-strangers POV-

I grab my drink from the barista and sip at the straw, sitting at a table outside. I pull out my laptop, setting it up in front of me. I press the power button, impatiently following the circling dots with my cursor. The computer is wasting time, I could have written an entire paragraph by the time it finishes loading.

I look around, it's a quiet day at the park. Someone on the bridge catches my attention, and I stand up, craning my neck as they fumble with an object. I watch as they succeed in tying it to the bridge, and walk in their direction. The way they grip the bars is giving me a weird feeling.

I watch them lift themselves up and I panic. No, this can't be happening, not again. I take off full tilt, but they are so far away and I'm not very athletic. They hoist themselves over, and I'm running out of time.

I'm running out of time, running out of time. I watch as he lets go. Times up.

-John POV-

I prepare for the fall, the feeling of the cold water as it swallows me up.

 Instead I feel a tug at my neck, my hoodie pulling me back.

"What the-"

Arms wrap around me from behind, holding me tight.

"Please, stay alive. You need to stay alive."

I try to turn, seeing who has saved my life, but I'm unable to get a look from my position 

"Don't jump." I begin to cry, I was more than willing to die.

"Sir, just let me go. Forget you saw me."

My only response is the grip around my hips tightening.

"I'm not letting go of you until you're back on this side of the railing."

"You don't need to do this."

"Yes, I do. I need you alive, your friends need you alive. Someone needs you alive." The strangers voice breaks as he says the last part. I sit there for a few minutes, waiting.

 I look at the water below me,  and suddenly I'm afraid. I don't want to fall. I cling onto the bars, and the man behind me lets out a small sigh. 

"Come here, please." I pop up onto the railing, and am pulled to the ground. The mans face peers over me, tears in his eyes. "It's going to be okay."

He's a light-skinneded Puerto Rican-Dominican. Long hair and mature and a body, like, woah.

He's also the man from the coffee shop. Maybe he won't remember me.

He sits beside me, and I don't protest as he pulls me into his lap.

"What's your name?"

"Oh. When I saw who you were I hoped you might remember me. It's Alexander."

"You remember me?"

"How could I forget your face? But you never told me your name."

"John. And I was hoping you would forget who I was." His hand turns my towards his, and I look into his eyes.

"And why would I ever want to forget you?" He gives me a small smile, and I give a nervous giggle in return. Is he flirting? With me? Impossible.

"Let me pack up my stuff, and then I'll take you somewhere fun." I reluctantly get out of his lap, and he pulls me to my feet after he stands. His arm rests around my shoulders, and I walk with him as he makes his way to a table full of stuff. He packs away his laptop, and we make our way down the row of shops.

I remove my hoodie, it's getting hot out here. Alex grabs my hand, pulling me into a bookstore. We sit on a love seat , it's kind of tight but I don't mind. I tuck a leg underneath me, resting my chin on the other knee.

"What made you do it? Why would you help me?"

"My cousin committed. He was my best friend, and my last memory of him is his body as it swung in a tree. I- I never want anyone to go through that, finding someone they love gone by choice."

I wrap an arm around him as he leans into me. He's shaking, and I run a hand through his hair and sing to him, the same tune my mother would sing as she put me to bed.

"There is a castle on a cloud, I like to go there in my sleep..."

Alex's breathing slows as I hold him, and the two of us sit together, relying on each other's support.

"You have a beautiful voice."

"Um...thanks. You have a beautiful face." I panic, "that's not what I meant. I mean it is. But not like that. You're hot." I bite at my thumb, pulling away a strip of skin. Why am I so weird around him?

I hear a small chuckle from beside me. "Well which is it?"

"I like you. A lot. You make me trip over words, and I can't think straight around you. But maybe it's not such a bad feeling."

"Can we consider this a date then?"

"You... like me?"

"Of course. Who wouldn't?"

I smile, leaning my head on Alex's. For some reason, coming from him, everything sounds so sincere.

-Herc's POV-

I hold onto Laff, trying to comfort him. I don't think anyone has ever yelled at him, let alone hurled slurs at him. 

"Are you okay, babe?"

"I'll be fine, mon amour. I just want to help him. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm used to it."

"Don't lie, Herc. He hurt you, just like they did."

I cling onto Laff, now I'm the one who needs his comforting embrace.

It's not the first time I was degraded for being gay, it's just the first time coming from John. 

I hate talking about my past, the only people who know what I've gone through is Laff and his adoptive parents. I've lived with him and the Washington's from 14 until the day I moved out, after I left my own family behind. I haven't talked to my parents in years, I've moved on.

But I still remember crying as I left the church, being told I was diseased.

I remember being sent to camp, where I was told to repent from sin.

And I remember the shocks, the 'therapy', how an electric jolt would course through my body as I was punished.

The Washington's adopted Laff, and he took me home from school one day, begging Martha to let me stay with him. He knew how much I hated it there, but it wasn't until I had been with him for a year that I told him why.

We stay there on the path for another moment, hanging onto each other.

"We should go find John."

I let go of Laff with one arm, and we walk along the path searching for John.

"Which way do you think he went?" I ask as we come to a split in the path.

"John wouldn't leave the park, would he?" I watch as Laff glances nervously towards the right, towards the road.

"Then I suppose we'll try the bridge first."

