Dreamcatcher

Chapter Fifty-Six: Is This Goodbye?

Trigger warning: suicide, bullying, depression 

For those who were given the twisted pleasure of watching Kate Marsh make her rapid descent towards the ground were scarred; but only momentarily. Mixed and shared screams of fright and horror rang out through the shallow air as Kate's body met the ground.

Her angelic figure quickly shifted to a regretful one: from having her arms stretched out horizontally to her left being pulled back and the other subconsciously moving forward in front of her face. It was in the very split second moment that Kate regretted her decision.

Clark was incapable of preventing Kate from jumping off the rooftop. But he was spared the horror of seeing her mutilated body hit the concrete below as Max Caulfield had activated her powers to reverse time, but only to an extent: three attempts to rewind time for a short but extended period of time seemed futile; the strain of prolonging the delay of time forwarding became strenuous and migraine-inducing but through sheer willpower, Max managed to freeze time long enough for her to make her way up to the rooftop moments before Kate jumped.

Upon reaching the roof, Max opened the door and spotted Clark attempting to talk Kate off the ledge. Kate identified the brunette in their company and raised her voice at her.

"What are you doing here, Max?!" Kate shouted. "Max, seriously, don't come near me. I will jump."

"Okay, okay. I'm right here. Kate, please... don't jump."

"Oh Max... I know you want to help me. I love that you stepped up to David, but it doesn't matter now. Nothing matters."

Max daringly took a step forward and expressed that Kate was indeed very important to her - possibly even taking it a stretch forward by stating that she was important to her.

"I do want to believe that," Kate said with a broken voice.

"Kate, your life is still yours. And we can get through this together - let me help."

"I'm glad to hear you worry about me. That makes me feel better."

Clark scoffed and raised his arms up before letting them drop to clap the sides of his legs. "Hey! I'm still right here y'know?!"

Both girls ignored his banter-filled comment and expressed moments when Max devoted her time and focus to Kate when she needed it most, all the while Clark stood by and watched things unfold; things taking random turns that Clark struggled to predict whether things would fall into his and Max's favour and Kate would refuse to jump off the ledge.

"... how can I trust you? What about this morning when I needed your help?" Kate questioned harshly. "I-I can't... my feelings towards you have been very mixed when you told me to do nothing! How can I take you seriously if you won't even help me?!"

"I'm gathering proof that Nathan Prescott drugged you. You have to help me take down Nathan. We can do it, together - you, me, and Clark."

"Do you even have proof?"

"Soon. Then straight to the police. Right Clark?"

The two girls looked over at Clark who stood with his arms folded who had his jaw tightened.

"Sh-Sh-Sure..." Clark grumbled to himself.

Max looked back at Kate and said, "Think of it like we're cleansing Blackwell."

"Max, I'm in a nightmare and I can't wake up... unless I put myself to sleep. Then everybody at Blackwell can post pics of my body. I'm already on the internet forever. No wonder they call it a web - nothing can ever get out. Like my video... I wish I could go back in time and erase everything. I-I can't get over this, this thing I'm hiding deep inside. No matter how hard I try, I just can't control it. I try to hide it in case my parents find out. I can't let them find out..."

"Find out what, Kate?"

Kate sniffled as more tears streamed down her already wet cheeks.

"I... I-I can't... you'll hate me too." Kate sobbed dramatically.

"You can tell me anything, Kate. I always give you my time and attention, don't I?"

"That's just it. Not all the time! No matter how I behave around you, or-or what I say when you're around, you just never seem to notice, or regard my feelings, Max Caulfield!"

Max furrowed her brows in confused.

Clark studied Kate as he struggled to decipher what exactly the dirty-haired blonde was talking about. Alas, neither could think of a plausible reason until Kate professed it out loud, almost for the whole campus to hear.

"I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU, MAX CAULFIELD!!!"

Both Clark and Max were absolutely baffled at Kate's love confession for Max Caulfield. Neither truly considered the concept of the heavily devoted Christian girl being gay. And yet in spite of this revelation, Max felt so blind and guilty for not noticing the symptoms of Kate's behaviour any sooner.

"See?! You never truly cared about me! If you would only just stop daydreaming over Clark and just think about me for once! I thought we had something special... thank you for showing me how wrong I am..."

Kate leaned backwards and closed her eyes as she allowed gravity to suck her off the ledge, plummeting her to the ground  below. 

Excluding the use of her powers, everything felt like it had slowed down for Max: she watched her friend and admirer slowly disappear from sight, all the while Clark Price sprinted towards Kate. He lost his footing and leaned forward as his steps became increasingly more difficult to maintain balance, only to just miss the ledge by a few inches that his outstretched arm clenched but slightly opened and cramped as he stared at the ledge, mortified. 

Max's hand cupped over her mouth and nose to conceal most of her horrified expression, the strength in her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground, leaning on one side on the wet floor. One hand kept her sitting upright while the other covered her mouth as she sobbed to herself. 

Meanwhile, Clark sat up on his hands and knees and bowed his head in shame and defeat. 

After a few minutes to comprehend that they failed to save Kate Marsh, they removed themselves from the roof. On their way down the stairs from the girl's dormitory, Max and Clark walked out the door where they found a blanket concealing Kate's mangled corpse. 

Max whimpered and hid her face in Clark's chest, unable to bring herself to look at the consequences of their inactions. Many in the crowd shed tears amidst the heavy rain that poured down on them. Soon thereafter, the crowd dispersed at the behest of the authorities who'd come to investigate the school before the body would be removed and a memorial would be set up to commemorate Kate.