Concealed Hearts (Hometown Jasper #4) - Nicky James Page 0,83
was a crowd—of course, there was a crowd. It didn’t matter what time of night it was, when something drastic happened in Jasper, word spread at lightning speed, and people came out in hordes. I drove my Jeep over the curb and parked on the front lawn. Throwing the door open, I shoved through the crowd, running and scanning the rooftop for Felix or any sign of what was going on.
I prayed I wasn’t too late. I didn’t know what had happened to make Felix think this was the only answer, but I could wager a guess.
When I rounded the back end of the school, Lucas and John were holding the crowd back, and every face was aimed at the sky. Lucas seemed more in control with John’s presence.
I spun and scanned the rooftop. Felix was balanced on the edge, silhouetted against the moon. My body went cold. He was crying and trembling so violently, I feared he’d fall if he didn’t jump. And he was so close to the edge, the toes of his running shoes hung over.
“Felix!” I yelled.
The crowd hushed with my harsh, commanding tone. Felix found me and peered down with the look of a heartbroken kid.
“Felix. It’s Windsor.” A mumble in the crowd drew his attention away from me. He shuffled. A gasp went through the throng of people when he rocked off balance but found his footing again.
John was beside me in a flash.
“How can I get up there?” I didn’t take my eyes off the kid.
“I have no fucking clue. I put a call in to get a janitor here asap, but that’s going to take time. The fire department has been notified.”
Lucas, eyes wild, ran over and joined us. “I can show you. There’s a way up. We used to sneak up there as kids.”
“Felix!” When he caught my eye again, I continued. “I’m coming up there, okay. Just you and me. We can chat.”
He didn’t speak, but his face crumpled more, and he batted at his eyes.
“Felix.” Again, he looked at me. “You stay right there, okay? Promise me. Don’t move.”
He nodded, and that was the best I was going to get.
I raced after Lucas to the far side of the building. There was a little sheltered area accessed by a small passageway that led to a spot in the middle of the building. I recognized it. It had been a lot of years since I’d attended Jasper High. Things had changed, but this place was familiar.
“This is the old smoking section?”
“Hasn’t been that in a lot of years, Chief. Here.” He pointed to a pull-down service ladder. The chain that ordinarily kept it inaccessible had been cut.
I took Lucas by the shoulders and stared him in the eyes. “You control that crowd. Call his parents.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You can do this, Lucas. I know it’s scary, but I need you to do your job.”
“I will.” His determination shone through.
I scaled the ladder like a man twenty years younger, adrenaline driving me forward, my boots clanging on the metal rungs. The roof was covered in black tar paper. There were stray basketballs all about and debris that had blown and piled up in the corners. I aimed for Felix and ran most of the way, slowing when I got closer, not wanting to startle him.
“Felix.” I made my tone soft and gentle. “I’m coming up behind you. I don’t want to scare you.”
“Go away,” he cried. His words came out choked and tied into a sob. “Leave me alone.”
“I’m not gonna do that. I can see you’re upset. You’re my friend, Felix, and I’m not walking away.”
“You’re not my friend.”
There was a ledge surrounding the roof, no more than eight or ten inches wide. That was where he was standing. His emotions were taxed, and I feared his instability would cause him to fall.
“Felix, I’m coming closer. Can you step down off the ledge so we can talk?”
He shook his head, peering down at the growing number of people below. “I can’t do this anymore.” He hiccupped.
I stood out of arm’s reach, my leg pressed against the foot-high ledge as I peered up at him. “What can’t you do? What happened? Talk to me.”
It was like he didn’t hear me. His focus was on the people below as a steady stream of tears rolled down his cheeks. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s over.”
“Felix. It matters to me. It’s not over. Whatever happened, we can get through it.”