The night before my best friend vanished, she pressed a crumpled $5 bill into my hand and said, almost urgently,
“I owe you money. Take this.”
It felt random—one of her odd little habits—so I laughed, pocketed it, and dropped it into my savings jar when I got home. I never imagined that moment would be the last time I’d ever see her.
Three weeks later, while cleaning my room, I picked up the jar and decided to count the cash. As I unfolded the five-dollar bill, something near the corner caught the light—a faint blue mark.
I leaned closer.
My heart stopped.
Written in tiny, careful handwriting were the words:
“No matter what happens, you will stay in my heart.”
A cold wave rushed through me.
What did she mean?
Was it a goodbye? A message she knew I’d only find after she was gone? My hands shook as the realization hit me—she had disappeared the very next day.
I ran to the police station, clutching the bill like proof, hoping it might be a clue. They examined it, took notes… and found nothing.
Days turned into months. Months turned into years.
The investigation ended. The questions never did.
Now, ten years later, I still keep that $5 bill carefully tucked away. The ink has faded slightly, but the words remain.
Every time I look at it, I wonder if she knew she wouldn’t come back.
Maybe it was her way of saying goodbye—
a quiet reminder that some friendships don’t end… they just linger, written in memory, refusing to fade.
