Full transcript
0:00The ambulance lights were spinning red
0:02across the water. Kieran lay on a
0:03stretcher and the paramedics ran. His
0:05right leg bent sideways at the knee and
0:07his mouth moved, but no [music] sound
0:09came out. I stood soaking wet with my
0:11arms shaking from holding him above the
0:13surface. Water dripped off my shirt onto
0:16the dirt and my fingers were cramped
0:17into claws from gripping his collar.
0:19Kieran was my best friend since third
0:21grade, and the last thing he did before
0:23the cliff was lend me his jacket because
0:25I was cold. His [music] jacket hung on
0:27my shoulders and he lay strapped to a
0:29stretcher with his leg bent wrong and I
0:31couldn't stop shaking because the last
0:32thing he looked at before his [music]
0:34eyes went blank was my face. Drew stood
0:36at the top of the cliff looking down
0:38with his hands in his [music] pockets.
0:39Will shoved his phone into his pocket
0:41with shaking fingers. Marco sat on a
0:44rock with his head between his knees.
0:45His hand opened and closed on his knee
0:48over and over like he kept trying to
0:50grab something [music] that wasn't
0:51there. The paramedic looked at me. What
0:53happened? My throat locked. Drew's eyes
0:55were on me from the top of the [music]
0:56cliff. He fell. The words came out
0:58before I could stop them and they tasted
1:00like metal. He fell off the cliff. He
1:02was jumping and he landed wrong. The
1:04[music] paramedic looked at Kieran's
1:05leg, then at the cliff, then at me. She
1:07didn't say anything. The ambulance doors
1:09closed and the siren started and the red
1:12lights swept across the lake one more
1:14time. And then the four of us were
1:15standing at the water's [music] edge in
1:17silence. I had just lied to a paramedic
1:19about what happened to my best friend.
1:21[music] The word fell sat in my mouth
1:23like something rotten, and the guilt
1:25landed on my shoulders so hard my knees
1:27almost buckled. Drew climbed down from
1:30the cliff and walked over and put his
1:31hand on my shoulder. Thanks for saying
1:33that. His hand was heavy. Drew cranked
1:35the music and took a turn so fast the
1:38cooler slid across the back seat and hit
1:40Marco in the ribs. Easy. We're
1:42celebrating. He slapped the steering
1:44wheel. The cabin belonged to his uncle.
1:462 hours from anything with cell service.
1:48Drew had been pushing this trip since
1:49the lake. We need to decompress all four
1:52of us. Guys, [music] weekend. Will
1:53scrolled his phone one last time before
1:55service dropped. I rode shotgun,
1:57gripping the door handle so hard the
1:59plastic creaked under my fingers. Drew
2:01sang along to the radio and every time
2:03he hit a high note, my stomach turned
2:05because this person pushed my best
2:06friend off a cliff, and he was singing
2:08like he was driving to the beach. Marco
2:10pressed his forehead against the glass
2:11and stared out the window. His hand
2:13still opened and closed on his knee. The
2:15dashboard clock said 900 p.m. I watched
2:18the service bars on my phone drop from 3
2:20to 2 [music] to 1 to nothing. The last
2:22bar disappeared and the screen went to
2:24no service and I shoved the phone in my
2:26pocket and gripped the door handle and
2:28stared at the road disappearing under
2:30the headlights [music] 2 hours from a
2:31signal. Every person in this car had
2:33done something wrong at that lake and we
2:35were driving into the dark together. The
2:37road deadended at a gravel clearing and
2:39the cabin sat small and dark behind a
2:41wall of pines. One room kitchen [music]
2:43against the back wall. two bunk beds, a
2:46wood stove with a fire poker hanging
2:47from a hook, a bathroom the size of a
2:49closet. Drew grabbed his bag and jogged
2:51ahead of us. I'll get the door. He
2:53disappeared around the side of the car
2:55while the rest of us pulled bags from
2:56the trunk. I heard a sound underneath
2:58the car, but I had the cooler in both
3:00hands, and I didn't think about it. Drew
3:02beat us inside by the time we walked up
3:04the steps. He dropped his bag on the
3:06bottom bunk and walked [music] to the
3:07kitchen and opened a drawer and looked
3:09inside and closed it. Then he started
3:11moving around the cabin, not unpacking,
3:13locking windows, every [music] window.
