Chapter XXXIV

It wasn’t often that Damien went out at night, but he knew this had to be one of the few occasions when he did. It had started to rain a few hours prior and so he wore his dark gray raincoat with the hood pulled over his head to protect him from the chill. The puddles on the ground reflected the pale lights of the street lamps and the sound of raindrops muffled his footsteps against the sidewalk. There wasn’t a single other person out since he was sure there were very few as stupid as he was. Yet, there he was, walking down Vinny’s street on the way to his house. Eric had told him that they would all confront Vinny together, but Damien didn’t want that. It was their disagreement that sparked such dissent among the group and so, he wanted to talk to his old friend alone and see what they could work out. However, if Vinny refused to hear him out, then Damien intended to back off and go with Eric’s plan. Yet he didn’t think that would happen. Even if he disagreed, Vinny would at least allow him to say his piece.

Damien was tired after the long day he’d had but he was ready to keep going until their club was finally back to the way it was supposed to be.They were the Magic Club and, as ridiculous as he used to think it was, he still loved them. He even found himself caring greatly for Lilly now despite the short time knowing her.

So I’m not going to back down. I will get through to Vinny whether he wants me to or not!

When Vinny’s house came into view, Damien quickened his pace, anxious to get out of the rain and into someplace warm and dry. He hoped he wasn’t just turned away at the door or else he’d have to trek the ten minutes back home, something he was not looking forward to. The boy stepped up onto the patio and rang the doorbell, waiting for one of Vinny’s parents to open it. He was surprised when the person who answered the door wasn’t either of his parents or even Vinny. It was instead his little sister, Mia.

“Hey, Damien,” she greeted curiously. “What are you doing here so late? Vinny didn’t tell me you were coming by?”

Damien chuckled guiltily. “Ah, I actually didn’t check with him first. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Mia shook her head. “Our parents are out at some company party so it’s been pretty boring. Come on in.”

He nodded his thanks and stepped inside then kneeled down to undo the laces on his boots. Once he’d placed them by the door, he took his coat off and put it on their rack.

“Vinny’s upstairs in his room,” Mia told him as she made her way from the entry room and back into the living room.

Damien exhaled softly, mentally preparing himself for the conversation ahead, then followed after Mia. He made his way through the house and up the stairs to the second floor, hanging an immediate right. Vinny’s room was at the end of the hall with the door closed. He slowly approached, took another breath, then knocked a few times.

“Hmm? What is it, Mia?” came Vinny’s response.

“Can I come in, Vinny?” he called back. “I wanted to talk to you.”

There was a pause in which Vinny probably attempted to process that it wasn’t his sister at the door. Then there was the sound of footsteps and the door opened to reveal a very surprised looking boy.

“What are you doing here?” Vinny asked softly.

Damien snorted. “Nice to see you, too. Like I said, I was wondering if we could talk?”

“And you couldn’t just call? Instead you chose to walk all the way over here in the damned rain? What could be so important that you—?”

“I know about the pictures,” Damien replied, cutting him off. “The ones you have of Rina.”

Vinny took a step back, his features tensing at the sudden revelation. Damien knew being blunt could end the conversation immediately, but he also had no interest in beating around the bush. He wanted to talk to Vinny about what went down during his night with the stone and so he decided to just make that clear to him.

“How do you…?” Vinny uttered. Then, as if coming to a decision, he stepped aside and motioned for him to enter. “Come in.”

Damien obliged, entering Vinny’s relatively small room. There was a bed on the left wall beside his closet and a desk across from it that, based on how the chair was pushed out, was where Vinny had been sitting before he arrived. The homework on the table confirmed that.

His old friend closed the door behind him and turned around, lowering his voice as if trying to hide its shaking.

“How the hell do you know about that?” he growled. “Was it Brooks? Did he tell you?”

Damien shook his head, determined not to tell him anything about Jay’s involvement in his acquisition of the information. “No. Eric and Lilly told me and they didn’t say how they figured it out,” he lied. “All I know is that you stole Rina’s body and took nude pictures of her to use as blackmail.”

