Betrayal

I'm Daray, and this is my story of what happened the night I lost my best friend and my life. It was June 26, 1982, the last day of high school. My best friend Desmond and I were so excited, not because the summer was ahead of us, but we finally were high school graduates! We were finally free, and nothing felt better than freedom. There was a big party happening at night, Desmond and I went to her house to get ready and get our booze. Her parents wouldn't be home, so we raided their liquor bar.

"Daray, what are our big plans for this summer?" Desmond asked.

"I've been thinking about that, and I have an amazing idea! Let's go on a road trip and get the hell out of this small town."

"Dar, are you sure you want to go on a road trip? I mean, well, I'm not sure, we don't have any money, and where would we go?" Desmond nervously replied.

"Desmond, that is the point. We take off and let fate decide where it should take us! I have the money covered, I'll take my parent's credit card, and I've got a bit of money in my savings."

"Did you get in another fight with your parents, Dar? Is that why you want to take off and end up in the middle of nowhere?" Desmond asked.

"I don't want to spend the rest of my life in this small town when we could be out exploring what else is out there. I cannot end up like my mom! She's alone, works at Harry's Hardware, while my dad's a cheating alcoholic. This isn't the life for me!"

Desmond was intently looking at Daray, "Alright, tomorrow we'll head for the open road and let fate take us where we belong!" Desmond's response made me smile. She was my best friend and partner in crime! I finally was getting out of this small town and never looking back!

"Fate!" I screamed. We both began to laugh and plan our road trip.

Seven-thirty came around fast. We walked over to the party.

"Des, we can't tell a single soul about us leaving in the morning." Desmond nodded her agreement. "Okay, let's go have fun and get boozed up!" We laughed as we made our way to the bush party. As we got closer, we could see many of the idiots from our school already drunk and acting like dummies. I was never going to miss this.

"Well, well, well, Daray and Desmond, glad to see you made it. How can I help you ladies?" asked Dalton Travis. He was probably one of the people I hated the most in the school, besides his sidekick Brian Thomas, who was equally stupid.

I grabbed Desmond's elbow and pulled her off to the side. "Want to play a prank on Dalton and Brian?" I asked.

"You bet. What are we going to do?"

"Okay, here's the plan. We will pretend that we are interested in hooking up with them tonight. There buzzing now, so we will wait till they are drunk and then lead them further into the bush and get them to take off their clothes, then we will grab their clothes and run!" I said excitedly.

"I love this plan! I'll take Brian, and you take Dalton. I can't handle him." We smiled at each other and walked back over to Dalton and Brian, who both had huge smiles on their faces.

"What the hell are you smiling at? I asked Dalton.

"You want me! I can tell!"

I smiled at him flirtatiously. "I think you need another drink. Let's go get one." I took Dalton by the hand, and we walked to the cooler with beer and cheap coolers. I pulled out a beer for Dalton and tricked him into shotgunning it. I grabbed him another beer to drink. The quicker they got drunk, the sooner Desmond and I could pull off the prank. I heard laughing behind me, and it was Desmond and Brian. I was perplexed because it looked like Desmond was flirting and enjoying talking to Brian.

"Hey Des, can I talk to you?" I grabbed her arm a little aggressively and pulled her away from Dalton and Brian. "What the hell are you doing? You're flirting with Brian, and you're supposed to be getting him drunk!" I barked.

"Daray, calm down! You told me to act interested, so I am," she replied.

"You're acting way too interested! Go with Dalton. He's almost hammered. I'll take care of Brian."

"But Dar…"

"Go, Desmond. Now!" I ordered. Sometimes I was really controlling, but Desmond was an amateur at pranking, and the prank only would work if both Dalton and Brian were hammered. Desmond was always referred to as the good one, and I was the bad influence, but we had been best friends since kindergarten and still had each other's back.

In ten minutes, both Dalton and Brian were hammered. It was time to lead them further into the bush. The boys were clueless and thought they were going to get lucky. Further in the bush was a small creek with running water. I decided this was an excellent spot to pull of the prank. I gave Dalton and Brian a drink I had in my bag and added a crushed sleeping pill to the drink. After 5 minutes of finishing the drink, the boys passed out.

