by Max Hudson
He choked down a sob.
He bit into his knuckle to prevent the cry from rising, but it came regardless, causing him to roll over and shove his face into Scotty's fur. He sobbed uncontrollably into Scotty. After a few seconds of shuddering, the wave of sadness renewed and he collapsed, his tense muscles giving out.
“I don't know what to do, Scotty,” he whimpered. “I just don't know what to do...”
Chapter Twelve
Elias
Elias maneuvered his delivery truck along a one-way road, the body of the truck lurching side to side as he slowed the vehicle to a near halt. He nicked the curb with the tire as he pulled up in front of a house and cursed himself. He shoved the gear into park. As he turned to gather packages, he twitched. A dog was barking in the distance. He sniffled as he gathered two packages and hopped down to take them to the door.
After he collected a signature, he returned to his truck and sat for a moment with his hands resting on the wheel. He sniffled again. His nose was congested, and his throat was like sandpaper, causing him to reach again for his water bottle.
He took a swig and sighed.
“One more delivery,” he whispered to himself. He lifted the clipboard from the passenger seat and smiled. “Oh, it's for Theo. That will be nice.”
He set the clipboard down and put the truck into gear, maneuvering down the road toward the other side. He reached the end of the neighborhood and took a right, following the directions on the company phone toward the next delivery spot.
When he parked in front of a set of condos, he grabbed the company phone and the two packages for Theo. He tucked them under his arm and skipped up to the door. A large gold letter D worn from weather sat in the center, appearing like it could use replacing.
He knocked three times.
Shuffling erupted on the other side of the door. When it swung open, Theo had a piece of bread hanging out of her mouth. She blushed and quickly shoved the piece into her mouth, nodding for Elias to come inside. He stepped through the doorway and set the packages on a nearby table.
“Off work today?”
Theo nodded while chewing. She accepted the company phone, drew her signature on the screen, and handed it back. After she had swallowed, she sighed.
“How long are you working today?”
Elias shrugged. “This is my last stop.”
“Oh, that's good! Do you want to see my new RPG character? I've been painting him all afternoon.”
“Sure.”
He slipped the company phone into his pocket and followed Theo into the kitchen. One of her cats was sitting on the stool, licking its paw. He smiled as he reached out to pet it.
“Hello, Mr. Tuft,” he greeted. “Are you behaving today?”
“Hardly,” Theo scoffed. “He keeps waking me up at 6:00 AM for literally no reason and then he meows for like thirty minutes.”
“Ugh, what a jerk.”
“I know, right?” She sat in the opposite stool and carefully held up a dwarf character with her nails. “Isn't he just precious?”
“Oh, he looks a lot like Ivan's character.”
She blushed. “Yeah, it's supposed to be a surprise.”
“That's so freakin' cute, Theo. When are you going to hand it to him?”
“Well, his birthday is about two campaigns away. I figured I'll be done with it by then and I'll present it to him during our game.”
“I bet he would love it. He hasn't shut up about you for a minute.”
“I'm aware.”
Elias laughed. “See, I figured you knew.”
“Everybody knows, including me. I've been trying to figure out how to like...you know...I mean...”
She twirled her fingers around a lock of hair. She shrugged.
He grinned warmly. “I get it. He's been trying to figure out how to approach you, too.”
“Wow, glad I'm not alone there.”
“I think it's cute.”
She blushed. “Shut up, Elias.”
“I should get going. I'll see you next Wednesday, right?”
“Yep, we're proceeding as usual. I mean, I don't think it's right, but I don't have the ovaries to stand up to Roger.”
“What are you talking about?”
Theo lifted one of her paint brushes and held the figurine under a bright lamp, swirling the end of the brush in a collection of crimson red paint.
She applied to brush to the dwarf figurine. “Didn't Roger tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
She froze. “Oh, he sent it in the group chat.”
Elias squinted suspiciously as he whipped out his cell phone. When he realized he had grabbed the company phone, he rolled his eyes and reached into his other pocket. He opened the FanChannel app and scrolled to the group campaign thread.
His eyes widened. “Wait, what?”
