Jared sat on his old bed, staring out of the window as the night descended over his childhood home. The familiar view—the soft glow of streetlights, the silhouette of trees swaying gently in the breeze—felt surreal. He had barely slept in his own room in years, and now, here he was again. Everything had shifted in the blink of an eye, but somehow, it felt like the world hadn't changed at all.
In the past, Jared would have wasted the night away by playing video games or texting friends, lost in distractions. But now, he couldn't stop thinking. The weight of the decision he had made, the choice to return to this life, was heavier than he had expected. He had crossed a threshold—he was no longer the same person who had walked out of this house years ago, a teenager with a head full of rebellion and a heart filled with selfishness.
He was 16 again.
Jared closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He was no longer the 28-year-old man who had stood on the edge of a cliff, contemplating his failures. In his heart, in his body, he was back in 2012—the year before everything went wrong.
The year when he made the decisions that led him down this broken path.
Back then, Jared had been all about freedom. Friends, parties, video games, and all-night hangouts. He thought he was invincible, that nothing could touch him. He had been a star on his school's soccer team, popular among his peers, the kind of person everyone wanted to be. But that wasn't the real Jared. The real Jared had been a son, a brother, a person who loved his family more than anything. He had abandoned that version of himself, choosing the thrill of outside approval over the quiet, lasting love of his parents.
Now, sitting on his old bed, Jared felt the deep sorrow of knowing he had left it all behind. His family had always been there for him. His mother had made his favorite meals, asked about his day, and his father had offered advice, even when Jared had refused to listen. His parents had worked hard to build a life for him, and he had thrown it all away, chasing fleeting friendships and empty moments.
But now, it was different. This time, he wasn't going to make the same mistakes. He wasn't going to walk out again.
But there was another reality to confront: he wasn't alone in this new-old world.
He could hear his parents downstairs—his mom in the kitchen, humming softly to herself as she cleaned up, and his dad in the living room, flipping through the evening news. Everything seemed so… familiar. So safe. It was like nothing had ever changed.
Yet, Jared knew everything had changed. He had changed.
The decision he made to return to the past was not just about fixing his relationship with his family, though that was a big part of it. It was about the mistakes he had made with his friends, his choices with money, the way he had thrown away opportunities and replaced real connections with fleeting thrills. All of that was still ahead of him—the same choices, the same temptations. But now, Jared had knowledge of how those choices would unfold.
And he couldn't let it happen again.
The year is 2012.
He had been 28 when he had stood on that cliff, filled with regret, watching the city stretch out before him. That had been the year 2024. Everything had come crashing down in those twelve years. But now, in this moment, he was back at 16, in 2012, a sophomore in high school. It was before the friends he had clung to had all drifted away, before he had lost everything to poor decisions, before his family had turned into a distant memory of what might have been.
Back then, Jared had no idea how much time was slipping through his fingers. He didn't know that the money he wasted on late-night poker games and pointless nights out would come to haunt him. He didn't realize that abandoning his family would create a rift that would never truly heal. But now, he had the chance to fix it. He could make it right.
His eyes darted to the clock on the wall, its ticking rhythm grounding him in the present— or, rather, the past. It was just after 8 PM, and his parents had just finished cleaning up dinner. He had barely spoken more than a few words to them since arriving, and yet, it felt as if they had never left him. It was as if nothing had ever happened—like the years of distance and pain hadn't even existed.
But they had existed. He had lived them. And now, he had to face them.
Jared glanced down at his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen. He had sent a simple message to his mom earlier: "I'm coming home." That was all it had taken to begin to heal, to take the first step toward redemption. And yet, there was so much more to do.
So many choices to make.
Jared stood up from the bed, running a hand through his hair. The air in the room felt heavier than before, a mixture of nostalgia and a nagging fear that if he didn't act quickly, he might undo everything he was trying to fix.
He walked downstairs, the sound of his footsteps familiar but strangely unsettling. The house felt the same, but it didn't. His parents, his younger self—they were all there. But he wasn't the same.
"Hey, Mom," he said as he stepped into the kitchen, trying to sound casual, trying to appear as if everything was normal. But inside, his heart was racing. "I was thinking… maybe we could hang out tomorrow. Like, just the three of us. You know, like we used to."
His mother looked up, her eyes wide with surprise, but a warm smile spread across her face. "Of course, Jared," she said, setting down a dishcloth. "That sounds like a great idea. I'm glad you're back, honey."
Jared nodded, feeling a pang of guilt. He hadn't even realized how much he missed moments like this. Simple, quiet moments with people who truly cared.
"Thanks," he said, his voice thick. "I'm sorry I've been so… distant. I didn't mean to hurt you both."
His mother's expression softened, but there was no anger in her eyes. Just love. "You don't need to apologize. We're just happy you're here."
But Jared knew it wasn't that simple. He had abandoned them, broken their trust. But this was his chance to rebuild, step by step. To not make the same choices again.
Jared knew he couldn't stay here forever. The world was still out there—his friends, school, the choices waiting to be made. But he couldn't go back to the same path. He couldn't fall into the same trap of empty friendships and endless distractions.
Tomorrow was another day. Another chance.
He excused himself from the kitchen and made his way to his room, shutting the door behind him. He had to get to work. He had to figure out where he would go from here.
This time, he would choose differently.
This time, he would be the person his family deserved.