Page 26 of Psync
“You thinkIsuck? Just wait until Nate gets here. He freaked out when you vanished on us.” Alice picked up her phone, and Eli peeked over her shoulder to watch her type a message to Nate.
mAlice:Found our lost nerdling! We’re at the picnic table under the big pine trees
“Is he mad at me?”
“No, I don’t think it’s you he’s mad at.”
Eli took a bite of the pita bread Haruka had just placed in his hand. While he chewed, he scrolled through his missed messages. The ones from Alice were fairly cheerful inquiries about his location, but the ones from Nate went from curious to concerned to the final one that just said:
NatetheGreat:Where the fuck are you????
“Hey, are you okay? Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Nate dropped his backpack onto the table with more force than necessary, then dropped down on the other side of Eli.
“I’m fine, I just forgot to check my phone.” A lump of prickly rock began to form in Eli’s stomach. What was going on? Nate never got mad—at least, not that Eli had seen. “Areyouokay?”
“No, I don’t think I am.” But Nate wasn’t talking to Eli. He leaned forward, put his hands on the table, and faced Haruka. “We were being nice and giving you a chance, not giving him away to you.”
Eli’s fingers started to harass the first hangnail they found. “Wait, Nate—”
Nate spoke right over Eli and pushed himself up until he was halfway across the table and looming over Haruka. “You don’t know him. Not like we do. Events like this aren’t good for him.”
Haruka gave him an impassive stare. “I don’t think you should be speaking for Eli.”
Eli’s cheeks were so hot, he was surprised they weren’t glowing. He dug a nail into the sad, abused hangnail and felt it grow wet. “Really, this isn’t a big deal, Nate.”
Haruka pushed a water bottle over to Eli, nudging him with it until he took it in his hands. Eli immediately got to work dismantling the label.
“It is a big deal, Eli. I’ve seen how you are in crowds. You need someone with you who knows you and can help you if something happens. I never should have let you go with him. What if something happened?”
“Calm down, brother bear.” Alice got up and put a hand on Nate’s shoulder.
“If something happened, I would have helped him like I did last time,” Haruka said, evenly.
“Last time?” Alice and Nate said at the same time and turned to Eli.
“What happened last time?”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
This was too much. Everything was suddenly way, way too much to handle.
Eli stood up. “I’m not a child. I know I have, um, problems, but I don’t need someone with me all the time. I can actually take care of myself.” He carefully placed the water bottle down in the shredded pile that used to be its label. “I like having friends, Nate. Friends are good, but I don’t like when people talk over me or for me.”
“I wasn’t . . .” Nate trailed off and stopped. His lips were a thin line.
“Eli, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Alice. Please excuse me, everyone. I’m going back now.” Eli bowed slightly then turned and fled.
He made it just out of sight before the hyperventilating started. He leaned against a tent pole, slid down, and just let it happen. It was dark enough now that no one would notice him having a tiny breakdown—hopefully.
He’d done a fan-fucking-tastic job of things just now. And he’d been having the best day, too. Now, he may have just alienated his new friends all in one go.
Perfect.
And he’d just begun to think Haruka might not be a jerk after all.
But . . . he hated it when people treated him like he was helpless.
