The Bridge of Death Read online

  Jackson finished for her: “Like, serial-killer weird?”

  “Yes! Exactly! Jinx even kind of yelled at him because he was all gleeful about people jumping off a bridge. Can you imagine? What kind of person would be happy about that?”

  Jackson felt a surge of pride in his best friend. He knew she couldn’t stand all the people who had jumped off the bridge, but he bet it bothered her more that people were getting hurt. Jinx was soft on the inside. She’d always taken in strays, even as a little girl. Jackson remembered how she’d tried to help a dog with rabies one time. She was almost killed because she couldn’t see the signs.

  An image of Brian flashed in his head. “We have to get her away from Brian.”

  Haley nodded. “I think you’re right. I think there’s seriously something wrong with him.”

  Jackson took out his phone and texted Jinx.

  Hey. I know ur mad but hear me out. At least stop hanging out with Brian. Hes a creep. I think you might get hurt.

  Haley rubbed his arm and said, “Remember, she may not write you back. She’s still mad at you. If it were me, I might ignore you too.” Jackson appreciated her thoughtfulness. Jinx wasn’t Haley’s favorite person either.

  Jackson’s phone vibrated—a return text from Jinx. He looked at Haley and smiled.

  But then he read it.

  YOU’RE the one who hurt me, remember? Brian is fine, he couldnt come close to hurting me like you did. You are not my friend. Stop txting me

  Jackson sat back, stunned. Never before had Jinx been so cruel. For the first time since their fight, he thought about life without Jinx.

  He was afraid he had truly lost his best friend forever.

  H

  aley patted Jackson’s back while he took a few deep breaths. When he got ahold of himself, he sat back up. Haley looked like she was trying to be sympathetic, but Jackson could tell she was irritated.

  In a soft voice she said, “Hey, do you want to watch a movie? I can make popcorn . . .”

  Jackson closed his eyes as the words passed through him. He needed to think.

  “Haley . . .” he began.

  She sighed. “I get it. I really do. Go take a walk and see if you can’t figure out a way to get your friend back.”

  Jackson was surprised. “You get it?”

  “Look, I like you. I think you’re a great guy, and I think we could have a great relationship. And your best friend is part of your life—or at least should be—so I can see what the big deal is. I mean, if you like her, she’s got to have redeeming qualities somewhere, right?”

  Jackson smiled big. He touched her cheek. “I like you, too,” he said. Then he kissed her.

  “OK, I’m going to leave you to your thoughts,” Haley said. “I’ll call tomorrow, and maybe we can figure out what’s going on then. Yes?”

  Jackson nodded, relieved that his girlfriend understood. He knew there was more to her than what Jinx saw. More than a pretty, popular cheerleader who could come off as shallow. Now the problem was getting Jinx to see. Getting Jinx to even talk to him would be the first step.

  Haley gave him one last small kiss on the lips and left. Jackson was left alone with his thoughts.

  With Haley gone, the force of his sadness about Jinx hit him full-on. He paced the living room, trying to figure out what to do. Feeling like a caged animal, he grabbed his coat and put on his shoes.

  Jackson needed fresh air. He needed a walk. As he headed out the door, he knew exactly where he’d walk to—the St. Johns Bridge. He might as well check it out and be useful while he stewed. Maybe inspiration would strike him as he searched for a possible ghost. He laughed at himself—a haunted bridge. Did that ever happen? Jinx would know.

  The night was perfect for fall. Leaves crunched under his shoes, and the stars twinkled overhead. Portland could be cloudy in the fall, but the night was perfectly clear. And warm.

  Jackson thought about how lucky it was that the jumpers had chosen that last week to jump. At least the water wasn’t freezing. In winter, if the fall didn’t kill them, the cold water would.

  Sooner than he expected, he reached the St. Johns Bridge. He’d never noticed before how pretty the architecture was. Very few cars were passing over the bridge that night, and no pedestrians walked by. Jackson walked to the middle of the bridge, leaned against the railing, and looked down at the Willamette River. Inky and black, the water undulated slowly underneath. Jackson began to feel a little sleepy looking at it.

