Falling
You run up the stairs, open the door at the top, and see your friend standing there. He turns to look at you as you take a moment to catch your breath.
“Hi, Liam.” You say, still huffing. “What did you want to talk about? Also, why’d it need to be up here? That was a lot of damn stairs.”
“It didn’t need to be up here, I just thought you’d like to admire the view with me while we talk,” Liam said.
You walked over to stand with him. He was looking over the city engulfed in the moonlight and you stared at him, waiting for him to speak. After a while, you felt awkward looking at him, so you looked over the city too. It was weird…he doesn’t usually act like this. Instead of acting like he’s in a movie, he usually gets straight to the point.
“Look down,” Liam says suddenly.
“Look down? Why? I’m afraid of heights!”
“Just do it.”
You looked down at the street below and looked at the cars driving along the road with their headlights on.
“Long way down…isn’t it?” He asks.
“Yeah…?”
“You remember Charlotte, right?”
“Of course…didn’t she kill herself?”
He nodded and sighed, “On this very rooftop.”
You looked at him.
“She was upset that a lot of people were bullying her online and in real life, remember? They were hurling slurs and insults at her like they were nothing.” He scoffed. “She never did anything wrong, except like girls…of course.”
You said nothing and he sighed.
“Weirdly, she only ever came out to us, didn’t she? So…I wonder how they found out.”
You suddenly get nervous.
“Whoever outed her…killed her.” He laughed mirthlessly. “Because whoever outed her knew everyone around us would turn on her, that’s specifically why she only told us.”
You look back down at the street, which was a better view right now.
“So…why did you do it?”
“I — ”
He looks at you.
“I didn’t mean to.”
He scoffed and walked away from his spot and you look back over the city.
“I didn’t!” You exclaim. “It just slipped out!”
“Slipped out?”
“Yes, I — I was just talking to some other friends and I mentioned she had a girlfriend — I thought she already told them!”
“Bullshit. You could’ve played it off as a mistake…a joke…something, but no, you decided to reveal her sexuality to people you knew would hate her. You knew her family would find out and kick her out.”
“I didn’t mean to…”
“Because of you, she didn’t get to choose when she came out. She didn’t get the chance to prepare to leave, to cut those awful people off before she said anything. You’re the reason she’s dead!”
“I’m sorry…”
Suddenly, you felt him behind you.
“Now, you are going to die just like her.”
“Wha — ”
He pushed you off the rooftop.
You were falling, but it was okay. Every time you die, you go back in time ten seconds to have a chance to save yourself. It’s worked before. All you have to do is move out of the way and push him over instead.
Okay.
You’re still falling.
You’re still falling…
And now…
You hit the ground and everything went black.
Then, you were at the top of the building again…but you’re still falling? He already pushed you?
You hit the ground again.
And again.
And again.
You went back in time ten seconds…why are you still falling?
You went back again.
And again.
Hitting the ground every time before.
Splat.
Splat.
Splat.
The fall was eleven seconds.
You can’t save yourself because you keep going back to when you have already been falling for exactly one second.
He already pushed you.
And worst of all, there is no end to this.
You can’t stop going back ten seconds.
So, now you’re reliving the last ten seconds of your life.
Forever.
