Summer Savings [Byler]

Chapter 15

"Climb?" Will reeled, taking a step back from the ledge and ducking his head back inside his room. An enthusiastic nod came from Mike's silhouette.

"There's nothing to slow my fall! No tree to climb down. I'll have to just hang off the gutter and then drop!" Will's mouth gaped open at the prospect, and he dared to stare at the small stretch of tiled roof that surrounded his window.

"There's me. I'll slow your fall."

Will snorted, "Yeah, right. Of course you will." But there had been no traces of sarcasm in Mike's voice.

"Will, just try!" Mike said, exasperated, and Will could practically hear his overexaggerated eyeroll. "I want to hang out with you."

"We can hang out in the morning," Will replied indignantly, though he was still weighing up his chances at the roof.

"It's more fun at night," Mike waved his hands as he spoke, as if that would help prove his point.

"You're paying my hospital bills."

"There won't be any to pay, you'll be fine."

He ducked back into his room, quickly slipping on shoes and a sweater, then Will swung both his legs out of the window, so he was sitting perched on the ledge, hands gripping both sides of the frame. He edged forwards, until finally he dropped from the ledge onto the tiled roof, still gripping the window frame. He shuffled across the small rows of tiles, praying his knees wouldn't buckle and give way as he neared the edge. Will swung his legs over, slowly, until he was sitting on the edge of the roof. Then he turned, gripping the gutter with both hands, and dropped off the roof. Both he and Mike realised, far too late, the gutter was too high off the ground for Will to be safe to just let go, as he'd previously planned to.

"Oh my God, Mike!" He yelled. "It's- it's too high, I can't let go!"

"No, no, don't let go," Mike confirmed.

"I'm gonna pull myself back up to the roof, this was a stupid idea," Will mumbled, the strain in his voice echoing the strain in his muscles as he began to drag himself up.

"No, Will, stay. Don't go back."

"What, so you want me to just hang here all night? Gee, thanks," the sarcasm was lost in Will's voice as he groaned, and his arms shook as he lowered himself back down, per Mike's request. He was vaguely aware of Mike stepping in front of him, though he directed his gaze to the gutter, praying it wouldn't snap, and his white knuckles, praying they wouldn't lose their strength. Then suddenly there were hands on either side of his waist, which he knew to be Mike's, and he was being pulled forwards by them, gently.

"Now you can let go."

"No, no I can't. Get off me, Mike, I'm going back," Will gritted his teeth as he spoke, and even then knew he'd wasted too much energy simply hanging there, and wouldn't have the strength to get back up.

"If you wanted to go back, you would have done it already, now let go," Mike argued, daring to yank slightly on Will, to convince him to loosen his grip.

"Mike!" Will screeched as he felt himself being yanked down. "Stop- I said stop it! I'm letting go!"

Will squeezed his eyes shut tight, as if that would distract from the jarring pain when he hit the ground. Then slowly, his knuckles protesting against him, he let go of the gutter. His stomach rushed to his mouth as he dropped, but suddenly he was pulled against someone, rather than lay crumpled on the floor like an abandoned toy, and the paralysing jolt through his body never came.

"You can open your eyes, you know," Will felt Mike's breath on his face as he laughed, and opened his eyes to see Mike's, mere centimeters away. "See, I told you, you had me to break your fall."