Confessions About Colton (Wattpad Books Edition)

prologue

He pulled out a six-pack and pushed past me to bring the drinks out onto the pergola. I followed, my eyes glued to him as I picked up a beer. Colton remained calm, pulling out his pocket watch every now and then to study the time with unnerving fascination. The watch was a classic piece of him and there was never a moment he didn't have it hooked onto the back loop of his jeans. The family heirloom was priceless, both in financial and sentimental value. I watched as he placed it back in his pocket before I took a swig of liquid courage, letting it quench my dry throat and ignite a fire in my stomach.

Then I got down to business.

"Where have you been, man?" I asked him. "And quit the bull about being with family."

He smiled and tipped his bottle of beer to his lips. "Stop trying to play detective, Elliot. Some mysteries can't be solved."

I never asked him again after that. I guess I didn't want to push him to a point where he'd disappear again. So I kept quiet. But although my silence was ensured, it didn't apply to the rest of the school. When Colton returned to class, questions were asked and the story of his reappearance had him at the height of his high school fame.

‡

"We thought someone was holding you hostage or something," Marcus said. Colton and I were standing by his locker the morning of his return to school.

Colton laughed, turning his back on the conversation to open his locker. "Seriously? That's what you guys thought?"

"We didn't know what to think."

"You're about to be sorely disappointed. I was just out of town visiting relatives."

"The teachers weren't even sure about what happened to you. Some said you'd dropped out or transferred," Marcus insisted.

Colton let out a dry laugh and closed his locker. "Yeah, that's Hampton High for you. The right people knew where I was. This town is just too small—people talk too much."

When he turned around, his attention focused on something behind our classmates. Without saying anything, he beelined in the direction of the school notice board. Among the advertisements for after-school activities and lunchtime meetings was a missing person poster with Colton's face on it.

Colton plucked it from the board, and his lips simply twitched into a small smile. "Black-and-white photos really are ominous, huh?" Then he laughed. "Honestly, though. If I ever go missing for real, please do not use my high school yearbook photo. It does absolutely nothing for my assets."

Silence followed.

"Oh, come on. It's kind of funny how dramatic everyone was over this," he said. Colton turned to me and nudged his elbow into my side. "Elliot, man, you've been quiet all morning."

An uncomfortable laugh escaped my lips, but my tone was deceivingly amused as I said, "You're having way too much fun with this."

Colton grinned. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to keep everyone in the loop next time I go visit family. In the meantime, I'm going to head to history, if that's okay."

Colton tucked the missing person poster between the pages of his textbook and walked away.

‡

This continued all through the months leading up to the night before graduation. I took Milo for a walk that evening. We took our old route at the back of the house, keeping close to the park behind my neighborhood, then headed onto the street, where we made a shortcut toward Lake Mason.

The sun was just over the horizon, the sky performing its grand finale of color transitions. The streets were empty, the late spring air was fresh. Other than my dog's excessive panting as he worked his stubby legs, everything was tranquil.

But as soon as we reached the edge of the water, Milo went absolutely mental. The hair on the back of his neck stood high in alert as he barked hysterically at something by the dock. At first, I thought there was another dog or a bird he wanted to chase, but when he started pulling me toward the water, I realized what had gotten him so on-edge.

There was a body floating in the lake.

"Shit," I whispered to myself as my fingers searched my pockets for my phone.

It was disturbing to be confronted with the sight, but for some reason, I was propelled forward by a sick curiosity. Like witnessing a car crash, horrifying and terrible, but impossible to look away from. I walked closer, making my way toward the wooden slats that made up the dock. Milo's barks began to mix with whimpers, his tail dropping low.

But as I got closer, my footsteps faltered. The descending sun's light fell upon the back pocket of the deceased's jeans and reflected off a shiny surface. It was blinding for a split second, causing me to look away. A sinking feeling settled in my stomach and my insides churned uncomfortably. There was only one object with a surface as polished as that. My hands shook, and Milo's barks were replaced by silence. I suddenly felt lightheaded.

I forced myself to look up, to ensure my imagination wasn't getting the better of me. But as I got closer, the unsettling feeling in my stomach crawled its way up my throat and left a sour taste on my tongue. I recognized the royal blue logo of our school jersey covering unnaturally gray skin. My heart quickened when I saw the pocket watch for sure, and I knew it was him.

Colton Crest was dead. And I had found him.