"I can hear you all the way from over here!" I shout, the smile playing in my voice. I walk towards them, jumping over puddles of water as Sam replies.
"I tried whistling to you." In the orange glow from the street lights they stand hand in hand directing to a song that's playing in their minds. I just shrug, thinking that it was hard to hear anything over the neighborhood's dog. "Its still not dark enough," Sam says, squinting to see the setting sun,"the picture will look better if the stars are out." I look up into the sky doubting that the stars will show up in the photo anyway, the city lights are too bright. We walk around the bank parking lot for a bit and then settle on a set of stairs hidden in an ally.
Thinking of something to bide the time, I take out my iPod and show Sam the new Regina Spektor album. Excited, Sam takes the iPod and flips through the songs. The nagging feeling of worry tugs at my mind. We're about to do something illegal. Not THAT illegal (if there is such a thing) but just enough that the feeling doesn't go away.
Sam had offered to show me this years ago but I declined. At that time I wasn't willing to take a risk, I wasn't really willing to live. I was still secluded and stuck to reading, obeying my mother, and staying on the safe side. I wish that I could talk to my past self sometimes, question my reasoning and beliefs. Why not stay out late and take a walk? Why not climb and few buildings onto a roof?
"Well, I think it'll be dark enough by the time we get up there." Sam breaks me out of my thoughts as he jumps down from the stairs. Sighing, I walk behind he and Jessica down the ally until we reach a familiar area. We climb into a nook that is about three feet off of the ground, wedged in between a freezer and the building. I had taken pictures of Lila in this area my sophomore year, drawn to the ivy covered wall and the doorway that lead into the brick building. Sam pulls himself on to a metal box that was hidden by a tree growing in the corner of the nook. I look up at him as he grabs a pallet from his right and sets it against the freezer's corner. It had rained earlier so all the surfaces were still slippery and I wondered if the pallet could sustain weight and not slip on the metal. After he hefts himself onto the freezer's roof using the pallet as a ladder, he tells us to be careful and not to shift our weight to the right or the left.
Having done this before, Jessica finds her footing and climbs with ease. When its my turn I give my camera bag and tripod to Sam. I lift myself up onto the metal box and face the wooden pallet. Jessica and Sam try to coach me through getting up but I block them out. Instructions don't really help me out all that well when it comes to physical activities. I just kind of figure it out. I do well until I'm on the fourth step of the pallet, when I shift my weight to the right and quickly grab a bar on the roof of the freezer. I pull my self on to the surface, praying that I wouldn't slip. I'm not afraid of heights but at this point we are a good twenty feet off of the ground and falling isn't an option for me. Standing up and recollecting myself, I watch Sam jump across the gap between the freezer and the buildings roof. He holds his hand out to Jessica and pulls her across.
I stare at the outstretched hand and then to the ground six or seven feet below me. There is only a two foot gap between the two heights, but both are wet and somewhat intimidating. Not wanting to overreact, I grab Sam's hand and make it to the other side without a problem. We stand admiring the view from the roof. I am somewhat disappointed but I'm also thrilled that I'm finally up here.
______
Another story I might finish at some point. This is slightly different from the last one though so I probably actually finish this one. xD
;)
-Laura
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