Angie walked out to the middle of the bridge and sat on the edge with her legs dangling over the side. It was near midnight and the quarter moon barely lit the ground. She had been staying at her Aunt Christy’s home after a battle with her mother blew up and a few days were suggested with her Aunt to cool off and clear her head. Aunt Christy’s house was new to Angie as it was recently purchased when her aunt retired from her teaching job at the community college. Angie was initially glad to get out of her house and away from her mother. She knew there was some exchange with Aunt Christy as to when and how long. She was glad they agreed to a few days and to play it by ear. Aunt Christy would try to talk some sense into the young teen.
It wasn’t long after Angie arrived that she had an argument with her new benefactor. Was the whole world against her, she wondered? It went downhill from there. Nothing she said in her defense about the battle with her mother was convincing Aunt Christy to join her side. She instead, countered with rational thoughts and advice that only grown-ups would think up. Well, she’d show them.
Since nobody liked her ideas, she’d end all of that by jumping off the bridge she discovered when sneaking out of Aunt Christy’s house about 11 pm. She’d walked down the highway from the driveway in search of something. She didn’t know what. Her thoughts were of cutting herself, but that sounded painful, so she ruled that out. There wasn’t anything she could think of to drink that would poison her, so that, and the movies she’d seen with victims foaming at the mouth didn’t appeal to her either. She’d go hide in the woods with the intent of starving herself to death. Her slim frame wouldn’t take long to suffer the consequences. She thought a week ought to do it. The bridge just happened to appear in her path and that idea sounded appealing. She’d heard of numerous people jumping off bridges with great success from TV reports. Sounds like a plan she could live with. Ha! That’s ironic she thought. Angie’s face was flooded with tears as she thought of all the trials and tribulations she thought she’d endured. She didn’t wipe them away. They were a badge of honor she bestowed upon herself.
At last she was ready to do the deed. As far as she’d walked it would likely be days before she’d be found, so the worry her mother and Aunt would endure would be revenge punishment for all the times she got punished for her actions. The tattoo was her friend, Rosalind’s idea. She got the lime and red hair treatment to be like her other friends. Friends. That was a word she struggled with. She didn’t have any real close friends like Rosalind did or Patricia or Amber. They had a plethora of friends. She wanted to have friends like they did, but the result was more of being tolerated she just decided. Well, they could go to hell too.
Angie scooted out a little further until she could feel the edge of the bridge railing under her buttocks. One quick push and she’d show them. She looked down through her tears and saw the water shimmer in the dim moonlight. The sudden sound of a car approaching the bridge caught her by surprise. She could see the headlights in the distance and it was going slow as if looking for something. Did they find her empty bed? She thought she’d been discreet and quiet as she crept out of the house. Though quite calm a minute ago, the adrenalin suddenly shot through her veins and her heart raced in anticipation. They can’t see her! Angie turned to face the water and pushed away from the bridge railing. She threw out her arms and legs immediately to get as much impact as she could in hopes her death would be quick.
The water met her much quicker than she expected, only a second or so after her arm and leg maneuver. The splash was a disappointment and a surprise to Angie. The water tasted dank and dirty. And to her chagrin was only six inches deep. She had screwed up again. She sputtered and coughed from the ingested water, creating quite the racket in the quiet forest. The car slowed to a stop on the bridge.
“Help! I’m down here!”
The End
