Disclaimer: Here is Chapter 3! Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Confessions

Jess's POV:

"What is it, Jess?" Leslie asked as she raised her eyebrow.

Be honest, Jess. Don't lie to your best friend. "The creek just seems…way too high for my liking. I can't believe I'm saying this, Les, but high water scares me even though we're swinging across the creek, and—"

Leslie's eyes were compassionate. "Jess, you don't need to be ashamed of it. It's because you can't swim, right?"

I blushed. "Yeah…" I sheepishly admitted.

"When it gets warmer outside, I'll teach you how to swim. That way you won't be afraid of swinging over the creek when the water level rises in the future."

How the hell did she know I was going to ask her if she could teach me how to swim? I swear she's my soul mate. "Thanks, Les. I really appreciate it."

"Of course Jess!" She exclaimed. "Anything for my best friend." She smiled. "Is there anything else on your mind?"

I love you, Leslie. You're the greatest person I've ever met in my life. I wish I was as brave as you. "Yeah, are we still going? It still seems a bit dangerous…for me at least."

"Of course we're going, silly! The Terabithians need us!" Leslie laughed as she grabbed onto the rope. "I promise you, when summer comes around, you'll become the next Olympic swimmer, alright?"

She just listened to me when I needed her. In fact, she is ALWAYS there for me. This time, I have to do something for her. I gotta face my fears and just get over the whole 'high water' thing. "Leslie, wait."

"What's up, Jess?"

"Let me swing over first. I gotta man up somehow, right? I can't just keep chickening out just because the river is a bit higher than usual. I can't burden you like that."

"Jess…how could you say that? You never burden me. I always enjoy your company and I understand you like no other person I've ever met in my life."

I was speechless for a few seconds. "You mean that…Leslie?"

Leslie smiled her usual beautiful smile. "Of course I mean it, stupid!" She giggled. "You're the best friend I never had before I moved here."

"I can say the same thing about you, Leslie. I lo—" I stopped myself before I could finish the sentence.

"Were you gonna say something, Jess?"

"I was just gonna say that…I got this." I said as I took the rope.

I took a deep breath and stared down at the creek. It's just a few feet, it'll be over in ten seconds.

I stepped back with the rope and lifted my feet off from the ground. The sound of the ripping rope was the last thing I heard before the lights went out.

Leslie's POV:

My eyes watched in horror as I watched the rope rip from the tree branch. Jess landed into the water on his back, and his head cracked against the jagged rocks beneath the river bank.

"Jesus Christ, Jess!" I screamed as I saw blood emanating from his head. Too much blood.

By instinct, I dove into the creek after him.

Holy hell this is cold! I thought, but I furiously swam after Jess as if my life depended on it. No, as if his life depended on it. His life DID depend on it.

The creek's current was fast, and Jess began to sink under the freezing water. There was blood everywhere. If I didn't get him out of there, he would surely die.

I dove under the angry water and grabbed him by the shirt. Jess was still unconscious.

"Don't worry Jess; I'll get you out of here." My voice shook in panic. "I'd die before anything bad happens to you."

I kept his head above the water with one hand and attempted to swim forward with the other.

There's got to be a shallow end of the river bank! I screamed to myself.

As I swam down the creek, I managed to stand up and lifted Jess from the water and got him safely ashore. I laid him on his back. He barely had any color in his face and he wa still unconscious. It looked bad—really bad.

"Jess, for the love of God, PLEASE open your eyes!" I begged as tears began to fill my eyes. "I need you! I love you!" I cried. My hands had blood all over them. I attempted to resuscitate him but nothing worked. He was either going to die of hypothermia or the lack of blood.

"SOMEBODY HELP!" I screamed as loud as I possibly could. I had to get help somehow, but I couldn't leave Jess alone by the creek.

"HELP ME PLEASE!" I screamed again; praying to God that someone could have possibly heard me.

As I attempted to stand up, a figure in the distance came running towards me. It was Bill.

"Leslie! My God, what the hell happened? I heard a scream—"

"It's Jess!" I wept. "He went to swing on the rope and he hit his head on the rocks, and he fell in the creek, and I dove after him—"

"Leslie, I'll try and resuscitate him while you run and get help. Hurry!" He exclaimed.

Being the fastest kid in the fifth grade, I ran back home in seconds.

"Leslie, honey, what's wrong? What happened?" Judy asked me.

"It's Jess; he hit his head real bad. He's by the creek and Bill is with him. I gotta call 911!" I cried.

"I'll take care of that, sweetheart. You get back to Jess's side right now."

The ambulance came in minutes. They strapped Jess into the stretcher and loaded him into the back of the ambulance. The EMTs had him a heart monitor and raced him to the hospital. As much as I wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance and never leave Jess's side again, I had to do the hardest thing I had to do: tell Jess's parents what happened to him.

What's gonna happen next? Will Jess live? Find out in Chapter 4!

Note: I'm sorry the whole "Leslie Doesn't Die" scenario happened in this BTT fanfiction. I know it's redundant, but I wanted to show my perspective of BTT if Leslie lived.