This story is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Fall Chapter 1
It was dark, really dark. As Ben Bartlet sped down the country road that he knew better than the back of his hand, the only times he could really see anything was when the giant bolts of lightning struck. Rain poured down so hard that the wipers on his Mini Cooper could not keep up. As Ben downshifted to take a tight turn, he knew he was getting close. Not 10 minutes earlier Ben had received a call on his cell phone from his longtime best friend, Josh Sutherland. He seemed distraught and hysterical. He kept mentioning a bridge and Ben knew exactly where to find him.
As Ben neared the bridge where he hoped to find his friend, two bolts of lightning struck in rapid succession revealing Josh standing on the side of the bridge as if he were going to jump. Ben's car came to a screeching halt on the bridge as he set the parking brake. He threw the door open and was immediately soaked, the rain hadn't given up at all.
"Josh, what in the hell are you doing up there?" Ben yelled as he ran towards Josh, "Get down before you fall in!"
Josh didn't act like he had heard Ben yell. He just stood there staring down at the rapidly flowing waters below.
"Josh!" Ben yelled, hoping to get his friend to snap back into reality. As Ben reached out to touch him, Josh took an abrupt step forward. "Josh, NO!" Ben screamed as he reached for Josh.
Luckily Ben was close enough to grab on to Josh's arm. Ben braced himself against the side of the bridge as he struggled to put Josh back over the side. Finally Ben was able to pull Josh up far enough to get both arms around his chest and with one last lunge, got Josh over and onto the bridge. The two boys sat there in silence as the cold rain stung their faces.
"Josh, what is going on with you? Do you even know what you just did?" Ben asked.
Josh didn't answer; he just stared out into the darkness. Ben stood up, grabbed Josh under his arms and helped him to Ben's car.
The drive back to Ben's home was quiet, just the sound of the rain and the car's windshield wipers. Ben pulled his car into the garage. He was glad his parents were out of town this weekend, or he would have had a lot of explaining to do otherwise. He walked to the passenger side of the car and helped Josh out and into the house. When the pair got into the house they made a beeline for Ben's room.
Ben walked into his bathroom to grab a couple towels to dry off with. He threw one to Josh who began slowly drying himself off.
"Go ahead and get those wet clothes off." Ben said gesturing towards the bathroom, "I'll find some dry clothes for you. You're staying here tonight."
Josh walked into the bathroom without saying a word.
Ben was worried. He had never seen Josh act like this. He had been acting strangely lately, but Ben had associated it with stress from his father's campaign. His father was a US Senator. Actually both of their fathers were senators. Josh's from Kentucky and Ben's from Indiana. Because of the campaign, both of their parents were out making appearances and talking to voters, leaving the two boys on their own in a neighborhood outside Washington. Ben knew that this was not from the campaign this was bigger.
Ben took some clothes in to Josh and took the opportunity to change himself. He had just noticed how cold he was. He threw on a pair of gym shorts and a tank top, almost the same thing he gave Josh to wear. Josh came out of the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. Ben sat next to him.
"Josh, please tell me what's going on." Ben pleaded, "You know you can tell me anything. I want to help."
Josh looked up and into Ben's eyes and quickly back down into his own lap.
"I'm sorry Ben." Josh started sobbing uncontrollably, "I'm so sorry you had to do this. I never should have called you."
"What do you mean?" Ben asked, "If you hadn't called I would have lost you and that is something I am not ready to deal with."
Josh started sobbing even harder.
"Everything is going to be alright, I'm here for you whenever you need me." Ben said pulling Josh in to a hug, "Let get some sleep and we can talk in the morning."
Josh, still sobbing crawled into Ben's bed. Ben went around to the other side turned off the light and crawled into bed. Josh was still sobbing pretty hard. Ben hated seeing Josh like this, so he scooted closer, put an arm around him and pulled him in close.
"Everything is going to be alright, I'm here for you." Ben whispered to Josh.
Josh sniffled a few times before responding
"Ben, I really don't know what I'd do without you."
Josh had finally calmed down and fallen asleep. Ben just lay there listening to the rhythm of Josh's breathing, as he slowly closed his eyes.
Hi all, sorry for the short chapter, I hope to get the next few to be a bit longer. I had this scene in my head and had to get it out. I welcome any and all comments, so email me at tboyll89@gmail.com.
Enjoy--Ty