"What the hell was in that drink, Dar?" Desmond asked.

I ignored her question. "Okay, Des, let's strip them down and tie them up and put them in the creek halfway. Grab the rope and tie Brian's legs up and his wrists behind his back."

"This is wrong, Dar! This wasn't the plan! We can't put them in the creek. They'll freeze."

"Desmond, you're worrying too much. They'll be fine. It's a warm night, and they won't be too far in the creek." Desmond was such a worrier, but I was carefree and figured what happens, happens. I was a big believer in fate. But maybe if I didn't believe in fate so much, I wouldn't be where I am now.

"Alright, the knots are tied, Dar, now what?" Desmond quietly asked.

"Let's roll them right to the edge of the water, and we'll leave them there. The water is cool for an end-of-June night." Desmond nodded and rolled Brian right to the edge. Once we picked up their clothes and threw them away, we left them and joined the party. At midnight Desmond and I decided to go home. We had to pack and wanted to get an early start in the morning. We never checked on Dalton and Brian or even gave them another thought.

Beep. Beep. Beep. My alarm clock went off at 5:30 am, and Desmond would be here in half an hour. I got up, got dressed, and finished packing my bags. My parents hadn't gotten in till 4 am, so they'd be passed out till almost 5 pm. I brought my bags out to the front porch and went back into the house. I went through my dad's wallet and found $300. Next, I checked my mother's purse and found another $500 and her credit card. I took the money and credit card and went back out to the porch to wait for Desmond.

Desmond was late. She arrived at 6:15 am, which had me anxious. "You're late! "I stated.

"I know. I had some problems with the car."

"For a minute, I thought you weren't going to show up and that you chickened out. I was pissed."

"Dar, I'm here. Come on, let's go before your parents wake up!" I threw my bag in the backseat and got into the passenger seat. By 6:18 am, we were on our way to freedom and the best summer of our lives. It was a beautiful sunrise, and it felt good to have the windows down and the wind blowing through our hair.

"I feel like Thelma and Louise, except we haven't killed anybody," I said.

"Or robbed," Desmond added.

"Well, I found $700 in my parent's wallet and purse and stole my mother's credit card, and we are driving your dad's car. So technically, we've robbed people." I said with a smile on my face. We both laughed.

After a few minutes, Desmond asked, "Have you heard from Dalton or Brian or heard anything about them?"

"Nope, and I don't care. But I would have loved to see their faces when they woke up this morning." Desmond nodded. We decided not to discuss Dalton or Brian anymore and continued to drive. We decided to stop somewhere to get lunch at noon since we were starving and hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday. Since we were in the middle of nowhere, there weren't many options. We stopped at a little restaurant on the side of the road. You could tell that people were skeptical of the unfamiliar. We got many nervous looks. Desmond pointed to a table in the back out of the eyesight of the restaurant regulars. I nodded my agreement. The waitress that served us was nice enough, and the food wasn't anything to write home about, but it did the trick.

"Dar, look at the paper," Desmond said in a shaky voice. I grabbed the paper on the table next to us and was horrified when I saw the front page picture and headline. The front page was filled with images of Dalton and Brian. The headline read: Foreplay Gone Wrong. One dead and one in critical condition.

"Oh my God! That can't be…"

"It is Dar, it is! We killed someone!" Desmond said a little hysterically.

The waitress came over to refill our waters. She saw the newspaper on the table. "Isn't that just a horrible story? So sad what some twisted pervert did to those boys." We nodded our agreement. When the waitress walked away, I began to read the story. It was hard to get through. I was feeling sick to my stomach.

"Dalton is in the hospital in critical condition and…" I could feel all the blood rush to my head. "Brian is dead." I glanced up at Desmond, who was ghostly pale.

"What do we do now, Daray? We are murderers."

"We do nothing. No one knows it was us. The paper says that Dalton is in a coma and most likely in a vegetative condition. He will never be able to rat us out."

"How can you be so calm? We murdered Brian and ruined Dalton's life. He's as good as dead now too!"

"The paper says Brian drowned, and Dalton was halfway in the water, and they could revive him. We didn't put them in that water, and we didn't kill them."

