“Jump or she dies,” he demanded, gun c***ed against Mei’s forehead. She let out a muffled scream, struggling to loosen his grasp. He twisted his arm not-so-gently, and glared at me expectantly. “Well, what are you waiting for? Jump!” Pain flared up my leg as I stumbled toward the ground. I was only a feet away from the ledge and time was not in my favor.
     “W-why are you doing this?” I managed, my voice cracking in panic. The one time I had to be strong for Mei. “She’s just a kid,” I pleaded, glancing at her frantically. “Let her go. Please.”
     “You know why,” he growled, digging the pistol further in. Tears streamed down Mei’s cheeks as she shot me a look of pure horrification. She was terrified of being shot, but I think she was more terrified of letting me save her. “This…” he gestured around, eyes glinting dangerously. “This is revenge for what you did. Now, jump.” If looks could kill, I’d be 20 feet under hell.
     Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT! I was supposed to be her big sister. I was supposed to protect for her, care for her, be there for her, but the one time I had the opportunity to do that, I had failed. I was weak. I looked weak and I sounded weak. Mei was meeting the eyes of death, and so was I. All because of me. How pathetic was that?
     And the worst part? I know exactly why he targeted me. I had destroyed his family, and he was going to destroy mine. Mei was only 13, and he was going to strip her of the one strand of hope for the possibility of a family. It was my fault that she never got to meet our parents, but somehow, she managed to love me all the same. “I’m sorry,” I whispered tentatively. “I never meant for her to—“
     “YOU KILLED HER!” He roared, disdain evident in his tone. I winced as he lowered the gun. For a second, I’d thought he was so consumed with his feelings that he’d forgotten the purpose of this. He released Mei, letting her fall carelessly, as if he were a child and Mei was a rag doll that he had gotten enough of.

     “Xander, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it.”
     “You didn’t mean to do it…” he trailed off. “You were supposed to be my best friend, Addie.” I could hear the brokenness in him. It shattered me that I had been the one to bring such pain to anyone, much more when it had been someone I once knew like the back of my hand. Best friends…at one point, we had been best friends. Xander and Addie. Sometimes, I forget that. I forget that he was the only person who ever understood me. I forget that he was the only person who ever called me Addie, aside from Mei. That he was the one I went to when everyone else was being unreasonable. The only person I once would have trusted my life with.
     “We were,” I whispered hoarsely, staring into the blackness behind him. I couldn’t look at him. He held too many memories. Memories I wanted to forget. Memories that kept reminding me of the “dangerous rebel chick” I once was.
     “And then we weren’t,” he replied. The grief was no longer present in his voice. It now harbored a frigid tone. “Especially after Lina. And it’s your fault.” Involuntarily, I met his steely gaze. “You killed the one person who brought light into this life of mine. And you know—“ For a second, I felt as if I was speaking to the little boy I once knew, that lived behind his callous façade. “You know how hard it was for me back then. Lina was the only one who understood me. And now she’s gone.”
     It felt like a cold slap to the face. He’d chosen…Lina over me? Well of course he did, you moron, the judging voice in my head yelled. You were never as good as Lina! As hard as it was, I’d realized that it was true. Lina was kind. Compassionate. She was gentle with him. I…I was the exact opposite. I was cruel. Hard-edged. My cold heart brushed him off, ignoring him when he most needed me, but softened when I needed him. As he reminded me of this, I felt as if hard punches were sailing toward my stomach, beating me senseless. The shell of my old self had fallen away, but I had never been forgiven for the things I’ve done. I was better now, but the consequences were major, and our decayed friendship was one of them.
     “You’ll pay for it, Adeline Rowena Notasio,” he snarled. “You’ll pay for it all!” For a second, I was stunned. I hadn’t heard my full name in years, and here he was, bringing it out once more. I couldn’t escape him, no matter how much I wanted to.
     In just a moment’s time he hooked his arm onto Mei’s collar and heaved her up. A bang pierced the air, like a firecracker thrown harshly onto the ground. Wisps of grey smoke puffed out, spiraling into the air. “Die!” Xander spat, lips curling into a satisfied smirk. Mei collapsed, her body limp and distorted. Her lips parted in an “o” of surprise, as if she were about to say, “Whoa, I didn’t see that coming.” A thick pool of blood gushed out and blanketed the concrete, as Xander started toward me, scuffing his shoes carelessly from the blood.
     “Rot in hell,” he snarled, as another battle sung its cries.