Vinny clenched his teeth, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the carpet. It was clear that he was struggling to find his voice and figure out how to respond. He probably thought he had more time before they were onto him. Damien didn’t say anything, content to allow him to gather his thoughts. It wasn’t an interrogation, after all. It was just a simple conversation among friends.

“So what?” Vinny said after a moment. “Yeah…I did that. And you know what? Nothing’s happened to Alice since. No more death threats. No more vandalism. Nothing. I fixed it and all it cost were a couple of pictures.”

Damien nodded, conceding the point. “That’s true, I’ll admit. It did work. But are you really okay with that? Are you really okay with what you did to her?”

“Of course,” Vinny replied firmly. “Rina had it coming. She would’ve continued harassing Alice for who knows how long! She didn’t see anything wrong with it! She and Evan just attacked her! What was the endgame, huh? Were they just gonna keep harassing her until they got bored or were they going to keep it up until she killed herself?!”

Damien didn’t immediately reply. Everything Vinny said made sense. For all they knew, Rina and Evan would have continued harassing Alice to the point of suicide. There were plenty of examples of bullying leading to that tragic end. Even Vinny had once admitted to considering it before Eric came along. He understood his friend’s mindset throughout the whole thing. He had from the beginning.

But does that make attacking Rina right? Does that make what he did right?

“Look,” Vinny began once it was clear Damien wasn’t ready to speak. “It’s not like I’ve looked at the pictures. I just have them ready in case Rina ever tries something again.”

Damien believed him. Vinny didn’t do to Rina what he did for any sick sexual pleasure. It was all to help Alice. He truly believed that. But…

“Vinny…you stole a high school girl’s body, stripped her naked in front of her, and took pictures of it to post online if she didn’t do what you said. Does that honesty sound okay to you? Do you really think you sound like the good guy here?”

Vinny scoffed. “Not if you just consider the actions themselves, Damien. But you have to think about the circumstances! I did it for Alice! I don’t give a damn about being the ‘good guy’ if it means all that shit was shut down!”

“And tell me this,” he countered, “what would Alice think if she found out what you did?”

The other boy’s eyes went wide. “You haven’t…?”

“We haven’t. I’m just asking out of curiosity. What do you suppose she would think?”

Vinny hesitated. “She… I…” For a moment, there was a flash of fear in his eyes, but it lasted only a second before his determination returned. “It doesn’t matter. She might not approve of it but in the end, it succeeded. She’s safe. That’s what matters. How many fucking times do I have to say that?”

“And you’re okay stooping to Rina’s level if it means stopping her?” Damien asked.

“Yes,” Vinny growled. “I’ll go to her level or maybe even lower if it means helping someone. I know that’s not something you’ll ever understand, but nothing will ever get done up on your high road. You gotta fight fire with fire and all that.”

“You’re right,” Damien conceded. “I won’t ever understand it. I don’t think doing something evil is justified even if it’s to help someone. Tell me. Would you murder someone just because they did?”

Vinny shrugged. “If it means stopping them from hurting or killing somebody else then…maybe.”

Damien sighed. “So, I take it that no matter what I say, you won’t be deleting those pictures?”

“I won’t,” he replied.

“Alright then. I guess there’s no other point to being here then. But Vinny, I want to ask one more thing.”

The blonde boy grimaced. “What?”

“Have you considered how what you’ve done has affected everybody around you?” he asked. “And I’m not talking about Rina. I mean the club and Jay and maybe even Alice.”

Vinny frowned. “W-what do you…? It helped them! It got Evan and Rina off our asses!”

“It did,” Damien admitted. “But you know what else it’s done? It’s made Eric and Lilly worry about you. Eric, especially, has seemed stressed as all hell the past few weeks. Liz and I are worried, too. The club hasn’t all been together since that night. And Jay…” Damien shook his head. “Looks like what you guys did is really hurting him.”

Vinny turned away, refusing now to look him in the eyes. “They’ll get over it. It’s just cause it’s fresh in their minds. Soon enough, it’ll be so far in the past that nobody will give a damn anymore.”

“Is that so?” Damien muttered.

I’m not so sure about that. I think this is going to have a longer lasting impact than he realizes. But he won’t listen to me. He’s certain that what he did was the right move.