"Daray, we drugged them, took their clothes, tied them up, and put them at the edge of the creek. We are murderers."

"Enough, Desmond! We can't let this ruin our lives. We are alive and need to go on. Let's forget this moment and never mention Dalton or Brian again. Promise me we are done thinking and talking about this subject!"

"Fine. I promise." Desmond snapped as she took a sip of her water and looked out the window. She couldn't make eye contact with me. In a few hours or days, I hoped she'd get over it and see my point of view.

Trying to add some humor to the situation, I said, "I guess now we are Thelma and Louise. Let's not drive the car off a cliff, though."

"Dar, do me a favor and shut up." Desmond angrily said as she got up and walked out of the restaurant. I went to pay our bill.

When I left the restaurant, I could see Desmond was on the payphone. I walked over and sat down on a bench nearby and listened in on her conversation.

"Hi mom, it's Des. I'm calling you to tell you I'm okay. Daray is with me, and I don't want you to worry about me.

"Desi, what are you thinking running off like this? Just come back, sweetie. I miss you." Desmond's mom pleaded with her.

"Mom, I love you."

"Desi, you need to come home. Have you heard about Dalton and Brian? Cops have been asking tons of questions about last night," her mom informed her.

"Have they been to the house?" Desmond asked.

"Yes, they just left. Desi, what is going on? They said you and Daray were the last people seen with them, and everyone at the party saw you walk into the bush with them and then 30 minutes later walk out without them. This doesn't look good, Desi."

"Shit. I got to go, mom. Don't tell anyone you've talked to me. I love you. Bye," Desmond hung up the phone and turned to Daray.

"The cops came to my home, Daray, asking about my involvement with Dalton and Brian at the party last night because they have witnesses that saw you and me with them! And our fleeing this morning does not look good!"

"What do you want to do, Desmond? We can't ever tell the truth. We'd be finished. It wasn't intentional. We can say we were with them. We fooled around and were getting too rowdy, so we left them to join the party. We have no clue how they died."

"We are turning this car around and heading back home, Dar." I nodded in agreement because I had no other choice. The 4-hour drive was extremely quiet. Desmond couldn't even look at me. How was it fair that this stupid prank was potentially going to ruin my friendship and life? I hated Dalton and Brian. Even in death, they were assholes.

We entered the town, and I felt a wait enter my chest. "Are we clear on what we are going to tell the cops and our parents about Dalton and Brian?"

"Clear. What's our story for fleeing early this morning?" Desmond asked. Her tone was so cold, and it worried me.

"We tell them the truth. We had planned to take a road trip this summer. "Desmond nodded and drove me to my house. As we pulled up, we noticed a police cruiser in the driveway.

"I don't want to go to jail, Daray."

"Calm down, Des, if we keep our stories straight and stick to the plan. We will be fine." Desmond just nodded to me and drove away as soon as I got out of the car without saying anything else.

I took a deep breath and made my way to the front door. When I entered the house, my parents and a female officer greeted me at the door.

"Daray, I'm guessing. I'm Officer Shelby. Can I ask you a few questions?" she asked. I could tell she already thought I was guilty before knowing any of the facts.

"Can I sit down first?" I sarcastically asked as I walked past Officer Shelby towards the living room and sat down on the couch. "What questions do you have for me?"

"First, you are aware that two young men from your high school class were found early this morning, one dead, one with life-threatening injuries?" Officer Shelby asked. She continued before I could respond. "I'm finding it coincident that you and your friend Desmond were the last two to be seen with Dalton and Brian last night and that this morning you fled town. Did you leave town this morning because you realized you were a murderer?"

"We are not murderers. We left that party at midnight, and both Dalton and Brian were alive and well when we left. As far as leaving town this morning, Desmond and I planned to do a road trip this summer. Get out and experience life besides in this small town. If we had killed Brian or injured Dalton, would we of returned when we heard the news? If we were fleeing, would I be sitting here talking to you?"

Officer Shelby gave me a cold smile and nodded. "Don't leave town again, Daray. We will be in touch. " Then the officer walked to the front door and left. I knew she was going to go and talk to Desmond. I was worried Desmond wouldn't be able to lie. She never was good at it. But I also knew she would try for me. I decided not to worry and made my way to bed before my parents began to bug me.

