MY HIGH Chapter 17

Instructions

It approachs Lilith’s life had gone to s***. She’d lost the most important person to her, all because of a stupid decision. She should never have deleted that email. At least then she could’ve tried to honestly help Frankie. Now Lilith had lost everything. As Lilith lay on her bed, she pulled out her phone, and checked for any messages from Frankie. There were none. Lilith turned over and faced her wall. She felt a hot tear dribble down her face. Lilith didn’t bother to try and wipe it away. She knew that more would come anyways. Why had she been so stupid? She knew why. It was the same reason she’d done everything else to help Frankie. The same reason Frankie hating her hurt so much. Because she loved Frankie. At school the next day, Lilith saw Frankie sit down at her normal desk in first period. THe seat was sat next to Lilith. For the rest of the period, Frankie didn’t speak. Not to answer questions, not for any reason. At lunch Lilith and Reid sat at their normal table with Gerard, but Frankie sat at a small table in the corner of the lunchroom, on the opposite side of the room from Lilith. “ You should just try to talk to her,” Gerard told her. Surprised, Lilith looked up. Gerard didn’t often say stuff to her. “ What?” Gerard asked, when he saw Lilith looking at him. Lilith looked back over at Frankie’s table. She saw that Frankie was listening to music. Lilith suddenly remembered that singing lesson she gave her. The memory burned like a fire, scorching her heart. Lilith wanted to cry, but she couldn’t at school. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Helen smirking at her. Helen had been right, Lilith thought. She hated this, all of this! She just wanted it to be over. That night, Lilith went up to the rooftop. The same rooftop where Frankie had given her a singing lesson. Lilith walked up to the edge. As her feet led her to the stone lining that surrounded the roof, she thought about how much she failed Frankie. She thought about every mistake she’d made, the person she’d hurt by those lies. Maybe Frankie would’ve been better off without Lilith. She probably would’ve been. Lilith felt the gravel under her feet crunch as she approached the edge. Looking over it, she saw the monotone city skyline. No lights stood out, the roof illuminated only by the moon. Lilith placed one foot on the top of the ledge, and began to stand on the edge. She could see the street now. Lilith felt fear race through her bones, chilling her to her core. The ultimatum raced through her mind. She could go back, and face the pain of her mistake. The pain of living. But Lilith didn’t know if she could take it. Not alone. As she was about to make her choice, she heard a familiar voice to her left. On the other side of the rooftop, sat Gerard looking over the city’s skyline. “ What are you doing here?” He asked, his voice breaking through the silence of the roof. “ Nothing,” Lilith told him. “ You're upset aren’t you?” Gerard inquired. “ No,” “ No one comes up here for a pleasant reason,” Gerard responded, standing up. “ Fine! I messed things up with Frankie, and I can’t fix it! I don’t know what to do, so I… so I came here,” Lilith answered him, feeling the tears clawing their way out of her eyes. “ You should just talk to her. Be honest with her,” Gerard said as he walked over to Lilith. “ But what if that doesn’t help? What if she hates me no matter what?” Lilith asked desperately. She didn’t know if she would ever be able to restore her relationship with Frankie. “ Look, I’m not the best person to be giving you advice, but… at least you would get closure. And Frankie would be able to know why you did what you did,” Gerard told her. He offered her his hand. “ If there is one thing Reid’s taught me, it’s that this place isn’t the answer,” Gerard finished, his hand set out, ready to be taken. Lilith looked down at his hand, and took it. Even if she couldn’t fix things, she knew Gerard was right. The roof wasn’t the answer. The answer was talking with Frankie. Even if it was hard, even if it was painful, she was going to try and fix things. And there was one place to start.