Chapter 1

I do plan to continue Kieran Duffy's redemption. I just saw this movie for the first time a few weeks ago after seeing an edit of it on Instagram and it ripped my soul out, I cried for 30 minutes and have shed tears thinking about it every day since. I'm now a 17-year-old guy (I'm getting so old it's so sad) so I don't cry at a lot of things. I recently got the book as well, and some lines said in the book will be in the following story, it's beautiful I highly recommend giving it a read. I haven't written in a while so excuse me if it's crap (tbf all I ever wrote was crap lol) but as I'm getting older I want to recapture that child-like imagination I had when I was younger as sometimes I feel it slipping away day by day. I hope you're having a good life and enjoying it as it's short and precious.

-Twigyzz

Jess hovered his pencil in his hand, cozied up in bed with his pajamas as the rain splattered onto his window, reviewing his latest piece of art. Today was a damp and depressing one as a thunderous and dangerous storm had struck Lark Creek, in times like these, Leslie had taught him to make light out of everything. And on a day like this, there was no hope of running off to Terabithia to play, and hopefully no "hope" of doing any of his tedious chores. So, he doodled down everything he cared about in life. May Belle, his mom, Miss Edmunds, Joyce Anne, even Ellie, Brenda, and Miss Bessie managed to squeeze themselves into the picture. His dad had a tiny corner as well. There was one person though who was at the centre, she was like the sun in the epicenter of a beautiful blue sky. He didn't care what his dad, Ellie, or Brenda thought about her, "the hippie family" or "the privileged rich loonies" or whatever ridiculous, hurtful term they used their imaginations for. Leslie Burke was more than just his best friend, for the first time in a long time he woke up every morning with a sense of excitement. He wanted to show her how good and proud she made him feel. He gazed at her picture, the same way he had looked in awe at her yesterday, he had used all the colors she gave him for his birthday, and even then with all the bizarre and unique colors like goldenrod, marineblue, lagoon, aqua, peach, honeysuckle, apricot, redorangeyellowgreenblueindigo and violet. it wasn't even nearly enough to capture how amazing she was.

Just as he was beginning to have a moment, May Belle bubbly burst into his room holding the home telephone.

"Jess I called you 3 times!" She whined while holding out the phone to him, "It's your girlfriend." she then mocked mercilessly.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Jess snapped, as he snatched the phone out of her tiny hand and held it to his ear, feeling a little more anxious this morning than usual.
"Hey," Jess said in a relaxed voice.

"Hey Jess!" The all-too-familiar animated voice said, "Miss Edmunds just invited me to go to an art museum and asked if you wanted to go"

Jess nearly propelled himself through the ceiling at the words it had made him jump that much, a date with Miss Edmunds? It's a dream come true.

"Really?! Is she outside, are you ready to go?!" Jess said with a lively tone, arching over in his bed, anxiously awaiting a response as he reached for some proper clothes that he had tossed on the floor.

"Erm, no," Leslie replied with a suppressed, quiet voice as if she had confessed to committing a crime. "I told her we already made plans."

"Are you serious Leslie?!" Jess shouted down the phone.

"Aren't we going to Terabithia?!" Leslie shouted back.

"No?! Are you nuts?!" Jess retorted "Look at the weather outside! We wouldn't get back in one piece!" He couldn't believe it, how on earth could she do something so selfish?! it really is true not everyone is perfect, Jess huffed to himself.

There was a silence on the phone, Leslie hated when the people she cared for got mad at her, it stressed her out all she wanted was to make everyone happy.

"… sorry Jess" She whimpered down the phone in her gorgeous voice, Jess found himself immediately being swarmed with the feeling of remorse. He couldn't stay mad at that girl for more than 2 seconds.

She was his weakness.

There was a moment of silence between the two best friends.

"It's fine Leslie, I'm sorry for shouting at you," Jess said calmly.
"Thanks" she paused "Sooo, you're coming to Terabithia?"

"No way, not today," Jess replied.

"Why not?" She asked puzzled.

"I told you already, the weather's horrible, it ain't safe today."

"Aww come on Jess!" She pleaded "A brave, noble king who ain't afraid of a giant troll and hairy vultures is scared of a little rain?"

"Yea. I am, it's a little more than a little rain Leslie, Dad had to put sandbags out this morning." He said sternly, refusing to be mocked.

"Well, I'm going regardless, and it's just far more fun when you're with me! So, to make sure I don't get myself in trouble, come with me to protect me! The dark master could launch a sinister attack when it's just me!" Leslie said in an ominous voice.

"Fineeeee. But promise me I can wash my clothes at your house afterwards." Jess said as he gave in.

"Sure!" Leslie said excitedly "Wanna stay over for a sleepover?"

A sleepover? Jess had never been to a sleepover before, that was an experience reserved for best friends and he had never had one before.

"A sleepover?" Jess said a bit startled.

"Yeah! It'd be so much fun; we just get to hang out all day and all night!" Leslie exclaimed happily.

"Wh-uh where would I sleep?" Jess asked as a soft hint of pink began forming on his cheeks.

"I have sleeping bags" Leslie explained "We can lay out 2 of em right under my window and just watch the stars and talk about Terabithia and school!"

"O-ok" Jess clambered "Lemme ask my parents first ok? Be back in a sec" Jess said as he got out of bed.