“Then I’ll be going,” he added, turning and making his way toward the door. But just before he could leave, Vinny spoke again.

“Are you going to tell Alice?”

Damien shrugged without looking back. “I won’t. But Liz, Lilly, Eric… I can’t speak for them. And I won’t stop them if they do.”

With that, Damien pushed through the door and began heading back outside. When he made it downstairs, Mia was confused as to why he was leaving so quickly so he made up a story about Vinny forgetting a textbook at school being the reason he stopped by. Damien then put his boots and rain jacket back on and headed out.

His conversation with Vinny didn’t go the way he’d hoped it would but he had a feeling he at least put a seed of doubt in his friend’s head. Now, it would be up to Eric to make things right, as he often did. However, Damien had a feeling that the only way for Vinny to come to his senses would be for something to happen to prove him wrong. At this point, simply talking to him might not be enough.

But the problem is, if something did happen, I’m terrified of what that could be and how it would affect everything.

***

Vinny Mickelson was livid. After Damien’s late visit the previous night, he now knew that the entirety of the club had found out about his blackmailing. He knew both Eric and Damien would never approve of the way he handled things and, while he couldn’t be sure of how Lilly had reacted, he had seen enough similarities to Eric in her to guess that she would take his side. As for Liz, after apparently having made peace with Damien, she would almost certainly be with him. She had opposed her boyfriend once for Vinny and he had a feeling she wouldn’t do so again.

Damien had made his intent clear: he wanted Vinny to delete the photos and move on from the entire mess. However, even though he was confident that he had terrified Rina enough so that she would never do anything to them again, he still couldn’t bring himself to get rid of the pictures. They were his only way to keep Alice safe. If Rina ever got wind that he wouldn’t go through with his threats, she might be bold enough to try and get revenge either on him or Alice.

Damn it! This was exactly what I was trying to avoid! Why now?! Just as I was hoping we could start putting this all behind us! Vinny clenched his teeth, having known who told Eric from the moment Damien revealed everything to him. Fucking hell, Brooks! Why couldn’t you have just kept quiet! Nobody would have ever found out the truth if not for you!

He had been afraid of Jay telling the others from the start but had hoped he would have the brains to keep it to himself. However, he realized now that he had expected too much. He should have known that Jay would crumble the minute he was confronted. If Vinny had to guess, it was probably Lilly who got through to him considering how highly the boy seemed to regard her.

So what now? Vinny asked himself.

It was the morning after Damien’s visit and he was walking up the stairs to the third floor of the school. He still had roughly twenty minutes until first period started but he knew he couldn’t just go to class.

Eric and Lilly are going to be there waiting, he thought bitterly. Alice is probably already there, too. Are they going to tell her? Is she going to find out what I did to Rina? Vinny shook his head. I can’t just go to class. I don’t want to talk to them…not until I’ve gathered my thoughts. For now…there’s something else I need to do.

When he arrived on the third floor, he took a left and began heading in the direction of the lockers. He could only hope that the person he wanted to talk to would be there. Of course, there was no guarantee and since he didn’t know the boy’s first period, if he missed him, he’d have to wait until later. Luckily, however, luck was on his side as he spotted Jay standing by his open locker, staring off into space.

Vinny took a deep breath, wanting to keep his irritation in check, before approaching the boy. “Hey, Brooks!” he called out, startling the boy.

Jay immediately slammed his locket shut and spun around, looking at Vinny with wide eyes and an almost pleading stare. It was enough to cause Vinny to stop, not wanting to scare the clearly shaken up guy.

“W-what?” the blonde boy stuttered. “Are you okay, dude?”

Jay hurriedly nodded, leaning against the lockers and glancing around, probably checking if Alice was with him. “W-what is it, Mickelson?” Jay choked out.

Vinny sighed, suddenly feeling bad for being angry at all. Jay seemed to be having a hard time with something and so, it would be best to tone his irritation down. “Look, I just wanted to ask if you told Lilly or Eric about what we…did?”

