Josh finds me at my locker on Monday as I'm collecting my books to go home.
"Planning on bailing on me?"
I smile sweetly. "Of course not." He smirks and we walk together to the cafe, his arm brushing mine on occasion. I try and remind myself why exactly I am doing this. For Alex. For Alex.
Josh orders a hot chocolate for himself and a black coffee for myself, and watches with amusement as I empty packet after packet of sugar-free sweeteners into the tar-black liquid.
"Really? Is that necessary?"
I glance at him with a raised eyebrow. "If I added real sugar, I'd have no teeth left."
Josh chuckles lowly. "So, what exactly is your deal with Alex? Considering that you spread the word about her—"
"That what?" I cut him off sharply. "I spread the word about her, so that means that I'm hellbent on ruining her life?"
He looks surprised at my outburst of anger. "Well, yes, considering what you just asked me to do."
I stare at him, astonished. "What the hell are you going on about?"
"I'm just saying, if she barely has the balls to keep her shit together, and her boyfriend magically breaks up with her because he's tired of her, what do you think she would do? Just go on with her normal life, thinking about how lucky she is that she isn't in a toxic relationship anymore? Yeah, I don't think so. You don't snatch everything away from someone who's life is falling apart."
I purse my lips. "Then why did you agree to do it?"
Josh grins at me cheekily. "Because I like you. Just a tip, before I leave: you try too hard to help people, and you refuse to admit it when you end up doing to wrong thing to help someone. Trust me. I know."
He kisses me briefly on the cheek and leaves me with my saturated coffee and my thoughts. What have I done to her?
YOU ARE READING
How to Save a Life
Short Story"Life is like a rollercoaster that you just can't wait to get off." Alex is suicidal. Alex is depressed. This much is true. When Emma finds her crying in the girls' toilets, she tries to help, but she makes a fatal mistake in telling her friends. Wo...
