Ethan;
My legs kick back and forth as I stare at the bright, blinking lights of the city below.
I lift my face to the moon, and a smile splits my face as the night's breeze embraces me.
The smell of food, junk, pheromones is, as usual, thick in the air… The smell of a bubbling city with so many people going about their lives.
"I close my eyes, and I am dead…" The music in my ears continues, and I stare down at the paper in my hand.
My eviction notice.
I'm to move out of my house in 7 days, or I'd be forced out.
The reason for this?
My landlord said it's because I'm a nuisance to the other tenants. Every tenant in the block apparently submitted a complaint about me this week…
Which is funny, and makes no sense.
It's not like I'm the Alpha on the first floor, who deals drugs and brings trouble to the block every other day.
Or like the Betas who always play loud music through the night.
Or the Omegas who bring numerous partners to the block and curse our ears with the disgusting sounds of them having sex all night.
I kept every rule… was pretty sure I had a good relationship with all my neighbours till now, so… so now, what? What happened??
I know I missed a month's rent, but things got a bit difficult, and I promised my Landlord I'd pay last month and this month's rent together. He agreed.
So now…
In one week, I lost my home, my job… and my fiancé.
Adrien blocked me on every social media handle imaginable.
He even moved.
His apartment is currently empty, and our mutual friends have all refused to say a word about his whereabouts to me.
In just one week, I've lost everything. ..
I don't know which witch I offended, but their curse is pretty effective. Top-level shit...
I let out a miserable chuckle and then stuff the paper into my pocket.
To be Alright by AURORA starts playing, and my smile grows as I get up and step onto the edge of the rooftop.
This high-rise has been abandoned for years...
Never did I think that one night, I'd be jumping off it while listening to my favourite artist…
Anyway... it is what it is, isn't it??
I shut my eyes, ready to take the step off the edge that would end all of this. The leap off the edge that would finally give me the peace that tears no longer seem to give me.
I take a deep breath, ready to end it all, but my thoughts shatter when my phone starts ringing in my ears.
Who's calling me?? Now of all time!?
I blocked Anu so she wouldn't be able to reach me… and I know she's the only other person who ever calls me. So, who...?
I stare at the unknown number on my screen, and my brows crease as I watch my phone ring.
Whose number is this? And why is it??
Adrien??
The call drops, and immediately, my phone starts ringing again.
I take the call, and a lady's voice follows, causing a wave of disappointment to crash through me.
"Good evening, Mr. Ethan Gu. Your interview with Thean Tech Industries is scheduled for 2 pm tomorrow. It would be a pleasure to have you." The voice says, and my brows crease.
I step back from the edge this time, securing my earpiece properly in my ear. An interview? With... THEAN TECH??
"But I… didn't apply for any interview…" I note in confusion, and there's silence on the other end of the phone for just a second.
"Your interview with us is scheduled for tomorrow, Mr. Gu. Are you interested, or not, sir?" She replies, and I pause.
Thean Tech is a massive company in the State. To even be a janitor there, you need connections with people from within.
How the fuck did I get an…
"ETHAN!!!!" A familiar voice suddenly screams, and my eyes widen as I whip around in alarm.
I freeze when I see Anu, my best friend, panting and glaring at me.
How did she find me?
"You little, shit! Get away from the edge right this instant!" She screams, and I blink at her as I end the call.
"I mean it, Ethan! Get away from the edge, or I'm going to kill you!" She screams as she points at me, and seeing the worry in her eyes, tears fill mine.
"Anu…" I whisper, but my voice barely leaves me.
She storms toward me, her eyes blazing with a fury I've only ever seen when someone insults her parents.
"Are you OUT of your mind!?" she screams as she grabs my wrist and yanks me away from the ledge.
"Ethan, what the hell were you thinking!?" She scolds, but I can't answer.
She holds my shoulders, shaking me violently as she crumbles.
"You sent me a goodbye message. A GOODBYE message, Ethan! And then you blocked me everywhere. Everywhere! Didn't you think even once what that would do to me!? How am I supposed to live with that, huh? How am I supposed to move on from my best friend killing himself like—like THAT!?" She screams with her voice cracking at the end, and I shut my eyes.
She sucks in a shaky breath, and hearing her cry, something twists painfully in my chest.
Guilt. Guilt, I do not have the strength to stomach now.
I gather the courage to look up into her bright, tear-filled brown eyes, and there are dried streaks of tears on her beautiful dark skin. She's been crying before now.
