It all began that morning. Well, actually, it began three years ago, when I was first told I had severe anxiety. I had always been anxious, about things, big or small. Being late to school. Missing a question on the test. Forgetting the one thing I needed to buy that day. Therapy helped for a bit, but after my therapist decided I was fine on my own, my world slowly shrank back to the size of my room. I convinced my mom to homeschool me, even though my therapist had previously frowned upon the idea.

I began to lose interest in everything I had wanted to do. My hopes of being the best at everything were dashed against my wall when I would slam my head against it. I couldn't be perfect, no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to be perfect, but I couldn't seem to grasp what I wanted exactly right.

I became more and more depressed, and it seemed like no one cared. My mom was always busy working to support her alcoholism and my dad didn't care about me anyways, he left when I was four. Friends I used to love hanging out with never talked to me. It seemed I had no purpose, no reason to be alive. The world was only as big as my room, and the walls were starting to close in on me. So that morning, my eighteenth birthday, I decided I didn't want to be part of that world anymore. I was going to die.

I had heard tales of kids throwing themselves off of Michael's Bridge. It was supposedly haunted by the souls of the suicidals who couldn't make it into Heaven, and weren't allowed in Hell. That was their resting place, coaxing others to come join them in the river. The whole story started after a boy named Michael Fleming threw himself into it in an attempt to escape being imprisoned. He did manage to escape, but only because he died trying to get out.

I didn't know if that was true or not, but it couldn't hurt to find out, I was going to die either way. I scribbled out a note, and stuffed it into my favorite book jacket. I got directions for the bridge, printed them out, and grabbed the keys to my mom's old beat up red station wagon. The car she drove now was a bright green sports car I didn't care much for. One she paid for with the money we didn't have, and couldn't afford to put payments on. I put the keys into the ignition, and backed away from the house.

An hour and one wrong turn later, I got so frustrated with myself. Of course I had to screw up my own suicide, nothing I did would go as I planned. I kept screaming at myself, kept driving, and kept regretting my life more and more. It was then that I noticed a small cafe, almost tucked away from the world. I sighed, and mentally debated how bad it could be to go ask for directions. The employees would for sure think I was weird, only coming in because I got lost. Chances were, no one would care, but it seemed like a big deal to me as I parked, got out of the car, and began pacing around it to think.

After about five minutes, I decided to just get it over with. The sooner I got directions, the sooner I could literally go jump off a bridge. I walked inside, but as I did, someone was walking out. She had a full cup of coffee in her hands, and after we collided, she had a full cup of coffee on her white shirt. My face turned bright red, I seemed to mess up everything.

"I'm so sorry... It's all my fault," I said quickly. She looked at me and started laughing. I thought for a second she was laughing at my clumsiness, but she said through laughter, "It's alright, at least my day has been entertaining now." She tucked her hair behind her ears and went back inside to grab about three napkins, and proceeded to start dabbing at her shirt. The girl at the front counter looked like she didn't care for her job, based on the bored and annoyed expression she gave me. She was clicking her fingernails on the counter. I walked up to her, and in the best way I could, after what just happened, asked her, "Excuse me, do you know how I can get to Michael's Bridge from here?"

She sighed and started telling me which turns to take and what road I should be on, but I stopped paying attention after about three seconds when the other girl looked up at me and said, "Michael's Bridge?" I nodded. The girl's face dropped from her previous laughter, and she seemed to be remembering something as she thought for a moment. "I can take you," she said after turning back to me. I shrugged and nodded. Any way I could get there worked. She walked out of the cafe, and I followed.

"My car, or yours?" I muttered.

"We can take mine," she said, and then motioned to a small car halfway across the tiny parking lot. We got in the car, and she pulled out. We sat in silence. I wondered for a while if this was an attempt for a stranger to kill me. It didn't matter. If she didn't, I would. If I didn't, the demons that resided in my head would. Insanity is the worst killer, and I didn't want to fall victim to that. No, I supposed, it was better to fall a victim to myself. She pulled to the side of the road. I got out of the car, and so did she. She walked in front. It was a steady pace for two minutes of silence, except for the sounds of our shoes crunching on leaves and broken twigs. We went past many trees and continued on the dirt trail, going uphill from where the river began, father into the woods. Then, I saw it. An abandoned little thing, twisted up and messy. This was to be the site of my death. I walked towards it, preparing for the end. I got to the broken rail, and took in a breath. Then I paused for a moment.

"You stopped." Said the voice behind me. For a moment, it didn't register that the girl was still standing there. I sat on the edge of the broken bridge.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked.

"Why should you care?" I retorted. "You've never met me before. You only know me because I spilled coffee all over you. Why shouldn't I die?"

"I'm sure you have something to live for," she responded, "family maybe?"

"My dad doesn't care about me. My mom's constantly drunk or working, she couldn't care less what happened to me."

"Oh..." the girl said, pause for a second, and asked, "What about your girlfriend?"

"Don't have one. No girl has ever bothered, I'm not good enough for anyone."

She looked at me. For a moment I thought she was going to try and convince me not to, but my mind was set. Then she surprised me.

"Then I guess you should get it over with, right?"

It shocked me a bit. I opened my mouth to protest staying alive, until I realized what she said.

"Yeah, I guess I should." Was what I was going to say, but my curiosity got the better of me.

"Why aren't you telling me to stay alive?"

"You clearly don't want to. I don't want to be the person who kept you alive for a day only for you to get worse and wish you had done it. So I'm not standing in your way."

I paused for a moment. She spoke again.

"I know how that feels. So if that's what you want, then by all means, go ahead."

Now she really had me. "What do you mean, you know how that feels?" I asked.

She stopped and bit her lip, as if she had given something away. She came closer, and sat down on the bridge with me.

"Well, I was going to do it."

"Why didn't you?"

"An old friend of mine. He found me and convinced me not to. The next week, he died in a car accident. I couldn't stand being alive. I came back the next day and planned to throw myself off. I tripped going towards the rail, and fell backwards. I thought about how he convinced me. Then I decided against it. He wanted me alive, so I would stay alive, if only for a little while."

At this point, my mouth was far from closed. I almost didn't believe her. But the sincerity in her eyes was there. Something about her made me trust her. Maybe because she actually got me here.

She continued. "He always seemed to find the good in people. I'm sure if he were here, he would be able to stop you. I know I can't, so I don't see why I should try if your mind is made."

"What did he say to you? What made you think you should stay on this wretched planet?"

"He told me that I needed to fulfill my life's purpose. I don't know what that is, at least not yet, but I'm working on it. After he died, I wanted to treat other people with that kindness. So I can't say for sure, but that's a big part of it."

I was in awe. It was one thing to just stay alive for that, it was another to try and pass it on. This girl was either perfect, or insane.

"Alright. I'm not going to."

She looked into my eyes. And then she nodded.

"You need a ride back to your car?" She offered. I nodded, and we started heading back the way we came.