Fatal Mistake

Kassandra sat alone in her bedroom, staring blankly at the wall. In her right hand she held a glass of water. In her left, a full bottle of painkillers. She was going to end it all, once and for all. Why? She had the perfect life: a loving family, caring boyfriend, lots of friends, and decent, if not perfect, grades. So why was she doing this?1

There wasn't one particular event that led to this. It was more a series of events. A week ago, her best friend Miranda, whom she had known since they were in diapers, had died in a horrific car accident. Three days later she received a call from her boyfriend of three years. He was having a hard time coping with Miranda's death, and Kassandra's constant calls were only making it worse. He was calling it off. Then, just that day, She got into a huge fight with her parents. They had decided that Kassandra would cope better if they moved to a place that didn't have so many painful memories. In a couple weeks they would move to St.Louis, Missouri, a far cry from the little town of Henley that Kassandra had lived in all her life. That was the last straw. She had decided she would end her life that night, while her parents went out to dinner.2

At least I'll get to see Miranda again, she thought to herself as she downed the pills.3

The pain was almost immediate, and she began to have second thoughts. She called for help, but no one was home. She would have called 911, but their phone service had been shut off when they forgot to pay the bill. 4

"I don't wanna die!" she sobbed, but it was too late. She fought to keep her eyes open. Her insides were screaming. Eventually she resigned herself to the fact that it was all over, she was going to die. She just wished she could say good-bye to all her friends and family. That no matter what she had said in the past, she loved them all. The pain was so excruciating that she wished she could lay down and die right there, but she forced herself to get up and find a pen and paper. She could feel her body shutting down as she wrote, but she knew she had to leave her family some sort of explanation. She hoped it would be enough, that they would understand, but in her heart she knew it would never be enough. Finally she set down the pen and paper, lay on her bed, and closed her eyes.5

As she slowly slipped in and out of consciousness, she saw her friends and family in her mind. What would they do when they found out? Would they cry and scream, like Kassandra had done when she found out about Miranda? Would they understand? Would they still love her?6

A feeling of peace washed over her, then all went black.7

Her parents found her later that night in her bed. They thought she was sleeping until they found that they couldn't wake her. They called an ambulance, but they couldn't do anything. She was gone. The only clue she left was the note. The writing was shaky, the paper tear-stained, but it was all they had left. Kassandra's funeral was held three days later. It was then, with all her friends and family gathered together, that her parents tearfully read Kassandra's last words:8

Dear, well, everyone, 9

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. why did I do this? Oh, God, why? It was just that with Miranda's death, & Kevin breaking up with me (No, Kevin, it's not your fault), I didn't know what to do. I felt like I couldn't take it any longer. Now I know I was wrong, but it's too late. I'm gonna miss you all. God, I'm gonna miss you. Why? WHY? Well, no use dwelling on it now. I know I'm gonna die, but at least I'll be with Miranda and my family in Heaven. Mom, Dad, everyone, I'm so sorry. I love you. Good-bye.10

-Kassandra 11