It was raining that afternoon. Standing on the parapet on the roof of Prescott Dormitory, the girl raised her nose to the sky, eyes closed, letting the raindrops fall on her eyes and cheeks to fuse with her tears before pouring down to the stone. She took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and looked down. The people gathered on the lawn looked so tiny from up here, like ants. All these ants were looking at her, some were pointing up, others were screaming, others were taking pictures or videos, and finally, others were not doing anything at all, just staring, pale, with their hands across their mouths. Glad I can offer you a little farewell show, Blackwell! So long and thanks for nothing! In a second there will be nothing left on me but a stain on the pavement, and I won't cry anymore. Finally.

The girl tried to step forward, but felt as if her foot was glued to the parapet, and suddenly a wave of adrenaline hit her, making her heart race and her ears buzz. Vertigo. Her whole body was rebelling against what her brain asked it to do, step into thin air and kiss the Earth goodbye. Brace yourself, girl! Okay, just close your eyes and let yourself go…

The roof access door slammed open behind her and another girl appeared, panting.

"Max!" she called out.

Startled, Max Caulfield turned around to face the newcomer.

"Kate?" she asked, her voice still choked by her sobbing. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Kate cried out. "Trying to keep my friend alive, of course!"

"I didn't need you to come… I've made my decision a while ago. Just working up the nerve to actually do it."

Kate didn't dare come closer, for fear Max would jump. Feeling the shaking come up, she raised a hand to grasp the crucifix she wore around her neck and forced her breathing to slow down. When she felt calm enough to speak, she said, softly and slowly:

"Max… I don't want you to kill yourself."

"Oh yeah?" Max retorted angrily. "And what choice do I have? Live? Kate, last week I buried my best friend. When we were kids, we had a bond so strong, even sisters don't have it! She was my life, my oxygen, the force that drove little shy dorky me to wake up every morning to face a new day. It was us against Arcadia Bay, against the word! Then my parents moved to Seattle, the day her own father was buried, and for five years I couldn't call her, or even send her a text. I just couldn't deal with the guilt of abandoning her when she needed me the most! And when finally I return to Arcadia Bay, for a month I don't even try to contact her because I know she'll be made at me and I'm too chickenshit to face it! And you know what's funny? The day I decide that I'll finally call her… is the day I see her get shot by that psycho Nathan Prescott in the bathroom. This is the shitty story of my life, Kate! Now tell me, how am I supposed to live in a world like this, a world that took my best friend away and left me with nothing but pain and remorse?"

"Max… you have no choice but to carry on. And I can help you with it. Listen, I never met Chloe, I don't know what she was like, but if she was your best friend, then I'm sure she was a great person, and she wouldn't want you to die for her. She would want you to live, and try to be happy…"

"Try to be happy? Like it's so easy! How would you know, anyway? You have no idea what I'm going through!"

"You're wrong."

Kate's voice was cold and stern as she said this. So stern that it stopped Max's anger dead in its tracks.

"What?" she asked, confused.

Kate looked down, gathering all her strength to remain calm, then she took a deep breath and looked up at her friend.

"That's right, I don't know what kind of pain it is, to see someone you care so much about get murdered, right before your eyes. I can only imagine it must be unbearable. But I know what kind of pain can push someone to climb up this roof to jump… I've been through that."

"What… what are you talking about?" Max asked, shocked and confused.

"Do you remember that… that video of me that became viral, the one where I'm drunk and kissing all those boys at a Vortex Club party? I couldn't have dreamed of something so terrible happening to me, not even in my worst nightmares. All of a sudden, the whole school was laughing at me, calling me a… a slut… and my own family turned on me, claiming my soul had been tainted by sin! I knew the way I behaved was not normal, I couldn't get so drunk on half a glass of wine, I knew something was wrong… but no one would believe me… so I…"

Her heart came up into her throat, choking her. She felt the tears swell up in her eyes. But she had to finish this story, she had to let Max know… so she just let it flow out as she cried:

"I was planning on doing exactly what you're doing now! It was last week… but the Nathan got arrested… for what he did to Chloe… then he confessed to all those horrible things he did with Mr. Jefferson… those horrible things they did to me and so many other girls! Everyone believed me, then, and offering support, so ultimately, I changed my mind…"

"Kate, I… I didn't know…"

"But there was something else… on that day, the day Nathan… just before it happened, we were in Photography class, and you came to me, asking if I was okay, and saying we should have tea… you have no idea how good those simple words made me feel, Max! You were here for me, not calling me names, not laughing at me, just being sweet, and caring, and treating me like a normal person… without you I'd probably have done it sooner. You saved me! Now I want to do the same for you. I want to take you in my arms, and tell you I'll always be here for you, and have tea with you again… will you let me do that?"

She held out her hand as she said those words, her big, glistening eyes seeming to implore her. Max hesitated. Her determination was crumbling, yet…

"Please?" Kate added softly.

Suddenly, Max realized she was standing in the October rain, and she was wet, cold and miserable. She realized all she wanted anymore was warmth and comfort. She reached out, grabbed Kate's hand, and cautiously stepped down from the parapet. Then Kate held out her arms for a hug, and Max literally fell into her friend's embrace, burying her face in her shoulder and breaking down sobbing, so loud it covered the wind and the rain, tears flowing from the very depth of her soul. It was this moment that David Madsen, Blackwell's chief of security, chose to barge in through the door.

"Max!" he called out as he rushed to the girls, incredibly relieved that she was okay.

"David!" Max cried as she reached out to him with one hand while the other was still wrapped around Kate, so that soon the three of them were locked in a triple hug. "David, I… I miss her so much!"

"I know, Max," David whispered as he looked up to the gray sky, struggling to swallow back his own tears. "I know… I miss her too…"