3:15One by one, he checked each latch with
3:18both hands and pulled the curtains shut.
3:20The cabin got darker with each one. Five
3:22windows, five curtains. By the last one,
3:25only the bare bulb lit the kitchen in
3:27the kitchen. Drew, what are you doing?
3:29He walked to the front door and turned
3:30the deadbolt. He pulled the key [music]
3:32out and put it in his pocket. He turned
3:34around. Nobody leaves until we deal with
3:36what happened at the lake. The [music]
3:38dread that had been sitting in my
3:39stomach since the ambulance doors closed
3:42finally solidified into something with
3:44edges. My mouth went dry. This wasn't a
3:46guy's weekend. This was a [music] trap.
3:48Drew, open the door when we're done.
3:50Done with what? Getting our story
3:52straight. He pulled a chair into the
3:53center of the room and sat down with his
3:55elbows on his knees. Kieran's [music]
3:57parents are filing a police report at
3:598:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Not an
4:01accident report, an assault charge. My
4:03stepfather called me this afternoon. We
4:05have until they walk into that station
4:06to get our story straight. The cabin had
4:08a clock on the kitchen wall. I looked at
4:10it. 10:15 p.m. We had less than 10
4:13hours. So, I need to know right now what
4:16each of you is going to say when the
4:17detective calls. Marco stood at the
4:19kitchen counter with his arms crossed
4:21and his face flushed. The truth. The
4:23truth is he jumped. He didn't jump,
4:25Drew. I was on the cliff. He said no
4:27three times and you put your hands on
4:29his back and pushed him. He was joking
4:31around. We were all pushing each other.
4:33His spine is damaged. The doctor said he
4:35might never walk again. That's because
4:37he landed wrong. He landed wrong because
4:39he wasn't ready because you pushed him.
4:41Marco shook so hard the words vibrated
4:43in his chest. I stood against the far
4:45wall with my arms crossed and my back
4:47pressed against the [music] wood. My
4:48heart hammered so hard Drew could
4:50probably hear it from the center of the
4:52room. Every word out of Drew's mouth
4:54landed [music] calm and measured, and
4:56every word out of Marcos came raw and
4:58shaking, and I was standing between them
5:00with my teeth clenched around the same
5:02lie I told the paramedic. Drew turned to
5:04Will. [music] What did you see? Will sat
5:06on the bottom bunk, gripping his phone
5:08with both hands. I [music] don't want to
5:09be here. What did you see, Will? I saw
5:11him standing at the edge and then he was
5:13falling. Did you see me push him? I
5:15don't know. It happened fast. Did you
5:17see my hands on his back? Will's
5:18knuckles were white on the phone. I was
5:20filming. The room went dead quiet.
5:22Marco's arms dropped. My breath stopped.
5:24You were filming? Drew's voice dropped
5:26to something low and dangerous. I film
5:28everything at the lake. I always do.
5:30Where's the video? On my phone. Drew
5:32held his hand out. Give it to me.
5:34[music] No. Drew stood up and the chair
5:36scraped across the wood floor and he
5:37took a step toward Will. I stepped
5:39between them and put my hand flat on
5:41Drew's chest. I could feel his heart
5:43beating fast [music] underneath the
5:44calm. Sit down. What did you see, Jace?
5:47I was in the water. I saw Kieran fall.
5:49His arms were flailing. He wasn't
5:50jumping. He was trying [music] to grab
5:52the cliff on the way down. You were 30
5:54ft below. You couldn't see clearly. I
5:56pulled him out, Drew. I held his head
5:58above water for 10 minutes while his leg
6:00was bent the wrong direction. He was
6:02looking at me and [music] he couldn't
6:03speak and you stood at the top of that
6:05cliff and watched. My voice cracked on
6:07the last word and I hated it because I
6:09didn't want Drew to see what this was
6:10doing to me. [music] Kieran was going to
6:12be my roommate. We had the dorm picked
6:14out. He was the only person I told when
6:16my parents got divorced and he was in a
6:18hospital bed because [music] the person
6:19sitting in this chair pushed him off a
6:21cliff. Drew pressed both hands flat on
6:23his knees. I need all three of you to
6:25say the same thing. He jumped. He landed
6:27wrong. I wasn't close enough to push
6:29him. The report gets filed at 8:00 a.m.
