Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the story Bridge to Terabithia

I am just a fan of one of the most emotionally powerful books that I have ever read.

A/N: A great big thank you to all who have read and reviewed. You people are awesome. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

The Phone Call

Chapter10

Jesse had never been that far away from home before, nor had he ever been to an ocean resort before. He had only seen them on TV and in pictures and in travel brochures. In person it was magnificent and the New Jersey shore was breath taking. The water was warm and there was so much to do. Bill, as Jesse discovered, had vacationed here with his parents when he was a child, and several years ago he had suggested that they come here as part of their family vacation. Leslie had fallen in love with the place and asked if Jesse could join them this year.

The place was called the Wildwoods; it was actually an island that boasted a two-mile long boardwalk that had several amusement piers that jutted off of it toward the ocean side. There were so many amusement rides, and games, and shops, and restaurants that Jesse's mind went reeling. Overwhelmed would be an understatement. There were miles of wide sandy beaches where there was plenty of room to stretch out and relax under the hot summer sun. The warm gentle waves of the ocean and the gradual slope of the shore lent itself perfectly to swimming.

They arrived at the hotel in the late afternoon tired and hungry. The Burkes had booked a two-bedroom suite at a seaside hotel with a spectacular view of the ocean. The suite had a large deck on the ocean side of the hotel overlooking the expansive beach and the ocean beyond. Bill and Judy put Jesse up in one of the bedrooms saying that Leslie could sleep on the pullout bed in the main living room area of the suite. Jesse had protested at first, but after Bill and Judy's insistence that he take the room saying that he was their guest, and that they wouldn't take no for an answer, and since Leslie assured him that she didn't mind it one bit, he acquiesced. Leslie said, jokingly, that she would sleep standing up in the closet as long as she knew Jesse was in the next room. Then she added that, better yet, it might be easier for everyone if she just stayed in Jesse's room with him. This just drew playfully disapproving glares from Bill and Judy. "Just kidding," she said, and laughed. Jesse's face flushed, he felt Bill and Judy's eyes on him and looking down he shuffled his feet and wished the moment would pass.

They took a few minutes to get settled in their suite. Jesse was amazed at the size of their rooms. Back home there were houses smaller then this he thought. "This must cost a fortune," he whispered to Leslie. Bill, overhearing Jesse's comment, chucked and said, "don't worry about the cost Jess, you're our guest, just enjoy yourself…Ok."

"Yeah…Ok," he said stiffly, he was so nervous; he didn't know how to act around the Burkes. They were so very different from his family, and here he was about to spend a week with them.

After they had moved their things into their rooms and had settled in a bit Bill suggested that they wander down the boardwalk and find a restaurant where they could have dinner. There were several, he said, that they had enjoyed on previous visits. Jesse didn't care one way or the other, he'd eat peanut-butter sandwiches and be happy, he was just so glad to be here with Leslie it just didn't matter to him where or what they ate.

As they strolled down the boardwalk Jesse was enthralled with the sights. It was awe-inspiring and he couldn't wait to get out his sketchbook and start drawing this scene. The boardwalk was so big that it seemed that they could walk on forever, yet there were so many people it was practically shoulder to shoulder it's entire length. Jess held on tight to Leslie's hand, afraid he'd lose her in the crowd.

Then the thing that amazed Jesse the most on the boardwalk that first day were the tramcars. The tramcars were very much like the amusement train rides you'd find at many amusement parks, except that they didn't ride on tracks, they had drivers. They would drive the entire length of the boardwalk on marked roadways picking up and dropping off passengers along the way. At the end they would loop around and return to the other end.

What truly astonished Jess was that these tramcars would ride right through the throng of people while a pre-recorder announcement would play when the driver pressed a button.

"Watch the tramcar please." The announcement would say in a woman's voice. And the people would part, clearing the way, like Moses parting the Red Sea. The people had better get out of the way Jesse thought to himself, because those drivers weren't stopping for anybody. Once, Jesse found himself in the path of one of the tramcars and Leslie pulled him out of the way just in time, and they had a good laugh over it. After that Jess played around challenging the tramcars like they were angry bulls and he was a bullfighter. Judy was worried and scolded Jess, but Bill said he had done the same thing when he was a kid so let Jesse have his fun, then he laughed. Judy glared at Bill, shook her head with a smirk, and sighed.

