Free Highfall by Ani Alexander Page B

could do about it any longer.  He missed her dreadfully.  Stefan realised that the times he had spent with her had been the only happy ones he had ever had.
     
    Because of his disease, Stefan had spent most of his childhood in various hospitals.  As far back as he could remember he had been in pain, and every day was accompanied by injections.  Later on he sank into music, writing depressive lyrics and creating sad rock ballads.  That was how he had managed to effect his escape from reality; from the fact that he felt extremely lonely; from the fact that his dad had left them when he found out how sick he was; from the fact that his mum was so tired of his condition that she had left him with her mother so she could get back her freedom and selfish lifestyle.  How many times had he been abandoned before?  All he had were his two best friends, one of whom had introduced him to the heroin which had finally destroyed everything he had.
     
    In retrospect Stefan realised that Annika had been too good to be true.  She did not fit into the darkness of his life.  The happy days they had had together had been the only bright points in his otherwise unhappy existence.  Annika had been his only chance, and he’d blown it all in the most stupid way possible.
     
    Stefan's life became unbearable after Annika left him.  He sank into darkness and despair.  His life had no meaning.  All he felt was the unrelenting pain of his disease and the detachment from reality caused by the drugs.  He built his entire life around drugs because only they seemed to be stable, loyal and reliable.
     
    The only true friend who had stayed by him till then was Flame.  Flame had long since given up trying to bring Stefan back from the deep snare of his drugs.  Instead, he merely visited him from time to time.  Stefan called him at times when he had not yet had his fix and was feeling extremely bad.  Whenever he could, Flame would get into his car and drive over to Stefan's place.  The only thing Flame asked was that Stefan be alone and there was no one from the usual crowd of drug addicts to distract them.
     
    Once, on just such a day, Flame came to see Stefan and as always they talked about Annika. They always spoke about Annika, because Stefan could not bear to talk about her with anyone else.
     
    “If you love her, Stefan, just let her go.  Give her a chance to be happy,” said Flame.
     
    Stefan merely nodded in return, knowing that as always his one friend was right.  He knew only too well that he had caused her too much pain, when all she deserved was something much, much better.
     
    “You think that guy Vasko will make her happy?” Stefan asked, although he already knew the answer.
     
    He had seen them once crossing the street when his car stopped at a red light.  It was exactly the same crossroads where a year before Annika had crashed his car.  They did not notice him.  It was painful to see how happy Annika was looking.  She did not even glance at the lamp post, which was still bent in half.
     
    “Stefan, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I actually think anyone who's not like you could make her happy.  He's a good guy and he will definitely treat her better than you did.”  Flame felt vast sympathy for Stefan and Annika.  He could not save Stefan, so he was desperately trying at least to save Annika.
     
    “Please leave her alone.  Give her a chance to finally forget you.  For God's sake, after all you have someone else sleeping where she used to sleep.”
     
    Stefan shrugged his shoulders.  They both knew it didn't mean anything.
     
    Monica – Annika's friend, whom Stefan had been fucking that bloody afternoon, was living with him now.  Not as if he had taken any part in the decision.  Monica was a drug addict herself -blindly in love with Stefan.  After Annika had disappeared, she took great care to turn matters to her advantage at that opportune moment and one day showed up on Stefan's doorstep