After school, me and my friends, Ferdinand and Jessie, would always play around the Slaborough's grassy plains. As usual, we would play tag, hide-and-seek, and Marco Polo.
As the last school bell rang, we sprinted outside of school and laughed loudly. We placed our bags down as we played hide-and-seek. As usual, I counted from one to ten while Ferdinand and Jessie hid.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." I opened my eyes and turned around. "Ready or not, here I come."
I tiptoed towards a giant rock, hoping not to alert my friends. I peeked behind the rock and found Ferdinand covering himself with his arms. "Found you," I whispered in his ear.
He jumped and placed his hands on his chest. "You scared me, Bugsy."
"You are too predictable.” I winked and peeked through the bush with Jessie inside.
She groaned. "How did you I was hiding here?"
"Maybe I'm smart enough to know that you and Ferdinand would hide in the same spot," I answered, looking up the clouds.
"Let's just play cops and robber," suggested Jessie. "Since you and Ferdinand are terrible runners."
I rolled my eyes. As usual, Jessie was the robber while Ferdinand and I were assigned as cops. She blew us both a raspberry and bolted away, prompting us to chase after her. We ran around the plains as I got closer, only for Jessie to run zigzagged. Holy cannoli, Jessie, that's smart to outrun me and Ferdinand.
Then, Ferdinand tripped on a small rock and fell on the grass. I stopped in my tracks and turned back to him, ignoring Jessie. I offered my hand and pulled him up. "Are you okay?" I asked.
He nodded. "It's fine, Bugsy. Just a little scratch."
He rubbed his elbows on his tangerine T-shirt as he tightened his lips. I grabbed his arms and looked at his wound, horrified. Clear liquid was flowing from his wounds. "You should go home, Ferdinand," I reassured him. "Jessie and I can manage on our own."
"But Bugsy, I'm fine," he defended. "Besides, it's boring at home."
I placed my hands on his left cheek. "You're hurt, Ferdinand," I responded. "The wounds will be even worse if you ignore it."
He nodded as I helped him with his school bag. "We can play again tomorrow.” I smiled. He gave a small smile and left me alone. I continued running on the grassy field, hoping to find Jessie. In a moment, a small twig landed on my forehead. I turned to my right and saw Jessie, waving. "Looks like it's just me and you, Bugsy," said Jessie.
I gave a small laugh. "You're right about that, and that'll be the last mistake you will ever make."
She ran towards me and tapped me on the shoulders.
“Jessie Khan, you are under arrest for ticking me off!” I shouted as I trailed behind her.
“I don’t fear you, Governor.” She stuck her tongue out.
“Cops and governor are two different things, Jessie,” I explained. “Cops catch robbers while the governor decides the rules.”
"Governor Bugsy sounds better than Officer Bugsy anyways,” she panted.
As we were getting closer towards a bridge, she began to slow down. Now is my chance to catch her. Unfortunately, Jessie doesn't give up so easily and overpowered me with her speed. I tried to catch my breath as I held my knees and sat down.
“Out of energy, Bugsy?" she taunted in a pleasant manner.
"You win, Jessie," I admitted my defeat. "You always win in cops and robber."
Jessie gave a smirk. "Looks like I crushed your ego, Bugsy. Now get up."
She took a step back towards the bridge behind her, only for the wooden planks to collapse in mere seconds. I got up and saw Jessie struggling to stay afloat in the river. "Help me, Bugsy," she pleaded. "The river current is too fast."
In a flash, I went near the riverbank and held out my hands. She attempted to reach for my hands, only to be pushed away from the river. Oh, god. She won't survive if I tried to reach her. I got to get help.
Without looking back, I ran towards town, hoping to get help. I've got to be quick, or she'll never make it. My legs ached as I felt like something sharp was stabbing my waist. I panted as I coughed in exhaustion. Then, I shook my head and slapped myself. No, Jessie's depending on me and I have to get help.
I pushed my limits as I managed to reach the fire station and burst into the office. "Jessie's drowning in the river," I raised my voice. One of the officers, Doug, stood up and prepared his men.
In around half an hour, the firefighters arrived at the scene and searched the river. I kneeled and whispered a small prayer. "Oh Lord, I want Jessie to be okay."
Then, I saw Doug carrying Jessie in his arms and placing her on a stretcher, her eyes shut. Delighted, I rushed towards her and shook her. "Jessie, Jessie, are you alright?"
No response.
I gave her a light slap on her face as the ambulance arrived. "Jessie, stop being funny," I snarked. "I know you're safe and sound."
One of the medics, Yuri, felt her pulse, and sighed, as she covered Jessie with a white cloth. I stopped smiling. No, this can't be. I shook her one more time. "Jessie, wake up, wake up." I tried to fight my tears as I called her name so many times. Yuri dragged me away, as I kept repeating her name.
Jessie, my best friend, is gone. I couldn't believe it. It's all my fault. I should've died in the river. Not Jessie. She doesn't deserve to die. I drowned in tears as I thought about what we did moments ago. If only I could save her. If only.
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