Tormented Secret

         

         Her sercrets finally caught up with her. Her lies surrounded her, drowning her, making it unable for her to breathe. She kept it bottled up for so long, all her emotions starting overflowing. It was pouring from her eyes, seeping through her pores, leaking out an open wound. The day it all had began to unfold, was one year after her friends mysterious death. Megan had been with her friend that horrible night, but she held back the truth of what really happened. She locked it away deep inside of her, determined to not let anyone find out.

         Anna's death was shocking for everyone. Everyone except Megan. The police couldn't figure out whether her death was an accident, suicide, or homicide. With no clues, or leads, the case was dropped, left to be unsolved. Life moved on though, and Anna became a distant memory to people around her. She was never forgotten to Megan though. She was always there in the back of her mind, haunting her, pleading her to let the truth be told.

         "Come on, Megan! Please go with me?" begged Anna. "It will be fun, I promise." It was the biggest party of the year. The after party of graduation. There would be free booze, loud music, cute guys. "You cant miss out on this! We did it. We finally graduated. This is the time to live it up, not be a stick in the mud. Please." Anna had become a pro at the puppy dog eyes, and was using it to her advantage.

         "Don't give me that look! Im not a stick in the mud, I've just got lots of packing to do, ya know? I leave in a week, Anna."

         "Which is all the more reason to go have some fun before you go off to college and leave me."

         "Im not going to leave you. I told you, we will still see each other."

         "Please Megan. Go with me just this one time?" They stared at each other for a long moment, and Megan reluctanly agreed. Anna ran over and hugged her, jumping up and down with excitment. "You're the best!"

         "I know, I know. You dont have to remind me." Both girls laughed, and Anna playfully punched her in the arm. They ran up to her room to find something to wear. They were the same size, and could easily fit each others clothes. An hour later, they were in the car driving to what was supposed to be the best night of there lives, but had ended up being a disaster.

         "We"re here! Lets drink up, and get this party started," Anna screamed as she charged through the door. Actually, the party was in full swing. People were dancing everywhere, all holding a red plastic cup in there hands. Music rang through the whole house, making the floor vibrate under their feet. They walked into the kitchen to get their own cup of alcohol.

         "Loosen up, Megan. Have some fun. Here drink this," Anna said grinning, passing her a cup. Megan gulped it down, and started coughing. Anna laughed, which made Megan laugh. It also made her want more, and she chugged down a second cup. Anna swallowed a cup herself, and refilled hers. Then they went off to the middle of the floor and started dancing. At first, they were dancing with each other. Then, somewhere in the middle of it all, they ended up dancing with some guys they'd known since freshman year. They lost track of time, and how long they had been there. They were tripping over everything, not able to get their balance. They couldnt stop laughing, either. It was about four in the morning when the party started rapping up. People started leaving, and they decided to head out too. The house was trashed, and some people were even passed out on couches and the floor. Others were still drinking and dancing. Anna and Megan said goodbye to their friends, and headed out the door. There were both wasted, and there was no way either of them could drive. The considered calling somebody, but decided against it. They thought they could walk home. They thought the fresh air would do them good, and sober them up a little. Both the girls were too drunk to try to attempt any conversation, so they stumbled home in silence.

         "Lets go to the bridge? I dont wanna go back home yet, and we need to sober up some before we get back to your house. In case someone's up," Anna slurred out. Megan nodded, and they made there way to a bridge that over looked a body of water. It was where they went sometimes to think, and have heart to heart conversations. It was their safe place. They normaly went at sunset, or sunrise when the water refelcted what was in the sky, making the scene look like it belonged in a movie. The sun was rising about the time they got there. They had relaxed alittle, and were able to comprehend what they were saying.

         The road was vacant, as it usually was. It was a back road to some deserted town that nobody every went to, so there was no reason to drive on the bridge. They sat down on the railing, wobbling alittle, and let there feet hang off the edge.

         "I-its so beaut-tiful," Meagan stammered.

         'It is. Sometimes I just want to jump off the edge and fly away." Anna stood up as she was finishing her words. Apprently, she was alittle more drunk than she thought she was. Megan stood up at the same time, who was also more dizzy than she thought. Megans footing slipped on the railing, and she fell on Anna who was trying to balance herself. She didnt balance herself quick enough though, and her foot slipped off the edge, and she fell from the bridge. Her scream peirced Megans ears, as she stood looking at her friend in horror. Anna's body plopped into the water, but she didnt come up. This time, Megan was screaming. She franticly yelled out for help, searching for anyone that might be near by, but the place was secluded. Then, it dawned on her what she had done. She had just killed her best friend. She looked around, hoping nobody was there, watching what had just happened. Megan climbed back over the railing, peeking at where her friends lifeless body was one more time, then ran all the way home tears spilling from her eyes. She never looked back.

         Cops were knocking on her door two days later when Anna never went home.

         "You were the last person to be seen with her. You must know something that has happened?" A chubby cop was staring her up and down, studying her every move.

         'No, sir. I already told you. When we left the party we went separate ways. I dont know anything." Megan averted her eyes away from his. She lowered her head, and her brown hair fell in her face. She was grateful for the cover, becasue the look on her face would give her away.

         "Why would you go separate ways though? You were both coming back to your house werent you?"

         "Honestly, i dont know. We were really drunk, and we didnt know what we were doing."

