I don't want to be your friend anymore

41| The real bully

The weeks following the spring break felt like the first day of school after the summer holidays for Eli. He was extra tired, every day, and would wake up later than usual in the morning.

He never went to bed late at night, it was just that what he had seen at the mall on that Sunday afternoon was disturbing and starting to really get to him. That, plus the conversation he had heard between David and Hannah. He couldn't erase it off his mind. In class, he would get distracted easily and, while hanging out with the group, he would tune out of their conversations. So, naturally, everyone was worried about him.

Eli would wave them off and tell them that everything was okay but Jessica could see that he wasn't being himself. It seemed as if they had switched roles as he now shoved her away and kind of maintained a distance from her.

After she had decided it was time to return the pleasurable feelings to her boyfriend on the weekend, he never even spent most nights with her. He would take her home after class, kiss her goodbye and then drive off because he just couldn't stop thinking about it and enjoy his time with her.

Nobody knew what was happening, or what had happened, to him. Except for his best friend, who Eli always confided in.

"What's wrong? Why did you call if you're just going to be quiet?" Jason asked over the phone. A minute or so passed and Eli didn't say anything. "I'm hanging up."

"Wait, no! Jace, please... just..." Eli muttered, sitting up on the couch he was lounging on. "Just... talk to me. What's been happening at home?"

"Nothing... what's up with you, though? It's the fourth time this week that you call me and just sit there in silence... what happened? Is it Jessica?" Jason pried, sounding inpatient and worried.

"No..." Eli sighed.

"Then what is it, bro? You're worrying me" Jason said.

Eli had been calling Jason only to hear him talk since he couldn't muster up a word himself. He would ignore his friends, his teachers, his parents' calls and messages and he would sometimes ignore his girlfriend. He had even started feeling sick.

With guilt.

He felt like the time to share this secret had come and he wanted to start with his best friend to prevent his mind from folding in itself.

"Jason... I don't know... I-I saw and heard some things... when I went shopping on the weekend and in college... and it's just... it... I..." Eli stuttered, feeling his eyes burn and his head almost split with a headache.

"So... what did you see?" his best friend urged him to go on.

"I... it was... I saw Hannah at the mall..." Eli started. "I saw her...with them..."

"What's new about this? And who's them?" Jason asked.

"She was stuck between them... kissing... and... what the fuck..." Eli sighed, struggling to explain what he saw.

"Bro, look-" Jason started but what Eli told him next made the line go silent.

"I saw her. I saw them making out, Jay. The 3 of them tangled up together. It was Hannah, Mr. Frazzer and... him..." he said the last part quietly, as if saying it any louder would make it become reality. "David, he was... he's been acting strange. Actually, ever since I first saw him, I thought he was weird. He hangs out with Hannah and her group, or used to hang out with them, I don't know. And then I found out he was also friends with River, Nadia, Payton and Jess. But what I don't get is, why be around the person you bully? Or was he even part of it? Did he stop hanging out with Hannah after what she did to Jessica? Or is he some sort of... spy... for Hannah? I didn't know until I heard them talking about it. I don't know why I never connected the fucking dots and now this situation is about to hurt a lot more people than it should. I don't know, man... let me send you a video."