Page 24 of From You to Me

“Whoa, you alright? Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Yes,” I mumbled as I watched a boy with curly brown hair drop to the floor opposite me, leaning back against the parapet.

“Well, were you?” he asked, a curious glint covering his eyes.

“What?” I muttered, confused.

“Were you going to jump? I’ve never seen anyone jump off a rooftop before.”

My eyes widened.

“Sorry,” he mumbled sheepishly. “Sometimes I talk too much, and I’m sometimes insensitive, but not on purpose, though, I swear. I just say things without thinking and immediately regret them. My mother always used to say that one day it’ll get me in trouble.”

My eyes widened further. Who was this boy?

“See, I’m doing it right now.” He rolled his eyes, waving a hand around. “I’m talking too much.”

“Yes, you are,” I agreed.

His lips curved into a smile. “How did you end up here, by the way? I broke my hand and dislocated my shoulders. Totally not my fault, though. I was just crossing the street and minding my own business when the skater thought it was time to ruin my life. Thankfully, I get discharged tomorrow. I swear I can’t stay in this hospital another extra second.”

It was apparent that he had broken his hand from the cream-colored sling stark against his tan skin. And he did talk a lot.

“I broke my knee,” I replied, answering his question.

“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious. I don’t know why I asked.” He gestured to my brace.

I nodded.

And a few long minutes of silence passed between; the only sound was a slight rattle of the door from the hot, breezy wind.

“So were actually going to do it?” His voice was quieter.

I sighed; I knew what he was asking about. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Why?”

Tears brimmed my eyes, spilling over in fast drops on the back of my hand. “I have no one anymore. Everybody’s gone.”

“You have you.” He gave me a warm smile.

Something about his statement sprang some life back into me. I could feel some of the heaviness drifting away. He was kinda right. I did have me, and I was all I needed, right?

“One day, everything will be alright. You just need to bite through till then and make yourself proud. It will all be worth it.”

I nodded, a smile starting to creep up my lips. “You’re right. Thank you,” I mumbled.

He shrugged. “When are you getting out of here?”

“I’ll be discharged next week.”

“Fuck. That’s a good thing, right? Trust me, you’ll feel much better once you leave this sanitized cage.”

A laugh spilled out of my lips. “Sanitized cage?”

“Yeah, I think it’s apt to call it that, duh.”

“I don’t know if it’ll be a good thing,” I whispered.

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