Chapter 12: Suicide Is Officially Cancelled

"I'm Paris Fisher."

Paris?

I bit my lip and exchanged a look with Nolan, who just shook his head. Paris--the thief--patiently waited for a response.

"Helen Postulet."

"Helen?" he looked at me amazed. I nodded. "I finally found my Helen."

I cracked a smile.

Nolan stood unamused, arms crossed across his chest, in an annoyed manner. "She's taken at the moment--my girlfriend."

I stared at Nolan. Was he serious?

Paris raised his hands in front of him, pretending to back off. Our group had dispersed after the ride was over. However, I stayed back to talk to the thief. I didn't even know why. Nolan remained to keep nagging me about his ex Ruth Fisher.

Wait, Paris "Fisher."

I suddenly looked at the guide. "Do you know Ruth Fisher?"

"You know Ruth?" he asked in surprise. "My younger sister." Nolan and I exchanged a glance. I didn't want to ruin Paris's sister's life. "Why?"

Maybe that's why Paris broke into Nolan's house that night. Nolan must've taken something of Ruth like he did with me.

"She's a friend of mine," Nolan spoke up. "I just wanted to see her since I was here."

"You are?" Paris asked.

I frowned. "You don't know the Nolan Milesblue?" I asked. I mean Paris was robbing Nolan's house and Nolan was his sister's ex. "Shame." Paris's smile fell. He stared at Nolan, who was uneasily waiting for a response.

Paris handed the reins of the buggy horses to another guy before taking us with him. I was skeptical of how easily he was bringing us to his sister. Nolan texted our "friends" that he and I were going exploring on our own. Everyone already thought we were dating, so this was believable. I watched Paris as he talked about the history on our way. He looked so casual and normal.

"Stop staring at me," Paris said, pretending to whisper. "You're making me nervous."

I immediately looked away, embarrassed. I hadn't realized I was staring. He laughed. Nolan gave me a blank look.

"I was just listening--" I stopped, realizing that listening doesn't require my eyes. "Whatever."

Paris continued amused.

We were led to a decent sized wooden house with a white roof. There was a front porch with a couple of chairs. I couldn't help but admire the simplicity. We plodded inside and immediately met with a whiff of something sweet. Someone was baking. I glanced around and saw a small kitchen to the side. There was a large living room with one corner dedicated to a dining area. Little lamps and candles were placed around for light. A fireplace was lit, providing warmth but otherwise it was chilly inside. I wonder how cold it got when it snowed. January was super cold.

"This place is so . . . homey," I commented.

Paris politely said a thanks and gestured for us to sit down sofa. He then called his sister's name. The redhead girl I had seen in the photo came out of the kitchen. When she saw Nolan, her face paled. She looked at her brother and then back to her ex.

"Hi," Nolan said.

I wanted to laugh at the awkwardness. But I was his fake girlfriend, so I couldn't. How would a real girlfriend feel in this situation? Angry? Jealous? Cool? I rubbed my temple, thinking of a good reaction. Paris raised an eyebrow at me. I gave him a "what?" look. Though we had met only once, for some reason, I felt like I had known him forever. Maybe it was breaking the law thing. Or maybe it was because he was Paris and I was Helen.

I shook away that thought quickly.

"Who are they?" Ruth asked.

I blinked at her. Nolan seemed taken aback by her statement. "Nolan Milesblue. Ruth, we date--"

"Paris, please tell them to leave," Ruth interrupted. "Please!"

She was so nice.

I was extremely grateful though. I couldn't wait to go back.

Paris gave us an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."

I stood up, pretending to be disappointed. When Nolan didn't budge, I put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go." He could mope on the way back. This girl obviously didn't want to see his face.

Paris took us out apologizing for his sister's rudeness. I suddenly wondered if it was a coincidence Paris was robbing Nolan's house. Once we were back at the festival, I told Nolan I needed to talk to Paris. Old friends needed some catching up. Nolan frowned and walked away briskly.

I stepped off to the side with the thief--I meant Paris.

"You're pretending to be ignorant, aren't you?" I stated.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Oh please," I said and then lowered my voice, "You broke into Nolan's house. Why did you pretend to be surprised to see him? He dated your sister. Of course, you know him!" He just shrugged. "What were you trying to rob that night?"

