She's running. Her feet hit the ground, dub dub dub dub dub, and her heart is going thump-thump thump-thump. She doesn't hear the dub dub dub of her feet or the thump-thump of her heart. She doesn't even notice the fact that she has a stitch in her ribs, or that her calves are running out. She doesn't know which direction she is going on. The only thing that she is noticing are the song lyrics in her ears.
"The ones that we love are the ones that we hurt," the singer is singing, over and over. They're matched to a fun and upbeat tone, which makes her laugh as she is running. Soon, the song has changed to a darker and more mysterious tone, and she hears the singer saying "Maybe I should cry for help./Maybe I should kill myself". This sounds like a good idea to her, and she immediately turns onto a route that leads her to a "scenic overlook" on a nearby hiking trail.
The blood flowing down her arms from the cuts above her elbow make her shiver, but not with fear or disgust. She loves the sensation of pain, of gore. She keeps running, now noticing the signs saying that she nearby the overlook. The next song comes up, and the singer is singing "Baby when I'm yelling at you/It's not your fault". She's now looking down over the cliff. Below her are cars speeding home, and the height makes her dizzy. It also gives her a euphoria, which nearly makes her swan dive forward. She takes a breath and takes out the MP3 player and puts the song on replay... she doesn't know if it will survive the impact. But forensics could probably get the data last received from it and have the song be her suicide note.
Forensics could probably find the cause of her jump as well. An emotionally abusive father at home, a stressful family situation, low self esteem from being a "loser". All leading her to run two miles away to this overlook, which is the last sight she will see. Her short hair blows in the wind, and she takes a breath. She steps back a few feet, and starts to run forward. These moments seem to last a lifetime for her. She's almost jumping when she feels it.
A hand grabbing hers.
She opens her eyes and sees that one foot is dangling over the edge and the other one is slipping off the edge. Suddenly, everything speeds up and she screams. The stranger grabs her upper arm and pulls her away from the ledge by several feet. The girl suddenly realizes that she's sitting down, and someone is pulling out her earbuds.
"Don't do that," the voice says, and it takes her a moment to realize that it's one of the "popular" boys at her school. It takes her another moment to realize that he's crying, and that he's hugging her. They sit there for a moment, and she realizes that there are tears streaming form her eyes as well. For what seems like forever, they sit there, holding each other. Her ribs are starting to hurt, and her legs feel wobbly. The MP3 player is still blasting the repeated song in her lap. He looks up at her sets one earbud in her ear and she hears the lyrics that she needed to hear: "It's not that you should care/I just wanted you to know". She looks at him, hoping that understands the song. She opens her mouth, and he nods.
"I know the song. I've been hearing it in my mind for the last few weeks when you were singing it in class," he says. He's now standing up and she finds herself walking back down the trail with him holding her. They barely say anything, but the feeling is shared: a life was saved, both literally and figuratively. She finally musters the courage to say the one thing that she had been waiting for a while to say to anyone that could help her.
"Thank you."
"The ones that we love are the ones that we hurt," the singer is singing, over and over. They're matched to a fun and upbeat tone, which makes her laugh as she is running. Soon, the song has changed to a darker and more mysterious tone, and she hears the singer saying "Maybe I should cry for help./Maybe I should kill myself". This sounds like a good idea to her, and she immediately turns onto a route that leads her to a "scenic overlook" on a nearby hiking trail.
The blood flowing down her arms from the cuts above her elbow make her shiver, but not with fear or disgust. She loves the sensation of pain, of gore. She keeps running, now noticing the signs saying that she nearby the overlook. The next song comes up, and the singer is singing "Baby when I'm yelling at you/It's not your fault". She's now looking down over the cliff. Below her are cars speeding home, and the height makes her dizzy. It also gives her a euphoria, which nearly makes her swan dive forward. She takes a breath and takes out the MP3 player and puts the song on replay... she doesn't know if it will survive the impact. But forensics could probably get the data last received from it and have the song be her suicide note.
Forensics could probably find the cause of her jump as well. An emotionally abusive father at home, a stressful family situation, low self esteem from being a "loser". All leading her to run two miles away to this overlook, which is the last sight she will see. Her short hair blows in the wind, and she takes a breath. She steps back a few feet, and starts to run forward. These moments seem to last a lifetime for her. She's almost jumping when she feels it.
A hand grabbing hers.
She opens her eyes and sees that one foot is dangling over the edge and the other one is slipping off the edge. Suddenly, everything speeds up and she screams. The stranger grabs her upper arm and pulls her away from the ledge by several feet. The girl suddenly realizes that she's sitting down, and someone is pulling out her earbuds.
"Don't do that," the voice says, and it takes her a moment to realize that it's one of the "popular" boys at her school. It takes her another moment to realize that he's crying, and that he's hugging her. They sit there for a moment, and she realizes that there are tears streaming form her eyes as well. For what seems like forever, they sit there, holding each other. Her ribs are starting to hurt, and her legs feel wobbly. The MP3 player is still blasting the repeated song in her lap. He looks up at her sets one earbud in her ear and she hears the lyrics that she needed to hear: "It's not that you should care/I just wanted you to know". She looks at him, hoping that understands the song. She opens her mouth, and he nods.
"I know the song. I've been hearing it in my mind for the last few weeks when you were singing it in class," he says. He's now standing up and she finds herself walking back down the trail with him holding her. They barely say anything, but the feeling is shared: a life was saved, both literally and figuratively. She finally musters the courage to say the one thing that she had been waiting for a while to say to anyone that could help her.
"Thank you."
