A pleasant summer breeze brushed against Luke’s face as he looked down at the water. From where he stood on the bridge, he could see the river twist its way away from town. It was beautiful, and a sight he had always loved. This view had cheered him up many times in his sixteen years of life.

Which made it the obvious choice for what he now had to do.

Looking away from the river, Luke turned his attention to the note in his hand. He didn’t have to read it to know what it said. He had spent enough time working out the right words to have them engrained in his mind’s eye.

He had thought about apologizing, but instead had started with a simple ‘Goodbye’. The whole point of this was to be honest, and he wasn’t sorry. He doubted he could ever be sorry for what he was about to do.

He bent down and unfastened his sandals. They were white, strappy things that his mother had given him. He hated them, but had worn them for the past two months to make her happy. Now, they would serve an important purpose in his plan.

One of the most important things tonight was that his note was found. He couldn’t have it blow away, so the sandals would be his paperweight. He carefully set them on top of the note, making sure that it wasn’t covered too well. Somebody still had to notice it.

Next, he pulled the sundress off over his head. He almost laughed at how much more comfortable he felt standing in just his boxer-briefs than he had when in the dress.

His almost laughter died when he looked down and caught sight of his misshapen chest. He scowled. Dropping the dress on the bridge and holding it down with his foot, he dug in his backpack for his change of clothes. Jeans, a t-shirt, and a heavy hoodie hid his body in a way that allowed him to almost forget.

He was ready for the final step, but it wasn’t time yet. He turned back to the water and closed his eyes. He waited.

The watch on his wrist beeped rapidly at him. He didn’t have to look at it to know it was midnight. He had set the alarm before leaving the house. It was important to him that this moment happened at midnight.

Trying to hold back excitement, he gathered his long hair, the way he did when pulling it back into a ponytail. He had brought a large pair of scissors with him, and he now pulled them from his backpack. In one sure motion, he cut his hair.

Sure, it took a few more snips here and there, and he would never look like he had gotten it professionally done, but the important cut was the first one.

The breeze tickled the back of his neck and he laughed this time.

He happily gathered up the sundress, where he had deposited all the cut hair. It made a good drop cloth. Making sure that he had it bunched together tightly, he stepped to the edge of the bridge and held it over the water.

“Rest in Peace, Melody.” He muttered bitterly, and let go.

He didn’t bother to watch the bundle hit the water. Instead, he picked up his backpack and set off. He didn’t know where he was going to go, but it was a nice summer night, and he felt light on his feet, so he didn’t care.