I recall a conversation between my mother and my aunt when I was younger about a high school that was almost destroyed by fire. Something about a rebellious student smoking inside the school and accidentally lighting it. Eight lives were lost. Tragic. They rebuilt the part that got completely destroyed but ended up shutting the school down anyway almost right after. I wonder why.
It’s a bit surprising that it’s still standing considering the neighborhood it’s situated in. You’d assume they’d have gotten rid of it and replaced it with a mall by now.
“This is the abandoned high school, isn’t it?” I say.
Haze and I both get off his bike. “The one and only.”
“Your favorite place in the world is high school?” I can’t hold back a chuckle.
“Its roof is my favorite place, smartass.”
“And how are we supposed to reach it?” I glance up. It isn’t exactly something you can easily climb to.
“I’ll show you. Come on.” I squirm when his hand drops to my back. He gives me a small push to get me to start walking. I try to ignore the goose bumps crawling all over my skin.
I wish he was ugly.
It would make things so much easier.
When we reach the back of the school, I’m quick to notice a cemetery is situated right across the street.
Cruel coincidence.
We stop in front of an incredibly old-looking ladder.
“No.” I say.
“You’re the one who wanted to know me.”
“Technically, I never said that.”
“Ladies first.” He motions for me to climb. I raise an eyebrow in response. “Come on, what’s the worst that can happen?”
“Gee, I don’t know. I can fall, break my back, break a leg, get arrested for trespassing. I can—”
He cuts me off, grinning. “Okay. Okay. You’ve made your point.”
“Is this even legal?” I take a step forward.
“Of course. I’ve done it multiple times and never got into trouble.”
“Says the guy who gets away with everything.”
“You scared, Kingston?” He raises his eyebrows, a challenging smile spread across his face. “I didn’t take you for a quitter.”
I stare at him intently, his blue eyes getting the best of me. I can’t deny this irresistible need to prove him wrong. This guy knows exactly how to push my buttons. I take a deep and long breath and begin the climb. By the time I reach the roof, I am confident that I just beat the world’s record for fastest ladder climbing. Haze follows right behind me.
“Show’s this way,” he says, getting onto the roof.
Confused, I turn around. My mouth drops. I guess I was too busy trying to breathe properly again to notice the picture-postcard view before my eyes. The mesmerizing and distant landscape make the biggest buildings look like tiny dots and the cars like grains of salt. I can only imagine how amazing it must be at night. The city lights must be to die for.
“Wow.” I let out.
“Tell me about it.”
We don’t move or speak for a couple of seconds, both in complete awe. He breaks the silence. “Come on.”
He leads the way toward the edge of the brick-built school and casually sits down, his legs hanging off the building. He stares blankly ahead of him, completely unaffected by the fact that the only thing separating him from death is a few feet.