"How… how did you even find me?" I manage to croak, and she rolls her eyes, wiping her cheek aggressively.
"Oh, please. You've sounded suicidal for DAYS. The way your voice always trembled. The way you kept withdrawing. The way you said 'thank you for everything' like you were writing your WILL. I'm not stupid, Ethan!" She rages, and I just blink at her.
"I installed a tracker on your phone! And thank the Light I did, because if I didn't—" She adds, and her voice breaks completely.
"If I didn't, Ethan… I'd be dragging your body out of an alley tomorrow." She crumbles, and my lips wobble before a sob escapes me. And an ugly, sudden cry of exhaustion. She instantly pulls me into her arms, and I hold on to her.
"Hey… hey…" she whispers, holding me tight.
"You're okay… It's okay. I'm here. Just breathe, okay?" She whispers as her hand cups the back of my head, and I crumble into her—gripping her shirt like it's the only thing anchoring me to the world.
"I'm so tired…" I sob into her shoulder.
"Anu, I'm so tired. Everything is gone… Adrien left. My job is gone. I'm going to lose my apartment. I can't— I can't keep doing this. It feels like someone ripped out every part of my life and left me with… nothing." I cry, and she squeezes me tighter.
"You're not nothing," she says fiercely, and I shut my eyes as I feel the tears build up in my throat.
"Do you hear me? You are not nothing." She adds, and I sniffle as I stare down at my hand… at the engagement ring still there.
"I don't even know how to exist anymore. I feel hopeless, Anu. Completely fucking hopeless."I crumble further, and she sniffles as she strokes my hair gently.
"Okay. That's fine. You can feel hopeless. You can cry. You can fall apart… It's okay. I'm right here. Just don't stop existing, okay? Don't you dare stop existing." She says, trying to be strong, but I just hug her and weep.
Fuck, I have probably cried more than my entire life in this past week, but each time I cry, it still feels like I haven't cried enough.
"We'll figure this out. Together." She whispers, and I just stay there. Cradled safe in my best friend's arms.
She's always been there for me since high school. I really do not know what I would do without her…
I don't know how long we've been like this, but after a while, I pull back and sniff.
"Anu…?"
"Hm?"
"There's… something else," I whisper, and she frowns.
"What? Who bothered you?" She questions protectively, and I pull out my phone. I open and show her the calls from the unknown number.
"I—I got a call. A lady said I have an interview tomorrow. With Thean Tech Industries." I inform, and she freezes. Then her eyes widen, like I just told her I won the lottery.
"Thean Tech?" she repeats slowly, and I nod.
"But I-I never applied. I don't know how they—" I begin, and Anu grabs my face in both hands like she wants to shake sense into me again.
"Ethan. Do you know how many people would sacrifice a limb for an interview at THEAN TECH?" She demands, and I pause.
"I—"
"People BATTLE for internships there! Betas and even Alphas!" she continues breathlessly, with excitement she can not hide.
"Do you understand how insane this opportunity is? Because Ethan, this is not normal. This is fate. This is timing! This is—this is the universe dragging you upward by the collar." She rambles, and I stare at her, stunned by her intensity.
Then she takes a deep breath, steadying herself.
"Listen to me very carefully, Germlin. No one can receive something new if their hands are already full." She says, and I blink, confused.
"You were holding onto Adrien with everything you had. Holding onto the job, the apartment, the old life… even when none of it was serving you anymore. Not even that dick Adrien." She says as she brushes a tear from my cheek.
"Sometimes the universe has to clear your hands by force." She adds, and my chest tightens.
"So you're saying… I had to lose everything?" I whisper, and she sighs.
"I'm saying," she replies gently,
"That nothing leaves unless something bigger needs to enter." She says as she squeezes my hand.
"This interview? Ethan, this is big. This is bigger than anything you've ever had. You MUST go." She encourages, and I swallow hard, my breath shaky.
"Don't you find it odd?" I question, and she raises a brow.
"Odd is just another word for miracle sometimes." She replies, and I can't help my smile.
"What if I mess it up?" I whisper, and she smiles as she nudges my forehead with hers.
"Then you'll try again. And again. And again. Because I'm not letting you die, and I'm not letting you give up." She whispers, and I swallow.
"You're not done, Ethan. Not even close. You have a shot at a new beginning. Take it. If you're scared, I'll be here to hold your hand every step of the way." She whispers as she hugs me again, and I stay frozen in her embrace.
A new beginning…
Am I ready for it?