any attention to the conversation at hand. "Just go on without me, okay?"

He doesn't reply, only stepping away from the door. Without another word, he descends down the brightly lit hallway, all the way to the cafeteria. Bexley frowns, wishing that he would've stayed to help with the stress she was facing once again. But instead, he had listened, and left her to herself.

The girl runs her fingers through her silky blonde hair, feeling her temples ache from what she was putting herself through. Bexley knew the course wouldn't be easy, but it was only her first day and she was already doubting her abilities to continue. She could no longer focus on the words on the page in front of her.

What if she couldn't live up to her potential? What if she were to slip up even once, and let down everyone who was counting on her?

She grits her teeth, burying her face in her knees as she places her book to the side. Bexley knew she needed to eat, to take a nap, to talk to Poe- anything that would help her with what she was forcing upon herself.

Within minutes, her bedroom door was opening, and Poe waltzed in with a tray of food in his grasp. Bexley looks up, caught off guard by his arrival, but happy, nonetheless.

"Whether you like it or not, I'm here," Poe says, offering her a smile as he sits down on the bed in front of her.

He sits the tray down in front of her, his chocolate brown eyes finding the textbooks on the bed. "So this is why you weren't answering?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it," she sighs, her cheeks heating up. "But without you and the others around to distract me, I felt the pressure again, and I just . . . it felt like too much to handle until I picked up a book."

"You could've went to the cafeteria first," Poe says, shaking his head at her words. "This isn't what you should be worrying about. All those other recruits out there? They're having fun, Bexley. And you should be, too."

"But what if I don't have enough time to finish them?"

"Then I'll help you," he chuckles. "Just like I promised. You can have designated hours of the day to read, and others to relax. It's as simple as that, you don't have to put yourself under so much stress."

"I don't want to let anyone down," she sighs, leaning back into the headboard of the bed. "I guess it just eats away at me."

"Things will work out in the end," he assures the girl, finally noticing the dark circles beginning to form under her eyes after such a short time. "Now eat so you can get some sleep."

She was exhausted, and he could tell. Poe ached at the sight of her slowly falling apart, wanting nothing but to soothe her from what she was facing

"Thank you," Bexley smiles as she sits up, breaking off a piece of her roll. "Again."

"Anytime," he nods, standing up, collecting her books as he does so. "I'm taking these with me, and you can start reading tomorrow. Just worry about yourself tonight, and these later. I'll be helping out in the training rooms if you need me."

Bexley moves to protest, but changes her mind. She needed to shower and change before she could get to sleep- and man did sleep sound amazing.

Poe gives the girl one last smile as he opens the door, turning to face her for a short moment.

"Goodnight, Bexley."

"Goodnight, Poe," the girl murmers as he closes the door behind him.

Bexley wanted to follow along behind him, to get away from her lonely room for a bit. But inside, she knew that sleep was exactly what she needed. But first, she would finish eating, take a quick shower, and then she could relax.

---

The next morning came all too quickly for the blonde. One moment she was laying down on the bed with her wet hair, and the next she was forcing herself to get up out of bed so she could get ready for the day ahead of her.

The girl could feel the weight on her shoulders loosen as she changed into her outfit for the day. This morning, she was able to fix her hair into a bun, pulling out small strands of hair to frame her face. Bexley slips her feet into her shoes, and pulls her bedroom door open just as Poe gets prepared to knock.

"Wow, you're up early," he comments, his eyes softening at the sight of the blonde beauty. "Have a nice rest?"

"Thanks to you, I feel a lot better," she nods with a grin. "Not too prepared for today, but I'll get through it."

"Lets get going then," Poe suggests, something flashing in his eyes that Bexley couldn't quite place.

The girl blinks twice, moving in front of him to stop him in his tracks before he could move down the hallway. "Hold on, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" he looks down to her, the flash of emotion gone from his eyes. "I'm fine."

"Tell me," Bexley insists. "I know something is up."

Poe hesitates, not wanting to make the girl upset. She had enough problems at the moment, and surely didn't need another one. But he hated keeping something from her, and felt as though he had to tell her.

"I have a mission tomorrow," he shrugs, his attention no longer on her. "Guess that's all that's on my mind right now."

"What kind of mission?"

"A dangerous one," he speaks truthfully, looking back to her. "But, like always, I'll come back. It's nothing, I promise."

"Okay," she murmers, nodding with his words. "Lets get going."

Bexley knew that Poe was an amazing pilot, and had been in the most harsh situations anyone could face. But there are always risks when heading out to a mission. And if Poe was this worried about a mission, it would definitely be dangerous. She didn't want to pry on where he would be heading, but was urged to at the same time.

He would be leaving her alone for a full day. They hadn't known each other for even two days, and the blonde was already attached to him. And Poe knew that he was, too. Bexley would have to find a way to survive the day one her own, to try and control the stress and manage her classes and training by herself.

Poe hated distancing himself from Bexley, but he knew that eventually, they would have to separate for the missions they were assigned to. Their pledges were to the Resistance, and to General Organa. As much as he hated it, he would have to leave Bexley to her own problems for the day.

---

After breakfast with Poe, Bexley arrived to her first class of the day with a frown. Spencer took his usual seat next to her, glancing in her direction with a raised eyebrow. As the other recruits filed in to wait for the teacher, the boy leaned over to her.

"Why aren't you talking?" Spencer questions, breaking the silence she had created.

"Poe is leaving tomorrow for a mission," she replies, sinking a little lower in her chair. "It just makes me a little nervous. I'm not used to managing things on my own, and he helps me get through everything."

"You'll be learning for the better," he assures her. "It'll be a learning experience. That way, when he leaves again, you'll know how to cope."

Bexley looks from Spencer, to the monitor on her desk. Studying the projection for a moment, she begins to nod slowly.

"You're right . . . " the blonde trails off with a sigh. Bexley sits up straighter in her chair, her focus on the work in front of her; taking down a First Order ship through a monitor. "Thanks, Spencer. That was exactly what I needed."

_______