[CONTENTID1]CHAPTER SIX[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

It was the evening of a Sunday, right after my shift.

Just as I stepped out of the small coffee shop, Kim Tan has seeked me out, asking of something that did not receive my answer. I simply followed him, and thus, here I am. My legs being propped up over the edge of the bridge as I observed the cars that were driving below me.

"It's the second time that you got yourself involved with me." I murmured to the boy that was standing at the edge of the bridge. "And both of those times were not exactly pleasant." I finished when he glanced at me through the corner of his eyes.

He chuckled and the wind, catching his voice, blew it away. "Even to you I am a bother, then."

"I am probably the only person that sees you as a bother, really." I sighed and looked up into the sky, the strong wind caressing my face.

The silence ensued between us as the time seemed to stop. "You know..." he started to mutter but stopped, as if uncertain whether he should say his next words or simply keep his mouth clamped shut.

"I don't." was my blunt answer to his non-existent question.

To this he chuckled, and his shoulders relaxed as he continued with what he wanted to say, "I come here occasionally, you know? Just to stand at the edge and look death into the eyes."

Slowly, my eyes darted to his shape at my side. "And what do you see?" I whispered, not really anticipating the answer.

"Freedom." was his single word answer. And this was all I needed. It told me so much more about him. So much more than his well-groomed appearance and his over-the-top grades.

"Then jump." I arched my hand in front of me, where only the raging wind howled, with no supports what-so-ever. "Jump and reach the freedom that you want to achieve. Escape all of your worries."

His eyes closed and his head rolled back. "I thought about doing that." he laughed. "But I couldn't bring myself to do it. The cowardice inside of me played up then. The same cowardice that ran through my body when those third years decided to beat me up."

"It's not cowardice that played up, but your rationality. Your sub-consciousness must have a better understanding of what you have do." I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning back on my hands. "If you'd jump right now, think of all the people who you would leave behind."

"I thought of that, too." he murmured, his laugh ceasing up. "Though the conclusion was the same. Freedom is what I truly long for."

I slowly bobbed my head and reached out for my bag. "Then why are you stumbling in your decision?" and again, this was a question to which answer I did not need.

"Honestly, I have no idea." he crouched down, his head resting on his knees as he sunk into deep thought. "Maybe it's my mother... She worked hard to raise me. Or maybe it would be my brother. If I move on to the after-world, he would have to face the same hardships as me."

I slowly ped my bag and took out my secret stash of cigarettes. "Then live for those two." I reasoned, putting one cigarette between my lips and lighting the other end of it. "Don't forget that you also have your friends who would probably go to great lengths simply for your aid."

A slow chuckle escaped past his lips. Then he jumped. Away from the edge and onto the even surface of the roof.

"I feel stupid." he whispered, his head in his hands as he pulled at his hair desperately.

"And you are." I mumbled, dragging a long breath of the toxic substance into my lungs. "You're an idiot if you think that death is freedom."

His hands dropped to his