They stopped in at one of the many busy restaurants along the boardwalk and had their dinner there.

While waiting for their server to bring the food Bill told stories of his childhood adventures here at the Wildwoods. He said that Jesse, in many ways, reminded him of his younger self. Jesse was beginning to feel more comfortable with the Burkes especially now that Bill had compared himself to him. Imagine that, Jesse thought to himself, Bill must like me, at least a little bit, even though I am just a poor dumb farm kid.

The Burkes were so smart that a humble Jesse sat quietly as Leslie and her parents discussed everything from politics and current events to music and art. Bill asked a question or something in French, something that Jesse didn't understand, and Leslie responded, also speaking in French. Jesse gazed at his friend adoringly; he loved to hear her speak French. It was one more thing that made her more alluring to him and more special. It did something to him deep inside, sending a pleasant shiver through his body. Someday, he thought, when we're in Terabithia, I'll ask her to read to me in French. He loved to watch her lips move as she formed the words and listen to the musical sound of her voice when she spoke in French.

He was suddenly shaken from his daydream when Judy surprised him with a question, "So Jesse," she began, "since you're an artist. Tell us; who is your favorite renaissance painter?"

"Ah, um," Jess had no idea what to say, he had been watching Leslie and not paying attention to the conversation. He broke out in a cold sweat and was trembling from nervousness. It seemed strange, but at that moment he found himself recalling the weird dream he had had four years ago, the one in which Leslie had died. In that dream Miss Edmunds had taken him to the museum, and even though it was just a dream he could see it vividly in his mind. He remembered looking at an exhibit of Leonardo da Vinci. It was so real that it frightened him. That old dark memory he thought he had locked away had come back to haunt him. Then feeling the three sets of eyes on him expecting an answer he blurted out. "Leonardo da Vinci…Because in my opinion he was the greatest painter of the renaissance period. And because he was a great inventor and…" Jesse saw the three sets of eyes on him were wide in astonishment. He softened his voice and continued, "he…ah… contributed so much to music, art, and science" Why did I say all that stuff he thought to himself, if I'm wrong they're going to think I'm an idiot. He could feel Bill's eyes on him and he held his breath, then Bill said, "Well Jess, I see you have quite strong opinions about Da vinci, and I must say I have to agree with you…"

The waiter came up to their table with the food, cutting Bill off.

Jesse sighed with relief, he felt the tension leaving his body, and he could breath again.

The food was great but Jess was so excited to be here, and so glad that the Burkes had asked him to come, he couldn't eat a thing at first. After he forced down a few bites his hunger overtook him and he ate ravenously, cleaning his plate.

"Boy you must have been really hungry Jess," Bill chuckled. Jesse feeling awkward smiled sheepishly.

After dinner as they strolled along the boardwalk making their way back to the hotel they stopped in some of the shops along the way. Leslie bought herself a new two piece swimsuit at one of the shops that they stopped at. Jesse thought the suit looked to be quite revealing, and he was imagining Leslie wearing it as he looked up at Bill. He felt like Bill could read his face and see his thoughts, he blushed with embarrassment and looked away. The next day Jesse's imagination was realized when they went to the beach.

During their stay Jesse would get up early in the morning just before sunrise. He would sit on the deck of their hotel suite sketching from memory the sights he had seen that day before. Leslie would soon join him and bring him a cup of coffee and a cup of tea for herself. She would sit beside him and watch as he sketched. It amazed her how he could turn lines and scribbles into such beautiful pictures. Often the subject of his drawings would be Leslie herself; she thought he made her look more beautiful than she was or ever would be. 'That's what you look to me,' he had said once when she had asked him about it.

The beach was hot and sunny; it was a wonderful week. The weather was perfect except for a few days when thunderstorms popped up in the afternoon, but that only added to the excitement. They would watch and listen from their hotel suite as the lightening crashed down and the thunder rumbled making the earth tremble, and the windows rattle. Then after the storms passed they would return to the beach, or stroll along the boardwalk.

