I sat cross-legged on the floor, flipping through my old high school album, caught between nostalgia and regret. There I was—seventeen, hopeful, clinging to a senior quote: “Love is a two-person job.” Then I saw Chad Barns. My high school crush, the one I’d loved silently with doodles, notes, and a Valentine’s gift. But just before graduation, he disappeared without a word.

Later that evening, my best friend Lora arrived, ready for our 20-year reunion. I hesitated—Chad might be there. He was.

Our eyes met across the transformed gym. I fled to the old oak bench, only for Chad to find me. We talked—awkwardly at first—until he said, “I thought you didn’t want to see me after the letter.”

“What letter?” I asked.

Lora interrupted. Chad said she had told him I wasn’t interested. Her silence confirmed the truth—she’d hidden his letter out of jealousy.

The betrayal stung, but the truth opened space between us.

We didn’t rewrite the past that night—but we didn’t walk away, either.