"Be quick, I'm leaving for Terabithia in a few minutes, slow poke." Leslie clarified cheekily.

"Yeah shush I'll be out in a minute" Jess replied.

Leslie giggled through the phone "Ok but I'm serious I've been waiting for ages."

Jess smiled as he put down the phone and ran down to the kitchen. The smile that was sketched onto his face, which only appeared when he was talking to Leslie, faded as he saw his dad staring at him, reading the newspaper. He couldn't see his mom anywhere, so he reluctantly popped the question.

"Morning Dad" Jess scrambled "I was wondering if it would be ok if I stayed over at the Burkes tonight? Leslie invited me to a sleepover."

His dad huffed, his face riddled with exhaustion and stress.

"No, no it is not ok."

"Why not?" Jess spoke back.

"You got church in the morning." His dad said while opening the paper again, not even looking at Jess

"I wanna hang out with Leslie! I don't have to go to church! " Jess snarled, a snarl on his face that faded immediately as his dad closed the paper and glared at him.

"Darn right, you do! What on earth makes you think you don't need church boy. How dare you say that in my house."

"Leslie's family don't go to church they don't believe in it I don't see the problem," Jess answered back.
"Oh great, those people who stick their noses up at people like us." Jack shouted "I'm sick to death of hearing this crap, you come into this house and preach this bullshit by a bunch of rich privileged morons, especially that father. The biggest Loonie of the litter."

"You could learn a thing or two for him." Jess responded, letting all his doubts about his faith go "He's a hard-working, good man and uses his time to not bring people down like you do, but to bring them up! To hell with church, he's happier than everyone in this house combined because he ain't afraid of some all-powerful man who controls everything."

"That hippie family is corrupting you, how dare you say that to me. Those hippies haven't had a day of hard work in their goddamn stuck-up pathetic lifes!" Jack said as he stood up.
"Stop hanging out with that Loonie girl" He spat "Should I even call her a girl? Look at her hair! Her clothes!"

"Dad, please don't talk about her like that…" Jess mumbled, don't bring her into this.

"WHAT'S THAT?" Jack yelled, his frustration with his son's interests showing "Turned you into an even bigger sissy! What did you say, boy!"

"SHUT UP" Jess roared in reply "JUST SHUT UP"

Jess has had it, he usually would stay quiet when his father got mad, he feared him, but when he brings up Leslie that goes out the window.

There was a pin drop in the house, Ellie and Brenda had freed themselves from the clutches of the television to stare, May Belle watched from the stairway, mom appeared from behind the utility room wall, with a hand covering her mouth in shock. Jack's face turned from a one of shock to one of intense anger.

"Jack! Please don't!" Jess' mom pleaded as she dropped the laundry basket and went to separate the two, but it was too late.

Jack slapped Jess hard on the face. Real hard.

Jess fell to the ground, clutching his cheek, tears forming in his eyes, and drops of blood from his cheek.

"Jess!" His mom cried as she reached down to him, looking up at her husband, who had regret and sorrow plastered on his face. An occasional spanking was normal in this household, but everyone knew that it had just gone too far.

He shoved his mother's arm away as she helped him up. Tears and hatred in his eyes as he glared at his father.

"I'm sorry son, I shouldn't had done that." Jack said as he began to put his arms around for him a hug. Jess pushed him back.

"I hate you." Jess spat.

A moment of deathly silence again fell on the family, Jess and Jack just stared at each other, like they were the only two people in the world. And to his father's horror, those eyes told him those words had come straight from the soul.
"Jess I" Jack began to say before being interrupted by Jess, he had enough of everything he has ever bubbled up from his family, just erupting like a volcano.

"I DO EVERYTHING IN THIS HOUSE AND GET TREATED LIKE A PEASENT. AND WHEN I FINALLY FIND A FRIEND. ALL ANY OF YOU CAN EVER DO IS MAKE FUN OF HER, SHE'S A BETTER PERSON THAN ANY OF YOU WILL EVER BE!" Jess bawled as he ran for the stairway.

May Belle blocked him, he stared into her eyes, tears in them as well.

He pushed her out of his way. She hit her head on the railing and began to cry.

Jack snapped out of his shock, seeing his son put his hands on his little sister, he immediately yelled, " JESS! GET BACK DOWN HERE NOW AND APOLOGISE TO YOUR SISTER."

Jess continued to climb the stairs.

"JESS AARONS JR GET DOWN HERE NOW!" He yelled again, once again ignored.

Jess went up to his room and slammed the door shut, placed his chair under the handle, and locked himself in, and grabbed the phone. Tears still falling down his face.

"Leslie?" he sniffed. All he heard was ringing, he wasn't entirely sure if it was the impact of the slap causing it, but he had one look out the window and saw the storm raging more than ever. Panic swept into his mind.

"LESLIE? LESLIE!" He shouted down the phone. He got no response.

He slammed the phone, immediately opened his window and climbed out. Running faster than he ever has to the Burkes. To see Leslie's signature Wellington boots missing from the front porch.

TO BE CONTINUED

(have been writing for ages now and I'm liking it so I'm stopping before I tire myself out cos the biggest part of the story is coming up in the next chapter lol, leave a favorite, follow, and review please if you enjoyed chapter 1