Unfortunately, his calm approach did very little to ease Jay’s discomfort. In fact, his words alone seemed enough to cause him to step back in fear. “I’m sorry,” he immediately replied. “I couldn’t help it. Lilly and Reiner called me to the clubroom and kept begging me to tell them. I just…I just couldn’t lie to them. I couldn’t keep dodging questions. I couldn’t do it…”

Vinny sighed, running a hand through his hair as he considered Jay’s response. “I get that,” he grunted. “But have you considered what this could mean? If they tell Alice, what do you think’s going to happen?”

Jay went pale and slowly shook his head. “I…don’t know. I…”

“Look, Brooks,” Vinny grumbled. “What’s done is done. Not much more we can do now. I’ll deal with the problem so just stop worrying about it. I’ll make sure Alice doesn’t find out.”

Jay nodded meekly. “Okay, sure.”

“Then that’s that. I just wanted to check in with you and see what happened. I’ll leave you alone, now.”

Bidding Jay goodbye, Vinny went to leave but before he could take even a step, he felt a hand grip his shoulder. When he turned back to look, he found that Jay had reached out to stop him.

“Yeah?” Vinny asked, confused.

Jay looked exhausted and when he spoke, his voice was soft. “You’re gonna look out for Alice, right?”

Vinny frowned at the strange question. “Of course I am. Why?”

“Good,” Jay uttered. “That’s good. Please do that, Mickelson. Take care of her. Don’t let her get hurt.”

With that, Jay released his grip on his shoulder and stepped away, leaving Vinny to stare at him in utter bafflement.

“Yeah, sure,” Vinny replied. “Alright then.”

That was odd, he thought as he began walking away. Why would he even need to ask that? Why wouldn’t I be taking care of Alice? That’s what I’ve been doing all this for. That’s why I’m in this stupid situation to begin with!

Vinny sighed, glancing out the window to his left and out over the courtyard. It was still raining and so the only students in sight were the ones coming into the school. The scattering of tables were all empty and wet. From where Vinny walked, it appeared a dreary sight.

Winter’s really kicking now, isn’t it. It’s just cold all the time. I can’t wait for summer so we can enjoy the heat again. Maybe…if we get this all worked out, we could all go to the pier. I haven’t been there in a while.

The image of the four club members, as well as Lilly, Alice, and Jay all heading to the pier caused him to smile. They’d never taken a trip all together. In fact, Vinny rarely saw Lilly and Jay outside of school.

Yeah, we’ll figure something out. This whole debacle isn’t going to be the end of the club. When summer comes, it’ll be like nothing ever happened. That’s what I want. That’s what I’m going to make happen.

“Mickelson!”

Just as those thoughts were crossing his mind, he was pulled back to reality by the call of his name. Vinny came to a halt, his eyes narrowed as he stared ahead to find Brad Fischer approaching. Vinny couldn’t help but to snort, wondering what he could possibly want.

“Yeah? What’s up, Fischer?” he called back, trying to conceal his dislike for the boy so as to avoid a confrontation.

Brad stopped a few feet in front of him then glanced around at the students looking their way, seeming curious about what the boy could want with him.

“Come with me,” he said. “I want to ask you something real quick.”

As much as Vinny wanted to just ignore him and walk away, part of him was curious so, he simply shrugged and followed after him. Brad led him back in the direction he had come from and, soon enough, Vinny realized where they were probably heading. His suspicions were confirmed when they arrived at the open doors of the library and headed inside. The room was fairly empty since most students had already gone to class and Brad led them to the even emptier back section of the room. Once it was apparent that nobody else was around, Brad finally spoke.

“I wanted to talk to you about Evan.”.

Vinny’s guard was instantly up. “Why? What about him?”

Brad snorted. “Don’t play dumb, Mickelson. Lilly already told me you used the stone to get back at him for everything with Mendez.”

Vinny exhaled sharply. Lilly did what?! Why the hell would she tell him about all of that?! How much does she trust this piece of shit?!

He narrowed his eyes. “And what if I did? Are you gonna kick my ass for dealing with a problem?”

Brad scoffed. “Tone it down. I’m not here to argue with you. I just… For my own peace of mind, I need you to answer a question for me. Please?”

“A question, huh?” Vinny considered it, fuming from the revelation that Brad knew anything about what he did, but tried to shove his feelings deep inside so he could address the problem. “Fine. Go ahead.”