Ding. Dong.

Desmond got up to answer the door. She knew in her gut it would be the police. Her gut was right.

"Are you Desmond? " the officer asked.

"Yes, I am. How can I help you? "

"I'm Officer Shelby. Can I come in and ask you a few questions?" Desmond nodded, and Officer Shelby came into the house. Desmond gestured to sit down on the couches in the living room. They both took a seat across from each other. "Let's not waste any time. What was your reason for fleeing town early this morning? Did you know you killed Brian and put Dalton in a coma? Is that why you and Daray packed your bags, stole a car and money, and left town?"

Desmond was nervous. "Officer Shelby, I didn't murder anyone. Daray asked me to go on a road trip this summer with her, and that's why we left town. We wanted to get an early start on our summer fun, not because we were hiding or fleeing something." Desmond answered.

"You're good, Desmond, but not as good as your friend. You can tell that she has no conscience, but you, I sense you want to tell the truth. You know what happened to Dalton and Brian. You are responsible for their condition, and it's eating at you. Just tell me the truth, Desmond, you killed Brian!"

"I…I…I did not murder anyone! I didn't harm anyone!" Desmond shouted.

"Are you sure, Desmond? You had a little hesitation there. That confirms that you know why those boys ended up drugged, naked, tied up, and near a creek. Tell me the truth, Desmond, and I'll make sure you don't go to jail." Officer Shelby stated.

Desmond's mom was eavesdropping, "Desi, if you know or are responsible, baby, you need to tell the truth," she said with tears in her eyes.

"But...but I promised Daray I'd stick to her plan." Desmond stated and looked down at her fidgety hands. "If I tell you, I won't go to jail?" Desmond asked Officer Shelby.

"Correct, we will enter you on a plea bargain. You might need to go to a correctional institute, but you'll avoid life in prison. Tell me the truth, Desmond."

Desmond only felt slightly guilty for not sticking to Daray's plan, but she needed to look out for herself. "When Daray and I got to the party, Daray thought it would be fun to play a prank on Dalton and Brian to get them back for the years of torment. She got them drunk and used her mother's sleeping pills to drug them. She then had us lead them to the water and had us tie their hands and feet and leave them at the edge of the creek."

"Who tied Brian up and put him in the water?" Officer Shelby asked.

Desmond's gut told her if she told the whole truth, she'd be going to jail even if the officer had told her she wouldn't. She was the one who tied Brian up. She murdered Brian. But she couldn't go to jail. "Daray tied them both up. I was panicking because that wasn't supposed to part of our prank. I helped her move them to the edge of the creek, but they were never put in the water."

"So there we have it. Thank you, Desmond. You've done the right thing. But we will need to bring you into the station and get your statement In writing." Desmond nodded and stood up. Officer Shelby cuffed her hands in front of her. Once in the back of the cruiser, Desmond put her head into her hands and began to cry.

It was 12:01 when Officer Shelby showed up to escort me out and into the cruiser. I knew Desmond couldn't stay strong and had cracked. I didn't hate her for it. But I didn't understand why she wasn't in the cruiser with me.

It took a month for my sentencing. I was sentenced to a corrections facility for the mentally ill, or the "nuthouse," as I called it. I didn't think I was crazy, but the judge and psychologists thought I was. Being sentenced to the nuthouse was better than life in jail, I guess.

And where is Desmond, you ask? We'll that liar was committed to a "nut house" because she did go crazy. She had the guilt of betraying and pinning everything about Brian's death on me.

I was released nine months after being sentenced because they needed a space for really crazy people, and I had been on my best behavior. Being out in the real world has its challenges, sure it's nice not to be confined to a cell anymore, but I feel like I'm living a life sentence. Everywhere I go, I can feel people's eyes on me. They're judging me and condemning me. No one knows the truth. My so-called best friend betrayed me and put all the blame on me to absolve herself.

I know the truth. She tied those knots so tight that Brian and Dalton couldn't get out of them. She's the real murderer, not me. I guess her fate rests in her hands, and it's poetic justice that she drove herself crazy.

We'll see what fate has in store for me.

The End.