The cool wind whipped across Matthew's face as he stood against one small pole supporting him from behind. He shivered, pulling his jacket closer to himself, and stared down into the black water below that was almost beckoning him to come closer. The water splashed this way and that, making small waves crash down upon the banks of the river, threatening to over flow. He watched as the water made its way up the pillars beneath the bridge, the waves licking slowly up them like they were saying if he didn't come down soon they would come to him. Matthew gulped at the thought and closed his eyes, trying hard to push all thoughts of fear and doubt as far away as possible. He kept telling himself it would be ok, that once this was over and done with everything would be alright. He would be happy again and everyone he ever knew would be too.
Never again would he have to go through another school day labeled as the quiet weirdo who owns a dumb stuffed bear. Never again would he be overshadowed by his twin brother, always having to hear the whispers of "How can you live with a guy like him?" or "He is such a freak!" while the person pointed towards Canada. Never again would he have to sit through another speech from his parents about how worthless he is and 'why can't he be like his brother?' Everyone would be able to continue their lives happily without him; he was just a burden that only slowed everyone down. He was doing society a favor by ending it all right here, right now. That is, if he could gather up the courage to take the final leap.
Matthew leaned against the cool metal behind him and let out a sigh. Earlier when running it through his mind the whole thing seemed quite easy. Go to the bridge, stand on the edge and then jump. Simple, right? But of course, his acrophobia would have to kick in now, wouldn't it? The blonde stared at the water beneath him, as he kicked a small piece of gravel off the ledge, watching as it make a small splash before disappearing into the dark abyss below. See? All you have to do is follow the rock's example and jump, Matthew told himself. But even when said with confidence he wasn't given much relief. The boy probably shouldn't have compared himself to a rock either; it's not the best confidence booster in the world.
Matthew let out another sigh before precariously leaning over the edge of the bridge, leaving no contact between him and the bridge anymore. The only thing supporting him was the 2 inches of solid metal beneath him. Come on Mattie, you can do it! Just one step and you're home free.
When you're on the verge of death, people say you block out most of your surroundings and this was ringing true for Matthew; the boy was paying no attention to anything around him (not like he expected anyone to be around since it was a bridge on a stormy night). As a consequence Matthew did not notice the car making its way across the bridge. He did not notice the car come to a stop behind him or hear someone get out of that same car and walk towards him.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"
So much for blocking out your surroundings. At the sound of the other's voice, Matthew quickly turned around to face the man, causing himself to lose balance. He felt himself begin to teeter backwards, his weight pulling him down toward the watery grave below. Fear flashed in his eyes as he looked up at the man on the bridge, his own violet eyes meeting blue. The man was blonde and had the most amazing blue eyes Matthew had ever seen, and if it wasn't for the fact that he was falling to his death he probably would have been quite embarrassed to be around someone like him.
In a desperate attempt the unknown man thrust his hand out towards the falling boy and yelled, "Take my hand!" But alas it was to no avail. Matthew reached his hand out towards the blonde, but knew it would never reach. Accepting his fate, Matthew let himself fall freely, enjoying the feeling of being airborne shortly before crashing into the water below. The impact was in no way pleasant and Matthew could feel his head pounding. He didn't struggle or try to swim back to the top; instead he just let himself sink down towards the bottom, his body suspended in the water. The blonde's lungs quickly filled up with water since he didn't even bother to hold his breath, his vision began to go blurry. It will all be over soon he told himself, I will soon black out and then this will all be over and no one will ever hear the name Matthew Williams ever again.
In the midst of blacking out and finally admitting defeat, Matthew heard a faint splash above, which puzzled him. He wasn't sure what it was that made that splash, but he did however realize that whatever it was, was coming towards him. Slipping in and out of consciousness, he was able to make out a shape. At first it just looked like a big shadowy thing, but then he saw them. They were those two blue eyes he had seen right before he fell, and they were looking straight at him. A little surprised but unable to move from lack of consciousness, Matthew did nothing and just let himself keep falling. Well, he would have, if it wasn't for the fact that the unknown blonde decided to grab hold of Matthew and start pulling him up instead. Matthew groaned inwardly, Wow I'm so pathetic I can't even commit suicide right. And with that everything went black and his life was now in the hands of some random stranger.
Perfect. Just perfect.