“Thank you,” Brad replied. “Look, all I want to know is…did you plant those drugs in his car? Or were they already there? That’s it.”

Ah, so that’s what’s got him so worked up. He now understood what it was Brad was looking for. He was afraid that Vinny framed Evan for something he didn’t do. So even after everything he did, you’re still worried about the fucker, huh? You’re a piece of shit, Fischer.

But despite Vinny’s foul mood, he still chose to answer honestly. After all, there was no reason to lie. “I found them. His body felt really weird, like it was craving something, and so I looked around and found his stash. So, I turned him in. Simple as that.”

Brad’s eyes narrowed and Vinny got the feeling that he was trying to tell if he was lying. After a moment, the big boy sighed and nodded. “Alright, that’s all I wanted to know,” he muttered. “Thanks.”

And that was all. Brad then pushed past him and began making his way from the library. Thrown off by the abrupt end to their conversation, part of him wanted to call out and stop the boy. However, he opted to stay quiet and let him leave. He was honest and told Brad what he wanted to know. That was good enough for him. And, with only a few minutes left until class, he had successfully stalled long enough to get out of talking to Eric and Lilly.

***

Despite having come to the decision that it may be best to talk with Vinny once more about Rina, Alice decided to put it off for one more day. Her boyfriend seemed to be more on edge than normal that afternoon and so, she opted to push it off until the following morning. For the time being, she would leave things be and try to figure it all out on her own. So, when the end of the school day arrived, Alice bid Vinny goodbye and made her way to Ralph’s Diner for her afternoon shift. When she walked into the building, she greeted her coworkers, checked in, and got ready to begin serving.

She had expected it to be a rather uneventful shift. It had been nearly five weeks since Jay last accompanied her to the diner and now, even Monica and the others were starting to suspect that something had happened between them. Monica had even approached her after work one night to ask if they’d gotten into a fight and Alice had to assure her that they hadn’t.

And it wasn’t even a lie.

Nothing had happened between her and Jay yet her old friend had been avoiding her ever since she went back to school. She had no idea why. She suspected it was related to the problem with Rina, but she couldn’t be sure of anything. Jay had spoken to her once Monday morning and that had been it. Ever since, he had refused to look her way in class and hadn’t given her a chance to approach him.

So, she was absolutely stunned when she heard the sound of the diner’s door opening and looked up from the table she was wiping down to see Jay standing in the entrance. She exhaled sharply and stood up straighter as Monica exclaimed in surprise.

“Brooks! It’s so good to see you! Where’ve you been, man?!”

Jay immediately glanced Alice’s way and she could tell that he looked as exhausted as he had the last time they talked. If Monica noticed, she made no move to mention it.

“I was in the mood for an omelette,” he replied.

Monica grinned. “Awesome! To your usual spot then!”

The blonde hostess beckoned for Jay to follow her as she led him toward his table by the window adjacent to the parking lot. Monica winked at her as they passed, indicating that she expected Alice to wait on Jay’s table. When Jay was seated, Monica turned and headed back to her spot at the front, leaving Alice to hesitantly approach the table.

“So, you actually stopped by,” she said softly. “It’s good to see you, Jay.”

He looked up at her and clearly forced his smile. “I-I figured it had been a while so…I thought I’d stop by. Everything going alright with you?”

“I guess so,” she lied, knowing that she was getting more stressed by the day, but not wanting to tell him that. “You want your usual Meirion omelette then?”

Jay nodded. “Yeah, that’d be fine, thanks.”

“Awesome,” Alice muttered. “I’m…sure Monica already put your order in, but I’ll go make sure.”

Using that as an excuse to escape the awkward conversation, Alice turned and began heading toward the bar and the window to the kitchen so she could give Jay’s order to the chefs. However, before she could, Monica motioned her over with a wave of her hand. Alice sighed, following the girl around the corner out of Jay’s sight to where there was only a single elderly couple seated in a booth. They passed the couple by and went into the restroom where they could have privacy. The minute Monica was sure the stalls were alone, she turned and gave Alice an inquisitive look.

“So? What’s wrong with Jay?” she asked. “He looks like he hasn’t eaten in days. Is he okay?”

