The rain fell freely that day, as freely as the tears flowed down my face as I held you close to me, your head in my lap. I didn’t know how bad the damage done was, but I could tell by the grimace on your face that the pain was harsh indeed. And why wouldn’t it be, after what you had just done.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxG2BkFh7CI
Life is harsh, and oh so bitter. High school was the hell we had to live through on a daily basis, but was it really bad enough that you had to stand on the roof of the school that day, looking out at the gathering below. Students catcalled, teachers demanding you get down. Yet you didn’t, because you had something to say to them.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54K1x7Yrps
“You judge me as if I am wrong, but am I really that different from you? How many times have you pushed me in the halls, slamming me into lockers, knocking my books out of my hands. How many times did you, teachers, turn your back to the name calling, the violence, the scars on my arms, the black eyes and split lips.”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYS8d2JYK4
You paused for a moment then, searching the crowd below you until you met my eyes. “Don’t do this!” I begged, knowing what you were planning to do. You didn’t have to say it, the answer was as plain as the scars that criss crossed your wrists.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOCyQWrzzv
“Well, not anymore,” you continue, your voice stronger than it had been in years. You never take your eyes of mine, silently mouthing “I’m sorry.” And then, you jumped..726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHXlCof8WH
For a second your body seemed to hang in the air, the bit of sun peaking through the clouds enshrouding you in it’s light. It reminded me so much of the angels that I had seen in paintings, not that I thought much of that until later. The only thing I could think of was the pounding of my feet on the concrete, as if I could stop the inevitable. I reached your side seconds after your body hit the concrete, while all around us the school stood in silence. I hated them for what they did, but that hatred would come later.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNx61YuJbMD
I knew I shouldn’t have moved you, but I had to be by you. I discarded my worn backpack to the side, sitting down next to you. With gentle hands, I lifted your head into my lap, stroking your hair. I suppose someone had called 9-1-1, suppose that someone had tried to stop me, but nothing else mattered other than that I was beside you, keeping you safe,for as long as I could.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52DPWgxXr4
You struggled to speak, through the pain that had to be running it’s course through your body, in it’s twisted state. I lowered my head down, placing my ear near your mouth. The words were barely audible, filled with pain and fear and so many unspoken and unnamed emotions that had haunted you for years. 726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBfoxA2xX9
“I-I’m S-sorr-” your voice cuts off as you start coughing, gasping for air through the panicked pain that overtook you.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Pjim1GuqU
“It’s ok,” I whispered, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over. I couldn’t cry, not yet. “It’s ok. You can move on, don’t be scared.” I stroked your hair, slowly, before softly humming the song that we had both come to love so much. I knew the words to Soft and Sound by heart, as did you. We had sung the song to each other many times, when the other needed someone to hold them close and erase all the pains and fears of yesterday. And, just as Katniss had sung the song for Rue in her final moments, I found myself doing the same for you. 726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqbonBRrJi
It was only when your body went limp in my arms that I let the tears fall. You had made it to hear the end of your favorite song one last time, and despite the pain and your hatred of the world there was a smile on your face. Gently, I closed your eyes, threw my head back and screamed, tears flowing down my face, inhumane sounds coming from the back of my throat. The memory played itself over in slow motion in my head. You stepping off the roof, me running as fast as my legs would allow, your body hitting the ground, back first then head before the rest of your body followed, landing with a thud. I cried over the memory of your death, over the sight of your body hitting the ground, I cried over the unknown of what would happen for you. Then, when I didn’t think I could cry any more, my sobs turned into a choked scream. I had just lost my best friend. My world was shattered. The rain fell harder, but I didn’t feel it, I only felt the raw pain of having to say goodbye
