Todd:Why the hell are you calling him, you jackass? Of course he won’t talk to you. Leave Aubrey alone!
Since being added to the group chat, it had mostly been a source of endless humor for me. It seemed like everyone used it for one thing or another... messing around, telling jokes, or occasionally dropping major life updates.
I didn't text much myself, so I wasn't always participating, but I kept up. So when Aubrey left the chat, I wasn't surprised. Whatever was going on with Eli had been escalating for a while now, even before I was added to the group.
Ignoring Gary's earlier plea not to bother Aubrey, I called him anyway. If I knew this group, probably everyone had alreadycalled him at least once... Gary's attempts to mother us all never seemed to work.
"Hi, Andrew."
His voice was scratchy, and I froze in surprise--he'd actually answered.
"Aubrey... You okay?"
"Not really. Nothing's been working out for me lately, and I'm kind of just over it."
"You're going to have to catch me up because, honestly, I'm a little lost here."
I heard him take a deep breath, his silence stretching long enough to make me worry. "I don't even know where to start," he admitted, his voice low.
"How about..." I hesitated, unsure how sensitive the topic was. "What's up with Eli?"
He let out a dry laugh. "Eli? That's always been like that. It's not new."
"Can I ask why?"
The line went quiet again, so much so that I checked my phone to make sure he hadn't hung up.
"Sorry," Aubrey said eventually. "I was thinking." He laughed again, this time lighter, almost incredulous. "I can't even remember!"
"What do you meanyou can't remember?"
"So, Eli's actually Wayne's friend originally," he began, his tone shifting to something more conversational. "They met when Wayne took his truck to Eli's auto repair shop. They hit it off, and Eli started coming to the camp parties. Then he got close to the rest of us, added to the group chat. But Todd hated Eli from day one... at least, that's how I remember it. Then Todd started poking fun at Eli, Eli poked back, and I joined in because, well, Todd'smybest friend. I was just standing up for him...Then Eli started coming afterme, too. Now it's like we're always at each other's throats."
I paused, considering the dynamic. "Aubrey, honestly...? I thought maybe he had a crush on you or something."
A big laugh erupted on the other end of the line. "You're killing me, Andrew. You're seriously making me feel better right now."
I grinned. "So, you don't think so...?"
"Hell no! I have never,ever,been hated by someone as much as Eli hates me. He's done and said some of the most horrible things, and it's been like this forten years!He just picks on me more now because Todd and Wayne are always together. They're attached at the hip, so Eli and I are left to fend for ourselves. Which apparently means trying to destroy each other."
I hesitated. "He's worried, you know. He tried to call you."
"No, he didn't."
"He did."
Aubrey sighed, his voice softening. "If he's calling, it's just to yell at me for being offended. He doesn't actually care. But honestly? I don't care about Eli right now. I just want to be left alone. I have today off, the whole weekend off. I just want to marinate in my bed and disappear."
I recognized that tone... the defeated edge that hinted he was ready to retreat from everyone and everything. I'd been there, and I wasn't about to let him sink into it.
"Aubrey, I know this sucks, but I think you should come to the campout. Right now, you want to curl into a ball, but you need to surround yourself with people who care."
"Eli's going to tear me apart if I go..."
"I thought you didn't care about Eli?"
"Tu as raison...You're right," he said with a small laugh. "I guess I do. I guess I let him get to me more than I want to admit."
