It’s Christmas day and the Family was happy and everyone was enjoying the company. The kid’s didn’t get everything they wanted but hey at least they got something. The parents had done secret Santa again this year and My Parents had gotten 2 bottles of Rum, aren’t they the lucky ones. I got some good things but i was more interested in getting money for christmas than presents but they didn’t seem to understand that I’m not a child anymore, I’m Fourteen guys not 8! The rest of the day went by like a breeze.
* 8:00am Boxing Day *
Mum's ringtone went off in the kitchen and before i knew it she was in my doorway saying it was a text for me. It read:
Logan- Hi. Ring me when you get the time. I have bad news about Bradley.
'Oh, Shit! What the hell has Brad done now? Got himself arrested and sent to juvie?' i thought to myself as i dialled Logan’s number.
"Hey" I say.
"Hi. Um i don’t know how to say this but...um... Bradley has...err... hung himself...he was found just outside of St George yesterday" Logan says in-between sobs.
"What! No, Bradley wouldn’t do that!" I replied rather quickly.
"He did. I'm so sorry. I thought I should let you know since you two were close rather than you finding out when we went back to school" Logan said.
"Thanks" I saying almost in tears.
"Well, yeah just thought you should know. I have to go. Bye" Logan replied.
"Thanks again for letting me know. Bye" I said as the conversation ended.
"What was that about?" Mum asked as i walked into the kitchen to put her phone on the counter. I looked up at her for a few seconds and before i could hide them, tears started rolling down my checks and I said "Bradley hung himself". Mum and Leslie just stood there shocked.
"Who's Bradley?" Asked Leslie.
"A close friend from school" I replied as the tears seemed to be getting bigger and before i knew it i was embraced by Mum, she held me close the whole time i was crying.
* Later on that day *
It’s hard to feel sad when we’re having fun. But it’s also hard to smile when you’re in pain. I just can’t believe that he would do that, on Christmas day. He must have been going through so much pain and for him to think that he couldn’t tell someone; if only he had someone to talk to maybe this wouldn’t have happened! But that’s Bradley, always keeping to himself and only telling you things that aren’t necessary to know.The rest of the afternoon seemed to go in slow motion. But i was just glad that i could go to bed and cry as much as i wanted without anyone seeing me do it.
* The next day *
Jamie and Eileen arrived early that morning and i had spent all day telling Jamie how I felt about Bradley and what he'd done. I think he noticed i was struggling but dint say anything in case it triggered allthe tears.
* 3 days later *
"Hey" Jamie said as he walked through the back door.
"Yeah, Bye!" I yelled as i walked down the driveway.
"Where are you going?" Dad asked as i walked past the front door.
"Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon. Just going to go put some flowers on the bridge where Brad and I used to hang out after school!" i said.
"Okay, don’t be gone too long. Or we'll have to send out a search party!" He yelled as i walked off up the street. When i finally reached the train bridge that never gets used anymore, i made my way to the middle of it out over the water. As I sat down i placed the flowers down next to me and said "For you Bradley". They were his favourite flowers, which i got out of him when he brought them for his ex-girlfriend who didn’t like them. Brad had so many stories to tell of past girl-friends and girls that just didn’t like him. Which was common for him since he didn’t get along well with girls except for me he told me that when he met me that he didn’t get nervous around me and that was the day that we became close, really closelike brother and sister?
"I miss you" I said knowing that he obviously couldn’t hear me since he was dead.
"I miss you to!" I hear from further down on the bridge. I looked over to see someone that looked a lot like Bradley walking towards me.
"Bradley?" I asked.
"Yeah, You brought my favourite flowers. Thanks. At least I now know someone misses me" He replied.
"Your...your...dead...how come i-i… can see you?" I questioned.
"Yes i know I’m dead. You can see me because you need to. I know what you’re thinking about doing and trust me it doesn’t get rid of the pain your feeling right now. It just makes it worse" He replied.
"Yeah, well being away from this hell-hole of a town would do me more good than staying" I said.
"I guess so but you’re not going to jump off this bridge!" He replied as i stood up.
"It’s not like anyone would miss me!" I shot back at him.
"Oh, you really think that. I was hoping i wouldn’t have to do this but obviously I’m gunna have to. I'm going to show you what will happen if you jump off this bridge and what would happen if you were not to and at the end of it you can tell me whether or not you still want to" He said as he grabbed my hand.
* What were to happen if I were to jump *
At her funeral Jamie struggles with the fact that she’s gone. He becomes move aggressive to people than he was before and refuses to take his medication. My cousin Bailey remembers him from primary school and immediately hits on him.
--7 Years Later --
Bailey and Jamie are married and Bailey is pregnant with their child. Their house is a dump and the way their living isn’t normal. "Oh, my, god. Isn’t their something we can do?" I ask Bradley.
"If you chose to jump this will happened and you'll have to suffer for letting this happen to him. But if you chose to not jump then there will be a better future for the both of you" He answered. Just then Jamie arrived home from work and looked as angry as ever.
"Hi, Honey!" Bailey yelled from the kitchen. Just theni noticed that Jamie was standing their staring at his medication. When we were in primary school i used to always tell him that if he didn’t take his medication he'd have to stay away from me all day at school and that seemed to convinced him to take his medication every day. "I'm so sorry. I didn’t know my life had become like this. Its a total mess, i let your death get to me" Jamie said in tears as he took his medication and headed for the door. Before i knew it he was at the bridge and jumping off. "NOOOOOO!!" I yelled running out onto the bridge. "Now do you realise what you did to his life? Your life had such an impact on his life and others. You meant more to him than his own life. He only realised what he'd done with his life then because today is" he said.
I cut him off "The day i killed myself. Can we leave now?".
"Sure" He replied.
* If I weren’t to jump *
I won my 3rd shooting competition with Jamie by my side the whole time. My Dad was proud of me and so was the rest of the Family. That night we had a party for my 3rd win. The party went by quickly, and then Bradley was showing me what would happen7 years later. I was married to Jamie, we were happy. We had a nice house, and two kids; twins a girl and boy. Jamie didn’t have to take his medication anymore because he'd been treated a couple of years before. "This is nice" I say in tears.
"Like I said this can only happen if you chose not to jump and if you do jump you will have to suffer the consequences of him killing himself" He replied.
"I'm done here" I said.
* Back at the bridge *
"Your choice now. What you decide to do should be what you think is right. But for now i must go" Bradley said.
"Okay, thank you. But I’m not going to jump" I replied hugging him "I'll miss you!".
"I'll miss you too!" He said before he vanished.
* Later on that afternoon *
I walked up the driveway to the back door and their he was sitting there waiting for me to come home. "Jamie!" I said and hugged him tightly.
"Oh, Okay this is new. You okay?" he asks.
"Yeah, I’m fine" I say getting up off the floor.
* 7 years later *
Bradleys was right, this was the best choice to make. I just wish he could've been here with me to share my happiness, and yet not a day has passed that i haven’t thought of him or what would’ve happened if I’d jumped. But I’m glad i have this life and not life full of pain for Jamie.
{A/N}- So what do you guys think of this short story?
Word Count- 1, 611
| 
Email this Short story
| 
Add to reading list
