Title: The Alternate Ending

Author: Emily-Elmo

Rating: K+?

Summary: Another alternate ending for the Bridge to Terabithia.

A/N: So, earlier this year for school I had to write an alternate ending for the Bridge to Terabithia, and I thought I'd post the beginning up here for some advice. Hints on how to sound more like the authoress and stuff would be nice. You know, for the whole improving my writing thing. Thanks!

He watched the car go out of sight and then ran with all his might towards the house, joy jiggling inside of him so hard that he wouldn't have been surprised if his feet had just taken off the ground the way they sometimes did in dreams and just floated him right over the roof.

May Belle was waiting for him on the front steps. She jumped up as soon as she saw him and ran over.

"Jess, Leslie fell into the creek and hurt her back bad and I told them you just went out but they didn't believe me!" Jess plummeted right down back to earth with a jolt and woulda kept going if not for the hard ground beneath him. His mind was racing. Leslie had gone to Terabithia?

May Belle was tugging on his arm. "How bad?" he asked her urgently. "How bad, May Belle?"

"I don't know," she yanked on his arm once more and tried to pull him in the direction of the house. "Come on, Jess, Momma thinks you're out there somewhere and hurt worse'n Leslie."

Jess let her drag him inside, where his mother hugged him in the doorway and cried. His father patted her shoulder awkwardly and put his hand on Jess' head.

"Leslie fell into the creek, Jess. She was trying to get across. The old rope you kids've been swinging on musta snapped. They think she broke her back," his father explained quietly, seriously.

No. She wouldn't have. Leslie wouldn't try and swing across when the river was so high. She wouldn't.

Except, she would. And he'd been worrying about that this morning. He shoulda asked her to come with to the museum. He shoulda done something, 'cause he'd known. He'd known what she would do. And he didn't do anything, so he could have his perfect day with Miss Edmunds, all by himself.

"Jess?" His mother, voice gentle. "Jess. Leslie will be fine. They found her and took her to the hospital in Washington. She'll live."

She'll live? He hadn't even thought about Leslie- dying. She could've died, because of him. His gut twisted inside. It was his fault. His fault Leslie was lying in hospital with a broken back. His fault she could've died.

"Why don't you go to bed, Jess?" His motheragain. "Get some rest. We'll take you to see Leslie soon, okay? But go sleep for a bit now."

"Okay," he muttered under his breath, half stumbling up to his bedroom and sitting down a bit dazedly on his bed. Sleep. Lord, like a person could sleep when they'd almost killed their best friend.

A/N: And that was the beginning. So, advice? Please review!