Under The Weeping Willow

"Shane, I need to tell you something?"

I put down my book to look at Lydia. "Okay, what's up?"

"I know what happened to Kellin." 

"What do you mean you know what happened to Kellin?

"I heard my brother and his friends talking in his room last night and they know where he is. They said he's in the next town over, but he is planning on pinning his disappearance on Olivia."

My head was spinning. Kellin is alive, and this was all part of a scheme to get back at Olivia. We had search parties, we all got pulled in for questioning, we donated our profits from the art show to his family. "Wait, he's okay? Why is he blaming it on Olivia, why would he want to ruin her life like that?"

"Because of prom."

I forgot all about prom. Olivia was Kellin's date to the senior prom this year and they got King and Queen. There was one problem though, the King caught his Queen making out with his best friend under the bleachers in the gym. Alex, his best friend, and Kellin got in this huge fight in the middle of prom. The cops were called and both were arrested. Three weeks later is when Kellin mysteriously came up missing.

"We have to tell someone, Lydia. This will ruin Olivia's life, and she had no part in this."

Lydia grabbed my shoulders and shook me a bit. "Shane, look at me, we cannot tell anyone."

"We have to."

"Secret tree oath."

"Lydia, you can't just-"

"Secret tree oath."

"Fine, I promise to the weeping willow and you that I will not tell anyone."

-

We left the weeping willow not long after the conversation. I knew I had to tell someone about this, but she called the secret tree oath and I can't break that. Lydia would never forgive me. This is bigger than her and I though. This is someone else's future in our hands right now, and we can do something to help.

It is three o'clock in the morning right now, and I cannot sleep at all. I keep weighing my options in my head and I know what I have to do, but that means that I may be losing Lydia in the process. I have made up my mind. At noon, I will go tell the police what I know. I will leave Lydia's name out of it, but this is what I have to do.

- 

A week after I told the cops, they found Kellin hiding in a friend's attic. Lydia is upset with me but understood why I came forward. Kellin is facing charges for faking his disappearance and will most likely be charged. I can't help but think about what would have happened if I didn't tell the truth. As I lay under the weeping willow alone, I know that I did the right thing and that the truth will always prevail.