Hadley's Fall (Based on 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher)

0|Hadley

Hadley's keds splashed through a pothole filled with rainwater as she crossed the street towards the train station. Her shoulder length dark hair was plastered against her neck by the pouring rain. Her backpack slapped against her back as she ran. She took a few shaky breaths as she approached the building, unable to comprehend what she was about to do.

As she pushed open the doors to the station, the only person on her mind was Denver, her perfect older brother. Ever since they were kids, Denver had always been the over achiever. It seemed like it was his mission to set unreasonable expectations that Hadley could never reach. Hadley's few accomplishments had always been hidden in her brother's shadow.

The line up to purchase tickets was longer than she expected. She didn't really need one, but being the honest person she was, Hadley lined up anyway. Her thoughts travelled to her best friend, the one person she thought she could always count on. Dani was outgoing and hilarious. She wasn't the most popular girl in school, but everyone who knew her loved her. Almost all of Hadley's favourite memories involved Dani: pulling all-nighters to watch the sunrise, skipping class to run lines for the school play, and five hour long Facetime calls. Lately, however, for every good memory, a bad one was appearing. And after what happened almost a year ago...

Hadley shook her head, clearing the thoughts from her mind. She glanced at the map that was hanging on the wall of the station near the entrance to the underground pathway that led to the train tracks. The train that she had purchased a ticket for was on platform E, although any train would do.

The letter E reminded her of one person she never wanted to think about again: Elaina. Elaina had been a constant factor of depression and insecurity in Hadley's life. In the beginning, it had been more subtle. Maybe Elaina would purposefully exclude Hadley or poke fun at her wardrobe choices. While it certainly wasn't friendly behaviour, it was nothing compared to the events of the past few weeks. Elaina and her accomplice, Kristee, had turned to ruthless bullying. Just thinking about what they had done to her made Hadley want to punch a wall.

The tunnel was damp and cool, and its chilling atmosphere led to Hadley wrapping her arms around herself in a hug as she made her way through the cement maze. She laughed bitterly to herself as she thought of the last person who had hugged her: her ex-crush, Kyler. How many years had she wasted pining after that asshole? Four? Five? Way too many. For a while she had thought he was just her type: he played cello instead of football, and spent his time writing poetry instead of making sexist jokes. Combine that with his dirty blonde hair and dreamy hazel eyes and you had a perfect ten, in Hadley's mind, anyway. But all that crumpled apart when his true intentions were revealed.

With a sigh, Hadley began to climb up the stairs that would lead her to platform E. With each step she took, she dug her nails into the flesh of the palm of her hands. This was all her step-mom's fault. If it weren't for her dad marrying that witch, she wouldn't be here. Diana might play the innocent card, but Hadley knew everything she had done. And to think at first she had been so happy to welcome Diana into her family, figuring she would be the glue to bring her family back together again. Oh, how wrong she had been.

She pushed open the door and set foot on the platform. All of the other passengers around her were sprinting towards the small shelters, seeking protection from the still-falling rain. Hadley, however, remained exposed to the elements and tilted her head toward the clouds, inviting the drops to roll down her face. A little fall of rain could hardly hurt her now.

Although, maybe it wasn't Diana's fault after all. If Hazel Mae had answered her letter, things could have been different. Hazel Mae had been Hadley's pen pal. They had been matched up in third grade for some school project, but unlike the other pairs who had mailed their last letter once they got their grades, Hazel Mae and Hadley had kept in touch. She had treated Hazel almost like a diary, spilling thoughts to her that she never would have uttered out loud. She had made a mistake in being so trusting.

Hadley tapped her foot, anxiously waiting for this all to be over. The last time she had been so anxious was when she was waiting for a certain letter to come in the mail. She balled her hands into fists as the familiar feeling of overwhelming disappointment washed over her. She was in grade 12, graduating from high school in a few weeks. Being rejected from Harvard, her dream school and her brother's alma mater, was a disappointment that was too large to bear and impossible to explain.

And that was everyone, she thought. Everyone that had played a part in what she was about to do. Whether they realized it or not, each and every one of them were connected.

A smile passed over her lips as she heard the distant rumble of the train. It was coming.

She shrugged her backpack off, leaving it to rest next to a garbage can. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, a lump of anxiety growing in her throat.

The train thundered into view, quickly approaching the platform where Hadley was standing. Soon, it was only a few seconds away.

"Well, I guess I'll have to add one more person to my list," She thought aloud. "The train driver."

And with that, she jumped into darkness.