Rain finally exhaled deeply after Alexander left, feeling the tension drain from her body. She slumped onto the sofa, overwheld by the whirlwind of emotions that had just swept through her apartnt.
"Co out now, Clifford. I know you’ve been eavesdropping," she called out, her voice a mix of exhaustion and amusent.
Clifford erged from his room and settled beside her on the sofa. "So, what’s going on? How co no one told you got married?" His tone was a mix of concern and frustration. "Sothing huge must have happened while I was gone."
Rain gave him an awkward smile. "I’m sorry. It all happened so fast. Honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything. But don’t worry, I can handle it..."
Clifford’s expression grew more serious, his usual light-hearted deanour replaced with a stern look Rain wasn’t used to seeing. "What happened, Rain?"
Rain blinked, taken aback by his intensity. "Hmm, what’s with that look? Since when did you beco this intimidating? You’ve only been away for two months, and now you’re acting like this?" she joked, trying to defuse the tension.
But Clifford didn’t budge. "Did you forget your promise? I let you intervene with my life in exchange for letting intervene in yours. So, tell what happened while I was gone."
Rain sighed, realizing she couldn’t avoid the conversation any longer. Clifford had been her friend since high school, soone she had confided in from the mont they t.
Rain still vividly rembered that day—the first ti she encountered Clifford on the rooftop. It was an afternoon that had stayed with her, etched in her mory like a scar. She had been just twelve years old, a girl who found solace in the quiet corners of the school building during lunch breaks, trying to steal a few monts of rest from her exhausting routine. But that day, the rooftop wasn’t quiet.
Clifford had been there, standing dangerously close to the edge of the concrete railing, his eyes red from crying, his voice shaky as he poured out his anger and despair to the empty sky. He was tired of being bullied, tired of feeling alone, tired of everything. Rain could still hear his voice in her head, trembling as he spoke about how everyone seed to make fun of him, how he was ready to give up.
*****
Flashback to Ten Years Ago...
"If you jump, I might beco a suspect. Do you think they’ll put in jail at twelve? Ah, right, I’m turning thirteen tomorrow. I guess they will not make a suspect. But watching you jump would probably give nightmares and ruin my birthday," Rain casually comnted as she slowly approached him, keeping a safe distance.
She glanced down and clicked her tongue. "Do you think jumping from the third floor is enough to kill us? We’d probably just break so limbs and end up in the hospital," she muttered.
Clifford’s intense stare burned into her as he finally spoke. "Why are you here? Go away! Leave alone!" he shouted.
"Well, I was also thinking if it’s better to jump and end things instead of keep living. You see your problem seems small compared to mine," she replied, her voice calm.
Rain then began sharing how her half-sister constantly ssed with her, and how her stepmother would lock her in the basent and deprive her of als. She poured out her troubles, matching his pain with her own.
Then she pointed to the tallest building in their school. "I think it’s better to jump from there," she remarked. Turning to Clifford, she naively blinked and added, "We’d die on the spot, right?"
"Are you crazy?!" Clifford hissed at her.
"Are you crazy?!" she shot back. Rain shrugged her shoulders and continued, "To be honest, despite everything I’m going through—the pain, the hatred, the unfairness—I don’t feel like ending my life just to make it stop. I want to survive and show them they can’t break ," she mumbled.
"If I die, they’ll feel relieved and happy. So I want to live and succeed. My Aunt lanie told the best revenge against those who try to pull you down is to succeed in life," she said quietly.
"Just leave alone!" Clifford shouted, his voice cracking with desperation.
Rain ignored his plea and said, "How about a bet?" She pulled a coin from her pocket and held it up. "Choose one—heads or tails?"
"Co on, just play with before jumping," she added, pouting at him.
"Heads!" Clifford grunted, exasperated.
"Alright. If it’s heads, we both jump. But if it’s tails, you jump alone. My life is in your hands," Rain replied. Without hesitating, she flipped the coin, caught it, and placed it on the back of her hand.
When she removed her hand, her face contorted in mock disappointnt. "I guess it’s your lucky day—you won’t be getting hospitalized alone." It was heads. Without a second thought, she climbed onto the concrete railing of the rooftop.
"Hey, what are you doing?! You’re really nuts!" Clifford exclaid. He rushed down and pulled her down from the railing.
"Why are you intervening in my life?" he hissed, his voice filled with frustration.
Rain chuckled a lightness in her tone that seed out of place. "Do you feel like it’s unfair? How about I let you intervene in my life too, so we can call it even?" she suggested, her eyes eting his with a spark of determination.
****
She and Clifford made a promise to each other that day, and ever since then, they had each other’s backs throughout their school years. Rain beca Clifford’s protector whenever he was bullied for his weight and nerdy appearance, while Clifford helped Rain with her assignnts and projects, revealing himself to be a genius, especially when it ca to numbers and computers.
As they grew up, Rain, Clifford, and Sanya ford an unbreakable bond, with Sanya becoming close to Clifford through Rain. Over the years, Clifford transford himself, working hard to improve his health and appearance. The once-nerdy boy was now physically fit and had turned into quite the heartthrob, with soft, bouncy brown hair and amber eyes that gave him a puppy-like charm.
Looking at her dear friend now, Rain marvelled at how much he had changed. There was no trace of the insecure boy she had once known.
"I guess I owe you an explanation," Rain finally said, her voice softening as she looked at Clifford. "But you have to promise not to freak out."
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