  From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something shimmer, but when he turned to look, nothing was there. He laughed. He was seeing ghosts where there were none. No, the bridge wasn’t haunted. The jumpers were. Troubled, anyway. He sat down on the ground and thought about what it would take to make people try to jump.

  As he sat, his mind started to become duller, like a slow fog was moving in. He blinked and shook his head, but the groggy feeling came on stronger. His vision became narrower, like someone had rubbed the corners of his eyes with Vaseline.

  The sadness he’d felt before pressed down on him, heavier than ever. It hurt to breathe. No more Jinx in his life. No more of the person who understood him better than anyone. Only Jackson’s dad had known him more deeply—and he was also gone. What would it be like to find his dad again?

  Jackson stood up and looked over the railing to the rushing water. Maybe...he could see him again. He’d be with him. What did he have to live for, anyway? All of it was pointless. School, friends, sports. Everything...

  Jackson felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. A crackling sort of energy began to surround him. But he didn’t care. What he needed to do was jump. He looked at the black waves again. Inviting. Beckoning. That was where he should be.

  Something dripped onto the railing. He was surprised to see it was a tear. He was crying, but he couldn’t feel any of it. Everything seemed far away, not worth noticing. The energy shifted around him. It was like the very air itself wanted him gone. Disappeared. Drowned in the water.

  He had to do it.

  But first, he had to let Jinx know he was sorry.

  Barely able to see, he took out his phone. Squinting, he typed out a text.

  J, Im sorry. I dont deserve your friendship. Im going to jump. Its better for everyone.

  He tried to reread it to make sure it was what he wanted to say, but his vision was still blurred. He pressed send. It didn’t matter anyway. He needed to jump. He needed to jump now.

  Putting one foot on top of the railing, he stepped up and flipped his left leg over the edge. A small steel ledge stuck out, and he stepped onto it. He brought his other leg over.

  There was nothing between him and the water. Just one quick step and he’d be where he belonged.

  One by one, he let his fingers peel away from the railing.

  “Y

  ou’ve been acting creepy, that’s all.” Jinx was practically running out of the coffee shop. She’d agreed to meet Brian there and talk about what happened at school. She didn’t know why she’d agreed, but she had. Now she regretted it.

  Slipping on her coat as she walked out the door, she turned to the right instead of toward her house. While she was out, she might as well go to the bridge. She was sure Haley and her lemming friends were full of it, but the idea of a haunting—no matter how unlikely—still appealed to her.

  Brian followed her like a puppy dog. In fact, he followed so closely that he stepped on the heel of one of her Chucks. She stopped, exasperated, and he ran right into her.

  She looked at him pointedly. “I need some time alone.”

  “Well, that’s too bad!” Brian said. “I don’t need time alone! I need to talk to you and figure out why you’re being such a...”

  Jinx crossed her arms, daring him to say it. She knew she had her meanest look on—the one even her mom was afraid of. It worked on Brian, too. “Being such a what, Brian?” she snarled.

  “All I’m saying is you’re overreacting. I was joking at schoo
l, that’s all.”

  Jinx huffed out air. “I know that’s what you’re saying. You’ve been saying it for an hour. And what I’m saying is, I don’t buy it. You looked genuinely happy to hear about people jumping off a bridge. That’s seriously messed-up, Brian. And that blog post you did, talking about your powers...I just need to do some thinking.”

  Brian sneered. “I had no idea you were such a prude. You seem like you’re edgy, but really, deep down, you’re just a plain Jane.”

  Jinx’s whole body went rigid. Knowingly or not, Brian had touched a huge nerve. She got right up in his face and said, “Listen, you immature little toad. I’ve seen what happens when people die. My best friend’s dad died, and there’s nothing, I repeat, nothing, funny or cute or good about it. You have the maturity of a deranged llama, Brian, and I’m starting to think you have a serious personality disorder too. Now back off and give me some air, or so help me I will scream bloody murder so loud that you’ll be locked up for years!”

  Brian stepped back at the force of Jinx’s words. Fire burned through her, and her chest heaved. He put his hands up, pale and shaking. “OK, OK. I’ll give you some space.”