6:31That gives us tonight. The clock on the
6:33wall said [music] 10:45. Marco grabbed
6:36his jacket off the bunk and walked to
6:38the front door and twisted the deadbolt.
6:40It [music] didn't move. He tried the
6:41back door. Locked. He tried a window.
6:43Drew had flipped the security latches.
6:45He tried the next one. Same. He turned
6:47around with his face red and his hands
6:49balled into fists. You locked us in
6:51here. I locked us in here so we could
6:53talk. This isn't talking. This is a
6:55hostage situation. It's a conversation
6:57between four friends who need to agree
6:59on what happened before the police
7:01decide for us. I walked to the kitchen
7:03and looked out the window over the sink.
7:05Only Drew's car sat in the clearing. I
7:07pulled on my boots and climbed out the
7:09kitchen window. Drew [music] had missed
7:10this one. I dropped onto the dirt and
7:12walked around to the car and my stomach
7:14fell through [music] the ground. All
7:16four tires were slashed, cut to the rim.
7:18I knelt and touched the rubber. The cuts
7:20were clean, done with a [music] sharp
7:21knife. Drew jogged ahead when we arrived
7:24and said he would get the door. He
7:25didn't go to the door. He went to the
7:27tires. The sound I heard under the car
7:29while we grabbed the [music] bags was a
7:30knife going through rubber. I climbed
7:32back through the kitchen window and my
7:34hands were leaving bloody [music] prints
7:35on the sill from the gravel. The tires
7:37are slashed. Marco's face drained. Will
7:40stood up from the bunk. All four cut
7:42with a knife. He did it when we arrived
7:44while we were getting the bags out of
7:45the trunk. The clock said 11. 9 hours
7:48until the report. Nobody was walking 2
7:50hours to the highway in the dark. Drew
7:52walked to the kitchen and opened the
7:54same drawer he checked when we arrived
7:56and pulled out a utility knife. He set
7:58it on the table. My stepfather is a
7:59lawyer. He's already building my case.
8:01Kieran jumped. Three witnesses confirm
8:03it. And if we don't, Drew reached into
8:05his [music] bag and pulled out a manila
8:07folder. Printed photos, screenshots.
8:10Marco, remember summer camp? Marco's
8:12face drained. And [music] Will, that
8:14message you sent to your ex. He held up
8:15a printed screenshot. I screenshotted it
8:18before you deleted it. He fanned the
8:19photos across the table. Jace. His eyes
8:22found mine. Should I read yours out
8:24loud? My chest tightened because I knew
8:26exactly what was in [music] that folder.
8:27Since we're sharing, let's talk about
8:29what everyone did that day. He pointed
8:31at [music] Will. I told you the night
8:32before what I was going to do. You
8:34showed up with your phone ready. Marco
8:36spun toward [music] Will. He told you
8:37and you just showed up with your phone.
8:39I thought he was bluffing. Kieran
8:41trusted us, all of us. And you stood
8:43there filming. Drew pointed at Marco.
8:44[music] And you who bet Kieran a hundred
8:46bucks he wouldn't jump. You created the
8:48situation. I didn't push him off the
8:50edge. You put him at the top of a cliff
8:52for $100 and I finished it. Drew turned
8:54to me and Jace told the police he was
8:56underwater when it happened and didn't
8:58see the push. Marco stared at me. You
9:00lied. I was [music] scared of what? Of
9:02this. I pointed at the locked door and
9:04the slashed tires and the blackmail
9:06folder. Drew leaned back. I [music]
9:08pushed him. Will filmed it knowing it
9:10was coming. Marco bet him a hundred
9:11bucks to go up there. Jace lied to the
9:13police. Nobody in this room is clean.