When they were on the beach Jesse liked watching Leslie in her two piece swimsuit. He had a hard time keeping his eyes off of her. The way she filled it out and the way she moved, She was just so beautiful, she was perfect he thought. He made several sketches of her in that swimsuit, some of which he thought were too provocative and would be kept private. He so admired and adored Leslie. Leslie was quite proud of Jesse's drawings and thought he was over reacting and being a bit prudish about keeping his sketches private.

"I'm here in the flesh wearing it Jess," she had said, "You don't want to hide me away do you?" Jess had to think about that for a minute, and then he said, "well…?" Leslie read his face and gave him a playful punch on his arm.

"Ouch…That hurt," he said, and he laughed, then taking her by the hand he pulled her along the beach down to the water where they dove into the waves.

They had such a glorious time that week; frolicking on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and digging in the sand. A couple of times they spent the evening playing in the hotel pool with some of the other kids there while Bill and Judy sat poolside reading and sipping wine. They wished their time here would never end.

One lazy, hot, sunny morning, as they were lounging on the beach Leslie turned to Jesse and asked him a very troubling question.

"Jess, do you ever think about other girls?… I mean… do you ever wish you could ask another girl out on a date?"

Jesse looked over at Leslie horrified.

"Wh…Why?" He asked, his stomach was churning, he felt sick inside, why had she asked him that. Did she want to date someone else? Is that why she had been acting so weird lately.

"Ah…No Leslie…I…ah… never, I..I love you Le…L…Leslie," he stuttered out the words shaking with fear.

Leslie sighed deeply and gazed out at the ocean for a moment, then she said, "what if I wasn't here, what if you never met me? What about then?" she turned and looked back at him expectantly, she had that troubled look on her face, and it made him uncomfortable.

"I don't know Leslie…probably, I mean if you weren't here I guess I'd date other girls, but you are here, and I love you, and only you."

"What about that girl over there?" Leslie asked, discreetly gesturing with a nod of her head to a girl about their age sunbathing on a blanket several yards away. "Do you think she's pretty? Would you ask her out on a date?"

Jesse looked toward the girl then back to Leslie, a look of disbelief on his face. "What's going on Leslie?" He asked, "Do you want to date someone else? Do you not love me anymore? What is it?"

"No it's not like that Jess, it's that I…It's…"

"What is it Leslie, tell me…please. You've been acting really weird lately, what is it. What's going on?" Jesse pleaded with Leslie, desperately trying to understand his girlfriend. He stared deep into her eyes holding her gaze; he could see the beginnings of tears there.

"Jesse," she began, "I'm…"

"Hey kids, "Judy said as she and Bill approached their blanket, "how about going up on the boardwalk for some lunch?"

Leslie wiped the tears from her eyes with the corner of her towel, then smiling like nothing had happened she said, "sure sounds good," then hopping to her feet she said, "come on Jess," She grabbed Jesse by the hand and squeezed it tightly. She looked him in the eye and mouthed the words; "I love you." Jesse beamed a crooked smile back at her, unsure of what just happened.

After lunch Jesse tried prying some answers out of Leslie, but she remained resolute and avoided the subject saying. "Never mind what I said earlier Jess. Let's just have some fun."

Leslie taught Jesse how to use a boogie board and he nearly killed himself at first, Leslie couldn't help laughing at his antics. Soon though, after a few dozen face plants he started getting the hang of it, and by the end of the day he was pretty good at it. Later they took a long walk, hand in hand down the beach by the edge of the water, returning at dinnertime.

Most evenings they would stroll along the boardwalk and stop in one of the many restaurants to have dinner. After dinner one night Leslie dragged Jesse out onto the amusement piers and coaxed him into riding some of the many rides there. Jesse was more then a little bit nervous. The only rides he had ever been on were the puny little Canaveral rides that came through Lark Creek once a year during the summer. They were nothing compared to these. To be truthful Jesse was scared to death, but he wasn't going to let Leslie know it, even though she did. There wasn't anything that Jesse could hide from that girl, she read him like a book, and she usually knew exactly what he was thinking. After she had gotten him to try a few rides he started to loosen up and enjoy himself, soon he was the one dragging Leslie onto the rides. He had never been on a roller coaster before, and discovering that he really enjoyed it he kept dragging Leslie onto them. Leslie didn't mind it at all; she was having so much fun she had forgotten about the pain she was feeling deep down inside.