  Jinx continued to stare at him. He turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

  Good riddance, Jinx thought. That boy was bad news. She had to think of a way to fire him.

  She began heading toward the bridge, which was only about six blocks away. As she walked, her iPhone twinkled—the sound she had chosen for text messages. It was from Jackson.

  Hey. I know yr mad but hear me out. At least stop hanging out with Brian. Hes a creep. I think you might get hurt.

  Jinx let out a grunt of frustration. How did he always know exactly when things were falling apart for her? When she wasn’t mad at him, she adored that trait. Jackson could always sense, from wherever he was, whatever trouble she was in. He was almost psychic—and almost always right. At that moment Jinx could have punched him for it.

  She stopped and thought about what to write. She certainly wasn’t going to let him know that he was right about Brian—he didn’t need to know that. In fact, he needed a little punishment. Her heart still hurt from him dating Haley, and she wanted to hurt him back. She wouldn’t lie exactly, but she could stretch the truth, right? She typed in:

  YOU’RE the one who hurt me, remember? Brian is fine, he couldnt come close to hurting me like you did. You are not my friend. Stop txting me

  There. That would do it.

  Guilt stung her, but she told herself Jackson deserved it. He was probably with Haley right now, and Haley was probably talking trash about her. Because that’s what she did. She and all her popular friends.

  Jinx walked slowly toward the bridge and remembered Haley’s exchange with Maddie earlier. She had defended the idiots who had jumped...Despite herself, Jinx admired Haley for speaking up. Haley had taken something like that seriously, and more importantly, she had said something.

  Then again, Haley hadn’t talked to Jinx in front of her friend. So maybe her defense of the bridge-jumpers was just a fluke. Clearly, that’s what it was. Haley was a puppet like all the other popular kids.

  And she was dating Jinx’s best friend.

  Jinx shook the thought away. She was coming up on the bridge, and she could see a figure smack-dab in the middle of the bridge, standing along the railing. The figure looked familiar, but a fog settled right around it, clouding Jinx’s view.

  Jinx decided to go check out the fog. There was something very unnatural about it. Why did it only hover around that one spot? As Jinx got closer, she squinted to see if she could make out who the person was. With a start, she realized it was Jackson. Was he OK? And what was he doing on this bridge? She walked a little faster and saw that he was looking down and typing on his outdated phone, shoulders slumped.

  Jinx was jogging now. Something wasn’t right. Her phone twinkled again—she had a text—and she pulled it out of her pocket. The message was from Jackson.

  J, Im sorry. I dont deserve your friendship. Im going to jump. Its better for everyone.

  Jinx had to reread the message before it dawned on her. She looked up and saw Jackson put his foot on the railing and swing his leg over.

  Without thinking, Jinx took off at a sprint, running faster than she ever had. She didn’t have enough breath to say Jackson’s name—she needed everything to run.

  Twenty feet away, Jackson flipped his other foot over the railing.

  Ten feet away, she saw Jackson look down at the water and close his eyes. Jinx’s lungs burned.

  Five feet away, Jinx watched as he peeled his fingers from the railing. He leaned forward toward the dark water.

  Jinx caught the back of Jackson’s coat just before his feet left the ledge. She pulled back with all her might, so hard she could hear Jackson choking.

  Sobbing and panting, Jinx put her arms under Jackson’s armpits and pulled with all her might. Jackson easily had seventy pounds on her—Jinx was a small girl, and he was a football player. But adrenaline made her strong, and she pulled him over the railing and dropped him on the cement.

  Then she doubled over.

  Everything hurt. Her lungs were on fire—she was pretty sure she would never be able to breathe again. Her legs felt loose, like they could fall off at any moment. Worse, she couldn’t stop crying. For a girl who barely ever cried, the feeling was more than a little uncomfortable.

  Splayed across the ground, Jackson shook his head like he was coming to. He put his arms through two of the poles that ran along the railing and pulled the rest of his body up, and then held his head like he had a huge headache.

  Jinx had caught her breath but was still sobbing. She walked over to Jackson and began hitting him in the chest.

