The Reunion- A Waterloo Road Fanfiction

Chapter Seven

When she stepped onto the roof, Bolton was still in the same position he had been in before. Rachel could see he was trembling from head to foot. Part from cold and part from whatever else he was feeling in his mind and heart.

"Bolton?" She whispered softly

Despite the soft, hushed tone of her voice, Bolton jumped, turning around to face her. He scowled at her. His face was wet with tears, his chest rising and falling at a rapid rate.

"Why did you follow me? Go away!" He snapped

"I can't, Bolton. Not when you're like this. Please, just talk to me"

Bolton shook his head furiously.

"I can't do it no more, Miss! I can't!" He sobbed

Rachel sighed painfully. She hated seeing him like this. How had things gotten so bad for him?

"Bolton, its ok" she soothed

"No, it's not! You don't know anything!" He spat

His feet were moving dangerously closer to the edge of the roof. Rachel was panicking, her heart hammering against her chest. She had thought talking to him would gradually get him to calm down, but it didn't seem to be working. If she said even one word wrong, it would end in disaster. She needed to get him away from the edge of the roof without causing an accident. But how?

"Bolton, please, just come back downstairs, we can talk about this. Let me help you" she pleaded

"You can't help me, Miss" he mumbled, turning his back to her

"I know you don't think I can, Bolton. But I want to try, that's something isn't it? If you come back down with me now, we can sit down and I can try and help you. And if I can't help you, we'll find someone who can, ok?"

Bolton shook his head.

"You're not on your own, Bolton. I'm right here; I'm not giving up on you. I didn't give up on you when you were at school, and I'm not giving up on you now"

She stepped forward to stand beside Bolton. Her hand moved to reach out to him. He eyed it wearily, refusing to move.

"Bolton, please?" She whispered, her hand moving to rest on his arm

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!" He yelled, pushing her away from him

Rachel fell backwards onto the surface of the roof. Pain shot through the middle of her stomach, causing a whimper to escape her lips. She looked to Bolton, who had a look of guilt plastered on his face. He hadn't meant to hurt her; he just wanted her to back off. She couldn't help him. No one could.

"Bolton, please?" She pleaded

"You can't save me, Miss"

Before Rachel knew what was happening, Bolton had jumped. Seconds later, she heard the sickening thud of his body hitting the concrete. The world seemed to stop in its tracks as she sat there, glued to the spot. Her heart was pounding in her ears, blocking out the noise of the screams of the staff and former pupils on the ground below.

She crawled her way over to the edge of the roof, peering over the edge. A guttural cry escaped her lips, rooted deep into her soul. Bolton was lying face down on the ground, his leg at a funny angle. There was blood everywhere.

The guilt and the grief were powerful enough to kill her. She had let Bolton down. She had failed him. Even if the promise she had made to him had long expired since he had left school, it didn't matter. In her mind, she had still failed him.

She felt two hands lifting her from under the arms, pulling her away from the edge of the roof and to safety. When she looked up, Eddie and Kim were beside her, Eddie being the one to move her away from the scene on the ground below. She was trembling, her fingers shaking as she clung onto the material of his jacket. Eddie held onto her tightly, rubbing her arm with his thumb. Kim was talking, Rachel could see her lips moving, but no sound was coming out.

Eddie knew Rachel was in a state of shock. She was gripping his jacket with an impressive amount of strength. Her whole body was trembling violently. The colour had drained from her cheeks. Her eyes were glazed over, her vision focussing on the inky black sky. Her breaths were heavy and wheezy. Kim was instructing her to breathe, desperately trying to get her attention, but she was in another world.

Rachel's ears were ringing. Her lungs and chest felt like they were on fire. Every breath was painful. The sounds around her were muffled, like she was under water. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. All she could see was the blood, and Bolton's lifeless body lying on the ground. It was her fault. She wanted the roof to cave in and take her with it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the blue lights of the ambulance reflecting onto the roof. Everything came back into focus, including her hearing. The sirens were wailing loudly. Her heart was racing as she tried to get her breathing under control.

She let go of Eddie, pulling herself to her feet.

"Rachel, where are you going?" Kim asked her as she headed for the stairs

"I need to get to Bolton. I need to be with him"