9:15And he was [music] right. That was the
9:17thing that knocked the air out of me. I
9:19dropped onto the bunk and put my head
9:20between my knees because the room was
9:22spinning. Every single one of us had
9:24done something wrong and Drew was the
9:26only one being honest about it. I looked
9:28at the clock. Midnight, [music]
9:298 hours left. Will rocked on the bunk
9:31with his arms around his knees. I'll
9:33agree to anything. Just [music] let me
9:34go. Drew pulled out four sheets of typed
9:36paper on his stepfather's letterhead. A
9:38prepared statement for each of us. He
9:40set them on the table and clicked a pen.
9:42Sign this and you can walk out tonight.
9:44Will stood up and walked toward [music]
9:46the table. and my blood went cold
9:48because he was going to sign it. He was
9:50going to sign a legal document that said
9:52Kieran jumped [music] and we would be
9:53locked into that lie forever. His hand
9:55reached for the pen. I lunged and
9:57grabbed his [music] arm 6 in from the
9:59pen and yanked him back hard enough that
10:01he stumbled into the bunk. He's trying
10:03to lock you into a legal document you
10:05can't take back. Will's hand was
10:06shaking. I just want to go home. I know,
10:09[music] but not like this. Drew clicked
10:10the pen twice and set it down. The cabin
10:13went quiet for 10 seconds. Nobody
10:15[music] moved. Drew pressed both hands
10:16flat on the table and stared at the wood
10:19and his jaw started working before the
10:20words came. He was my friend. His
10:22[music] voice dropped. Loa, younger like
10:24the mask had cracked and underneath it
10:26was a 17-year-old kid who was drowning.
10:29He and I built a fort in these woods
10:30when we were 12. We fished off that
10:32cliff every summer. I think about the
10:34sound he made hitting the water every
10:36single night. I hear it when I close my
10:37eyes. His hands pressed into the table
10:40so hard the wood bent. Marco's arms
10:42uncrossed. Will stopped rocking for 3
10:44seconds. Nobody breathed and Drew looked
10:46like a scared kid sitting in the same
10:48woods where [music] he used to play with
10:50the person he put in the hospital.
10:51Something twisted in my chest because
10:53for one moment I almost felt sorry for
10:55him. He carried something that crushed
10:57him from the inside [music] out. Then
10:58his jaw tightened and the mask slid back
11:01on and his hand closed around the knife.
11:03But I'm not going to prison for it. He
11:05stood up. The chair scraped across the
11:07floor. Marco [music] grabbed the fire
11:08poker off the wood stove hook and held
11:10it across his body. Put the knife
11:12[music] down. Nobody needs to get hurt.
11:14You just need to sign. I'm not signing
11:16anything. Marco swung the poker and the
11:18sound it made cutting the air was the
11:20sound of the conversation being over.
11:22Drew ducked. The poker hit the window
11:24and [music] the glass exploded outward
11:26into the night. Cold air rushed in and
11:28the temperature in the cabin dropped 10°
11:30in 2 seconds. Drew lunged at Will
11:32[music] and grabbed for the phone. Will
11:34twisted and Drew's shoulder caught him
11:36in the chest and they crashed into the
11:38[music] bunk frame and the whole
11:39structure collapsed sideways. Wood
11:41splintered. The mattress slid. The phone
11:43bounced off the frame and skidded across
11:45the floor, spinning. I dove for it. Drew
11:47dove for it. Our hands collided on the
11:50floor and his fingers scraped across my
11:51knuckles. I got under the phone [music]
11:53and closed my fist around it and rolled
11:55onto my back. Drew loomed over me,
11:57breathing hard. [music] Give me the
11:58phone, Jace. I kicked him in the chest
12:00with both feet. He stumbled backward
12:02[music] into the table and the knife
12:03fell off the edge. I scrambled to my
12:05knees and grabbed it first. I stood in
12:07the kitchen holding a knife in one hand
12:09and a phone in the other.
12:10>> [music]
12:11>> Blood from the window glass ran down my
12:13palm onto the knife handle and my whole
12:15body was vibrating [music] with
12:16adrenaline. Drew blocked the only door.
