Josh hadn't texted me in years.
Not when I disappeared.
Not when the whispers about me began.
Not when I was erased like a stain they refused to admit existed.
And now, suddenly:
Josh: You're back in town. We need to talk.
Need.
Interesting word.
People only say need when they're desperate, guilty, or about to pull the trigger - sometimes all three.
I didn't reply.
Not immediately.
Because Josh wasn't just part of the past.
He was a mirror - one that saw everything, even the parts I wasn't allowed to name.
Alex's friend.
My almost.
My "what if things were different?".
And the boy who stayed silent when silence was the cruelest weapon of all.