"I Attended the Opening of Our High School Time Capsule and Uncovered the Truth About What Happened 15 Years Ago"

We stood in the schoolyard under the dark sky, gathered in secret. I felt uneasy, hoping no one would notice us.

"Dig faster!" Jess, my best friend, urged, her voice impatient.

"If you're so smart, do it yourself!" Malcolm retorted, pausing with his shovel.

Jess rolled her eyes. "I have a manicure and white sneakers. You know I can’t. These boys are hopeless," she said, glancing at me.

I smiled faintly, trying to hide my nervousness. My attention was on Brian, who stood a few steps away, looking at the ground. He was my boyfriend, but tonight something felt off. He hadn’t spoken to me, not a word or explanation. I’d asked him what was wrong, but every time, he turned away.

"Done!" Malcolm called out, snapping me out of my thoughts.

The time capsule was open. Everyone threw in keepsakes and letters. I held the locket Brian had won for me at the fair. It was special to me, but now it felt like a burden. I dropped it in and walked toward Brian.

"Why aren’t you talking to me?" I asked, stepping closer. He remained silent, his eyes focused on something far away. "Brian, what’s wrong? Can you please explain?" My voice quivered.

Without a word, he turned and walked away.

"You promised to love me forever! Does that mean nothing now?!" I shouted, my voice breaking.

Brian stopped, turned around, and met my gaze. His eyes were cold. "You ruined everything yourself," he said flatly, before turning away again.

"What?! What do you mean? What did I do wrong?!" I cried, panic rising in my chest.

Brian kept walking, and I sank to my knees, tears streaming down my face. Jess quickly came over and wrapped her arms around me.

---

Fifteen years later...

I sat in front of my laptop, reading an email from Malcolm. It felt strange to hear from him after all this time.

The email was simple: In two days, we were supposed to dig up the time capsule we buried years ago.

I tried to remember what I had placed inside, but that night had left a scar. I'd lost Brian, my first love, in a way I never fully understood. Then Jess, my best friend, had betrayed me, and I felt utterly alone.

I leaned back in my chair, letting out a deep sigh. Maybe it was time to confront the past. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, then I typed, "I’ll be there."

As I approached my old school, a sense of unease crept over me. The building seemed smaller than I remembered, but the memories were still vivid. I greeted a few classmates who had already gathered, including Malcolm, who smiled warmly at me.

There was still no sign of Jess or Brian. We began searching for the capsule, though none of us could remember exactly where it was buried. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jess and Brian walking toward us. My heart clenched. Were they still together?

I didn’t expect to care after all these years, but I did. When Brian moved closer, my pulse quickened.

He didn’t look at me, brushing past as if I weren’t there. Jess, however, greeted me with a smile, acting as though nothing had ever happened. It stung.

Finally, someone shouted, "I found it!" Excitement buzzed through the air as we rushed over.

The capsule was opened, and memories spilled out. I reached for my locket, the one Brian had won for me.

As I held it, I noticed something else — a letter with my name on it. My hands trembled as I picked it up and stepped aside.

Opening the envelope, I immediately recognized the handwriting. It was Jess's.

---

"Hey, Amelia,"

"If you're reading this, it means 15 years have passed, and maybe this letter will make things clearer. Although I doubt it will fix anything."

"I don’t even know how to explain why I did what I did. The truth is, I don’t have a good reason. I don’t feel entirely guilty, either."

"I know why Brian stopped talking to you. It was me. I spread a rumor about you and Malcolm. I even forged messages to make it look real. It was cruel, I know, but I wanted Brian. I didn’t care about the consequences. I wasn’t thinking about you or anyone else."

"I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I just hope you understand."

"Your not-so-great friend, Jess."

I felt my hands shake as I read the letter. Tears blurred my vision, but I kept reading, each word hitting me like a punch. I didn’t notice Brian standing beside me until he spoke.

"Amelia, I saw the locket in the capsule. I... I don’t know why, but seeing you today—" His voice was soft, uncertain.

I looked up and saw Jess in the crowd. Anger replaced my tears. "Sorry, Brian. I need to talk to your girlfriend, Jess," I said, my tone sharp, before walking away without waiting for his response.

"She's not my—" Brian started, but I didn’t care to hear the rest.

I reached Jess, holding up the letter. "Care to explain this?" I asked, my voice firm.

Jess looked at me, guilt flashing across her face. "Amelia, I... I don’t even know where to start," she said.

After a deep breath, she spoke, her voice soft. "I’m sorry."

"Sorry isn’t enough," I replied, my tone sharper than I intended. "Why did you do it?"

"Why?" She let out a bitter laugh. "Don’t you get it? I wanted to be you."

I stared at her, confused. "What? That’s ridiculous."

"You don’t understand," Jess said, her eyes meeting mine. "You were perfect, Amelia. You had it all. You were smart, you had a great family, and you had Brian. I wanted something of yours, anything. I didn’t even like Brian that much. We broke up three weeks later."

I shook my head, trying to process her words. "I thought you two were still together," I said.

"No," she said, wiping her face. "He just gave me a ride today. That’s it."

I looked down at my hands. "I loved Brian. I thought he was the one. I thought I’d marry him."

Jess nodded. "He loved you, Amelia. That’s why he reacted the way he did. The rumor about you and Malcolm — I made it up. I didn’t care what happened as long as he doubted you."

I shook my head. "Malcolm is married now. To his husband," I said firmly.

Jess let out a shaky laugh. "No one knew that back then." She paused. "I don’t know how to make up for it. I don’t think I can."

"You can’t change what happened," I said.

We decided to bury the past and be cordial for the sake of the good old days.

Jess nudged me, pointing toward the field. "He’s not looking for me," she said.

I sighed, climbed down the bleachers, and slowly approached Brian. My mind raced as I almost forgot how to speak. Before I could say anything, he started.

"Amelia," he said, his voice steady. "First, I want to make one thing clear. Jess isn’t my girlfriend. I haven’t seen her since high school."

Brian glanced at me and then down at the ground. "The locket you put in the capsule — is it the one I gave you?"

"Yes," I said. "It’s funny. Back then, I thought when we dug it up, we’d already be married. I imagined it being this sweet moment."

"I was an idiot," Brian said, cutting me off. "I didn’t give you a chance to explain. I let myself believe something that wasn’t true."

"We were kids," I said, trying to sound indifferent, but the hurt still lingered.

"But we’re not kids now," he said, his tone softening. "Amelia, I’ve thought about you for years. I told myself it didn’t matter anymore, but seeing you today, I realized I was wrong. I felt something I haven’t felt in a long time."

"It doesn’t matter, Brian," I said quickly. "I live in New York now."

"So do I," he said, a small smile forming. "And I’d like to take you on a date."

I hesitated. "I don’t know—"

"Just one date," he said, looking at me earnestly.

I sighed, then smiled a little. "Fine. But only if you win me a new locket. This one’s turned black,” I said, holding it up.

Brian laughed, his face lighting up. "It’s a deal."