12:19Will, Marco, window now. Will climbed
12:21through the broken glass. Marco
12:23followed. I backed toward the window
12:25with the knife out. Drew's voice dropped
12:27to a whisper. You haven't watched the
12:29video yet. You should see what kind of
12:30person Will really is. I turned and went
12:33through the window. Glass bit my palm. I
12:35hit the dirt running. The clock on the
12:37kitchen wall said 2:30 a.m. The woods
12:39were black. pine [music] branches
12:41slapping my face and arms hard enough to
12:43draw blood. My feet crashing through
12:45undergrowth behind me. The cabin door
12:47banged open. Drew had the spare key.
12:49Jace, his voice bounced off the trees. I
12:51ran harder with my lungs on fire. Will
12:54and Marco had gone left toward the road.
12:56I went right because Drew was between me
12:58and the road. His footsteps crashing
13:00through the brush behind me. Closer. I
13:02ducked behind a fallen log and pressed
13:04myself flat against the ground. pine
13:06needles in my mouth and dirt grinding
13:08into my cheek and a root digging into my
13:10ribs. My hand pressed flat over the
13:13phone in my pocket to keep the screen
13:14from glowing through the fabric. His
13:16[music] footsteps slowed. He stood 30 ft
13:18away, walking, listening. Jace, I know
13:21[music] you're close. He kicked the log
13:22next to mine and dirt sprayed across my
13:24face. I held my breath and my heart
13:26slammed so loud the whole forest could
13:28hear it. Just watch the video, please.
13:30He walked past 10 ft. Boots crunching
13:33dead leaves. I waited until the sound
13:35faded [music] into nothing. I got up and
13:37ran the opposite direction, branches
13:39tearing at the jacket Kieran lent me. I
13:41tripped on a route and [music] my chin
13:43hit the dirt and the phone flew out of
13:45my hand into the leaves. I scrambled on
13:47my hands and knees in the dark and my
13:49fingers found the phone. The screen had
13:51cracked [music] but still glowed. I
13:52pressed play. Will's footage from the
13:54lake, shaky, vertical, the cliff filling
13:57the frame. Kieran at the edge. Drew next
13:59to him. Drew talked and Kieran shook his
14:01head. Stepping back. Drew stepped closer
14:04and said something. Kieran's face
14:06changed. His whole [music] body pulled
14:07back. He was scared. Not of the height
14:09of Drew. Drew looked over his shoulder,
14:11checking if anyone could see from below.
14:13Then he leaned close to Kieran's ear and
14:16whispered [music] something. Kieran's
14:17face crumbled. Then both hands on his
14:19back hard. A shove, not [music] a push.
14:22The kind of shove you put your whole
14:23body behind. Kieran went over the edge,
14:25flailing. And Drew stood at the top of
14:27the cliff, looking down at the water
14:29where [music] my best friend had just
14:30hit the rocks. And his face was
14:32completely calm. No horror, no panic,
14:34[music] no regret, the face of someone
14:36watching a plan come together. But the
14:38camera kept rolling. Drew turned around
14:40on the cliff and looked straight at
14:41Will. And he smiled. Not nervous, not
14:44shocked, satisfied, like checking
14:46something off a list. And then Will's
14:47hand came into frame, giving a thumbs
14:49up, his fingers steady, no shake, no
14:52hesitation. My best friend was falling
14:54toward the water and Will was giving a
14:56[music] thumbs up. The boy who said, "I
14:57don't want to be here tonight," had
14:59smiled and given Drew a thumbs up while
15:01Kieran's body was still in the air. I
15:03dropped the phone on my lap and pressed
15:05both fists against my eyes. I wanted to
15:07unsee it. I wanted to go [music] back to
15:0910 seconds ago when Will was just a
15:11scared kid who filmed something he
15:13shouldn't have. The phone still played
15:15on my lap. I picked it back up because
15:17[music] the police were going to need
15:18every second of this. A branch snapped
15:20behind me. I shoved the phone in my
15:22pocket and ran. Full sprint through
15:24trees I couldn't see. My [music]
15:26shoulder clipped a trunk and I spun
15:28sideways and kept going. The ground
15:29sloped downhill and I half ran, half
15:32[music] slid through loose dirt and came
15:33out on the gravel road, headlights. A
15:35pickup truck coming around the bend. I
15:37stepped into the road and waved both
15:39arms. The truck screeched to a stop.
