Page 6 of One Last Wish

“He wasn’t even your type!”

“Yes, he w...” Evelyn got distracted when she realised we were on the bridge, even though we’d been walking on it for at least fifteen minutes. “Oh, look at all the pretty lights,” she gasped, rushing over to the side rail. How she managed to not fall flat on her face was a miracle. We were so high up. I loved the New York skyline at this time of night. Nothing but darkness and the sprawling, lit up city in front of us.

“Let’s take a selfie!” Evelyn hiccupped, finally finding her phone.

“Let’s not.” She’d plaster the photo all over her social media in the morning. I wasn’t her friend! Evelyn was a convenience to me—someone I could get drunk with, and forget my pathetic existence for a little while—nothing more.

“Fine! I’ll take photos on my own!” She was by the barrier now, trying to fix her long brown hair. I should have recorded her. She looked ridiculous. When her fingernails got caught in her hair, disaster struck and her phone slipped from her grip. “Shit! My phone!” It had become lodged on the other side of the railing.

“I might be able to get that,” I mused, looking down at the railings. “You’re lucky it didn’t fall into the traffic below and get run over by a car!” If I carefully climbed up and held onto the lamppost, I would be able to get it back for her. My body was pretty flexible.

“Alora! We all know you’re suicidal, but this is ridiculous,” she snorted, watching me climb up on top of the railings. Fuck, it was windy. I gripped the lamppost for support. I could do this, I wasn't going to fall and get hit by traffic. I kept chanting that in my head, hoping it was true. I was pretty tipsy, after all! “I’ll get a new phone! It’s fine,” she stressed. “Get down from there. You’re making me nervous! What if you slip?”

“I’ve almost got it.” I winced, trying my hardest to reach for the phone.

It all happened so fast; one moment I was holding onto the lamppost, stretching one more inch to be able to touch Evelyn’s phone. The next, as I grabbed hold of it, I lost my hold on the lamppost. I was falling forwards to my death. Fuck,thiswas how it happened! Selflessly, I’d die trying to get a friend's phone back.A friend,I couldn't deny that fact. Evelyn was the only person that cared about me. Truly cared. Shewasa friend, and I would miss her.

Closing my eyes, I waited for the impact, hoping it would be quick at least! My neck might break or a car might hit me. Evelyn let out a blood curdling scream before yelling my name. Something surrounded me, but I was too scared to open my eyes. Was this the afterlife? I hadn’t felt a thing. The force grabbed me and pulled me backwards. I couldn’t even describe what it felt like, but as my back softly hit the sidewalk, I opened my eyes to watch a small dusting of shadows disappear before me. Wait! I wasn’t dead?How!?

“Alora! Alora! Fuck! Are you okay?” Evelyn cried, rushing to my side. “Shit! I thought you’d slipped!”

“I...I...I did. I fell. H...H...How did I end up fallingbackwards?” I gasped, confused and a little freaked out.

“I don’t know! I must have gone into shock when I saw you slip, and everything went dark. When I opened my eyes you were here! Shit! You almostfell! Fuck! Fuck! Are you okay? How could you be sostupid? You could havedied!” Evelyn’s panic attack was drawing attention. A few people were rushing over to check on us. “She almost fell getting my phone! Check her head! She fell backwards on it!” Evelyn ordered the couple that had rushed over to us.

I wasn’t hurt, I hardly felt the fall, it was so soft. Almost like landing on clouds. What the fuckhadhappened? Had I really been lucky enough to correct my balance? Or had something else saved me? Evelyn had herphoneback, too! I’d somehow held onto it?

Playing the scene over and over in my mind didn’t help. None of it made any sense!

I sounded crazy! It had to be the drink making me imagine things. What could have possibly saved me? I must have managed to fall backwards somehow. I kept telling myself that until we finally got a cab home.

Chapter Three

“You scared the shitout of me! Why do you have to be so fucking reckless!” Evelyn was furious by the time we arrived back at the apartment. The events of the last hour had completely sobered her up. “You might not value your life, Alora, but I fuckingdo!”

“I honestly thought I’d be alright! I didn’tintentionallytry to kill myself.”

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