Feeling For You (DNF)

Chapter 27: Memories

Author's note: 

Thank you all for reading! <3 This was the hardest chapter to write, but it'll make all the foreshadowing pay off! It's backstory time, everyone!

Word count: 3,327

⚠️TRIGGER WARNINGS: If you could be affected by physical danger/implied depression or suicidal thoughts, please scroll down to view the tags! Although everything is only lightly touched on, these subjects can be triggering to read for some.

For this chapter, I recommend listening to The 30th by Billie Elish (one of my all time favorite songs). Usually, I would recommend two or more, but I think this one is perfect!

"Dream, common!" Sapnap urged, turning to grin at me. "The view is gonna be epic, just wait."

I glared at him, but followed anyway. I hadn't wanted to go, but it meant a lot to Sapnap. I'd been out with him all day, trying to make up for never going anywhere with him.

It was difficult, when he moved in. We both planned adventures for years that I couldn't fulfill, not with my empathy. And since I hadn't told him yet, he though I just didn't want to go anywhere with him. 

My empathy sucked, in more ways than one. Ruining my friendship with Sap was at the top of the list, so I was desperate to do anything to fix it-

-Even spend the day sightseeing and forcibly controlling my empathy, and agreeing to take an elevator to the top floor of a sky-scraping office building and walk out on the open air viewing balcony. 

If I wasn't unnerved by heights, I would have been more excited. But my sweaty palms and racing heart made it hard to enjoy the view as we climbed higher and higher in the elevator, the other buildings shrinking beneath us as we reached the highest visitor floor. 

"Dream, look, bro! I can see our house!" Sapnap screeched as we walked out onto the terrace, jumping up excitedly and pointing towards the buildings in the distance. 

The balcony was actually pretty nice, with only three other people and a stunning view of Orlando. One of the onlookers was a security guard, with almost comically accurate sunglasses and an earpiece that looked like something out of a spy movie. 

I kept my distance from the rail, but looked over, wincing a little at the drop. A glass pane atop a three foot high metal fence was the only barrier keeping us from falling.

"Oh, wow..." I started to say, before I scanned the buildings visible. "Wait, that's a lie. Either you're lying or you're stupid, because this is the west view, and our house is on the east side of the city. And it's probably too far in the woods to see from here, anyway."

"Yah, yah, yah," Sapnap mocked, rolling his eyes. "So what. The point is, it's sick up here. Right?"

I wouldn't have called it sick in the sense that it was cool, but rather in the way that made me feel actually ill, but I agreed anyway. "Sure, it's neat. Wanna take a picture?" 

The sooner we take a picture or two, we can leave, I knew. I tried to hurry him up, but when Sapnap has his mind set on something, he can be stubborn. He refused to leave until he'd taken a panoramic of the skyline, and even then, he insisted on taking two more, 'just in case'. By the time he finished, at least ten minutes had passed, and my stomach was cramping into nervous knots. 

I had a bad feeling, then. It was like I knew, somehow, what was about to happen...

"Can we go, now?" I asked, leaning against the wall of the building. The wind, much stronger at this height, rustled my hair and threatened to blow away the beanie I was wearing.