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I spin to face her. “You don’t know that.”
She gives me a deadpan look that shifts to my neck before returning to my eyes. “You’ve fallen harder than those two are about to, haven’t you?”
“Willow!” Owen’s voice draws our attention back to the tower. He glances down, and I swear for a second we lock eyes. But it has to be my imagination because I’m just one person in a sea of faces. And if I were him, all I’d be concerned with was how far away the ground was.
“Please, Willow,” he says. “I made a mistake.”
My hand flies to my throat, and that’s when I realize I’m still wearing Owen’s collar. That’s what Kat was looking at… and suddenly I’m not so sure that she’s wrong about me. I mean, if I didn’t feel something for Owen, I’d be rooting for him to slip and fall, wouldn’t I? But right now, I can’t think of anything worse than either him or Willow crashing to the ground.
“It doesn’t matter!” Willow yells down to him. “It’s not the first time I’ve been forgotten, or abandoned. It happens—” She cuts off, twisting her head away to let out a wild laugh that sends a chill racing through my body. “It happensallthe time. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of trying so hard just to live a normal life, and failing. Every day I fail, Owen. I can’t keep doing it. I can’t keep trying, just to fail. What’s the point if everyone just keeps forgetting and abandoning me for the rest of my life?”
“Fuck,” Kat mutters beside me. “Jesus, I feel so fucking bad. I had no idea…”
“Me neither,” I whisper back. Kat and I lock hands, gripping each other tight.
Owen drops his head before looking up at Willow again. “My God, Willow, you couldn’t be more wrong. You’re a wonderful person. Any guy would be lucky to have you.I’dbe lucky to have you.”
Willow says nothing, but at least she’s listening to him.
“And you won’t be alone forever. You’re meant to be with someone, and that person will never abandon you or forget you.”
“You can’t possibly know that!” she yells. “And I’m not going to keep fighting if there’s nothing to fight for!”
Owen is silent for a beat before he says, “You’re right. I don’t know what will happen. But, Willow, neither do you. If you do this…” He looks down, and again I feel a spark of heat as our eyes lock. Again, I brush it off as coincidence. “None of us know what’s coming, but that means it can be anything we want it to be. You have the power to become whoever you want, Willow. Don’t give that up.”
Willow clings onto the window as she stares down at Owen, and I know I’m not the only person who’s holding my breath.
“I c-can’t,” Willow says through a sob. “Ican’t!”
Owen puts out his hand. “Then let me help you. Open the door, Willow. Let’s talk.”
Kat starts squeezing my hand ever tighter. “No, no, no,” she whispers fervently.
“I’m sorry, Owen.” Willow swipes at her face with one hand. “I can’t. It hurts too much. I just want it to be over.”
Hundreds of mouths open to gasp. Myriad upturned faces go pale. Everyone knows what’s coming, but no one can do a thing about it.
Head hanging down, hair curtaining her face, Willow steps over the edge of the window and plummets down.