Alice frowned, not sure how to respond to her friend without getting into all the drama with the Magic Club and the bullying incidents. So, she just forced a smile, nodded, and lied through her teeth. “Yeah, he’s fine. He’s just been really busy. Um…he’s having some family troubles right now, but he’s hanging in there.”

Monica narrowed her eyes and Alice could tell that she didn’t fully believe her. “Well, as long as he’s okay,” she muttered. “Let him know I’ll pay for his meal, though. He looks like he could use a treat. I’ll buy him dessert if he wants that, too.”

Alice forced a smile. “Thanks, Monica. I’m sure he’d be grateful for that.”

“No problem, Al’,” she replied. “And let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I’m here for him if he needs it.”

Thanking her friend once more for being so sweet, the two girls left the bathroom and went back out into the main area. From there, Alice stopped by Jay’s table to give him his drink and, once it was cooked, she brought him his dinner. He wasn’t very talkative and he seemed like he was deep in thought the whole time so Alice didn’t bother him. Every time she looked his way, he was staring out the window. At some point after his arrival, the rain had started to fall and he seemed entranced by the sight.

What am I supposed to do? Something’s wrong with him but I don’t know what. I wish he would just be honest with me.

The thought went through her mind as she was bringing a family of four their check when she heard the sound of the door opening. She glanced over out of curiosity and, for the second time that day, was thrown off by the appearance of a familiar face.

“Hello, welcome to Ralph’s Diner,” Monica greeted. “Just a table for one?”

Eric Reiner grinned. “That would be great, thanks.”

Alice quickly handed the father the check before turning to stare at Eric, baffled. When he noticed her looking, he waved cheerfully and continued to grin in his typical, laid back way. She was surprised to find no sign of Lilly or the other club members. It was rare for her to see him all by himself. She watched Monica lead him to his seat, told one of her coworkers that she would take care of him, and approached his table.

“Hey, Eric,” she greeted. “How’s it going? Didn’t expect to see you here today.”

Eric shrugged. “Well, I’ve heard from Vinny that this place is pretty good and so, I thought I’d stop by and check it out. Very cozy, I must say. It’s a quaint little place.”

“Er, yeah, I suppose so,” she replied. “Could I get you something to drink or…?”

“I’ll just have a soda,” he said. “Surprise me on the type, if you will.”

She nodded slowly. “Okay. Will do.”

Every time she spoke with him, she never really knew what to say. He had such a strange way of talking and it didn’t sound like anybody she’d ever met. Combined with his possession of The Switch and she couldn’t help but be a bit intimidated by him. It still baffled her that the Lilly Harper she met at the beginning of school could have ever become friends with him. Alice sighed and went to get the boy his soda. At the same time, she couldn’t help but glance in Jay’s direction to see him staring at Eric. In return, Eric looked back and waved at him.

Jay doesn’t look too happy to see him. Hell, he almost looks scared. I wonder if something else happened.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Eric got to his feet and crossed the diner to where Jay sat. He then leaned down and began saying something to him but Alice was too far away to hear what it was. After a moment, Jay meekly nodded and Eric went back to his seat. Alice was about to head over and ask Jay what that was about when the boy slowly got to his feet and made his way toward her.

“Hey, Alice,” he stuttered.

She frowned, regarding him hesitantly. “Yeah? What’s u—?!”

Before she could finish what she was saying, Jay stepped forward and threw his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. She was so stunned she couldn’t even react. They were in full view of the diner’s few customers as well as her coworkers so part of her wanted to push him off and berate him for doing something like that so suddenly. When she noticed him shaking, however, she found herself unable to push him off.

“Jay?” she uttered.

“Thank you,” he breathed. “You’ve meant the world to me, Alice. I love you. You’re my best friend and you always will be.”

“Wha…?”

He then released her and, before she could recollect herself, he turned and hurried toward the front door and left the diner, leaving her staring after him in shock.

What on earth was that all of a sudden? Why did he just…?

