Rave

It was hard to distinguish whether the lights flashed to the beat of the music or the rumbling of the crowd. Every eye was fixated towards north, except for the passionate strangers that lurked on the sidelines; they were focused on the rush a person can give you. The main act was exceptional, and Heidi was very obstinate about being here in the first place. She and Oliver, the only reason she was still here, leaned over the rail of the mezzanine, watching the set unfold.

They weren’t like the others, all dancing wildly, forcing attention on themselves. Heidi knew that the attention was focused on her and Oliver; there was not a need to heighten it.

Scanning the space for Dorian and Harrison, Heidi almost automatically found it a lost cause. Wherever they were, hopefully the two guys weren’t in her vicinity. There was so much to lose by simply loving someone she wasn’t supposed to. Oliver was in danger just by standing here, next to her, but something deep inside Heidi told herself that Oliver wouldn’t have it any other way.

The music was very saccharine, sweet notes mixed perfectly with a bass harmony that could peel paint off of a wall. With little to no reason why, Heidi’s fingers lengthened to cup Oliver’s face, observing the smoothed consistency in a near daze. Oliver’s hand wrapped around her right wrist, loosely, but she still noticed the placing of it there. “I love you,” Heidi crooned.

“You too,” Oliver replied, lazily pecking her on the heavily made up cheek that shone in the UV lights tracing the audience.

The world works in series of nonsense followed by tragedy. With the closeness of bodies on the cramped mezzanine, Heidi saw an advancing figure out of the corner of her eyes. A man, larger than Oliver by standard of muscle, butted into her hip on accident. Heidi’s perception drastically morphed as the ground disappeared and was replaced by the free rein of air.

Oliver’s grip on her wrist tightened, yet it proved no good to save her. Strobe lights flashed on the floor below the dangling feet. It took Heidi a moment to realize that those were her feet. Devastatingly, her body had transferred over the metallic slickness of the railing.

A piercing howl erupted from the depths of her throat, one that was ultimately drowned in the music, now an anthem of her demise. “Oliver! Oliver!” Heidi screeched as the salty water pooled in her eyes. The world wasn't at her fingertips, but rather, below her feet in the most harrowingly reality she could ever wish into existence.

“Calm down!” Oliver shrieked. Heidi shook her head, the runaway rhythm of her heart a resonating beat that tuned out the music. People dancing on the mezzanine finally noticed the catastrophe that Heidi was living through hanging over the rail. “Can someone help me?” Oliver yelled. The strobe cut off and Heidi turned to look towards the stage. They couldn’t let her die; she tried to reason with herself, she was going to die if no one intervened.

Oliver’s hand slipped up her arm in weakness that was inevitable, another grotesque terror of reality. “You’re going to be alright Heidi, I promise,” Oliver’s teary eyes consoled her. Staring at her dangling feet, Heidi knew it was only Oliver expressing his own hopes.

“Whoa, turn the house lights on!” The male that served as the main act bellowed, turning the music off. The whole arena announced their disgust at the gesture. Roars of distaste vibrated off of the walls. Heidi tried to keep her composure. “There’s a girl hanging off the balcony, guys!” He tried to reason with the crowd.

“Grab my hand,” another man leaning over the railing suggested, Heidi extended her other arm and managed to wrap her fingers around the sweaty hand of the man with the mocha brown eyes. Once she had gotten a hold of the Good Samaritan’s life line, Oliver’s grasp caved. Heidi yelped as she swung in the mid air, helpless to her fate.

The crowd was screaming, all gaping in masked horror. Heidi knew this is not what she needed. “Everyone, shut up so we can help them out!” The main act projected into the microphone. Dead silence filled still space, which utterly surprised Heidi as she tried to focus on the soft, sweaty face of the man holding onto her.

“I can’t hold on much longer!” The hand holding her up from the clutches of death announced.

“There are enough people to catch her, right? There has to be something!” The DJ paced nervously, fright evident in his voice. Heidi swiveled her head to Oliver, a distressed boy in the mask of a man bent over the railing, hand extended if she need it. Heidi would like to believe he wouldn’t let her fall, but panic made her think different.

Immediately, after the musician suggested the notion, a horde of people migrated under her. “No!” Heidi kicked, soon noticing how the movement affected the strength of the grasp. It was safe to say that her childish tantrum did not run its full course.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, we can’t pull you over the railing,” the man with mocha eyes put forth a poor effort to relieve her.

“Oliver, you can’t let them do this!” Heidi sniffled, holding onto her last, dramatic wish.

Oliver shook his head, “I can’t hold onto you, I just can’t,” Oliver wiped away the tears accumulating on his cheeks.

“One, Two, Three,” the hand let go of Heidi’s wrist.

Heidi clenched her teeth, grabbing a hold of the concrete floor before falling to her demise. “I’m not going down there,” she angrily debated, her nails failing to scratch into the hardened stone.

Losing the last battle for control, Heidi found herself free falling through the air. What was really merely seconds, was hours to her. Heidi hated the feeling of reliance. If she lived through this, she promised herself she’d never put herself in this position ever again.

Because it may have been hard for her to accept she was going to have to fall, but Oliver had to watch. Oliver had to admit he wasn’t strong enough to help her. In their corrupted love story, Heidi finally came to the realization that Oliver did a lot of watching. It was about time that he got to love a new Heidi that wasn’t always in need of a savior that he just couldn’t be.

The fear opened her eyes, it made her think rationally. It was about time she was a woman of strength with control over her own life and decisions. She owed it to Oliver, Dorian, and Harrison, but most importantly, herself.

Because she knew she couldn’t fight for anyone else until she learned to fight for herself.