Later, after Jesse had had his fill of rides, he and Leslie wandered the pier hand in hand. They stopped by some of the many game booths there, mostly they just watched as the people paid their money, took their turns and usually lost. Jess played at a few games himself against Leslie's better judgement. Mostly he was just making the game barkers richer. Then playing a ring toss game called 'pitch till U win,' Jesse won a small stuffed dog with floppy ears, and a gold colored chain around it's neck. On the chain was a tag that had the word 'Prince' engraved on it. He gave the dog to Leslie and she hugged him and said, "thank you Jess." She looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "I'll name him Prince Terrian, and I'll put him in the castle, and he'll be the guardian of Terabithia." And then for some reason that Jesse didn't quite understand she became all teary and weepy. She hugged him tightly and cried on his shoulder, sobbing out the words, "I love you Jesse."

Girls can be so weird he thought to himself as he held her and patted her back. Give em a stuffed animal and they go all to pieces.

On Friday night Leslie led Jesse out to a secluded part of the beach near the dunes. They laid out their blanket and sat beneath the stars. The night was warm with a light breeze off the ocean. The distant sounds of the boardwalk and amusement piers were in their ears, and occasionally a whiff of fried food would mix with the smell of the sea. They waited there on the beach in the dim flickering light from the boardwalk until 10:30 when the weekly fireworks display would begin.

"Leslie," Jesse asked softly, "what's been bothering you, why won't you tell me?"

"Not now, Jesse," Leslie said and snuggled close to him.

"Then when?" he asked.

"Jesse," she said seductively, "just shut up and kiss me," she lay back on the blanket pulling Jesse down with her.

Lying there on their blanket in the sand. Entwined in each other's arms, they gazed ardently into each other's eyes. The faint flashes from the rockets splashing color on their faces and the distant crackle and booms as they exploded had them trembling with excitement. Two bodies with but one mind and soul, their love was boundless. Together: each one, half of the whole that completed the other. Jesse was feeling a contentment that few people will ever know, he was having the time of his life, and he was sharing it with the one person he loved most in the world. Leslie's heart was bursting with the love she felt for Jesse, seething with a hunger only he could nourish. For that moment in time, locked together in amorous abandon, they were alone in the world; nothing else existed except Jesse and Leslie.

All too soon it was their last day. They were packing and preparing their things so they could get an early start in the morning. Jesse was sad to have to leave and Leslie seemed so troubled and quiet it began to deeply concern him, so he tried to cheer her up.

"I've had such a great time," he announced, "I almost look forward to going back to school so we can tell all our friends about what an awesome time we've had here… You know," he said continuing, " this will be the first time in my life that when someone asks me what I did on my summer vacation, I'll have something to tell them." The room had fallen eerily silent; everyone was quiet. Jesse looked around the room at their faces. Leslie had that troubled look on her face that now had turned to a look of pain. Bill and Judy both looked grave, there was a sadness that showed in their eyes. The whole mood in the room had changed in an instant. Did he say something wrong? Or were they all just that sad that they were leaving tomorrow.

"What's the matter?" He asked, "did I say something wrong?" He looked from face to face hoping to find an answer to his question in their eyes. Then Bill cleared his throat and spoke to Leslie in a soft voice.

"You haven't told him Leslie?" Leslie looked down at the floor; she looked like she was about to cry.

"No I haven't told him," her voice was shaky and thin.

"Tell me what? What's going on?" Jess asked frantically as he continued to look from one to the other trying to understand what was happening. Something was very wrong, he knew it now, but what is it? He felt his face fall and the life drain out of him.
"Leslie what is it, what didn't you tell me?" His mind raced with the possibilities of what might be wrong. Was Leslie sick? Did she have cancer or something? What? What?

Taking hold of Bill's hand Judy said, "we'll be down by the pool if you need us," she glanced at Jesse then quickly looked away and said, "come on Bill." Bill looked straight into Jesse's eyes with a look of sympathy. Bill and Judy turned to leave and they closed the door softly behind them. Jesse looked at Leslie. He was frantic now as he asked her, and he was angry that he had been left out of something important. Something that he knew involved him.

