Dystopian Paradise

"constellation's nine to five"

Arvin Jax struggled with balancing time out for his mental health and football practice on a daily basis. His efforts to maintain both sent him down a spiral of drugs, depression, and disconnection from everyone around him, especially his friends in the Paradise Club. One night, as Arvin sat alone in his room his thoughts began to get to him. Arvin started to think about death, about how insignificant he felt as though his life was. Arvin wanted to end his life, as he opened up his room window and walked out onto his ledge to do just that.

Arvin's heart raced faster than it ever had. Faster than when he won the Dystopia Bowl, faster than when he had his first kiss, faster than when he went out on his first joyride when his parents had no idea. Arvin stared down at the beautiful neon city of Dystopia on one of its most gorgeous nights. He saw the bustling streets flooded with traffic, the many people walking along the sidewalk, and the airplanes flying through the glistening stars in the sky. Arvin began thinking to himself that this was the last time he'd ever see any of those things. He closed his eyes tightly shut as he felt the wind gently graze his skin.

Images, moments, and memories all moved through Arvin's mind at a fast rate. The only thing that brung him back to his senses were his friends calling out to him. That's when Arvin remembered, he had invited the Paradise Club over that night. Czech and Roxxy were the first to walk into their friend's room to see him out on the ledge.

"Arvin!" They both yelled out as they rushed to the window.

"Step back or I'm gonna jump!" He replied.

Xav and Bentley shortly followed into the room after Czech and Roxxy and witnessed their friend on the ledge as well. Czech and Roxxy continued to yell and plead until Xav placed his hand on Czech's shoulder. Xav was always the calm one in the club, and more times than not had diffused a lot of troubling situations within the group's ranks. But this time, he did something different entirely.

"Sit out on that ledge with him." Xav said to Czech calmly.

"Do you think that'll work?" Czech responded.

"You're his friend. Just go out there and have a conversation with him. For however long it takes, we'll be here when you guys are finished." Xav said.

"What if I can't talk him out of it?" Czech doubted.

"You will talk him out of it." Xav replied. Xav then took Roxxy and Bentley out of the room, and explained the situation to Arvin's mother. She discussed with the group that it wasn't Arvin's first attempt at suicide and that if Czech couldn't talk him off the ledge, she would go in after him. The group waited patiently in the living room, as Czech made his way out of the window. Czech nearly fell himself as he cautiously walked the ledge and sat by his friend.

"What're doing out here, Czech? You're scared of heights." Arvin asked.

"What does it look like, Arv?"

"I'm here to stop you from making a big mistake."

"A mistake? A mistake is not showing up for three weeks in a row for football practice and instead experimenting with drugs in your room. A mistake is pushing yourself away from your own mother when she's only trying to help her depressed, anxious son. Far as I'm concerned, this is my greatest correction."

"Living is harder than dying is Arv. Do you realize that if you jump off of this ledge you erase any opportunity to correct your mistakes. To change the way you see yourself?"

"Nothing could change that. No matter how many Dystopia Bowls I win, no matter how much money I make, no matter how many things I buy or get for my mom. The sadness, the emptiness, it still lingers. This'll get rid of it permanently."