HE CAME BACK
575 Words
I stared at the picture until my eyes began to hurt.Chris.The boy Daniel had just told me had been missing for almost a year.Standing outside our school.Alive.And apparently close enough to watch us.
“Daniel,” I whispered.
He didn’t answer.
He was staring at the picture too.
“That’s him,” he finally said.
“What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“You said he disappeared.”
“He did.”
“Then why is he here?”
Daniel looked around.
“I don’t know.”
I suddenly felt exposed.
“What if he’s watching us right now?”
Daniel grabbed my wrist gently.
“We need to leave.”
We started walking toward the school gate.I kept looking behind us.Nothing.Just students leaving and teachers locking classrooms.
When we reached the gate, Daniel stopped.
“Go home.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“Go home, Amara.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You need to.”
“Why?”
“Because if Chris really came back, I don’t know what he wants.”
I crossed my arms.
“And you think sending me away will make me safe?”
“Yes.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Amara—”
“No. I’m tired of being kept in the dark.”
Daniel sighed.
“I just don’t want you getting hurt.”
Before I could answer, someone called his name.
“Daniel.”
We both turned.A boy stood across the road.Dark hoodie.Hands in his pockets.
Daniel froze.
I knew immediately.It was Chris.He looked exactly like the picture.
For several seconds, nobody moved.Then Chris smiled.Not a friendly smile.A warning.
Daniel stepped in front of me.
“Stay behind me.”
Chris crossed the road slowly.
“You haven’t changed.”
Daniel’s voice was cold.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Chris laughed.
“Neither should you.”
I looked between them.
“What happened between you two?”
Chris looked at me.
“So you’re Amara.”
My stomach dropped.
“You know me?”
“I know enough.”
Daniel’s expression hardened.
“Don’t talk to her.”
Chris ignored him.
“You should ask your boyfriend what really happened that night.”
Daniel immediately turned toward him.
“She isn’t my—”
He stopped.
I looked at him.
Chris smiled.
“Interesting.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“Leave.”
Chris stepped closer.
“You’re still protecting the wrong person.”
“What does that mean?”
Chris looked directly at me.
“It means Daniel didn’t tell you everything.”
Then he turned and walked away.I watched him disappear into the crowd.My heart was pounding.
I looked at Daniel.
“What didn’t you tell me?”
He didn’t answer.
“Daniel.”
He finally looked at me.
“The accident wasn’t exactly how I told you.”
My stomach sank.
“What do you mean?”
He took a deep breath.
“There was someone else in the car.”
“Who?”
He looked at me with an expression I’d never seen before.
“Someone you already know.”
I froze.
“Who?”
Daniel opened his mouth.But before he could say the name, a car horn sounded loudly behind us.
We both turned.And when I looked back at Daniel, he was gone.
Only his phone was lying on the ground.And it was ringing.
The caller’s name was:
Maya.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD