Knight in shining armor

The park was dark, the air chilly and heavy with the silence of the night. Noah sat on the edge of the lake, his feet dangling dangerously close to the water. His thoughts swirled in endless, painful circles—the words of his mother echoing in his head like a cruel taunt.

"I wish I'd never given birth to you."

The sentence looped, over and over, stabbing at his chest like a knife. His eyes burned from crying, his body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, but somehow his feet wouldn't stop moving closer to the water's edge. He stared at his faint reflection in the murky lake and wondered if it even mattered anymore.

The sound of footsteps behind him snapped him out of his trance.

"Yo, is that you, Noah?"

Noah froze, not turning around.

"Damn, it is you. What are you doing here, man? You know it's like… 7:30 at night, right?"

Noah didn't respond.

"Alright, what's with the silent treatment?" Liam asked, his voice casual and full of his usual humor. "Let me guess—you're here to find some 'deep inspiration' for your art or whatever. Sitting by the lake, brooding like one of those emo protagonists from a movie. Real dramatic, Noah. Ten out of ten on the tortured artist vibe."

Still no answer.

Liam shrugged and kept talking. "Okay, fine, ignore me. But seriously, sitting by the water like this? You trying to look mysterious or are you just cold? 'Cause you're gonna catch pneumonia out here if you're not careful. And trust me, dying of pneumonia? Not as cool as it sounds."

He laughed at his own joke, but when Noah didn't even flinch, he frowned.

"Alright, tough crowd," Liam muttered. He stepped closer, squinting in the dim light. "Hey, you're sitting pretty close to the edge, you know. That lake's no joke. It's deep as hell—like, I'm-pretty-sure-it's-bottomless deep. People have drowned here, you know. There's a reason they put up that big-ass warning sign."

Still nothing. Noah's silence was starting to unnerve him.

"You're really not gonna say anything?" Liam said, forcing a chuckle. "You're making this awkward, man. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were about to—" He froze mid-sentence as he finally got a good look at Noah's face.

Tear-streaked cheeks. Red, swollen eyes. The way his shoulders trembled ever so slightly.

"Wait… are you crying?" Liam asked, his voice softening.

Noah turned his face away, wiping at his tears quickly, but it was too late.

"What the hell happened?" Liam pressed, stepping even closer. "Did someone say something to you? Are you hurt?"

"Just… go away," Noah muttered, his voice barely audible.

Liam frowned. "Noah, you're freaking me out here. You're crying, you're sitting by a lake in the middle of the night, and you're telling me to leave? That's not normal. Did someone do something to you? Did—" He stopped himself as a horrible realization dawned on him.

His voice dropped to a whisper. "Wait… you're not thinking about jumping in, are you?"

Noah flinched at the question, and that was all the confirmation Liam needed.

"Holy shit," Liam muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Noah, what the hell are you doing?"

"I said,go away!" Noah shouted suddenly, his voice cracking.

"No way," Liam said firmly, his usual joking tone completely gone. "If you think I'm leaving you here, you've lost your mind."

"Why do you even care?" Noah snapped, turning to glare at him. "You don't know me. Just leave me alone!"

Liam crossed his arms, planting his feet. "Nope. Not happening. I don't need to know every little detail about you to know that this? This is messed up."

"Just go!" Noah yelled, tears streaming down his face again. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because I've been where you are!" Liam's voice was sharp now, cutting through the night like a knife.

Noah froze, his chest heaving with shaky breaths.

"I know what it's like to feel like this," Liam continued, his voice quieter but no less intense. "Like you're nothing. Like no one would notice if you were gone. Like the whole damn world would be better off without you. I've been there, Noah. And it sucks. But you know what? It's a lie."

Noah shook his head, scoffing bitterly. "You don't get it. My mom… my own mom told me she wishes I was never born. She—" His voice broke, and he couldn't finish the sentence.

Liam's jaw tightened. "That's horrible, Noah. And it's not okay. But you can't let her words define you. You're more than that."

"No, I'm not," Noah said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm nothing. I'm a waste of space. Everyone in my family thinks so. My mom, my dad, Henry—they all hate me."

Liam stepped closer, his voice softening. "Listen to me, Noah. I don't care what they've said or how they've made you feel. They're wrong. You're not nothing. And even if you don't believe me right now, that's okay. But I'm not gonna let you stand here and throw your life away because of them."

Noah's shoulders trembled again, and he wiped at his tears furiously. "Why do you even care? Why do you give a damn about some kid you barely know?"

Liam hesitated for a moment, then said, "Because someone cared about me when I was in your shoes. I didn't think I mattered, either. But they didn't give up on me. And now? Now it's my turn. I'm not gonna let you fall, Noah. Not tonight."

Noah didn't respond, his body sagging with exhaustion.

"Come on," Liam said gently, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "You're coming with me. You can crash at my place for the night. We'll figure everything out tomorrow, okay? But for now, let's just get out of the cold."

Noah didn't resist as Liam guided him away from the edge of the lake. For the first time that night, he let himself lean on someone else, if only a little.

As they walked, Liam kept a protective hand on his shoulder, his expression a mix of determination and quiet understanding. He didn't know everything about Noah's pain, but he knew enough. And he wasn't going to let him face it alone.