Whenever Colton Crest told me a secret, I did everything in my power to take it to the grave. That was how our friendship was.
There was an eerily trustworthy quality about him. He had the kind of charisma and charm that almost hypnotized you. It was as if he had given you a key to the universe and it was your sole responsibility to protect it. And it was a comfortable feeling knowing that Colton would return the favor. He would be the most understanding person, no matter how vile or poisonous the secret was, and lock it securely in his memory.
We told each other everything, knew every ugly detail. Well, that's what I had thought. But one thing Colton never told me was why he disappeared.
It stirred a hell of a lot of commotion. Hampton High was the worst, like you'd expect any high school to be. Students started rumors, teachers gave out false information, parents gossiped. Some said he went to jail, others announced he was abducted.
For a brief period, a Facebook page was created, solely dedicated to many conspiracies surrounding Colton's disappearance. A whisper would bounce across the walls of study hall and the story would be posted by the final school bell. It was absolute rubbish, but people were addicted to it, refreshing their browsers to soak up fabricated nonsense.
Colton had such an active role in the community that it was almost impossible to find a resident that didn't know about him. He was an honor student, part of the school leadership team, president of the science club, captain of the cricket team. On weekends he would volunteer to deliver hot food for Meals on Wheels, and he started a campaign to reduce local littering and promote recycling. He was a model citizen.
No one knew where he had gone.
Not even Colton's family had a clue about their son's whereabouts. Whenever they were asked to address the issue, they dismissed it and repeated the same monotone explanation: he was visiting relatives. But you could see the distress in Mrs. Crest's eyes, the haunting shadows that were tattooed there as her motherly instincts told her to prepare herself for the worst.
When Colton's disappearance reached a month, it was still the same. Rumors continued to spread like wildfire, residents greedily feeding off false tales like leeches.
Someone told me he was scouted by an agent and they flew him from here in Australia out to Hollywood to film a multimillion-dollar movie.
I heard he's on the run because he beat a guy up so bad that the guy almost died.
Apparently somebody kidnapped him, and the reason his family hasn't notified the police is because the kidnapper is threatening to kill Colton if the Crests tell anyone. There's a huge ransom and everything.
This continued for yet another month, but by this time, the Crests seemed a lot calmer. They had obtained some information, but they seemed unwilling to share. This didn't particularly bother me at the time. He was my best friend, and I trusted that he'd take care of himself. If his folks were calm enough, then I was calm too.
The days continued to pass. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
I went to school; I did my homework. I went through my normal routine and did my best to be patient. I knew Colton would come back.
It was a Sunday the day Colton Crest came back to town—when I heard the unexpected knock on my door . . .
"Hey, have you got a beer?"
I stared at him as he shrugged off his jacket and went into the kitchen, raiding my fridge like he always did. The fact that he'd just turned up at my place like he hadn't been missing for two months was unbelievable. But alas, there he was. He hadn't shaved in a while, and he was missing his usual smile, but he seemed to be physically unharmed.
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.