DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Extra note: This is based on the 2007 movie, and not the earlier movie, nor the book.

It had gone a few years since Leslie's death. A few years since Jess' best friend had her life taken away from her. A few years when Jess' first love ever left him.

Those years had been really painful. And not only in one way. Jess thought about her every day. Her blonde hair, her outrageous outfits. Her smile. Her smile…

Jess' life had been on the verge of absolute breakdown. Financial crisis left, bullying in school to the right. Jess hadn't been holding up very well before, and it was even worse now. When Leslie had come along in his life, he felt like all the problem's in his life were just… distant. Not gone, but very distant.

She loves you, you know.

Jess groaned at the memory. The last he had ever seen of the Burke's. The last words of friendship spoken to him by Leslie's father. A painful memory, bringing not much except for draught. And then, his father.

Jess had a really hard time coming home that day. Having a crush on his music teacher, Miss Edmunds, had caused him to make a life-changing decision. He hated himself every day after that.

Miss Edmunds had invited him to a trip to a museum. She was thinking at first to invite her cousins, but in the last minute, her sister had changed her mind, and rejected the invite. Thinking about what to do, she had made the decision to call Jess. Of course, it was unknown to her the feelings he felt for her. Sure, it was just a silly little crush, but that one thought of his brain had caused the death of his friend. Or that's how it was in his eyes.

Jess had considered to not inviting Leslie to the trip to the museum. He did so, only because he wasn't aware of the fact that his heart had already paired with Leslie's. He was unaware of that. When they said goodbye the day before that one, Jess felt something he had never felt before. As he stared at the petite girl running away in the rain, his heart had done Jumping Jacks. He hadn't ever felt this way, and to be honest, he didn't think he would in the nearest future. Boy, he was so wrong to think so.

When he returned home on that dreary day, oblivious of the drowning of his friend, he was happier than ever. Leslie, Miss Edmunds, everything.

-''Were have you been?'' His father, Jack Aarons, the man who always had a stone face, asked him. Jess didn't understand the question, as he just stared in confusion.

-''We thought you were dead!'' his sister, Brenda had blurted out from her seating on the floor next to the couch. Jack had thrown her a hard glare, telling her to be quiet without using any words. The confusion still raged in Jess' mind, he didn't understand still. He didn't understand until his dad spoke those petrifying words, explaining that the rope had broke and Leslie had fallen into the creek, knocking herself unconscious and thereby drowning.. At first, after hearing them, Jess only stared in disbelief. Shortly thereafter, he felt the rage build up inside. Letting out only small parts of it through accusations of his father lying, he stormed right back outside. He needed to see for himself.

The various police vehicles situated around the Burkes' home didn't help one bit. But Jess continued. He felt his heart sink into darkness, but he need one last confirmation that his father was telling the truth.

He saw it, in form of the gateway used to get in and out of Terabithia in the form a rope. At first, he didn't want to believe. He thought initially that his mind was just playing tricks on him, that this whole ordeal was just a really bad thing. His last hope was crushed when he saw the rope, snatched at the middle. He then slowly backed away from the rope in horror, finally realizing that, no matter how hard he tried, this wasn't a dream.

Jack desperately looked for him the bigger part of the afternoon. He didn't really know of the tree house that his son and his son's best friend had constructed. He looked everywhere, literally behind every rock. When he had spent half a day of fruitless searching, he returned home, exhausted and hopeless, he quickly hugged his wife before slumping down on the family couch.

-''Jess is a strong boy. He'll be fine.'' His father mumbled to no one in particular. His third oldest daughter came up to him to hug him. Jack accepted the hug and tried his best to sound brave.

Jess came home an hour after his father. When they heard the front door open, they all immediately ran to it. Jess came in slowly, a lifeless expression on his face. When Jack asked him what he was thinking going out there without letting anyone know, he just gave his father a really sad look and then passed by them. When Ellie tried to say hi, he just ignored her and proceeded into his room, cutting himself off for the rest of the day. Even though Jack tried to talk to him after turning in Joyce Ann and her older sister, he had simply not responded. Jack sort of understood why.

The following days, Jess was completely catatonic. He never got out from his bead, and he didn't eat or drink anything. The only time he had done so was when Jack offered him a piece of cake that had been left over from May Belle's birthday party. Jess accepted the cake and actually ate most of it. Other than that, he spent all of his time watching the picture he had drawn of his blonde love. He shed a new tear every few minutes.

Afterwards, his family was extremely worried about him. They had to take him to a doctor, as he was showing symptoms of serious depression and catatonics. The doctor had even made an extremely shocking discovery. It seemed that Jess would die of his depression if he was not treated immediately. The family got very shaken by this, but fortunately, they managed to keep him alive with medicine.

Today, Jess is a student in ninth grade that lives life a lot easier. However, he still misses Leslie a lot. He is usually happy, but when Leslie does get to his mind, this is quickly changed.

Soon, something will happen that no one, especially not Jess, could ever predict.