  “What...were...you...thinking?! Your mom, your brothers—me! You stupid...what is wrong with you?”

  Jackson grabbed her arms and pulled her into a hug. She sank down into him, and he stroked her hair.

  “I’m OK. It’s OK. I’m here.”

  She felt like she would never stop crying. When she finally did, she looked up at him accusatorily.

  “Jackson,” she said, her voice low and dangerous.

  He said, “I have no idea, J. I mean it. It’s like something took me over. I would never...!” Tears spilled out of his eyes. “My mom has gone through enough with my dad dying. You know I’d never make her go through something like this.”

  Sniffing, Jinx nodded. She was suddenly very, very tired. She laughed a little. “It sounds like,” she said, sniffing loudly again, “the Paranormalists may have a case.”

  Jackson looked at her and smiled. Then the two of them were laughing so hard they were crying again. Jackson hugged her, and she breathed in his boy scent that was so familiar to her. He said on top of her hair, “Holy crap, girl, have you been working out? How did you pull me away?”

  Jinx sat back and said seriously, “I would never let anything happen to you.”

  Jackson’s face crumpled. “Me neither, Jinx. Me neither. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I can’t live without you, do you understand? You’re my best friend. I’ll do what it takes to make you happy.”

  “Yeah, life pretty much sucks without you, too.” She smiled up at him, then hit him hard one more time. “So never, ever, ever, ever, ever do something like this again!”

  “There’s something here, Jinx. I swear.”

  Jinx nodded. “I know. When I was coming up the bridge, I saw this cloud around you. Kind of like...”

  Jinx pointed to a spot farther along the bridge. The cloud hung around a girl sitting on the railing.

  “Oh god,” Jinx said. She put her hand to her mouth.

  “Jinx,” Jackson said, “that’s Maddie Jacobson.”

  Maddie—the girl Haley had talked to in Jinx’s English class. The one who had made fun of the people who jumped off the bridge. Jinx stepped forward to yell a warning to her.

  Maddie looked at Jackson and Jinx. Even from where they
sat, Jinx could see the unbelievable sadness in her face.

  Before Jinx could say a word, Maddie flipped herself over the railing and fell to the water below.

  “J

  inx, call 9-1-1!” Jackson was halfway down to the other viewpoint while he yelled. But Jinx had already dialed.

  The operator answered, and Jinx said, “Help! A girl just jumped off St. Johns Bridge. She’s in the water. Come quickly!”

  Jackson began taking his coat off, and Jinx knew instantly that he was going to try to go in after her.

  “Jackson!” Jinx yelled, taking off after him, still holding the phone to her ear. To the operator she said, “Hurry!”

  The operator answered, “There’s a unit on the scene now.” And sure enough, Jinx began to hear loud splashing down below—something big coming through the water. Lights lit up the bridge, and a shrill siren signaled a boat coming to the rescue. Jackson and Jinx had front-row seats.

  Jinx turned off the phone just as she reached Jackson. Beneath the bridge, Maddie was being pulled from the water on a rescue board. Jinx could hear her coughing from where she stood, so she knew the girl was all right. She sagged against the railing, and Jackson put his head in his hand.

  “I didn’t even see her. If I’d seen her, maybe I could have grabbed her.” His face was pale and his voice wobbled.

  “There’s no way, Jackson. And she’s going to be OK. Let’s get to the hospital.”

  Jackson nodded, and the two of them walked up to the police officer on the bridge. “Are you headed toward the hospital?” Jinx asked the officer. “We’re friends of that girl.”

  The officer’s eyes were kind. She said, “Sure, I’ll give you a ride,” and opened the back door for them.

  Jinx couldn’t help feeling a little thrill—she’d never been in the back of a police car before. The radio emitted bursts of static, but Jinx could barely make out what was being said. The officer got in and started driving.

  “How did someone get here so fast?” Jinx asked.

  The officer said, “Since we’ve had so many jumpers lately, we’ve been patrolling. I’m actually surprised an officer wasn’t on the bridge when it happened.” She sighed. “I just don’t get it. You kids have everything going for you. What would make you want to jump? At least you two don’t seem to have it in you.”