I didn't kill him.
At least…
that's what I told myself.
But the truth is—
I left him there.
And now…
I'm back.
Redwood hasn't changed.
That's the first thing I noticed.
Same streets.
Same silence.
Same feeling that something here was never right.
The bus doors opened with a low hiss.
For a second…
I didn't move.
Like my body already knew
this was a mistake.
But I stepped out anyway.
My shoes hit the pavement.
Slow.
Heavy.
And just like that—
It all came back.
The rain.
The shouting.
The sound—
"Lucas?"
I froze.
I didn't need to turn around.
I knew that voice.
Emily.
Of course it had to be her.
I exhaled slowly before facing her.
She looked the same.
And completely different.
Still beautiful.
Still the girl everyone notices.
But her eyes…
Her eyes were broken.
"You came back," she said.
Like she didn't believe it.
"Looks like it."
Stupid answer.
She gave a small smile—
But it didn't reach her eyes.
"You weren't supposed to."
"Yeah," I said quietly.
"I know."
Silence fell between us.
Not the normal kind.
The kind that remembers things.
"So… how long are you staying?" she asked.
"Don't know."
Lie.
I knew exactly why I was here.
I just wasn't ready to say it.
A car engine cut through the moment.
Loud.
Sharp.
I didn't even need to look.
Ryan Blake.
Of course.
The king of Redwood.
And the guy who used to be my best friend.
The door slammed.
Slow footsteps.
Confident.
"Didn't think you had the guts to come back," he said.
Same smirk.
Same posture.
Same guy.
But not the same between us.
Not anymore.
"Guess you were wrong," I said.
Emily stepped back.
Just a little.
Like she already knew what was coming.
Ryan looked at her.
Then 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 inside my head—
It wasn't.
The rain.
The shouting.
The sound—
No.
Not now.
"You think you can just show up like nothing happened?" Ryan said.
"That's exactly why I came back," I replied.
His eyes darkened.
He understood.
Or at least…
Part of it.
Emily stepped between us.
"Stop. Both of you."
Her voice cracked.
Just a little.
But I noticed.
"Whatever happened…" she said
"…it's over."
No.
It wasn't.
And deep down…
She knew that.
Because the truth is—
None of us walked away from that night.
We just pretended we did.
And standing there…
Looking at them…
I realized something.
This wasn't a reunion.
This was unfinished.
And unfinished things…
Don't stay buried.
They come back.
Just like I did.
🖤 Poem — Lucas
we buried the truth
beneath silence and rain
told ourselves lies
to soften the pain
but ghosts don't vanish
they wait in the dark
and sooner or later…
they come back to mark