𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕. 𝐒𝐘𝐃𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐘𝐒

“People talk about skeletons in the closet. I’ve got a whole graveyard.”

“I didn’t just make mistakes, I built homes out of them.”

“You think I’m complicated? That’s because you’ve only met the version of me that survived.”

“Every time I start over, I swear it’ll be different. And then the old me crawls back out.”

“I carry more funerals inside me than memories.”

“You don’t get to my age without becoming someone you swore you’d never be. Twice.”

“I don’t just have a past—I’ve got entire lifetimes I’d kill to forget.”

“I’ve buried so many versions of myself, I can’t remember which one you’re holding now.”

“Everyone carries a secret. I carry empires that collapsed.”

“You don’t understand—my past isn’t behind me. It’s inside me, clawing to get out.”

“Some people hide their shame. I hide entire lifetimes.”

“You’re falling for me, but you’re not falling for all of me.”

“What’s in my closet? The monsters I used to be.”

“I was a liar in one life, a coward in another. Tell me—would you love me if I became both again?”

“People say redemption is possible. But redemption only works if you’ve sinned once.”

“I’ve been more people than I can count. And none of them were good.”

“My closet doesn’t rattle—it howls.”

“You see a person. I see a thousand versions of me I had to kill just to stand here.”

“I’ve buried more secrets than I’ve ever confessed. And sometimes I think they’re still alive down there.”

“Don’t ask me to tell you the truth. The truth is rot. The truth stinks.”

“You’re asking for my story? Which one—the one I tell, or the one I can’t?”

“I can love you, but I can’t promise you won’t hate me once you know what’s in the dark.”

“There’s not just one truth to tell you. There’s a pile of them, and they’ll crush you if I drop them all at once.”

“I don’t know which version of me you’d hate more.”

“The thing about closets is they don’t stay shut forever.”

“You say everyone deserves forgiveness. But what if I need forgiving twice?”

“I’ve been reborn so many times, I’ve forgotten which version of me committed which sin.”

“If I told you the truth, you’d realize you’re in love with a stranger.”

“You’re not the first person I’ve promised honesty to. And you won’t be the first I’ve lied to.”

“I’ve built entire lives out of secrets. Do you really think you’ll be the one to survive knowing them?”

“You love who I am now, but my closets are full of who I used to be—violent, selfish, desperate. And they don’t stay dead.”

“Every time I start fresh, it feels less like a beginning and more like a cover-up.”

“You want my past? Fine. Which one do you want—the one that ruined me, or the one where I ruined everyone else?”

“Depends which life you want the story from.”

“Do you want to love me, or survive me?”

“If I confess, it won’t be the truth you think you want. It’ll be worse.”

“Everyone has a past… but I’ve got two.”

“Which one do you want me to tell you about—the past where I was the villain, or the past where I was the victim?”

“You think you’ve met me, but you’ve only met the version I keep polished.”

“I’ve been someone else so many times, I don’t remember which self I buried alive.”

“You say you want the truth. Fine. Which one?”

“Every skeleton in my closet has teeth. They bite back.”

“I didn’t reinvent myself. I escaped myself. Twice.”

“The name you know isn’t the first one I destroyed.”

“You’re in love with the mask, not the man. And the mask has cracks.”

“When the closet doors swing open, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I don’t need forgiveness once. I need it twice.”

“What you call my secrets… I call my survival.”

“You wouldn’t recognize me if you met me back then. That’s the point.”

“I didn’t lose my pasts. I locked them away. But locks rust.”

“You’re safer not knowing who I was before I learned how to lie this well.”

a mix of arguments, tension, manipulation, gossiping, fighting, & general emotional messiness!

you  weren't  supposed  to  hear  that.

don't  look  at  me  like  i'm  the  only  one  lying.

want  to  tell  them,  or  should  i?

you  think  i  don't  know  what  you  did?

i've  hit  people  for  less.

oh,  i  thought  you  already  knew.

that's  funny,  you  didn't  say  that  last  night.

say  that  again.  i  dare  you.

you  wanna  talk  about  loyalty?

no  offense,  but  if  you're  the  last  to  know,  that's  on  you.

go  ahead  -  pretend  like  it  wasn't  your  idea!

they  deserve  to  know  the  truth.

you  didn't  hear  this  from  me,  but  -

oh,  so  now  you  care?

don't  flatter  yourself.  you  were  just  convenient.

you  crossed  a  line.

we  had  bets  on  how  long  it  would  last.

it's  not  even  a  secret  anymore.

you  don't  get  to  cry  about  it  now.

touch  me  again  and  see  what  happens.

say  it  again.  louder  this  time.

you  really  thought  nobody  would  find  out?

don't  act  so  innocent.

okay,  but  am  i  the  villain  for  laughing?

tell  me  who  else  knows.  right  now.

this  whole  time,  and  you  didn't  say  a  word?

don't  act  brave  now.

you're  really  gonna  do  this  here?

it  wasn't  supposed  to  get  this  far!

you  can't  rewrite  history.

oh,  i'd  never  say  it  to  their  faces.

it  was  supposed  to  stay  between  us.

we're  all  thinking  it,  i  just  said  it.

you're  not  as  untouchable  as  you  act.

do  you  even  feel  guilty?

they  warned  me  about  you.

go  ahead,  make  it  worse.

if  you  repeat  this,  i'll  deny  everything.

the  next  thing  out  of  your  mouth  better  be  an  apology.

you're  about  three  seconds  away  from  regretting  this.

you  keep  pushing,  and  i'll  push  you  back.

they're  going  to  find  out.

one  more  lie,  and  i  walk.

they're  lying  to  you.

you  need  to  back  off.  now.

you're  defending  them?  after  everything?

don't  try  to  hide  it.

tell  me,  was  i  just  a  placeholder?

you  really  think  sorry  fixes  this?

there's  nothing  left  to  say.

don't  act  like  you're  the  one  hurting.

i  don't  owe  you  any  explanation.

whatever  helps  you  sleep  at  night.

you  should've  seen  this  coming.

i  hope  it  was  worth  it.

i  told  the  truth.  just  not  all  of  it.

you'll  miss  me  before  i  miss  you.

smile.  you're  ruining  the  mood.

i'd  watch  that  tone  if  i  were  you.

it's  not  my  fault  you  believed  me.

you  have  such  a  talent  for  pretending  you're  innocent.

we  both  know  this  is  over.

i  never  said  i  was  a  good  person.

Taylor for VMAN Magazine