         "I think that's enough for the day. Megan just lost her best friend and she has to be going through alot right now, and these questions are only going to make things worse. I hope that your not suggesting that my daughter is a suspect?" Megans mom gave the cop a hard, cold stare, obviously telling the cop to back off. He understood the message.

         "Of course not ma'am, but your daughter was the last person to be seen with the victim." He was looking at Megan now, and she felt as if his eyes could see straight into her soul. "If you remember anything, you give me a call." He handed her a small white card, that had his number written across the top. She turned it and showed him to the door. He glanced at her one more time, his eyes saying he knew she knew more than she was saying. He left, and Megan went up to her room and cried softly in her pillow for hours, until she fell asleep. When she woke, it was dark in her room and her clock told her it was a little after midnight. She shot up from her bed, and ran to the bathroom. She lend over the toilet and let her night of partying fly out of her. After she went down to the kitchen, and took 3 advil hoping to stop her headache, she went outside. The cool air flooded all around her, and she wrapped her arms around her. She went and sat at the end of her driveway, and put her head inbetween her legs. She though about Anna the whole time, and if what happened was even true. She knew it was, but she still hoped her best friend would be driving up any minute, telling her to get in, and that they were going out. But that didnt happen, and it never would again.

         The one place that both Anna and her felt safe at, was now a place Megan had become to fear. She would never be able to go back there, especially after what she had done. She was still in shock, and didn't fully grasp what she did, or what was going to happen if anyone found out. She just knew it couldn't be good, so she had to try and deny that she knew anything, even if it killed her inside. Which it was. She felt guilty all the time. Anna was her best friend, and the fact that Megan killed her, was eating at her. But the fact that she had to lie about it, had made everything that much worse. Best friends are supposed to protect each other, not kill each other.

         A year went by, and Megan had sucessfully kept her secret,  slowly losing herself in the process. She never called the cop, so he came looking for her, wondering if she might remember anything about that night. Anna's body was found floating in the river, and when she had her funeral, Megan couldnt look anyone in the eye. Especially her parents. Annas parents didn't blame her, but they definitely did act different towards her. Everyone did. Even her mom . She lost most of her friends, and isolated herself from the rest of the world.

         Now, a freshman in college, Megan had other things to worry about. She thought she could let go of the past, and let go of Anna. She did well for about two months after entering college. Then, one day she was walking to her class, and bumped into a girl. The girl had bleach blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and freckles on her nose. She resembled Anna so much, she could almost be her twin. Megan stared, wide eyed in shock, mouth open.

         "Anna..?"

         "Um, excuse me?" Megan stared alittle closer and realized it wasnt Anna. She shook her head, and mumbled a quiet "Im sorry," and quickly walked away, tears crawling down her face. She skipped class that day, not wanting to run into the girl again. Afraid she might break down and confess everything. So, she started skipping class alot often, and her grades started to slip. She was failing, but she didn't care. She couldn't get Anna off her mind, and she couldnt let go of her guilt. She called her mom to ask if she could move back in, that she was dropping out of college. Her mom agreed, but only under the condition that Megan went back next year. Megan agreed, but she new that would never happen.

         Her mom opened her arms wide, and Megan ran into them, falling limp. She cried softly on her moms shoulder, and she ran a hand through her hair, saying it would be all right. No it wont, Megan thought, It wont be okay. Nothing will ever be okay again. Megan slugged around the house everyday, not doing anything. Her mom cleary noticed someting was wrong with her, but she didnt say anything. Instead, she mostly ignored it, letting Megan do what she wanted. Megans mom was oblivious of the date that was soon approaching, but Megan ceratainly wasnt. She dreaded what she was going to do, but in the back of her head she knew it was right and that it was what Anna wanted.

         Tomorrow would be the day that Anna died. The day Megan had killed her. She felt she kept this secret to long, and decided it was time she started telling the truth. But before she did, Megan wanted to go somewhere first. She wanted to go to where it all had started. She walked the short distance to the bridge where Anna and her had last been. She leaned over the railing, looking out into the open water, and the clear blue sky. She balanced her self on the pole, and she climed over and sat down, letting her feet dangle over the edge. She heard a car pull up, but didnt look back to see who it was. They didnt get out of the car, and Megan had a feeling what was coming. She heard it about five minutes later. A cop car pulling up, and knowing that a chubby man was getting out and slowly making his way toward her.

         "Megan?" she heard him say. By now, her eyes were filled with tears but she didnt bother wimping them away.

         "Its beautiful isnt it?" She gasped, remembering that she said the same thing to Anna that night. "Me and Anna use to come out here all the time. It was our secret getaway. We could confide in each other, confess our secrets here."

         "Megan. Come back over the railing and we can talk."

         Megan laughed at this. "Calm down, Its not like Im going to do anything," she snorted.

         The cop layed against the rail, which was rusty and chipping. He sighed, and took in his surroundings. He could understand why they came here. It was peaceful, and the scene was breathtaking.

         "Tomorrows one year ya know? Times gone by so fast. It felt like just yesterday that this all had happened. It just happened so fast, I had no time to react." Megan cried softly in her hands, and the cop waited patienly for her to finish, but he already suspected what she was about to say. She took in a deep breath, and summonded all her courage to say what she was about too. She put a hand to her heart, and said quietly to herself, "Anna, im so sorry. Please forgive me." She looked up into the sky, and then turnded her attention back to the cop. She stared him straight in the eye, and said, "It was an accident. I didnt mean to kill my best friend."