The Edge

A Story by Max Parks

This story is about a suicide that takes place and the girl who tries to talk the other girl out of it.

The world seemed to be at a standstill. The wind carried the bitter morning air trapped by the clouds overhead. The rain fell softly onto to cement, covering it in a thin film of dampness. The sun’s light was mad ashen as it tried to pierce its light through the clouds.

The light sound of rain and the panicked sounds from those below were all drowned out by the ringing in Chloe's ears. Nothing could distract her from the situation she had found herself in. Skye Caldwell stood at the edge of the roof looking down to the pavement below. The crowd gathered had made a semicircle in the place she would hit if she fell.

“Skye, what are you doing?” Chloe said, her voice cracking from the stress

Skye turned to look at Chloe with a serious look on her face. The rain had formed small balls of water in her hair that reflected the grey sunlight struggling through the clouds. Tears ran down her face but she didn’t look sad, more angry.

“What do you mean ‘what am I doing’? I can’t do it anymore Chloe. I’m tired of fighting, I’m tired of running, and I’m tired of being here.” Skye said sternly, fists clenched

A strong gust of wind sent Skye's brown hair flying in the wind, taking the small water droplets in her hair with it.

“It’s not like anyone cares. The world won’t miss Skye Caldwell. Life will go on like it always has just like it has wether I’m here or not” Skye said, her knuckles white in fists of blind rage

“That’s not even remotely true, Skye. I care about you, people down there care about you, your dad cares about you. Whatever you’ve been lead to believe about us not caring is not true. We do.” Chloe pleaded with Skye.

Chloe saw her friend at the edge of life, about to make a choice that would scar her forever. Chloe and Skye had been friends ever since Chloe was the new kid in town. Skye took her in without even really knowing Chloe. And now Chloe saw that same friend about to end her own life.

Skye peered over her shoulder to look at the crowd below and the pavement that was there, willing to take her life from her.

“So why have they never shown it?! Why have I never felt loved. Ever since my mom died, everything has just gone wrong. Ever since she left my life has just been a mess. She's the reason this is happening.” Skye said her voiced uneven.

Skye's mom had died in a car crash last year. Ever since then, her dad had just shut down. He never really talks much since then. Just stairs off out the window without a word.

“Skye, you're going to blame your mom? She didn’t want this, she didn’t try to put you through this.” Chloe said as the tears ran down her face

“Then who do I blame? I know she didn’t want this, but it’s the way it is and if she hadn’t- hadn’t died then I wouldn’t be here.”

The rain and wind had picked up pace by this point. Puddles had begun to form. Chloe’s jacket had soaked in the water and had become heavy, but her mind was heavier. The water had also gotten into the bottom of her jeans, chilling her ankles.

“You don’t have to blame anyone. Why does it have to someone's fault? It's not yours and it's not your moms. Its not your dads its not Gods. No one is to blame. No one to blame but life. Yeah life sucks but there is so much beauty in it. You can't just give up and miss out on all those little beauties.” Chloe's said trying to get through the clout in Skye's mind.

“So what is life when the small beauties get overpowered by the awfulness. What is life when you can't see the beauty, when you don’t see any sign of the light at the end of the tunnel. When no one cares if you're gone.” Skye said, crossing her arms from the cold.

“Stop saying people don’t care about you. You know I do. You are my best friend. And what about your dad. He lost his wife, and how do you think he would handle losing his only child too. You would be putting a dagger through his heart. I know it's been hard, but you're not the only one suffering, and you will at so much more suffering to me and to your dad if you do this. Don’t think only about yourself, consider others.” Chloe said getting frustrated but still in shock from this situation.

Skye winced at Chloes words. She seemed to feel the weight of that responsibility.

“You just don’t get it Chloe. Do you know how hard i've tried? And all I get out of all my work is failure. Nothing has worked out for the past year and it’s just gotten to exhausting. It's just not worth it anymore.” Skye said weaker than how she sounded before.

“Skye… You need to keep living. Life is worth it, you just need to stick around to see that. The world needs your light and it just won't be right without it. We always talked about the places we would go together. We can't do that if you're dead. We can take on the world, together.” Chloe said, calmly offering Skye her final choice.

“Chloe, I’m just not the same. Nothing is the same. Nothing is right. All there is is pain. What's the point in living a life like that? The sadness is too much and the happy times just don't seem to balance it out. There's nothing for me left in this life. I’m sorry, but you will just never understand…”

Skye turned her back to Chloe, and faced the edge. She put her arms out like an angle about to take wing. She pushed her weight slightly forward and began to fall. Time had slowed almost to a stop. Chloe reached out a hand as if she could pull her back up somehow, but the effort was futile. As Skye fell, the last thing Chloe saw was Skye's white vans disappear over the edge and a few rocks fly back from the force of her feet leaving the edge.

Chloe might have called out something but all sound was mute. A loud screeching ringed in Chloe's ears and her head pounded and felt as if it were going to burst. Tears ran uncontrollably down her face and her legs have out. She fell to the ground, her pant soaking in the rain water.

Chloes mind was racing. Every moment came rushing through her mind. The time Skye and her got pulled over and when the officer was walking to the window, Skye drove off yelling not today. They laughed until it hurt. They both spent the night in the police station that night. The time Chloes dog died and they both cried until morning rolled around. So many others, and the memories are all that's left of Skye.

“What did I do wrong. Why, Why, Why.” is all that Chloe could say. They were the only word that Chloe could even comprehend at the time. Chloes world felt as if it should be ending. She was just waiting for the world to tear apart at the seams. She was waiting to wake up from the nightmare. But some nightmares just never end.

Sky was dead, gone forever. Not gone like a dad who walk out on a family, and not gone like someone who left for an adventure without telling anyone. She was a different kind of gone. She was gone as in never coming back. She was dead. Dead. “How could she be dead. Wake up Chloe! Wake up!” Chloe yelled holding her head and slightly rocking back and forth. The steel door to the roof access opened and the police picked up Chloe and walked her inside. I was over, but to Chloe it will never end.