In the End

I loved Friday nights; they were our nights, no matter what happened I knew I could always rely on one thing: Friday CANK sleepovers. Tonight was no exception, we had claimed Carley’s living room as our dance floor, the HIT music list channel was on, turned up loud so that we didn’t have to think about anything other than what was happening right then and there. We were all wearing tank tops and short shorts, other than Kim who was wearing her normal jeans. In a way, it was us hoping spring and summer would come sooner, to end our freshmen year and deem us free to do whatever the hell we wanted for thnext three months.

It was all the dancing, pizza, and amp that drove us outside while there was still snow on the ground. We cracked open the sliding glass door, only wanting to get a little fresh air. Carley then jumped off her porch landing in the snow with her beat up old shoes. Kim was the next to go, purposely lying down in the snow with her jeans. Allie took my shoes and was the next to disappear, and I was the last, taking Carley’s spare shoes that my feet just barely fit into, hating the way the icy snow scratched at my ankles.

We jumped through the snow and into the street, running around like lunatics in the orange glow of the street lights, enjoying the rush of cold air. Soon I was out of energy and I jogged to a stop next to Kim who was hugging herself, shivering. I shivered too, Carley was a few feet ahead, she had also slowed down and now we were all watching Allie as she continued up the hill away from Carley’s townhouse and toward the bridge.

“Allie!” I called, hugging my arms, “Its cold, do we really have to go up to the bridge? It’s getting dark; can’t we just go back to Carley’s?”

Allie looked back at us and smiled, she giggled slightly, “Come on, just for a little bit!”

Suddenly she started jogging again, forcing us all to run to keep up, and not wanting to lose sight of her at night. When we reached the top of the bridge I looked up at the stars, not bothering to go right up next to the ledge, I’ve seen it enough in daylight to know what it looked like at night. The stars looked bright, unnaturally bright, and so many of them! They were so beautiful….

“Allie! Don’t lean over the edge! Are you retarded?” Carley screamed, causing me to glance toward Allie who was leaning over the edge to look at the highway.

“Yeah, this is gay,” Kim shivered again, “and my brother might drive past!” she then glanced back toward the townhouse, she wasn’t going to admit it, but she wanted for go back because it was cold and dark just as much as Carley and I wanted to. “This is so stupid.”

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Allie turn around and sit on the edge of the bridge’s wall. Bad idea.

“I’ll be fine, relax.”

My stomach twisted, this wasn’t going to end good, every inch of my body was telling me that, pricking and tingling with warnings.

“Allie!” I warned just as Carley did the same.

“Don’t fucking sit on the edge! Why are you such an idiot?” Carley continued, obviously reaching her breaking point.

Allie leaned back and laughed, clutching the edge with her fingers. “Relax!”

There was a slight gust of wind, blowing Allie’s hair around, letting go of the edge, she went to pull it back.

I screamed. Carley screamed. Kim screamed.

Allie could only scream for a moment before she disappeared.

The last things I saw were my black chucks go over the edge.

Every inch of me hurt, and I just wanted to be back in Carley’s living room. Why wasn’t I in Carley’s living room? My vision was swimming and my head felt cold, so cold it was hot. We were on a bridge and Allie’s gone. I struggled to take a breath, but the knot in my throat wouldn’t allow it. Before I knew it my brain was in over drive, recalling all of the crime shows where things like this happened, these things don’t happen in real life, no. Not to me anyways.

I took another breath, “We… we have to look you guys… we can’t just stand here.” I stuttered, a flicker of hope that she’d just be laying in the tall grass, broken but still alive flashed through me.

Carley was silently crying, finally she formed words, barely audible, but words none the less. “I know….”

I forced myself toward the edge, hesitating when I heard Carley trying to coax Kim out of her zone. When she finally came to they walked toward me, both shaking and crying as much as I wanted to. But I couldn’t. Not until I knew for sure Allie was gone.

“You guys, I know it’s hard… but we have to look, come on.” I tried comforting them, but there was no comfort in a situation like this.

I grabbed Carley’s hand which was cold and clammy; at once we all looked over.

Carley recoiled immediately, the sound of her dinner hitting the ground is what made Kim turn away. But I couldn’t. There’s no way that that was Allie. Cars had begun to stop and pull over next to the crumpled, broken, bloody mess that was once one of my best friends down below on the highway. I took in a sharp breath and turned away, denying the tears the stung my eyes. One of us had to be strong, we need someone whose brain can still function, and detach itself from emotion.

I clawed my pockets for my phone, shaking drastically. “We have to call the police.” I said firmly as possible before hitting the numbers, having to retry a number of times before I got them right.

This can’t be happening.

Nope.

It’s a dream.

I’ll wake up in a couple of minutes and get ready for school.

Right?