I wasn't supposed to come back to Redwood.
Not after everything that happened.
Not after that night.
But some things don't stay buried… no matter how hard you try to forget them.
The bus stopped with a low hiss, like the town itself was breathing me in again.
Redwood looked exactly the same.
Same quiet streets.
Same dim streetlights.
Same feeling that something was always… off.
I stepped down, my shoes hitting the pavement slower than I expected.
Like my body was hesitating.
Like it remembered something I was trying not to.
"Lucas?"
I froze.
I hadn't even turned around yet, but I knew that voice.
Emily.
Of course it had to be her.
I let out a quiet breath before facing her.
She looked… the same.
And completely different.
Still beautiful. Still the girl everyone turned to look at.
But her eyes…
Her eyes weren't okay.
"You came back," she said, almost like she didn't believe it.
"Looks like it."
Great answer, Lucas. Real smooth.
She smiled — but it didn't reach her eyes.
"You weren't supposed to."
"Yeah," I said. "I know."
Silence fell between us.
Not the comfortable kind.
The heavy kind.
The kind that remembers things.
"So… how long are you staying?" she asked.
"Don't know yet."
Another lie.
I knew exactly why I was here.
I just wasn't ready to say it out loud.
A car engine roared behind us.
I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
Ryan Blake.
Of course.
The king of Redwood.
And the guy who used to be my best friend.
"Didn't think you had the guts to show up again," Ryan said, stepping out of the car like he owned the street.
Same confident posture. Same smirk.
Same guy.
But not the same between us.
Not anymore.
"Guess you were wrong," I replied.
Emily stepped slightly back, like she could already feel the tension building.
Smart move.
Ryan looked at her, then back at me.
"You shouldn't be here."
"I could say the same about you."
His jaw tightened.
Good.
For a second, everything went quiet.
But not really.
Because in my head…
I could still hear it.
That night.
The shouting.
The rain.
The sound—
No.
Not now.
"You think you can just come back like nothing happened?" Ryan said.
"That's exactly why I came back," I answered.
His eyes darkened.
He knew what I meant.
Or at least… part of it.
Emily stepped between us.
"Stop. Both of you."
Her voice cracked just a little.
Barely noticeable.
But I noticed.
"Whatever happened… it's over," she said.
No.
It wasn't.
And deep down…
I think she knew that too.
Because the truth is…
None of us walked away from that night.
We just pretended we did.
And as I looked at them…
I realized something.
This wasn't going to be a reunion.
This was going to be a war.
🖤 Poem — Lucas
We buried the truth
beneath silence and rain
pretending that night
didn't leave a stain
but some ghosts don't fade
they wait… they remain