Leopold Lane
Epilogue
I reach out into the dark and she quickly finds her way, laced, around my cold fingers — her hand is so warm…
“Damn it, Sophie… What if we get caught?” I suspicion as we walk the night, and with good reason at that. “For Christ’s sake, we’re sneaking IN to school in the middle of the night while we’re supposed to be formulating ways to sneaking OUT.”
“Shut up! You think too much. I just wanted to see our school at night, you know. Now follow me, I know the perfect spot.” she barks her commands. Sometimes she can be too much… I don’t think too much at all. And why does her skin glow so softly under those awful streetlights? Oh god, not Sophie… Ha ha hahaha ha…
We pace around the corner and arrive at the side-gate, out of breath, panting with excitement. She motions for me to go first to find a breach in the defences. I figure the easiest way in is to jump over the spot where the pedestrian entrance is because that’s where it goes the lowest, and the steel bar across it along with the lock serves as a boost to prop us up and over.
I jump over first pretty easily, but I stop to wait because she just might—
“Ahhhhh!” She crashes on to me… “Sorry, LeLa. You’re a really nice landing pillow.” with another one of those precious laughs. I scramble to my feet.
“That’s fine…” I say as I help her back up. “We’re here, so what now?”
“You see those red fire truck pipes along that wall?” she points to the distance with a devilish grin. The wall with the pipe lining is approximately 30ft high. “We’re going to climb it! I thought about it earlier when we were walking to my 5th period yesterday. Sound good to you?”
“Sure, It’s possible. Kinda dangerous. But I’ll go first, okay?” I say to maybe impress her.
“Aww, you’re so brave!” she says with a smile as she punches my shoulder.
“Haha! You know it!” Ouch, that kinda hurt… haha.
She gives me another smile, but this time more genuine… with a twinkle in her eye. As if she saw something in me.
We both sneak carefully through the parking lot closer and closer to the wall. I look up and try to figure out which steps to take to make it up there. As I take my first few steps up, this feeling of heaviness falls upon my legs. I look down at Sophie…
“Be careful up there!” she encourages me to press on.
Oh god, oh god, I hope I don’t fall. I concentrate on the path and make my way ever so slowly up to the next step. Come on! You got this, Leopold! Another step and another step until I make my way up the wall and over the top. There’s a ladder, but that can wait.
I marvel at our school from this distance. “Wow, the view is beautiful from up here. Come check it out!” I make my way halfway down to guide her. “Take the first step over there, then get to the box, and finally up to the pipe and you’re good getting over the top.”
She doesn’t seem as thrilled getting up as I had expected… I notice her legs are starting to shake around the same spot I froze up on. She looks down then looks back up at me. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
Of course it isn’t safe… Isn’t that why you brought me here? Isn’t this what you wanted?
“Of course! But careful when you take that next step.” I encourage her to keep going, “Here take my hand, trust me.” I can’t let her get hurt. I can’t let her get hurt. I can’t…
I grab her hand each time she tries to get up to the next step and show her exactly which ones I took. She slowly but surely makes her way up halfway when…
“Careful!” I exclaim as her grip slips one of the pipes.
“Leopold!” is all she can—
I reach for her hand and thankfully catch her, almost losing my grip on the pipe. That was close… I regain my footing and keep my eyes on her. She seems really scared now…
“Just a few more steps and you’ll be up at the top. With me!” I try my best to encourage her.
“I can’t… Leopold. I’m scared.” she whispers under her breath.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen her this way… She’s never scared of anything. She’s always fearless. She’s kind of… my hero. In a weird, funny, mean, girlish, sweet kind of way. I really look up to her.
“Just look up at me, Sophie. I believe in you! If a coward like me can make it up here… YOU definitely can! You’re almost there.” I try to guide her the rest of the way.
Slowly, but surely… she makes her way up.
We arrive at the top with hearts beating faster than the Energizer bunny. I haven’t been more scared of ANYTHING in my life! We climb the ladder and make our way ten feet higher to the rooftop.
“Here we are.” I say looking to her with a smile.
“Hahaha! Didn’t I tell you it was worth it?” she quickly recovers, “Everything looks so tiny from up here! Look, there’s D108 in the distance!” she pulls me over closer, arms entwined.
“It really is something…” I say with my eyes locked on hers. The reflections of all the glowing lights and buildings shine inside of them. I keep staring and she notices. I want her to notice.
“Why are you staring so intensely at me, now?” she says, flushed, in warm confusion.
