The Secret

It was my best friends deepest darkest secret and it would be a hard one to keep. I really don't know if i should tell her parents or even the police. Its so horrible that this happens to her. She is always a happy and outgoing person. You would never tell that this goes on in her house.

She told me this terrible secret when we were in our little hide out in the back of my house. We were there eating finger sandwiches and trying to figure out our hard algebra. We were in the middle of question number 15 and she asked me a question.

" Can you keep a secret."

"Yeah. Why?"

" Because I have a deep dark secret that i have never ever told anyone."

" Cool. Are you going to tell me?"

"Yeah because your my best friend, but you cant tell anyone. You got it?"

" Okay I got it. Is it a really good secret or really creepy or what?"

" Well. Since my mom has gotten married to Jerri I've..I've.."

" Yeah you can tell me."

" I've been abused by my step dad."

" Are you serious?"

" You know when i don't come to school?"

"yeah. What happened?"

"Its because he hit me and i bruised so bad that my parents were afraid that he'd be caught and get in trouble. So they didn't let me go to school."

" Oh my god. And your mom doesn't do anything about it?"

" No because he supports our family with money. Shes afraid that if she leaves that we wont make it."

" You should tell children services or at least the council lady at school."

" No! If I or anyone tells then my family will become poor and we wont have enough money to take care of me and my 3 sisters. Then we'll have to go to foster homes and then they'll all blame it on me. It will be my fault."

" Well how can i help?"

" By not telling anyone and just being my best friend."

" Okay. I got your back." I did not know what to do after she told me her deep dark secret. It's so bad what she has to go through. IF i tell then she wont have to go through it anymore. But if i do then she probably wont want to be my friend and she and her sisters might be put in foster care. I don't want that to be on my conscious. Wait a minute. What worse to have on your conscious, you not telling anyone that your best friends being abused, or telling and putting your friend in a foster home? Oh i don't know what to do. Maybe I'll ask my mom for advice. But not tell her who it is I'm talking about. So after Beth left, I went in for the day. Mom was sitting at the table feeding my baby brother Nathan. So i wander around her for a while until finally she asked what did i need. I told her," Well what if i knew someone that was having problems at school?''
" What kind of problems?" mom says.

" Oh just the fact that their parents abuse them. And they told me to keep it a secret . What should i do?"

" Why is one of your friends parents abusing them?"

" No no no no. just asking a, what if."

" I don't really know. But if they were my best friend then i would tell someone that I trust that could help stop the situation. And if my friend got mad and didn't want to be friends then they weren't a good friend because they should know that I was only trying to stop the abusive situation."

" Okay thanks mom" What mom said was inspiring. But i still don't think i should tell. Ill make my mind up tomorrow. I went to bed thinking about what if i were in her position. The next day i see Beth in the hall ways t school. She asked if i told anyone and i said of course not. Se looked a little tired today. I didn't ask why because i didn't really want to be all in her business. Especially after she told me her secret. So we go through school fast. When i got home i went in my hide out in the back of the yard and thought. I sat there for almost an hour and a half. After that long period to think i made up my mind to not tell anyone until she was ready to. The next day i ask about what she wants to do about the situation. She told me that she will never tell. So then i said," If you don't tell then i will because i don't want you to get hurt."

" If you tell then all those bad things will happen to my family."

" Do you know what can happen to you? He's a grown man Beating you. If he was mad enough he could kill you. Do you want that?" Then she started crying.

" No but i don't want my family to be apart. But i don't want to be beaten anymore. But i don't know what to do."

"we're going o the children services."

" Okay."

We go to the children services about 5 blocks down. We tell them