The Boy in the Rain//Klance

50. Keith

WARNING: SUICIDE ATTEMPT! PLEASE DO NOT READ IF THIS WILL HURT YOU OR MAKE YOU THINK NEGATIVELY AT ALL! STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU!!!

I hang up the phone and exchange a worried glance with Lance's mother. "Danny said Lance left with the truck. He isn't at the apartment." The poor woman runs a hand through her graying hair. I think of everything Lance told me about her and his dad. She must be scarred.

She keeps glancing from me to the clock on the wall. "Should I find him? I have a motorcycle I can ride around and look for him." I offer up with a slight smile, I'm trying to make her feel as comforted as possible. Lance's mom nods gratefully, "Thank you Keith you're a sweetheart. I can see you really care about my boy. Now please find him." I'm already walking towards the door when I flash one last look at the pacing woman. Her children sit on the couch watching a show obliviously.

Chloe seems to know something is wrong though. She has a hard and analytical look on her face. Such a young girl but I'm sure she's been through so much. "I'm going to get on my bike and ride around too." She states finally, her Mama doesn't agree, "I'm not listening Mama. Sorry. I'm finding my brother." Then she shrugs on a blue hoodie I'm familiar with and stalks past me and out the front door.

"I swear, Lance is her favorite person in the world." With a humorless laugh Chloe and Lance's mom shakes her head, "She likes him better than her own Mama." I feel something flip in my stomach, I feel so bad for her. Her children see her as weak because she can't leave her husband and all she wants is for the unrelenting love of her children. I sigh and walk out the door.

A sharp inhale of the air and I look above me. Gray clouds and there's a smell of rain in the air, I pray to myself that it rains. Maybe Lance will go home if it rains. Probably not, I think as I climb on my bike, Lance loves the rain. I put on my sunglasses and rev the engine. I zip away quickly from the house.

I have a place in mind, the park Lance and I first kissed. It's far away enough from his house that it's sort of like his own retreat but it's close enough for me to ride to in less than five minutes. The wind blows my hair in all sorts of directions and I curse myself for not putting it in a ponytail.

I pull into the parking lot by the abandoned playground and I can already see a figure sitting with their knees to their chest on the grass. I park and practically jump off my bike, I pull my phone out to the phone app to get ready to call Danny or Lance's mom. I jog over to the figure and yes, it is Lance.

But when he sees me he quickly stands up. "Don't come any closer!" His shrill voice makes me stop in my tracks. I'm about five feet away from him and I can see the patch of grass he's in is soaked with something that smells like, "Gasoline." I curse and close my nose. "How did you find me?" Lance asks and I can see he's been crying. I want to reach out to him. "I figured you'd be here." I say nonchalantly as possible.

But my breathing halts when I see he's flickering a lighter on and off. "Lance you aren't really going to do this are you? Tell me it's a joke." I start to ramble and I try to move forward, instead Lance just screams at me to stay where I am. "If you come any closer I'll drop this lighter right now!" I back away with the threat. "Lance think about this..." I mutter while holding my hands out to calm him. "No! This is my decision I've thought enough about it!" I falter, I don't know how to stop him, I don't know what to say to get him to not do it. Then I look down at the phone in my hand, after the quickest dial to 911 I've ever done (and the first) I shove my phone in my back pocket.

"Lance! You don't want to do this to yourself!" I say as loudly as possible. Lance looks confused but then he laughs out loud. It's a shaky and humorless laugh I've never heard from him, "If I didn't want this I wouldn't be doing it." I shake my head, "Why this abandoned PARK in the east side of the city? Why here?" I say the location as loudly as possible. I hope the receivers get what's going on. "Why are you talking like that and why does it matter where this is? It all ends the same way. Me dead. You better off." My eyes widen, "How could I be better off without you in my life?" Lance meets my eyes and the usual deep blue is just as gray as the clouds above us.

"Everyone's better off without me. I have no reason to be alive Keith. Now please go. I don't want you to see this." Something in my finally snaps and breaks in two, "No! Lance I'm not leaving! I'm not leaving until you leave with me!" Then with a pitying look Lance flicks on the lighter, "Sorry Keith. That's not gonna happen." He drops the lighter.

He drops the lighter and everything happens at once.

Flames go up, my screams pierce my own ears, and I'm running into the flames. I jump through and I'm screaming in pain. Everything in my body in seething with heat but I just look for Lance. I see him curled in a ball and I run to him. I wrap myself around him completely. His figure fitting in with mine and I take off my leather jacket to wrap him in. I can hear him croaking for me to stop. For me to leave. I only hold him tighter.

The heat has been replaced by full adrenaline now. My only focus is Lance. Not the cracking thunder above. Not the rain coming down. Not the sirens singing. Not the flames licking. But Lance. In my arms a boy who I never thought I'd see again is dying. I hold him close and kiss his forehead. I grip his hair in between my fingers and I whisper something into his ear before we both fade away.

"I'm sorry Lance but I broke your promise."

"I love you."