how to save a life, the fray.

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend. Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night. Had I known how to save a life

The city is bustling compared to the life you once knew in that small town, but today it seems to match the melancholic rhythm you exude, and there are only soft murmurs and the laughter of people and the occasional adult.

The fire escape was your small balcony overlooking the old, worn apartment across the way. To its left, a small stretch of street.

Your phone rings inside your jacket. It takes you too long to react, to grab it from the warm pocket and answer without looking at the name, just to bring it to your ear, cooled by the breeze.

You lean against the railing, listening to the ragged breaths on the other end of the line, the large phone barely covered by your fingers as you hear a sob.

"Is that you? It was so hard to get hold of you." Her voice was still sweet, but it had lost that playful tone that always accompanied her when she said your name. "I know we haven't spoken in a while, but you needed to know..." The pause feels endless as you exhale a puff of smoke from your lips, pale with the cold. From the other end, you hear her fiddling with what you imagine are her rings or necklaces. “I... uh... Katsuki disappeared.” She swallows. “They’ve been looking for him for weeks.” Another pause. “We need you to come back.”

━━ Your first friend was Mina. You met as children at the village school. While you were quiet, polite, and very much bound by her family's rules, Mina was the complete opposite: loud, self-assured, and always ready to defend anyone in need. Even though the protagonist's mother disapproved of Mina's clothing and her belonging to the "other side" of the village, you remained inseparable. You spent afternoons playing in the treehouse, putting on makeup with the protagonist's mother's cosmetics, and pretending to be adults. Over time, Denki began spending more time with Mina, and almost without realizing it, you both became part of their circle. Hanta and Eijiro joined soon after, forming a close-knit group of friends. Katsuki was the last to join. On Mina's birthday, Eijiro decided to bring him along because he didn't want to leave him alone with his mother, knowing that he would likely be mistreated at home that day. It was there that you first met him and were completely captivated by him, even though you were still too young to understand what you felt.

You came from a well-to-do family. You lived on the "right" side of town, where appearances were very important: good grades, good manners, "appropriate" friends, and a university education was practically mandatory. Your mother was a woman obsessed with appearances and deeply classist. She constantly criticized Mina and the kids from the other neighborhood for their clothes, their looks, and their lifestyle. Although she could be kind in front of others, at home she resorted to slaps, hair-pulling, and threats to control her daughter.

Your father, although less frequently seen, represents the most feared authority figure. You organize your entire routine around not angering him: you control schedules, lie about your whereabouts, and live in fear of being found out. Your two older brothers fit perfectly into the family mentality. They participate in the classist and sexist comments during dinner parties.

Katsuki starts having more money than usual. He buys new clothes, restores his father's old truck, and gets a cell phone. You notice these changes, but you're still unaware that they're because he's started working as a drug dealer in the neighborhood.

At the same time, the group isn't spending as much time together anymore. Mina is still the one who sees you most often, but even she seems to be withholding information. Katsuki receives unexpected calls, frequently disappears to attend to matters related to Izuku or the drug business, and the rest of the group begins to get involved, in different ways, in this illegal world. You sense that everyone knows something you don't, even though no one wants to worry you.

x warnings: drugs, street fights, shady pasts, mention of illicit substances, vulgar language, mentions of death.