We walk along the edge of the bridge, Lafayette running his hand along the rail. About halfway across I spot a small blue bottle with our names on it, and I struggle to untie it.

"Damnit, I cant get it loose." Laff grabs the bottle from me, and smashes the neck on the metal. 

"Done."

I pull out a paper from inside, and I feel Laff rest his head on my shoulder as I unroll it.

Dear Laff and Herc,

If you are reading this you are too late. 

I've moved on, I'm in a better place. Don't worry about me, I'm sure you'll be happier now that I'm out of your way. 

This has nothing to do with you, I'm just tired of pretending I'm okay. I love both of you so much, but it's fine if you never felt the same. It's better this way, soon enough you'll move on too. You'll forget me, and it'll be okay.

One day you'll wake up, and you won't think of me anymore. You'll be happy, and I will smile for you from wherever I may end up.

My only request is you continue to help my sisters, they look up to both of you. 

Herc, Olivia is in need of some clothes. I was hoping you could help her if she decides to transition into him. You were my best friend, and I appreciate everything you've done for me and my family. You saved me from my father, and I wish I could repay you. 

Laff, I need to confess something. I used to love you, and even now I sometimes  think about what could have been. But you never loved me, and that's alright. I hope you and Herc are happy together, all I've ever wanted was to see you happy. Even if that meant I couldn't have you.

I'll miss you guys, you did so much for me.

Thank you for tolerating me all those years, I'll see you on the other side.

Love, John.

I reread it, the words taking hold. My grip tightens on the paper, and it begins to crumple.

No, no no, this can't be happening.

"Laff, do you think he really..." I gaze off into the water, tears once again streaming down my face.

"C'est de ma faute."

"Laff you did nothing wrong. I'm the one who yelled at him. I scared him away."

Lafayette pulls me in front of him, his chin rests on my head and I grab his shirt, sobbing into his chest.  He takes the now tear stained letter from my hand and slides it into his pocket.

"God, Laff, where did we go wrong?"

"Je ne sais pas, Herc, I don't know."

"He- he thought we didn't love him."

"We could have stopped him, but I couldn't keep it together Herc. He insulted me and I lost it."

"Laff, you need to listen to me. He had no right mistreating you. It's not your fault, okay?"

"No. It is my fault. If we had followed him we could have grabbed him. He'd be standing by our side, and that would be enough."

"He's had years of abuse, those few minutes we hung back aren't what made him do it." I look up at my boyfriend, trying to believe what I say myself. "If anyone pushed him, it was me. I snapped at him, not you."

I head to the rail, leaning over it, searching for a sign of John, a chance he survived.

Laff pulls me away from the edge, and we walk along the path together. Right now it feels like each other is all we have.

-Johns POV-

I take Alex's hand and we walk along the path together.

"I'm sorry, but you did what?"

"He said words could never hurt him so I hurled a dictionary at his face."

I snort, I've been with Alex for about an hour but the connection between us makes me feel as though I've known him for years.

I stop in my tracks as I see a couple sitting on a bench, staring towards the water. Shit, I forgot all about Laff and Herc. I'm kind of surprised they waited here all this time for me.

"Come with me, I want you to meet someone."

I look at Herc, who leans on Lafayette's shoulder. Lafayette rubs his back with one hand, and I hesitate as I see Herc's ragged breathing. Laff's other hand tugs at his own hair, and I can see him shaking.

"Guys?" The two of them turn around, they look like they've just seen a ghost. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean it, I never wanted to hurt you."

"You're  sorry about what you said?"

"John, mon fleur and I have been here crying for an hour, we thought you were dead!"

"Why would you-" Lafayette pulls something out from his pocket, and as he holds it up I realize it's my letter. I must have left it tied to the bridge.

"We love you, John, do you know how scary it is finding out your best friend jumped off a bridge? We thought we pushed you too far, that we made you do it. You couldn't even bother to send us a text?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose, avoiding Herc's eyes. I screwed up yet again.

"I didn't think you guys would even come look for me, I was horrible to you two!" I find myself crying as well, and go to sit beside Laff on the bench.

"John, we care about you. And nothing you say is going to change that. The worst thing you did to us was what you wrote in that letter."

"You- you thought we didn't love you? That we didn't care?"

"No one can love me Laff, I'm a mistake. And I couldn't even erase myself, couldn't make it easier for the two of you."

"John, you need to get it in your head that you do have worth. We know that all your life you've been told otherwise, but Herc and I are your friends. We want you with us, the hardest thing I've ever faced is the feeling of losing you." He pulls me over his lap, and I'm wrapped in an embrace from either side.

"So, where have you been all this time?"

"I was hanging out with Alexander, the man who saved my life." Someone coughs behind me, and I turn to see Alex awkwardly watching our group hug.

Lafayette gets up, jumping over the back of the bench.

"You saved mon ami?"

"Er, ya, I wasn't just gonna let him-"

"Thank you." Laff cuts off Alex's rambling as he holds him tightly, Herc and I sit in a hug of our own. "Come visit with us, it's the least we can do for the person who saved John's life."

We make our way down the boardwalk, and weirdly enough the night I almost committed suicide starts to feel like the best night of my life.

I just want to thank the 7 of you that have stuck with this hot mess as it slowly forms into a story, I appreciate you guys!