15:41What the hell, kid? My friend is chasing
15:43me. He locked us in [music] a cabin and
15:45slashed the tires. The man looked past
15:47me into the treeine. Get in. I climbed
15:49into the passenger seat and the door
15:51closed and [music] my whole body started
15:52shaking. The adrenaline drained and
15:54everything it held up came crashing
15:56down. My hands were bleeding. Pine
15:58needles covered my face and arms.
16:00[music] I looked out the back window.
16:01Drew stood at the edge of the treeine,
16:03arms at his sides, pine needles in his
16:05hair. He raised one hand, not waving,
16:08just holding it up like saying goodbye
16:10to something he already knew was over.
16:12Will and Marco were walking along the
16:13road half a mile ahead. Marco carried
16:15the fire poker. Will hugged himself. The
16:18truck pulled over and they climbed in
16:19the back. I pulled out the cracked
16:21phone. He checked if anyone was watching
16:23before he pushed him. He made [music]
16:24sure nobody could see. Marco stared at
16:26the screen. He planned it. There's more.
16:28I let the video play past the push. Drew
16:30turning [music] around. The smile and
16:32then Will's hand, the thumbs up, steady
16:34fingers, no shake. Marco's face went
16:37through confusion, then recognition,
16:38[music] then rage. He looked at Will.
16:41Will's crying stopped and his face went
16:43flat. I didn't know he would actually.
16:45You gave him a thumbs up. I was nervous.
16:47While Kieran was falling, while my best
16:49friend's body was in the air, Marco
16:51lunged at Will [music] and I grabbed his
16:53jacket and hauled him back. Will pressed
16:55his face into his knees. Marco backed
16:57away from him across the truck bed until
16:59his back hit the [music] tailgate. I
17:01can't be near you right now. The truck
17:03driver looked at us in the mirror. You
17:04boys need the police. [music] Yeah. I
17:06looked at the cracked phone in my bloody
17:08hand. We all do. The police found Drew
17:10sitting on the cabin porch. He hadn't
17:12run. He sat in the same chair from the
17:14center of the room. He carried it
17:16outside and set it on the porch like a
17:18man [music] watching a sunrise. The
17:19manila folder burned in the fire pit.
17:21The statements were ash. The officers
17:23turned him around and the handcuffs
17:25clicked. He looked at me through the
17:27cruiser window, not angry, not scared,
17:29the same calm from the top of the cliff.
17:32Will sat on the truck's tailgate,
17:33staring at nothing. A second cruiser
17:35pulled up. Will stood up slowly and held
17:37his wrists out [music] before the
17:39officer even asked. The handcuffs closed
17:41around them. His thumbs were pointed up.
17:43Two cruisers pulled away down the gravel
17:45road. One friend who pushed, [music] one
17:47friend who watched and smiled. Marco sat
17:49down next to me on the tailgate. The
17:51cabin sat dark behind us and the broken
17:53[music] window gaped open. I called
17:55Kieran's mom from the truck driver's
17:57phone. They arrested [music] him. She
17:58went quiet for so long. I checked if the
18:00call had dropped. My son told him no
18:02three times. I know. Will he walk again?
18:05I don't know. Thank you for pulling him
18:06out of the water. I wish I'd done more.
18:08You came forward. That's more than
18:10anyone else did. I hung up and pressed
18:12[music] the phone against my leg. Marco
18:14turned his hands over in the light from
18:16the cabin. I bet him $100. I know. Does
18:18that make it better? I pulled out the
18:20[music] cracked phone and looked at the
18:22freeze frame. Drew's hands on Kieran's
18:24back. Will's [music] thumbs up in the
18:26corner. The crack in the screen ran
18:27right through Drew's expression. No, but
18:30it makes it different. I pressed my
18:31bloody palms against the cold metal of
18:33the tailgate. These hands pulled my best
18:35friend out of the water. And then I
18:37opened my mouth and lied about how he
18:39got