The Thin Wall

 Shouting. That's all I hear everyday. Another fight, like usual. God, why are these walls so thin? I thought moving away from my family would help me escape the loud noises. But, no. I had the luck of a lifetime to move into an apartment next door to crazy people who scream all the time. At least they have a cute son. He's around my age, a little younger I think. His name is Jacob. I admire him, I know what he deals with everyday. (Not only because I hear it). But, because I went through it too with my parents. The endless fights and feeling like everything's your fault because that's what they tell you.

All of a sudden I hear glass shattering and a really high pitched scream. This fight is different... Something's wrong. I run out my front door to see what's happening, I see Jacob sprinting down the hallway; he's bleeding.

"Jacob!" I scream.

He looks back at me, "I'm sorry Melanie." Before sprinting around the corner and down the stairs. I try to follow him, but he was too fast. I go back upstairs to see what happened in his apartment. His apartment door is cracked open, almost asking me to walk in. I open it slowly and I see his mom leaning over his dad crying. There's blood everywhere.

"What happened, Mrs. Young?"

"It all happened so quickly... Mark and I were fighting again and he brought Jacob into it, and Mark just kept screaming at him over and over, I didn't know what to do. Jacob fought back though, and next thing I know Mark pulled out a knife."

Mrs. Young is sobbing by then, I couldn't understand her anymore. I mean, it is kind of her fault, she should've left her husband years ago. If he has been tormenting Jacob for as long as it seemed. Hell, I would've stabbed Mark too if I were Jacob.

A few minutes later the ambulance show up, I don't stay long after that. I go back to my apartment to think all of it through and text Jacob. Maybe he will respond and want to talk to me, I know the police are gonna want his story.

"Are you okay? I saw that you were bleeding, I'm here for you... remember that."

So far, no response. All I've ever wanted was for him to trust me. I just want to help. But, he always refuses it. Claiming that I have no idea what he's going through and that I should mind my own business. Well, I can't. Because now it is my business. I need to find him. I think that if he will let anyone in, it will be me. Hopefully. I text him again.

"Where are you?"

Again, no response. I grab my purse, lock my door, and leave my apartment complex. If I was in Jacob's shoes... Where would I go? Well, I'd be bleeding, so I'd want to get help. Who could I trust to patch me up? Does Jacob have a sister? I don't think so. I've never heard him mention her or anything. Wait! I've heard him on the phone with a friend some nights. Damn, what was his name... Liam? No, that wasn't it. Oh yeah, it was Lenny. I don't know his last name though, great. Thanks to modern day technology, I'll just have to look him up on Facebook. Let's see, there's a Lenny Nelson and Lenny Matthews. Lenny Nelson seems to be the one because it says he goes to the same school as Jacob. It also has his number listed. I decide to text him.

"This is Melanie, I'm a friend of Jacob's. I need to see you ASAP. Can we meet?"

By luck he replies back almost immediately.

"1583 Bucky Avenue, see you soon."

I call a cab and head straight there. I hope Jacob is there, I want to make sure he's safe and well taken care of. It takes almost 15 minutes to get there, when I arrive I meet Lenny on his front porch.

"Is Jacob here?" I ask.

"Ah... Um, You actually just missed him. He left a little before you texted me," Lenny says.

"Is he okay? I'm worried about him, I just want to see him," I say.

"He was bleeding pretty bad when he got here, I fixed him up as best as I could but I'm not a doctor. Are you the Melanie that is his neighbor?" He asks.

"Yeah, that's me. How did you know? Jacob and I aren't exactly the closest, we have only talked a few times," I say. While that may be true, I leave out the fact that I basically know everything about him because of the such thin walls. I've just been trying to be his guardian angel. Trying to protect him from what I went through as well. He never deserved any of it.

"He's mentioned you a few times," He says.

"Can you tell me where he went, please?" I ask.

"I told him to go see a doctor but he said no and that he just needed to get away and fast. That's all he said, I know he started walking that way though," He points to the left.

"Okay, thank you!" I say.

"No problem, hey, keep Jacob safe for me, okay?" Lenny says.

"That's what I'm trying to do," I say before starting to run in the direction he pointed to. I run for a while but no sign of Jacob. I just want to help, can't he see that? I've spent the last year or so of my life trying to do that. I mean, I know so much about him. That's kind of a bonus because he's a great guy, but I really just want to help save him from all the darkness. The way I wish I had someone to save me from all of it too in my past. I try calling Jacob. No answer the first three times, but the fourth call someone picked up.

"Jacob? It's me, Melanie. I just want to help, please let me. Hello?" He wasn't responding, all I could hear was heavy breathing.

"Melanie, I want this all to end. I'm tired of dealing with all of this and feeling like I'm worthless. I know you think otherwise, but you're only one person," Jacob says in between soft cries. Behind him, I hear the noise of a train? Are there even trains in the city? I try to think, wait, yes! There's a train station a few blocks away, not many people use it, I forget it's there.

"Please, Please stay Jacob. You belong here! You deserve happiness and freedom away from all of this and I want to help you achieve that! Please," I keep running while I'm talking, I need to find him now, he can't leave. No, He just can't. Not without me at least. I need to know he will be okay. I need to see it all for myself. I see the train station up ahead, I run even faster.

"Melanie, I'm sorry, I just, I just don't know if I can do this anymore..."

"No, please, no, Jacob, no, please, you can't," I've never ran so fast in my whole life. I see the entrance to the station, I run in and I see him. Jacob. Holding a gun. Right to his head.

"JACOB, NO!" I scream at the top of my lungs both into the phone and at him. This can't happen. It's not supposed to end like this. He's crying so hard. Please, God, let me save him. Take him away from all of this. Let him live! I hear the soft click of the hammer being pushed down. I jump in front of him immediately, it can't be like this. I hear the trigger, but the bullet, it hits me instead. I moved the gun. It couldn't be him. This is it. This is the reason I survived all those fights with my parents, this is the reason I survived everything. To sacrifice my life, for his. I look up at him, he's screaming. But, I hear nothing.

I rest my hand on his cheek, "Please, keep pushing forward, do it for me. Please," my blood is rushing in my throat now, I can't breathe anymore. I thought this would be more painful, but it's almost painless. I can't hold my eyes open anymore, someone else protect him, please.