"What do you need to tell me Leslie?"

"Sit down Jesse," she said softly, he obeyed and sat down on the couch, Leslie sat down next to him. Then taking hold of his hands she looked into his eyes and said, "Jess… I won't be with you in the fall when school starts."

"What?...Why?" Jesse responded incredulously.

She drew a deep breath and said, "Jess… we're moving away from Lark Creek."

"What? Moving? Where?...No you can't move." Jesse shrieked at her; he felt like he had just been slugged hard in the gut.

" Jesse…" Leslie continued softly, "Bill got a job in England with the BBC on one of those morning TV news shows about politics and stuff."

"England!" He cried; Jesse's life had just been completely shattered, "that's half way around the world," he said, thinking to himself that this can't be happening; it must be some kind of a joke; I must be dreaming. He wished he would wake up, but it was no dream.

"You can't move Leslie, I love you."

"I love you too Jess, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"You can stay with me at my house," he pleaded.

"There isn't enough room at your house, I'd just be in the way... Besides I need to go with my parents."

"But we could..."

"It's no good Jess I have to go with my parents."

"But what about us?"

Leslie looked away, tears standing in her eyes.

"We have to say goodbye Jesse," Leslie was having a hard time choking out the words. "That's why I asked my parents to take you here with us. I wanted to have one last good memory of us together, a fun time for us to always remember."

"What are you talking about Leslie, we can still keep in touch. We'll call each other all the time, and email and write letters and..."

"It's no good Jess, we have to say goodbye. Long distance romances don't work; it will only prolong the pain. Every time we hang up the phone the pain of missing each other will tear at us and make us angry and sad…So we have to say goodbye once and for all."

"But…What about last night Leslie, you…and me…on the beach?"

"It's a special memory for us to share, and always remember each other by Jesse, that's all." Leslie said as her heart was breaking.

Jess had become quiet and despondent; he was hearing her words but not understanding what she was saying. Leslie pulled him into a hug and said, "Who knows Jess, maybe we'll meet again someday and we can be together."

Jess felt like he had died, he was without feelings; he was numb.

"So," he said after several minutes, "when are you leaving?"

"A week from Wednesday," she sniffled into his shoulder.

"That's just over a week away!" he blurted out, as he pulled back from their embrace and looked at her tear-streaked face.

"I know Jess, I'm sorry," she said.

"How long have you known?" Jesse asked, feeling his anger with her building again. Leslie hesitated a moment, then sobbed out the words.

"A couple of months."

"And you didn't tell me!" Jess cried, he was furious now with Leslie. "You lied to me Leslie. Remember what you told me? You said that not saying something is just like lying. Remember… you told me."

"But I couldn't tell you Jess," she said sobbing heavily, "every time I tried to tell you I'd look into your eyes and I just couldn't do it. I thought if I didn't say it, it wouldn't be true."

He could see that it was tearing her apart and he felt her pain as his own.

"So this is it huh. This is goodbye." Jesse said, after a few moments, he was feeling no emotion anymore, he was empty.

"We still have a week and a half together Jess, we'll just have to make the best of it. We'll make some good memories…Ok… Please don't be sad, let's not ruin the last bit of time we have left together."

"But Leslie…I…"

"Jesse stop... If you really love me you'll do this."

"Ok," he said finally after a long pause, and then choking the words out past the lump in his throat he said, "I'll try but it won't be easy."

"I never said it would be easy Jess," Leslie pulled Jesse close and sobbed on his shoulder.

A/N: Some ideas and themes for this chapter are borrowed (or should I saw shamelessly stolen) from folks like MadTom, IHateSnakes, Fire Inferno, etal. Be sure to check out their fanfiction stories. Also, thanks to Loonylover1331. Don't miss his fanfiction story: "Nerve."

Additional A/N: As MadTom pointed out in his review I had mentioned PT in an earlier chapter. I've edited the passage to read 'like a little dog' instead of 'like Prince Terrian.' Thank you MadTom for helping me edit.