Chapter 1

I woke up Saturday morning, not sure where I was. I couldn’t even really remember what had happened last night either. All I knew was that Tyler was in the room with me, along with Josie and Erika. I mean, it couldn’t have been that bad if they’re all with me. No one looked too distressed, so that was good. 

“Do you think anyone knows? We are totally screwed if someone saw it.” What is he talking about? “I don’t know Ty, do you think I was just standing there looking for people? That was not on the top of my mind.” Josie chided. “Josie, Tyler’s right. It would be terrible for us if someone saw what happened last night. If they did, then the cops will get called and then all of our asses are getting hauled down to the station.”

“Can someone please explain to me what is going on!” Why would we get hauled to the police station, what did we do? “Tyler, I think we should get out of here, because if we got caught we might not want to be here.” Erika said. “If someone doesn’t explain to me what happened right now�"” Josie cut in, “Babe, calm down. You don’t want to do anything rash. Ty, do you want to explain or should I?” “You know what, go ahead! Explain to Devin, the one who got us into this whole damn mess, what happened!” Josie continued to explain the whole thing to me.

She said that we went out last night, down to The Banks, our favorite hangout spot. Said that we brought some beer with us and we all got a little too drunk. The Josie reminded me that Corey was with us. Corey was Tyler’s boyfriend, not that many people knew. It wasn’t like most people were very accepting about things like that. He told us about a year ago, and we were all ok with it. Erika still hangs out with us even though Ty left her, having to explain everything. And the funny thing is, Corey and Erika became best friends. Never would have thought would have happened, but, hey. 

Corey came with us everywhere. He was one of us now. I wonder where he went after last night? It was a little concerning seeing that he wasn’t with us. He went anywhere Tyler went, so if Tyler was with us then Corey should be too. 

“Josie, where did Corey go last night after we left The Banks?” The amiss look that came across her face was quite unsettling. “Are you telling me you don’t remember what happened to Corey?” What does she mean what happened to Corey!?! “Dev, he’s dead… y-you killed him!” “I WHAT!?! What do you mean? I didn’t kill him!” She just gave me a sad brief look, but it also looked like there was some terror in her eyes too. “Babe, I told you we all got a little to drunk and you where saying some things that upset Tyler. Corey got all upset with you for hurting Ty, and he told you to stop. Well, you didn’t, you sort of got up and in his face and started yelling so he punched you. That pissed you off, so you punched him back and then you guys started fighting. Tyler tried to break it up but things just got way out of hand. You drug Corey over to the water a-and you shoved his face in. He was s-screaming and struggling against you b-but you wouldn’t let go. And th-then he just w-went limp and �" Oh I just can’t talk about it Devin.” 

There is no way that I could have killed him, I mean we were great friends. We would hang out all the time and we literally never fought. There is just no way. And if I did really kill him, why am I not in a jail cell right now? If I killed a man, then I should go to jail, I should fess up! I need to call the cops.

“Ty, oh I am so, so sorry. I am going to call the cops and we are going�"” “Oh no your not, you already killed Corey. I am not letting you drag all of us down with you.” What is he talking about? “Tyler, what do you mean? I’m the one that killed him, not you, I am the only one who is going to get charged with anything.” Erika then looked at Josie with sudden surprise. “Josie, why didn’t you tell him the whole thing? Devin, it’s not just you who did some bad things last night. We all did. After you k-kill �" well, after the thing happened we had to get rid of the body somehow. We couldn’t just let it sit there in the water. So once he d-died, we helped you and Tyler get rid of Corey. We decided that it wouldn’t be a good idea to just leave him at The Banks, so we put him in the car. You said that we could sit him down next to you since you where the one that killed him and then we drove down to the old quarry.”

“We figured that since no one swims there anymore that it would be a good place to dumb the body. You where completely out of it, you had way too much to drink and you where also really   shaken by what you just did. To be honest, you almost jumped off the ledge yourself. Josie was the only thing that kept you from jumping.” Both Josie and Erika were crying. They had just lost one of their greatest friends. Then I looked over at Tyler, he was sitting on the motel bed just looking at his feet. I, his closest friend since the first grade, killed his lovely Corey. I don’t think he is ever going to forgive me, ever. “Look Ty, I don’t know why I did it. I wasn’t thinking right, I had way too much to drink and things just got way out of hand. If I can do anything to make you forgive me, just let me know. Please, I am so sorry!”

“Just forget about it, Dev, he’s gone. He’s not coming back… just forget about it.” Out of all the years I have known Tyler, I have never seen him cry, never. This was the first time that I ever saw tears come out of his eyes. “Tyler, I think Erika was right, we need to get out of here. I just can’t stay here any longer. And she’s right, if someone found his body then it is not a wise decision to stay here.”

❧ 

We left the motel that night, we all collectively agreed that it would be best if we did. Not only did we leave Cambrook, but we also left Corey that night. And we never got to say our true goodbyes. The one thing that we didn’t discuss when we left is if we were ever going to go back. And to be honest, at that point I don’t think any of us thought we were. 

“Ty, where exactly are we going again?” Erika asked while yawning. “I don’t know Erika, I am just trying to get us out of here before anything worse happens. I don’t really care where we go either, as long as it’s far away from here.” Tyler is having the hardest time out of all of us, and I don’t blame him. “Erika I can sit up front it you want to sleep in the back. Is that ok Josie?” Josie gave me a puzzled look, I realized I had just woken her up. “Tyler pull over so the girls can sleep in the back. Maybe we should find another motel or something so we aren’t stuck here in the car the whole time.” He kept looking ahead while he answered me. “Sure, if I remember correctly there is a Marriott in a few miles, we can stay the night and then I want to get the hell out of there.”