He took my elbow and pulled us further away from the crowd, leading us towards a lakeside.

Because of the cold weather, thin sheets of ice floated on top of the water.

"He had photos of my sister from when they were dating," he said in a disgusted tone. "After they broke up, Nolan told Ruth if she didn't come back to him, he'd put them all over social media." So, Nolan was always a blackmailer.

"What sort of photos?"

"Them drunk, kissing, etc," he said disgusted. "I had to get my hands on them before he could take any action." I burst out laughing. He broke into the house for pictures that Nolan blackmailed his sister with. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because I--I broke into his house to get photos too," I replied. It wasn't funny rather depressing. I still couldn't believe it. "He's blackmailing me as well."

"What?"

I launched into the story that led me to this point. The vandalism, the breakups, the break-in, the neglected rules, and the . . . breakups except for Hanna. I stared blankly at the wall near us. It didn't feel real. Hanna and her baby. Gone. I had never encountered death of anyone before this.

Paris snapped his fingers in front of my face, breaking my thoughts.

"Sorry. Now, we're here to break your sister's relationship with someone," I finished.

"Ruth is not dating anyone," he said, his face rigid.

"What a relief." I leaned against the tree behind me. Finally, one breakup with no broken hearts.

"Helen?"

"Yes?"

"How do you know Nolan won't blackmail you after the breakups are over?" he asked, his voice even.

I put my hands in my jacket pocket. "I don't. But once I go away to college, I couldn't care less about the photos."

"You really are like Helen of Troy," he said, his tone bitter. "Selfish." Yes, I didn't expect sympathy from him, however, I didn't expect taunts either. "It's so damn easy for you to say you came here to destroy my sister's relationships. You're so obstinate about securing your own future that you're not seeing how wrong you're doing." I clenched my teeth and stood up straight. He had been quiet when I told him my story. I didn't think there was anger building inside him. "You're not as innocent as you look."

My heart sank at his unkind words that I had never anticipated. I was that horrible of a person to work hard to get into Princeton? Was I not allowed to have dreams? It was my fault I was getting blackmailed because I was helping my sister's friends take revenge?

"You and Nolan deserve each other."

He walked away without sparing a single glance my way. I sighed and rubbed my face. No one was going to see my perspective. Sure, my selfishness played a crucial role in me helping Nolan, but I wasn't a bad person. These actions didn't reflect on my character.

Or did they?

I was stuck at a point where I had no guidance or no one to ask help. This thief--"Paris"--showed some hope, but even he walked away. Princeton was my life. Nolan was the villain coming between me and my life. He made me take cruel actions--giving people pain. I sat down, my back against the thick tree trunk.

I rubbed my eyes and pulled my knees to my chest.

The right thing was to take responsibility for my actions.

But the consequences would be terrible.

I was in too big of a mess. Nothing could be fixed anymore.

I stood up and stopped by the closest edge of the lake. The temperature was down. The cloudy and grey-ish sky reflected my thoughts--glum and confused. The water appeared ice cold. I stared at it, thinking how easy it would be to just jump in it and die of hypothermia. Or from drowning. But I knew how to swim. Yeah, hypothermia was best. Freeze to death. My life was ruined already within a month's time. Nolan would probably keep blackmailing me even after all the breakups. I didn't need the never ending enslavement.

Life was so horrible. I worked hard all these years only to have it taken away by egging my sister's ex's house. All these years of dreaming about Princeton and a comfortable future disappearing into the abyss.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I bent my knees, preparing to jump. One . . . Two . . . Chilly wind blew, making me shiver.

Okay, maybe I needed to wait a minute to let the wind pass.

I stood up straight. The cold breeze gave no intention of stopping.

I prepared again, knees bent, feet ready to spring. I stopped again. Bending down, I checked the water. It was way too cold. Still, I just had to do it.

For the third time, I prepared to jump. My thighs and legs felt extremely cold all of a sudden. Maybe if I just sat here for a few hours, I'd die. Why was I finding these excuses? I kept my knees bent and shut my eyes.

"One . . . two," my breath came out in a cloud puff. "Th--"

"Really?"