She glanced over at Monica, who was staring at her with a cocked eyebrow. She knew the patrons were looking at her but she was too embarrassed to look back at any of them. The only one she briefly glanced at was Eric, who was staring out the window at the receding back of Jay. Wanting something to do to get herself moving, Alice turned and walked over to Jay’s table to collect his dishes. Yet, when she stopped beside it, she felt her stomach churn. He had left his payment for the meal on the table beside his omelette, which only had a single bite taken out of it.

He hardly ate his food? Why? Wasn’t he hungry?

She suddenly had a really bad feeling and turned around to consider going after him when she noticed something else strange.

The table where Eric Reiner had been sitting was empty.

***

The rain continued to pour as Jay made his way from Ralph’s all the way back to his apartment building. However, he found that he didn’t mind the cold all that much. In fact, his constant shivering seemed almost pleasant and part of him just wanted to stop in the middle of the road and allow himself to get more and more drenched. Yet, despite that feeling, Jay pressed on until he reached his building. He walked through the dry lobby without once looking up at the receptionist and rode the elevator all the way to the fourth floor where his apartment was. When he got inside, the place was, as expected, empty.

Good. I’m glad they’re not home. I really didn’t want to see them again.

Jay didn’t bother removing his shoes or coat as he walked into the empty family room. For a minute, he just looked around at the place he despised so passionately. He’d lived in this apartment all his life but it wasn’t his home. If anywhere could be considered a home for him, it was at Alice’s side.

But she doesn’t need me anymore. She’s got Mickelson and Lilly… She can finally be free of me. And now…there’s no point in staying behind. I’ve done what I needed. Alice won’t be alone anymore.

Jay turned and headed down the hall, ignoring the closed door to his parents room and poking his head into his bedroom. It was a bland place with a bland bed. He didn’t even have a desk or anywhere to sit at. Slowly, he reached into the inner pocket of his coat, produced a folded up piece of paper, and placed it on his pillow.

There you go, he thought. Maybe you’ll actually acknowledge my existence when you read that. Or hell…maybe not. I don’t think I really care.

With his goodbye note in place, Jay turned back around and headed to the living room once more. He didn’t remain there for long though. Instead, he pulled open the sliding glass door and walked out into the balcony. The rain had begun falling even harder and the droplets felt cool against his skin and hair. When he looked up, he saw the sky covered completely by dark gray clouds. The forecast said it would snow later that night. It would probably be beautiful.

Alice loves the snow, he remarked. I hope she enjoys it.

Tears came to his eyes as he thought about his lifelong best friend. He cared about her more than anybody in the world. Despite how worthless and miserable he was, she had never once left his side. He was grateful to have gotten to know her and to have had her as his friend. She gave him a purpose and a reason to keep living when he considered ending it so many times. She was the single light he had in the past few years.

I appreciate everything you did for me, Alice.

Not wanting to lose his resolve to finally go through with it, Jay put his hands on the balcony railing and pulled his leg up onto it. Its surface was slick but that didn’t bother him. Slowly, he raised himself up until both feet were planted firmly on it. Then, he stood up to full height so he could look out over the street four stories below him. There wasn’t a soul in sight. Nobody was there to see him.

The way he wanted it to be.

Take care of her Mickelson. Take care of her, Lilly. I’ve done everything I can but this is all just too much for me. I can’t keep going like this. Everything I do always seems to be wrong. I’m pathetic. I can’t do anything right.

And now…after what I helped do to Rina…

How I failed Audrey…

I don’t deserve to live. I can’t keep going anymore. It’s too much! It’s too much, dammit!

For a moment, he stared blankly down at the concrete below him. He felt bad for whoever was going to find him. Part of him had considered finding a way to do it privately but instead, he decided to be selfish. He wanted the last thing he saw to be the beautiful dark sky and the rain. He didn’t want to die in that place he was supposed to call home. He wanted to be outside.

It was his last wish.

I love you, Alice.

I’m sorry I had to do this but…

You’re better off without me.

Then, he leaned forward and his foot slipped from the railing. He felt the rush as his body plunged over the side and the ground started to come ever closer. He closed his eyes and braced for the end.

I’m coming to you, Audrey. After all this time, I’ll see you again.

“Ventus!”

That shout was the last thing Jay heard before his body slammed into the ground and everything went dark.