We went to the Marriott, both Josie and Erika were asleep when we got there, so Tyler got the room and then came out to the car and helped me bring them to the rooms. When we got them up there, we put the tv on and we tuned it to the local news channel. That’s when Tyler and I lost it. 

“There has been a body discovered in the old Cove Quarry in Cambrook. Officials aren’t sure the cause of death yet, but an autopsy report is in the works. Stay tuned to find out more, I’m Tiffiny Shrould on Channel 6 News.” The look of terror and hurt that went across Tyler’s face was terrifying. “Look Tyler, they don’t even know how he died yet, it’s going to be ok.” “OK, YOU THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE OK!” He screamed. “I loved him, Devin, and you took him away from me! He was one of the best things that ever happened to me, and then you killed him! And we just through his body away like it was nothing! This was all to save you a*s and, no we are not all going down just because you got pissy and killed him! Corey will NEVER get to walk this ground again and here you say that everything is going to be ok! This is not ok!” 

All of Tyler’s yelling woke up the girls, “Ty, Ty calm down. He was just trying to reassure you. They might not even figure out what really happened. Just calm down.” Tyler looked appalled. “I would rather than find out what happened so his a*s end’s up in jail.” I looked him straight in the eye. “Well Ty, if my a*s ended up in jail so will yours. You and everyone else in this room were accomplices, you helped dispose of the body so I’m not the only one who is going if we get caught.”

Tyler went on and on all night, he would start yelling and then he would start crying and no one could make him stop. First it was about how much he hated me and that he was going to kill me and then it was about how much he loved Corey and that he is never coming back. It was really quite sad, and made me feel like a dick for killing him. It really was eating away at me that I can’t remember a single thing from that night. Also the fact that I can’t turn myself in. 

❧ 

“Erika, it’s going to be ok. Just calm down, everything is going to be just fine.” Josie told Erika consolingly. “How can you say that this is going to be ok?!? They found Corey’s body and then they're going to find us. We helped him Josie, we helped Devin get rid of Corey.”She was out on the balcony with Josie trying to gather herself.  All she could think about was that night. 

“Haha, oh god be carful, don’t fall into the water Dev!” “It’s fine Babe, I’m not going to fall in, and plus if I did all that would happen is I’d get wet.” We headed done to The Banks that night, just looking for a good time. All of us came along, me, Josie, Devin, Tyler and Corey. The Banks was our unusual hang out spot, whether we were as a group or one of us just needed to get away. 

We were all drinking alot, not really giving a care in the world. But then Devin started to talk with Tyler. “Hey, Ty! You remember last year when you broke up with Erika?” Erika gave Devin this look of disgust. “Dev, don’t bring that up, he has a hard enough time about Corey without you having to remind him.” Devin just laughed at her. “Oh, calm down Erika! Do you remember Tyler?” Tyler answered without looking at him. “Yeah Dev, I remember… why are you asking?” 

Devin continued to antaganize Tyler about last summer, which then pissed Corey off. “Devin, just shut up! Erika’s right, he has a hard enough time without you being a dick about it!” “Really Corey, honestly I’m just joking around. Chill!” Devin laughed. “Really, because it doesn’t seem like you are joking around. Just cut it out ok?” But Devin didn’t, he just kept going on and on until Corey had enough.

Devin got all up in Corey’s face and started yelling at him, telling him that he wasn’t doing anything wrong and that he stop telling him what to do. Then Corey punched him in the face. Corey was a strong guy, but so was Devin, so the punch did some damage, but Devin was pissed. He punched Corey back and both of them started full out fighting. 

I had never seen those two fight before. Out of all the time that Corey had dated Tyler and hung out with us, I had honestly never seen him fight with anyone. But that changed that night, I don’t think that I have ever seen two people fight as much as they did. And it was really surprising because I had never seen either of them that angery. 

But then things got out of hand. Devin started to pull Corey over to the creek and Corey was fighting back with all of his might. He just couldn’t stop Devin, no one could. He kicked Corey’s feet out from under him and he fell to the ground. That was when he shoved corey in the water. He pushed his face into it, clearly not thinking straight. And he just didn’t lift him up, even after all of us tried to stop it.

“Devin! STOP! Get of of him, you’re going to kill him! Devin let go, oh god stop hurting him!” We where all screaming begging him to stop and Tyler was even trying to pull Devin off of Corey, but he couldn’t. Then all of a sudden Corey just went limp, he stopped trashing against the water and trying to break free from Devin’s grasp. That was when Devin finally let go of him. “Ok Corey, you’ve made your point. You can get up now.” Devin said condescendingly. “ Seriously, Corey get up!”

“Dev, Devin y-you killed him!” I don’t think he realized what he did. He just started to laugh, and then when he lifted Corey’s body out of the water the relization hit his face. “Oh my god! I killed him, I killed Corey! Oh s**t, oh my god. What are we going to do?” Tyler walked over to Corey’s body then. “What did you do Devin!?!” 

Tyler told us that we had to get rid of Corey’s body. I tried to tell him that we needed to call the cops but he just looked at me and said, “No, I am not going to turn Devin in. Come on we need to think and get rid of him fast.” He wasn’t thinking correctly, his best friend had just killed his boyfriend and it was just to much of a shock to him. We helped him get rid of the body, and we almost lost two of us that night. 

Once we got down to the old Quarry we hauled Corey’s corpse to the ledge and just through him off. Devin was about to jumb off of the ledge once we tossed Corey. Josie talked him out of it but just barley. Not only did we lose Corey, but we also lost all of our innocence and a part of each of us.