When did loyalty become your biggest regret?

The Weight of an Old Favor

Tyler and I had been best friends since childhood, and he was easily the person I trusted most. We used to build blanket forts together and go hiking together. He helped me through the toughest part of my life.

When I was 17, my dad’s drinking got out of control and made the house unsafe. Tyler was the only one who knew what was happening. He’d let me and my little brother stay at his house. He lied to teachers about why I was absent and would sneak in food for us when our mom locked herself in her room.

One night, after my dad laid his hands on my mom again. I asked Tyler if he would testify against my dad if I reported him. He said yes, and from there, we made a pact.

We’d each have a favor that we had to do for the other person. No questions asked. We both swore we’d honor it. I never thought he’d actually call it in.

After my dad was arrested, our house finally felt like home. From there, I pursued a career as a hospital administrator and moved into a small apartment with my best friend, Dana.

Tyler, on the other hand, bounced between cities and jobs and was burning through his money fast. We didn’t talk much anymore. When we did, I was able to forget about the person he was now. I’d think back to everything he did for me until the call.

Tyler called me just after midnight, and he sounded panicked. His voice was shaking, and I could barely make out what he was saying. He had said his ex, Brooke, was accusing him of laying his hands on her. He said she was lying and was trying to destroy him.

I never thought Tyler would be capable of that, especially after seeing what my mom had to go through with our dad. I was inclined to believe him until he said, “I need you to tell the cops I was with you last night.”

I asked him why, but said he was cashing in his no questions asked favor that I had promised him years ago. I went silent. My gut told me this was bad. Part of me was already screaming, “Don’t do it”.

I knew doing this meant betraying my mom because she had gone through this. But then he started talking about how he’d always been there for me. I knew what kind of person he was, the kind that testified against an offender.

He said, “I owed him this.” So, even though every part of me knew it was wrong, I said yes. The next day, I went to testify at the police station.

Detective Rivera interviewed me, and he was so calm the entire time; it actually made me more nervous. He asked where Tyler had been during the night in question. I told him we’d watched a movie and ordered Thai food.

I named a random movie and described the food in detail. I talked too much and too fast, and I saw his pen slow down halfway through his notes.

He asked a few more specific questions about what time Tyler had left and which restaurant we ordered from. I answered as if I had nothing to hide, but deep down, I knew I had crossed a line.

As soon as I left, I called Tyler. I needed to hear him say he was innocent and make it sound believable. Instead, he went into a long-winded explanation about how Brooke was unstable and vindictive.

He kept repeating that she was crazy and obsessed with him. I asked why he didn’t just tell the truth if he had nothing to hide, and he suddenly changed the subject.

I didn’t press further because that would mean accepting what I had done to the fullest extent. The next morning, I woke up to three texts from unknown numbers. They all said that they had seen Tyler outside Brook’s apartment building the night of the incident.

I sent the screenshots to Tyler, hoping he’d tell me they were fake. He didn’t hesitate, telling me Brooke had put people up to it, and they were trying to drag both of us down.

He strongly suggested I block the numbers. I blocked them, but saved the screenshots because for the first time, I started to feel like I didn’t trust him.

I thought I was helping an old friend until I watched him force his way into an apartment on video at 10:17 p.m..