Sodapop.
3:15
The bell rings and I quickly gather up my things heading for the door.
"Hey." I turn around as I walk through the crowded hallway. It's her.
"Hi Grace." I say smiling at her. She smiles up at me. She giggles a little and follows me to my locker. My cheeks burn red as she watches me get my bag from my locker. I lock eyes with her as I slam the door shut. I feel like I can't tear my eyes away from her but somehow I do. As we walk through the halls we don't say a thing to each other. I'm embarrassed to be with her. I've liked her for a while and have barely spoken to her. Now here she is following me out into the streets. She must be up to something. "What you doing here Grace?" I ask as we walk out the school gate. She giggles again and I can feel my cheeks heat up again.
"Nothing."
"What you laughing at?" I ask her, smiling.
"You have a lisp." She says grinning at me her eyes sparkling.
"Whatever." I say between laughs. People had teased me about this lisp I had, it was only minor. You couldn't even tell I had one, sometimes.
"You better work on that before I talk to you again." She said and she walked the opposite way. I grin as I stare down at my feet and walk on home.
10:00
I can feel my t-shirt soaking up the blood. When I try to move I can feel it all being released from the fibre's of my t-shirt. Then I stay still and it happens again. I don't know how long I've been here but the light breeze that blows across my face is getting cooler and cooler. I'm so stupid. If only I hadn't been trying to impress her. . . .
6:57
I had been here with Mark and Steve before. We weren't doing much. We didn't want to come here. We were just walking along and ended up here. At the overpass. Sure when people think of overpass they think of people driving with no clue of what's happening underneath them. They don't think of people bleeding to death while they drive home from work. But when I think of this part of the story I blame whoever built this damn bridge. There were two bridges, one for either way you were driving. And in between them was a hill. Easy to climb up. As Mark and Steve cheered me on I climbed up and onto the footpath of the bridge. It was nearing seven o' clock and not many people were out. The perfect time to do this. It wasn't dark yet, thanks to daylight savings. This is the part where I blame Steve. Below me, Steve and Mark had found a shopping trolley. Really I have no idea where they got it from. But there they were, both holding onto either side of it waiting for me to jump in. 'Look at Soda!' I hear Steve yell and I look over to the other bridge where she is staring at me. I can see her smiling, waiting on me to jump. I'm telling the truth, I wasn't going to jump. I was about to tell them I couldn't do it. I didn't care if they called me scared, I am scared to die. But then again this girl was amazing. I blame her as well.
So as I'm standing there, on the other side of the rail about to fall to my death I think. If I don't jump she will think I'm a loser, but if I do she won't think of me because I'll be dead. Then I catch Steve's grinning face. I think he knew what was going to happen. I let go of the rail and shut my eyes. I'm falling, falling, falling. . . .
Then I woke up. It was dark. My head was pounding and I could feel sharp stabbing pains in my left leg and right arm. I tried lifting my head up to look around but each time I tried I was overcome with dizziness and my eyes hurt, How long had I been here, I thought. Why didn't Steve and Mark stay around to help? Was I still at the underpass? I couldn't tell. There was no light but the moon which was full tonight.
"Help!" I yelled, and my words echoed. I thought for a second, echoing? That's not right, I wasn't even under the bridge. Were your words supposed to echo here? I couldn't think about this for long, my head. I didn't think at all, instead laying there staring at the sky. It was dark tonight, no stars just the moon. A couple of times I called for help. But it was useless. I heard a rustling over to my right. I turned my head quickly, I could see something black moving. But I'm not exactly sure because my vision went dark. . . .
10:00
Now, I can feel my t-shirt soaking up the blood. When I try to move I can feel it all being released from the fibre's of my t-shirt. Then I stay still and it happens again. I don't know how long I've been here since I blacked out, but the light breeze that blows across my face is getting cooler and cooler. I'm so stupid. If only I hadn't been trying to impress her. I mean if I died she wouldn't even think of me. Or would she? Maybe she would since she pretty much saw me die. But it doesn't matter. I am going to die now because there's all this blood and pains. . . And I've got tears in my eyes. I want my parents to be here. If I'm going to die I want them with me. No! I'm not going to die. I don't want to die. I start to cry. I don't want to die! I take a few deep breaths. My breathing is all shaky and this crying is making my headache worse. I close my eyes and concentrate on breathing. I'm about to fall asleep when I suddenly open my eyes. Because a thought has occurred to me. If I go to sleep I could die. No I won't sleep! So, as much as it hurts, I concentrate on counting. It's the only thing that will keep me awake right now.
