The Balcony

The days that followed

Not to be big headed, but in the days that followed my first week, I could already feel myself adjusting to college life. I had two close friends, Avis and Marianne. Both so different, so captivating and interesting in completely different ways. I was lucky to have this diversity.

However, the highlight of my days was always night time. Half because I loved the night time, it reminded me of my home. And half because I could talk to Elliot.

Although I had been at college for just about a month, Elliot and I had never talked anywhere but that balcony. We exchanged numbers one night, sending them on scraps of paper made into airplanes across the gap between us. It was innocent.

I supposed I could consider Elliot a friend, of some sort. We shared more with eachother than with anyone else in our friendship circles. I had a weird connection with the boy.

A week before Halloween, everyone was invited to a huge party that would occur on the 31st at the Junction club. Of course you had the classic popular girls, preordering their cat ears and black leotards. A few nights before the party, Elliot and I were discussing how we celebrated Halloween at home.

He shared the story of how he dressed as a decapitated ghost (so a white sheet with red ooze coming out of the top) and how everyone said he looked like a tampon.
"I never dressed up again after that." He laughed, sipping a can of knock off Coke and kicking his legs over the edge of the balcony.
"That's a really tragic story." I giggled.

He gestured throwing a can over for me. I readied my hands to catch it.
In hindsight it was an incredibly stupid idea. I was dangling off the edge of a building on the 9th floor, trying to catch a can of Coke.
As he threw the can, I edged away from the balcony slightly. My foot slipped, sending me lurching forward. Momentarily, I thought I would fall forever. I could only focus on Elliot's eyes, they were full of panic.
However, I scrambled back onto the balcony and fell onto the safety of the chairs and table. Elliot shouted out.
"Shit!" He yelled.
We never yelled. Only ever whispered. Somehow it was unsettling to hear his voice at full volume.
"Oh my God are you okay?" He yelled again, stupidly standing on the edge of his balcony to get a better view of my situation.
"It's fine. I'm fine." I breathed heavily, watching the Coke can roll along side me.
Elliot put his hand on his heart, feeling it race.
"Look, I got the can though." I panted, lifting the can above my head.
"You're such a fucking loon. We better get inside, people might've heard the kerfuffle." Elliot flipped me off, I could see the relief in his eyes.
"Okay. I'm going to remember that you tried to kill me!" I laughed, heading back inside.

It was such innocent fun, the kind that two 'adults' would not be expected to be partaking in. But there we were, doing stupid things, like children. It had felt like that ever since we first met on those balconies. It was all innocent and childish, just two kids trying to rebel against the rules.

I got out my phone to text him when I got into my grey bed sheets. He'd already messaged me, I noticed.
"So what are you going to dress as for the Halloween party?" He said.
"Not sure, maybe a cat or something." I replied.
"Come on, don't be generic!" He said. I could almost hear his gravelly voice, telling me this.
"What do you really want to dress as?" He said.
I thought for a moment, I had zero knowledge of what a normal young adult would dress up as, but I couldn't tell him that.
"I know you're sat there trying to come up with a lie, Billie." He said. How could someone whose name I don't even know, know me so well.
"Okay okay, you got me, I've never dressed up for Halloween." I replied.
"Why not?" He said.
"My parents thought it was satanic or something, they're very religious." I explained. I imagined his polite chuckle at this, thinking of how his eyes would momentarily widen and and a small exhale would escape his mouth whilst he tried to fight a laugh away.
"Well, you can dress up as an angel then. And I'll be a devil." He replied quickly.
I considered this idea for a while, was Elliot inferring that we would be a pair or couple. Opposites attract, I thought.
"Deal." I smiled into my pillow.

"I was just born to be your sidekick." He said.

That was the last text I saw before I drifted into sleep, it wasn't gentle and calm, oh no, quite the contrary. I dreamt of the storm that occurred on the first day Elliot and I met. It rushed and pulled at my body, carelessly dragging me around the tiles. I crashed into the table and chairs that were so neatly placed, destroying the fengshui.
I was thrown around for what felt like hours, my limbs aching and spasming all the while. Rain cracked the tiles below my body and I began to fall, only holding on to a single piece of brick that remained.
Elliot ran out onto his balcony and reached for my hand, but I couldn't see him for the falling rubble and mist.
"Hey!" He yelled, waving his arms around in the air.
"Hey, wake up!"
"Billie! Will you wake up?!"

My eyes flew open, reality choked me.
"August, are you okay?" Marianne stared at me, tucking her hair behind her ear in that tired way I was so used to.
"Yeah. Yeah, why?" I sighed, sitting up in bed and rubbing the tears out of my eyes.
"You were shouting stuff in your sleep." She smiled, tiredly.
After apologising for waking her, Marianne left, leaving me with my thoughts and a slightly damp bed from sweat.