JUDAS

I want to know

That night, Cass lay awake in her childhood bedroom, staring at the cracks in the ceiling, each one a line in the map of her old life. Memories flooded her, pulling her under. The laughter, the shared secrets, the nights they'd spent huddled together in the dark, promising they'd be there for each other, no matter what. She thought of Lily, her bright smile, her wild laugh, the way she'd seemed invincible. They all had, once.

But those promises were as broken as they were now. Cass had left, trying to outrun the wreckage, but the ghosts had followed her. And now, thanks to Luke, they were taking shape again, demanding to be reckoned with.

She sat up, the need for air suddenly overwhelming. Slipping quietly out of the house, she walked down the empty street, letting the cool night air sting her cheeks, ground her. Her mind raced, replaying Luke's words, the sickening revelation that she'd been part of Lily's last moments in ways she hadn't dared to remember.

And yet, something didn't feel right. Luke's story didn't sit well, no matter how he twisted it. Luke was always the one who enjoyed chaos, who thrived on holding everyone else's secrets like a deck of cards he could deal whenever he wanted. He was always watching, always listening. He'd taken a strange pleasure in orchestrating their friendships, pushing them to boundaries they hadn't known existed.

Cass stopped walking, staring up at the stars scattered across the sky. She felt a dark suspicion creeping over her, something ugly and tangled, lurking just beneath the surface. What if Luke hadn't just been a witness to that night? What if he'd played a role she hadn't seen, a part in Lily's overdose that went far deeper than he'd let on?

A memory flickered in her mind, something she hadn't thought of in years: the way Luke had been so calm after they'd found Lily, the way he'd told them all to keep quiet, to let him handle everything. He'd been the one to call it an accident, the one to reassure them, to make sure they didn't say too much, didn't look too closely at what had really happened.

Her pulse quickened as she realized what she had to do. If Luke was going to dredge up the past, then she'd meet him there. But she wasn't going to let him control the narrative. She was going to find out the truth, piece by piece, and if Luke was hiding something, she would uncover it.

________________________________________

The next day, she found herself back at the old diner where they'd all used to hang out, hoping to run into one of the others. If anyone still lived in this town, they'd know more about what really happened that night. And if Luke had a role in Lily's death that he'd kept hidden, someone else had to have seen it, or at least suspected it.

As she slipped into a booth by the window, she scanned the few faces in the diner, hoping one would spark a memory, a clue. And then, just as she was beginning to think this was a lost cause, she saw him. A familiar face, aged by years and regret: Eddie, Lily's old boyfriend, who'd taken her loss the hardest.

Cass approached him cautiously. He looked up, his eyes widening with a flash of recognition, then something darker, wary.

"Cass," he said, his voice rough. "Didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"I didn't think I'd come back," she admitted, sitting across from him. "But... I need answers. About Lily. About that night."

Eddie looked away, running a hand through his hair. "Luke's been talking, hasn't he?"

She nodded, leaning in. "He's saying things—things I don't remember. Things I'm not sure are even true. But he won't let it go."

Eddie let out a bitter laugh. "Of course he won't. He's been sitting on that story for years, waiting for someone to dig it up."

Cass felt a chill. "Why would he do that?"

Eddie looked at her, his expression haunted. "Because he wants you to suffer, Cass. He wants all of us to suffer. But there's one thing he'll never tell you."

"What's that?"

Eddie leaned closer, his voice barely a whisper. "That night, Cass... Lily didn't just take those pills on a whim. Someone gave them to her. Someone who knew exactly what they would do."

The room seemed to tilt, her vision narrowing to Eddie's face, his words echoing in her mind. She'd known there was more to the story, but this—this was something darker, something she hadn't been prepared for.

"Who?" she whispered, though she already knew the answer.

Eddie's eyes were sad, filled with a truth he could barely bring himself to say. "You already know, Cass. You always have."

She felt the weight of it settle on her, the realization blooming into anger, a spark that would lead her to the truth—even if it destroyed her.

Cass sat in the old rocking chair by the window, its creaking rocking motion barely audible over the sound of the wind outside. The afternoon sun slanted through the dusty curtains, casting a warm, golden glow across the room. It felt like a thousand years since she'd been here, a lifetime of memories woven into the fabric of this house. The smell of old wood and mothballs lingered in the air, mixing with the faint scent of jasmine from the garden outside.

But it wasn't the smell or the warmth of the sun that held her here, rooted in this chair as though she couldn't escape. It was the ghosts. They were everywhere—the cracked picture frames on the mantle, the yellowing wallpaper, the worn-out rug where she'd spent so many afternoons with Lily, talking about anything and everything. Back when it had been simpler. Back when they were invincible.

She closed her eyes, and the memories came flooding back in fragments, each one sharper than the last.