I've been counting minutes. I've been here for ten minutes. I'm so tired. My breath is coming short. I'm dying I know it. I think back over what I did to get here. Quickly because it hurts. Really, I should be blaming this on her. Why did she have to walk by at the moment I was about to say no? Yeah it's her fault.
It's freezing now. My hands are cold, I can feel one against my stomach and the other on my leg. I can't even feel how I am positioned because there's just so much pain I'm not sure where it's coming from.
I cough, one, twice, three times. And I know why. There's no blood in me. Oh there is, but not enough to save me if they found me now. No, there is enough to save me. Just hurry! Mum. Dad. Anyone! I start to cry again. No not really cry. The tears sit in my eyes for a moment before the fall onto my cheeks and dry up. It's cold, I'm hurting and I've got no one. What if I die and someone throws my body in a river? But that won't happen. Soda, you're going to live! Live!
I'm not strong enough to yell. So I lay here waiting on death. I didn't think this would happen. Tears are making my vision blurry again. It's all your fault, I think. Yeah you're fault. I think about her as I take my last short breaths. Her long brown hair and matching eyes. The way she smiled at me before I ended up here.
I can feel the ground vibrate just a tiny bit and the pain in my body grows. I moan a little. Stop it. Stop it.
"Soda!" It's mum. I just know. But even though her mind is on me right now. My mind is on her.
"Grace." I manage to whisper, no lisp present, as my blood stops leaking and my last breath is taken away.
Grace.
6:57
"Look at Soda!" I hear someone yell from under the bridge. I stop walking and look down. Mark and Steve are standing between the two bridges holding a shopping trolley. They're both looking up at the bridge opposite me where Soda is standing on the other side of the rail ready to jump. Oh my gosh, I think.
"Go on impress me." I whisper. He stands there for a moment. Go on, I think. And he does it. I squeeze my eyes shut as I hear the loud smack! As his body hits the ground. I didn't really want you to do it, I think as if I'm having a conversation with him in my mind. I slowly open my eyes and looked down. Where Steve and Mark are staring, horrified at Soda's twisted body on the ground. There's blood pouring from him. My mouth hangs open and I can't look away. Mark and Steve look up at me.
"Wait!" Mark yells and they both begin to climb up the hill, coming over to me. I look around as a blue van goes pass but they don't notice me. Mark and Steve skid to a halt next to me.
"What're we gonna do?" I ask. They shrug looking at each other nervously.
"Get outta here." Steve says, his voice breaking and I know he wants to cry. He walks on and Mark and I follow quickly behind him. We were never here, we were never here. . . .
10:00
It's ten o' clock. My parents and brother are in bed, probably asleep. I can't get my mind off Soda. His cold body lying there between those bridges. His not dead, I think. He's alive waiting on me to come save him. I pull on my shoes and grab a jacket slipping it on as I walk through the house out into the backyard. I grab my pink bike and hop on it.
I pedal fast down the streets back to those bridges. Keep breathing, I think as I feel my legs burn. I suddenly have a thought, it's my fault he's dying. I know he likes me and if I hadn't of said impress me this wouldn't be happening. I get to the bridges quickly and don't even think about trying to ride down the hill. I leave my bike on the ground, quickly check the time – 10:14 – and run down the hill. I keep running when I get to the bottom and I can see his body still lying there. The pool of blood glistens in the moonlight. I rush to him, running as quick as I can. When I get to him I drop to my knees ignoring the cracks in my legs. I check to see if he is alive. But there is no pulse. Tears blur my vision as I sit down properly, my legs brought up to my chest. I let him die. It's my fault. I rest my forehead on my knees and shut my eyes.
Soon I'm falling asleep. But I'm suddenly woken when I hear a car screech to a halt on the bridge. I look up to see a man standing, leaning on the rails. The same spot I saw Soda die. He stares down at us before pulling out his phone. I can't stay here, I think. They'll say it was me. I plant a kiss on Soda's forehead and get up quickly. There's blood on my jeans but I don't care. It's Soda's blood. I try to run up the hill. But I can't. I break down the tears falling from my eyes. I cry quietly. Slowly I move up the hill. I pick up my bike but don't get on. Instead I walk away.