The Jump

Maxine

I woke up this morning with a feeling that someone punched me in the stomach, I rolled over to look at the clock 3:30 am
I groaned as I once again woke up way to early, maybe I needed to quit this job and focus on more important things.
I began to roll to claim my last two hours of sleep when my phone rang, of course.
"Whitaker"
"Maxine, hey we need you here by the bridge. There seems to be a suicide."
I hung up the phone and got dressed, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong.

I got to the scene and my fears were confirmed as I seen the teenage boy lying on the ground. I had never seen him before but he felt so familiar.
"Excuse me" I said as I went to dispose all my breakfast into the bushes.

I walked back over and seen the Corner wheel the poor boy away.  I never liked the word corpse or body because to me that was someone's baby not someone's corpse.
"Maxine, I need you to go to the Alexander's, they've already been informed we just need you to look around and get more information on Connor"  I nod my head and walk back to the car, trying my hardest not lose it.

I arrived at the Alexanders and felt my nerves spike up. I got out and walked to the door. Before I could knock a woman opened the door, holding a large amount of tissues "can I help you" she asked
"Hi, I'm agent Maxine Whitaker. I was sent by the police to come talk to you"
She nods and lets me inside, I look around the house and smile at how simple and clean it was.
"I understand that Connor was-"
"My son" she said "he was my son"
I nod my head and take a seat on her couch.
"Mrs. Alexander, do you mind telling me about Connor?"
She nods and a faint smile tugged on her lips "he was always a happy baby, never got into any serious trouble. He loved chess and anything that the other kids didn't like, that was until highschool, you know how kids are" I nod "how old was Connor"
"Seventeen, it's funny just the other day he was telling me how he wanted one of those little iPod things so I went out and got him one for his birthday" I smiled at her and watched her beginning to cry "maybe I was to hard on him, I just don't understand why my baby. My baby" she began crying harder and it made my eyes water and a lump in my throat which made the following sentence a lot more harder
"May I see his room" she looks up at me and nods, I followed her down a hallway and watched as she took her time twisting the doorknob. "Here you are" she says leaving me some space to walk into the room.
I looked around and smiled, he seemed to be an average teenage boy that was just badly misunderstood.

After an hour I decided  to leave, I gave mrs Anderson my card and went home, with the memories of Connor.

********

The whole night I lied awake thinking about the boy and how young he was
Then I began to think

Why would he do that? What posses someone's mind like that?
Although I already knew the answers
The poor boy was running away from a problem and he felt like he didn't know how to fix it.  Eventually I drifted off to sleep and dreamed of saving Connor.
The next morning I woke up and put on my best black clothes, they were holding Connors funeral today and my mind and body was pushing me to go.

Arriving at the funeral, I laid my rose down on his coffin and stood in the back, the wind was blowing hard and it made it difficult for me to understand what the preacher was saying.
"Thank you for coming Maxine" a male voice said behind me
"Your welcome" I said turning to face the person but I saw no one.
"Who's there?" I said looking around but sighed when I seen a boy standing by a tree, I walked over to talk to him "hi, I'm Maxine Whitaker with the police and I-"
"I know who you are Maxine, I'm honestly shocked you don't know me"  I began studying the features of the boy and I let out a gasp.
It was Connor

*********

After the funeral I walked back to my car, did I really see Connor? Was this job finally getting to me? "So where we going Maxine" I screamed when I seen Connor sitting behind me "woah chill out" "Chill out? There's a ghost in my backseat and your expecting me to chill out?" He laughs "dreadful introduction and yet I apologize" figuring that I was going crazy I went along with it. "Okay Connor, what do you want" "nothing, I just thought I'd hang out with you, you know get some info. I always wanted to be a secret detective" I laughed at him, for him being dead and me being 6 years older than him, he was kinda cute. "Okay, Connor help me solve your suicide"

************

Connor told me to go to the bridge where he committed his act and led me to the top. "Why are we here Connor?" He sighs "you need help so this is where your gonna get it"  I nod my head and let Connor explain "no one kills themselves for no reason Maxine, I did it because I finally had enough of my life and I just got tired of failing" I sighed "so your gonna just gonna drift around watching everyone suffer because your gone?" He looks down and I felt sadness wash over me. "I'm sorry Connor, I didn't mean it like that" "just go Maxine" I started walking before I stopped myself and seeing that Connor was gone "well Connor, it's your death not mine, I just hope you got what you wanted from this life.
Later I signed off on the paper work
And let Connor Alexander continue to be a misguided ghost.

I got up and went to go get ready for bed  with the feelings of sadness, it comes with the job I guess.

I took a shower and took my nightly medication. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but my medication was kicking in and I began to realize I was way to tired to deal with it.

"Goodnight" I said out loud
"Goodnight" responded the house
The best part about my job....is coming home.

(Maxine Whitaker suffers from visual hallucinations. Her badge and time at the academy was suspended months after the Alexander case)