“Because…” I start thinking out loud, “everything looks so much more beautiful in you.” I complete the thought with a kiss.
“Damn it, Sophie… What if we get caught?” I suspicion as we walk the night, and with good reason at that. “For Christ’s sake, we’re sneaking IN to school in the middle of the night while we’re supposed to be formulating ways to sneaking OUT.”
“Shut up! You think too much. I just wanted to see our school at night, you know. Now follow me, I know the perfect spot.” she barks her commands. Sometimes she can be too much… I don’t think too much at all. And why does her skin glow so softly under those awful streetlights? Oh god, not Sophie… Ha ha hahaha ha…
We pace around the corner and arrive at the side-gate, out of breath, panting with excitement. She motions for me to go first to find a breach in the defences. I figure the easiest way in is to jump over the spot where the pedestrian entrance is because that’s where it goes the lowest, and the steel bar across it along with the lock serves as a boost to prop us up and over.
I jump over first pretty easily, but I stop to wait because she just might—
“Ahhhhh!” She crashes on to me… “Sorry, LeLa. You’re a really nice landing pillow.” with another one of those precious laughs. I scramble to my feet.
“That’s fine…” I say as I help her back up. “We’re here, so what now?”
“You see those red fire truck pipes along that wall?” she points to the distance with a devilish grin. The wall with the pipe lining is approximately 30ft high. “We’re going to climb it! I thought about it earlier when we were walking to my 5th period yesterday. Sound good to you?”
“Sure, It’s possible. Kinda dangerous. But I’ll go first, okay?” I say to maybe impress her.
“Aww, you’re so brave!” she says with a smile as she punches my shoulder.
“Haha! You know it!” Ouch, that kinda hurt… haha.
She gives me another smile, but this time more genuine… with a twinkle in her eye. As if she saw something in me.
We both sneak carefully through the parking lot closer and closer to the wall. I look up and try to figure out which steps to take to make it up there. As I take my first few steps up, this feeling of heaviness falls upon my legs. I look down at Sophie…
“Be careful up there!” she encourages me to press on.
Oh god, oh god, I hope I don’t fall. I concentrate on the path and make my way ever so slowly up to the next step. Come on! You got this, Leopold! Another step and another step until I make my way up the wall and over the top. There’s a ladder, but that can wait.
I marvel at our school from this distance. “Wow, the view is beautiful from up here. Come check it out!” I make my way halfway down to guide her. “Take the first step over there, then get to the box, and finally up to the pipe and you’re good getting over the top.”
She doesn’t seem as thrilled getting up as I had expected… I notice her legs are starting to shake around the same spot I froze up on. She looks down then looks back up at me. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
Of course it isn’t safe… Isn’t that why you brought me here? Isn’t this what you wanted?
“Of course! But careful when you take that next step.” I encourage her to keep going, “Here take my hand, trust me.” I can’t let her get hurt. I can’t let her get hurt. I can’t…
I grab her hand each time she tries to get up to the next step and show her exactly which ones I took. She slowly but surely makes her way up halfway when…
“Careful!” I exclaim as her grip slips one of the pipes.
“Leopold!” is all she can—
I reach for her hand and thankfully catch her, almost losing my grip on the pipe. That was close… I regain my footing and keep my eyes on her. She seems really scared now…
“Just a few more steps and you’ll be up at the top. With me!” I try my best to encourage her.
“I can’t… Leopold. I’m scared.” she whispers under her breath.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen her this way… She’s never scared of anything. She’s always fearless. She’s kind of… my hero. In a weird, funny, mean, girlish, sweet kind of way. I really look up to her.
“Just look up at me, Sophie. I believe in you! If a coward like me can make it up here… YOU definitely can! You’re almost there.” I try to guide her the rest of the way.
Slowly, but surely… she makes her way up.
We arrive at the top with hearts beating faster than the Energizer bunny. I haven’t been more scared of ANYTHING in my life! We climb the ladder and make our way ten feet higher to the rooftop.
“Here we are.” I say looking to her with a smile.
“Hahaha! Didn’t I tell you it was worth it?” she quickly recovers, “Everything looks so tiny from up here! Look, there’s D108 in the distance!” she pulls me over closer, arms entwined.
“It really is something…” I say with my eyes locked on hers. The reflections of all the glowing lights and buildings shine inside of them. I keep staring and she notices. I want her to notice.
“Why are you staring so intensely at me, now?” she says, flushed, in warm confusion.
“Because…” I start thinking out loud, “everything looks so much more beautiful in you.” I complete the thought with a kiss.