I didn't know why, but I stood up straight feeling relieved. I looked over my shoulder only to find Paris. He had come out from behind a tree. His arms were crossed. The wind was ruffling his dark hair as he plodded to me. Why did he come back?

"What?" I asked.

"You won't die in here," he said, pointing to the lake. "Someone'll find you in time. I have a better location. Come on."

I blinked at him as he took my freezing hand in his warmer one. Because of the cold weather, we got an electric shock when we touched. We were both taken aback, but Paris moved on soon.

We marched through the trees to a clear area. He let go and pointed towards the edge.

"If you jump off this cliff, you'll definitely be a goner," he said. I glared at him. He was supposed to be stopping me not helping. I trudged to the edge and looked down, finding complete darkness. I kicked a rock nearby. There was no sound of it hitting the ground. Did it land in water? Sand? Quicksand?! "There are many wild animals down there, so chances of you surviving are zero to none."

"Thanks." I swallowed.

"Anytime. We were partners that night too, helping each other out," he said nonchalantly. "You got caught and saved me. I'm gonna repay you by helping you today."

I chewed on my lip.

I turned towards . . . my death. "Mom, dad, and Hestia--I love you, guys," I muttered. "I killed someone. This is what I deserve."

"No rush, but can you hurry a little?" Paris's voice sounded closer than before. Was he planning on pushing me himself? "I have to go home for dinner. Mom cooked fried chicken--my favorite."

I wanted to cry. It was my favorite too.

"You don't have to stay and watch," I said.

"Oh come on," he said sounding enthusiastic. "I want to see how Helen committed suicide." He was hovering near my shoulder. Someone wanted a close up of death.

"You don't know how messed up my life has become!" I said through clenched teeth.

"So, rather than solving it you want to end it?" I didn't reply. Wasn't it clear? "You want another girl to be blackmailed by Nolan to complete the breakups?" He was right behind me, his lips near my ears. "Become his victim? Maybe . . . repeat another Hanna? He'll keep dating and have more broken hearts." I looked at him sideways. "Then what, Helen?" I saw my own reflection in his blue eyes. "Why don't you try to fix Nolan's mentality?"

That caught me off guard. Fix Nolan's mentality?

I whipped myself around and finding myself face-to-face with Paris. "Nolan's too messed up."

"Sweetheart, you have no idea." Something about his tone got to me.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know why Ruth broke up with him?"

"He wasn't her type . . . or so Nolan claims," I replied.

Paris shook his head, his dark blue eyes gazing back at me softly. "Do you know about his heart issues?"

"He mentioned something about having a weak heart. That's about it."

"The real reason why Ruth broke up with him was because of . . . stress cardiomyopathy," Paris said and ran a hand through his hair. I raised an eyebrow. I had heard of cardiomyopathy, which meant like a heart problem. Stressed heart disease? "Also known as broken-heart syndrome."

I stared agape at Paris.

Nolan had broken heart syndrome? Why was I even surprised?

"He said a sensitive heart," I said in a weak voice.

"I can give you more details if you have time," he said, his mouth twitching. "Also, I offer my partner-in-crime a helping hand for further future ventures." He held out his hand. "You can trust Paris . . . Helen." It was an unspoken choice between life and death. I looked behind me in the darkness down the cliff's edge.

I was too young to die.

I rested my hand on his again making us both get a static shock.

He smirked. "We literally have sparks."

"Shut up and start explaining."

"What about your jumping?"

"Suicide is officially cancelled."

¤》¤《¤

Do you want longer or shorter chapters?

Was the chapter boring? I can't decide if it was a filler or not.

Do you like Paris? Excited?

Paris or Nolan? What are the ships???? My ship names always suck, like really.

Anyone heard of Stress cardiomyopathy aka heart broken syndrome?

Sorry for my version of a suicide. Its not meant to offend anybody. I'm extremely sorry for any misinterpretations or anything. Suicide is just isn't the right way out.

Ugh and I am so tired of writing from serious main characters. I really should've established a story with a sweet, girl next door type main character. I have too many ideas but they don't go anywhere.

Anyways, thank you so much for all the votes, comments, etc so far! I am very grateful! I genuinely didn't expect to get to 2k votes!

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