Samuel walked home from school the following day, the townsfolk acting as though a girl hadn't jumped from a bridge the day before. The news made it to his high school, but he acted oblivious of the event. And on his walk, it seemed surreal to him how so much had happened in one evening, yet his life pressed on no differently.
He had thought about his conversation with Althea during school all day and considered the logical reason behind her words. The best he could surmise was that she was a bratty teenage girl seeking attention. She might also need a shrink, too. Yet he didn't wish to believe either reason; then he would have been sucked into her trap or set up the trap himself. Since she presented no evidence for her case, he found no reason to believe her story. It was easily the work of an amateur writer with too much time on their hands, but he found it surprisingly engaging, convincing, even.
As he passed by the convenience store where he discovered Althea, he checked beside the dumpster and found that spot vacant, thankfully. He finished his walk home wondering if he had changed that girl's life. He wasn't sure if he could honestly say that he had saved her life, but he liked to think that he had set her on the right path.
When he could see his house, he thought about how his own life might have been changed. He liked to think that he learned some great life lesson, but all he learned was that he still needed to perfect his self-control.
As Samuel approached his front yard, he saw Althea sitting on his front porch steps, a candy bar in hand.
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