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The sky is black. Shining, wondrous stars live in it. Each beautiful light shooting across the galaxy will grant someone's wish. They are beautiful.
The city is dimly lit. Soft, warm lights illuminate streets. Now that the city sleeps, the buildings seem to stretch, standing tall and mighty.
The forest is expansive. Dull green has painted their leaves from the night. She tells them not to be so vibrant, or they will wake the city with their brightness. They are still. The wind is still, too.
The lake is so dark. The lovely moon shares her light with the water. She is generous.
The lake is deep.
TJ leans over the stone railing. He's been looking at the city for at least ten minutes now, thinking over everything. His life. His home. The key hunt. His friends. Earlier in the day, he met up with the group and hung out the entire day. Somehow, everyone was available despite their different schedules.
They went through the subway and messed around at the Oasis. He and Player fished together (because they somehow had fishing rods lying around in their backpack?). It was fun, especially when they got reeled into the water by an especially big finwick. He smiles at the memory.
They got one big pizza at the Muncheez-themed Pizzeria nearby. It was cheese and pepperoni. They chatted and laughed the whole time, especially when Quincy got a super long string of cheese that just got longer and longer when he tried to get it to snap. He recalled Suzie taking Player's burnt crust because they didn't like the taste.
After everything, they spent some time walking around Lakewood. The sun was setting then, so everyone decided to go home, though Suzie said she was going to stick around a bit and wander. He had a great time.
So why is he here? Why is he doing this? He's the happiest and most fulfilled he's been in his life, but he still feels something he can't put his finger on. He was supposed to leave this all behind, but he's going to leave everyone he loves behind. He's so damn selfish.
He pulls up his sleeve. It's got old, faded scars that he carved years ago. There are fresh cuts, too. He was doing better with that, and he ruined it. Maybe he'll give up on recovery despite how much he wants to.
It doesn't matter, anyway. He'll die.
He pulls himself over to sit on the railing and takes off his hoodie. It's surprisingly warm for the middle of the night. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm the heart beating out of his chest. Both hands clutching the side of the bridge, he exhales, and he loosens his grip, closes his eyes...
He feels his body cutting through the air just before plunging into the water. It stings all over and especially so when he opens his eyes in the murky lake. He tries to cough and swallows it. He looks up. He's so far down. He's too far down. He's going to die. He's going to die.
His instinct wins over him as he pushes as hard as he can to the surface, taking in gulp after gulp of water while his lungs burn. He screams, but nothing comes out.
What is Suzie going to think when I die? Quincy? Player?
He starts kicking wildly. The surface seems just as far as it was before. It's like he's not moving. He slows down. The corners of his vision start going black. He silently screams again. The only thing he hears is his useless flailing.
His body slows down. He's not moving as hard. He finally lets his arms and legs go limp, and he starts sinking.
I'm a fucking idiot.
The burning stops as he feels the water splash and a grasp around his wrist. A figure pulls closer to the surface, bringing him with.
It's fuzzy what happens after. He's on the shore, and he can hear someone hastily speaking on the phone. Their voice is shaking and they're sniffling. He thinks he can see streaks of pink in their curly blonde pigtails as they get closer.
Suzie, he realizes.
She pushes down hard on his chest and starts frantically repeating something to herself. He can't tell what it is.
The last thing he sees is that she's leaning forward, and he blacks out.