Don't Tell

“Sit and Start at the beginning.” The Inspector pointed at a pad of paper and a pencil setting on the table.

Mathew picked up the pencil and began to write.

It was a hot midsummer day. I meet up with Trevor and Bob over on Bray Berry Trail. At the end of the trail past the thicket of bushes and trees you’ll find a cliff. There is a nice small lake hidden away about 25 feet down. It is a steep decline but I bet we made the trip a dozen times or more.

Once we reached the bottom, we decided to take a swim in the refreshing cool water of the lake to rinse off the sweat. We took turns dunking each other and seeing which one of use was the fastest swimmer to the other shore.

We sat there in the hot sun drying of off and drinking a few beers. We talked about what we were going to do in our Senior year of high school. Trevor said he wanted to actually give up sports and get serious about college. Bob wanted to live it up and party as much as he could. He didn’t think an education would help him much, he had a hard time keeping up his grades up. Me, well I don’t know what I want to do with my life after graduation yet. Not for sure what it is that I want in or even out of life yet.

I was the one in charge of dinner so Bob and I got my fishing gear that was left on top of the cliff along with the big cooler of beer. We worked on getting everything down. Then we got to work. I reeled in a few fish, Trevor had a the fire going to keep the chill off that rolled in off of the lake and of course, to cook the fish. Bob made sure we didn’t run out of beer or shots.

I don’t know where he got the alcohol from. He always knew how to get in an instant, at least whenever we wanted it. I never asked questions you know? I figure It might just jinx it. Right?

We were suppose to stay up all night drinking taking in the scenery and smells of nature. Getting some good exploring done, maybe shooting off some fireworks. I bet I had only seen a few other people in the spot in the last four years since we started coming to it. I don’t think many people knew about it. I’m sure more do now.

In the morning I remembered that I had a family thing to go to. We started to clean things up and we decided that Trevor was going to drive. He seemed to be the most sober one of us. I was almost up to the top when a bottle dropped out of my backpack and broke on the jagged cliff side. I did yell out to them the watch their step because it was wet and slippery.

I don’t think that Trevor heard me. He liked to listen to those air pods so loud that you could hear what he was listening to right beside him. I know he didn’t hear me because I heard him yell in fright. I turned around so fast that I almost lost my footing. I don’t know how my eyes managed to stay in my head. The y felt so big and I don’t think that I had closed them at all not even to blink.

I can still see it in my had. It replays over and over again. Always in slow motion. There was no way I could get to him fast enough.

Mathew sat down his pencil and rubbed his eyes.

“Hey kid you need to freshen up, get a soda, or something?” The Inspector asked.

Mathew nodded his head and headed towards the bathroom. His throat and eyes hurt from holding back the tears. He looked into the mirror and seen his blood shot eyes staring back at him. “I just need to keep it together a little bit loner. It's almost over.” He splashed water in his face and went back into the interrogation room.

The interrogation room had a mirror that almost filled the wall across from him. Mathew wondered how many people where in there watching. It held a rectangle table and had one seat for him and one more for the Inspector. He sat down and guzzled the soda that appeared on the table when he was gone. With pencil in hand he began to write.

Trevor hit his head with such force it spun his body around. The thud that followed sounded eerily. I think it was because that thud would signify the last exhale of breath he would ever exhale. It felt like forever had passed before I took a breath. His lifeless body lay there arms and legs all flailed out to the sides in positions that weren't normal for humans. I watched as the red blood covered the rocks beside him. His blue eyes staring up at me, through me. I don’t think that image of his body will ever vanish from my mind.

Bob freaked out. He grabbed my shirt and pulled at me to leave. I never saw a dead person before I had frozen. Why would the first body I see be someone that I know? I think It is my fault, he must have slipped on the spot that my bottle broke.

Before I knew it, I was in the truck with Bob and he was flying as fast as the could.

“What are you doing?” I placed my hands on the dashboard.

“We have to get out of hear and get rid of all Trevor’s stuff like if he wasn’t with us.” spit flew from Bob’s mouth as he spoke.

“We need to go back and see if we can help him.” I shouted.

“No. We will get into trouble. Somehow they’ll blame it all on me.” Bob smacked the steering wheel.

“I can call someone to help him then.” I stammered and pulled out my phone.

“No. No one can know about this. Listen. Before I moved here a couple of years ago, I always got into trouble. I only have one shot left. This is going to bring me down. I’ll go to jail being a Senior they could try me as an adult.” Bob said assertively.

I think that this is how our conversation went for the most part. By the time we got back to town he had me convinced to keep quiet about the incident. We figured that there was no way anyone could bring him back to life. He had to have been dead when we left. I didn’t see him blinking and all that blood.

The cops stopped by to ask about Trevor when he didn’t come home. Bob and I stuck to our stories about how we hadn’t seen him and we even said that we had camped at a different location to throw them off a little. I should have known better. The truth always comes out no matter how well you cover things up or lie about it.

I kept myself busy doing yard work so that I didn't have to be around other people. I had these dreams that Trevor was after me. He would chase me down the trail and catch up. We would be standing on the edge cliff with my back towards the lake and he would watch me fall to my death.

Then I heard the news. It only took three weeks until someone found him. I cannot live like this anymore and have to say something.

Mathew signed his name and sat there quietly for his lawyer and social worker to show up.