A Work in Progress

Roof to Roof

I can do this.

These were the words that I had been trying to convince myself to believe as I stood on the roof of a 60 foot building.

I can do this. I can totally do this.

My palms were sweating profusely, and I made the worst mistake in my life by looking down.

I can't do this.

"Hey, hey, Alice, it's okay, you're okay," Liam called out to me, standing a few feet ahead.

He was probably wondering if I was going to pass out, which would not be helpful in our situation.

"You've done this your whole life, chill," He continued to reassure me to no avail.

Why did the male race continue to tell females to chill, when it obviously caused the adverse affect?

My jaw clenched as I lifted my eyes to meet his.

Unfortunately though, he was right.

"You're not helping," I called back, too stubborn to admit that to him.

He didn't look phased by my comment, so I must really not look good. Hell, I didn't feel good.

"You still have the money, though, right?" he asked me as an after thought, as if my fear of heights had possessed me to drop our only hope.

I scoffed, my long, dark hair wrapping itself around me against the wind. "You think I'd really be standing on this roof, looking down to my death, with nothing to show for it?"

He grinned wickedly, and continued to usher me forward.

"Hey! There they go!" An unfamiliar voice called.

The look on Liam's faces confirmed what I was about to ask.

The cops had found us.

Suddenly, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. I hiked the strap of my book bag, which held more money than we'd ever had in our lives, and ran.

Liam was calling to me, but I couldn't comprehend what he was saying.

I just had to keep running.

So that's what I did. And he somehow materialized next to me, grabbed my hand, and we sprinted as fast as our off-brand tennis shoes could carry us.

"Come on, Alice. Just a little further," He supplied gruffly.

I nodded the best I could, then came to a startling halt.

"What the—" I began, panting.

I hadn't realized that we were at the end of the roof, and the nearest building to jump onto was at least a 10 foot drop.

"Shit," Liam muttered, checking behind us to see that the cops were only a few feet away.

"Liam, what are we going to do?" I asked, the panic seeping through my tone.

He didn't answer right away, but I could see him calculating what our next move was, the gears in his head turning.

Liam always had a plan. He was my rock, my literal partner-in-crime, being separated from him at all was enough to make my heart rate speed up.