Goner | M.C.

Part 9

A/N: So technically this is the final chapter, while part 10 is the epilogue and it will be titled as such.

I wrote this part and 10 before anything else, so it's been a bit difficult leading the story up to this point and even though I don't like how I ended it, I think it fits perfectly. I'm really interested to hear what you all think. Vote? Comment? Love.

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[Michael Clifford]

"Why did you do that?" She brushed her lips with her fingertips, her eyes wide with wonder.

"I guess it was just kind of a reflex." I stared down at her dumbly, not knowing how to explain it without sounding like a complete fool.

It was like a switch flipped in her head and she smiled again. "Thank you."

Her lifeless eyes had a strange shine to them now, like she finally had come to peace with everything. Had I actually gotten through to her?

I was hesitant with my next words, not knowing if it was the proper time to ask them. "Do you want to get a coffee with me?"

And then she laughed and grinned over at me. "I don't drink coffee."

"Well then I'll buy you something else." I smiled back at her timidly.

"I'm glad I got to kiss you," She said randomly and I felt my cheeks burn out of embarrassment. "It's nice to feel wanted again."

I nodded my head, not really knowing what to say to her in that moment.

"Let's just sit here a little bit longer," She concluded.

And so we did. We sat in a comfortable silence, her staring out over the city and me staring at her. The tiny ghost of a smile never left her face, but I could tell she was in deep thought. Maybe she was thinking about us. Maybe she was thinking about what would happen once we both stepped off this ledge. It was impossible to tell because after another moment the smile on her face fell and was replaced with an emotion I couldn't quite read. My eyebrows knitted together at the sight.

"I'm ready now." Her voice was oddly breathless, like she had just run a mile.

I shut my eyes for a second, letting everything that had happened tonight settle in my mind. This was it.

I took another deep breath as I stepped off the ledge before my feet landed on the hard cement of the rooftop. It was an odd sensation knowing that I was going to live to see another day. There had been only one thing on my mind tonight and that was to kill myself. But this girl had changed my thinking in only a few short hours. The subconscious smile on my face vanished as I turned back to help Reed off the ledge.

"What are you doing?!" My voice was already frantic as she took a step toward the edge. This couldn't be happening, not after everything.

"I'm sorry, Michael." Her words hit me like a ton of bricks as she turned to face me with a sad smile.

I took a step forward and she instinctively took another step away. I felt panicked and confused as we stared at each other. Had nothing we talked about gotten through to her? How could I have screwed this up?

"Don't do it," My voice cracked as tears formed in my eyes. "Please!"

That same sad smile was back as she shook her head. "I'm not like you, Michael. You have so much going for you. You have friends and fans that love you and will support you no matter what."

"Please!" I repeated as I took another cautionary step toward her and yet again she took another step back. Her heels now part way off the edge.

"I have come to terms with the person I've become." She shook her head. "I never meant to make you feel pressured to help me, because that's not what I wanted. You were never going to be able to change my mind, but I'm glad you tried because I never would have been this happy if I had done this on my own. So thank you for staying."

My mind raced at top speed as I tried to think of some other way of stopping her. My words were desperate, but I didn't know what else to say. "What do you want, Reed? Love?"

I paused, realizing how easily it would be to fall for a girl as charismatic as this one. And I refused to let her go, not like this. Not here. "I can do that! If that's what you want. I can love you!"

The smile on her face was genuine this time, but she didn't make any moves toward me. "Thank you so much, Michael. You don't know how amazing it feels to hear someone say those words and actually mean it. But I'm not that desperate anymore. You made this so much easier. I feel weightless."

"Reed, please!" I was crying now, tears staining my cheeks as I made my final move toward the ledge, but it was too late.

I let out an ear-piercing yell as I watched her take that last step. Every fiber of my being lost all hope in humanity as her body disappeared over the edge. More tears poured from my eyes as my body pressed up against the cold ledge. I finally took a chance and looked down. Nothing. I couldn't see anything from this far up, the light fog distorting my vision, but maybe that was a good thing.

She was gone. And there was nothing I could have done. Her mind as been made up and she had made that clear in the very beginning. I had been a fool to think I could change it.

I stumbled backward before my feet tripped over the backpack that she had so carelessly left behind and fell to the ground in complete shock. My body shook as I covered my face with my hands. This couldn't be happening, she was just there.

"Reed!" I called out desperately in hopes that this was all a joke. But it wasn't.

This was real and she was gone.