“Yep.”
“No executive vote? He's just going to boot Charlie for one incident?”
She sighed while expertly applying the paint brush to the armor of the dwarf figurine. “He's always been hard on Charlie. I have no idea why.”
“That's not fair. He didn't ask us about it.”
“I pointed that out, too.”
“I see that here.”
She shrugged and set the brush down in the cup next to the lamp. “I don't know what's gotten into him lately. It's like he thinks he rules the group. He forgets we decided to bring him in, you know?”
“I see Mike fought hard against that decision.”
“Ivan did, too. He's such a valiant ranger.”
Elias shook his head. “This isn't acceptable. Roger can't get away with this. Not after everything Charlie has been through.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I'm going to call Roger right now.”
Theo nodded. She set down the figurine, staring at it. “I should have stood up for Charlie more.”
“Hey, you did your best. Sometimes, people are just jerks for no reason.”
“He was a decent campaign manager. Who should we replace him with?”
Elias hummed thoughtfully. “Don't you have that friend, Valerie? You mentioned her as a suggestion before we picked up Roger.”
She gasped with delight. “Valerie would love to take over! Her story voices are way better anyway. I'll call her right now.”
“All right, I'll call Roger while you do that.”
“This is exciting!”
She rushed to the sink to wash her hands, dried them, and then grabbed her phone before running out on the porch. When Elias was alone, he took a deep breath and clicked on Roger's contact name in his phone.
He held the phone to his ear.
Roger's voicemail answered.
Elias rolled his eyes, hung up, and called again. After the line trilled a few times, he finally heard a click.
“Roger,” Elias said quickly. “I need a moment of your time.”
“I imagine you're not happy about Charlie either.”
“No, I'm not. The entire team is upset over it. What gives?”
“I don't think it's fair for our time to get wasted by a player who doesn't seem committed to the cause.”
Elias rolled his eyes. “Charlie is more than committed. He's been going through a rough patch and the campaign has been one of the few things keeping him afloat.”
“You didn't seem particularly happy when he left. Why are you so upset about this decision?”
“The way my groups run are by collective votes. We sit down, have a long discussion, and make a decision from there. Just because you're the campaign leader doesn't mean you get to make the decisions for everybody.”
Roger scoffed. “I guess you haven't been in a whole lot of campaigns. That's how I've always run my campaigns.”
“It's a wonder anybody likes keeping you around.”
“What did you say?”
“You heard me, buddy. Let me just lay something on you really quick: we care about our own. We take care of our own. And if you can't
respect that, then you can't be a part of our campaign. We're happy to replace you.”
Roger huffed. “It sounds like you've made up your mind before asking me.”
“You didn't give us the same respect. Why should we extend it to you?”
“Whatever, Elias.”
Elias inhaled sharply. “Thanks for helping our group. I hope you learn something from this.”
Click.
He turned his eyes to the porch door, watching Theo talking excitedly on the phone. After a few minutes, he walked outside and sat in one of the lawn chairs nearby.
“...Right? It's been a mess. So, Wednesdays are campaign days...You have off? Great! Let's set something up!”
Elias smiled warmly when Theo got off the phone. “I see that went well.”
“It did. How did everything go with Roger?”
“I mean, it went as well as it could. I gave him my two cents and sent him on his way.”
She nodded. “That's probably for the best. Valerie is totally on board, so we won't even miss a beat. But we'll need copies of all the maps, character sheets, and recent events to get her up to speed.”
“I can do that when I get home. I'll have to call Charlie. I don't know if he noticed he wasn't in the chat anymore.”
“Roger is likely deleting it as we speak.”
He snorted. “That's fine. He can have a fit all he wants as long as it's away from us.”
“We don't need that kind of negativity.”
“Can I ask you something?”
She nodded while sitting down. “Sure.”
“Last night was...weird.”
“Is that a question?”
He laughed. “No, I'm getting there. I, uh...Well, Charlie and I have been seeing each other for a little bit. It wasn't anything fancy, but I was getting really attached. When he left last night, he didn't tell me where he was going and then he showed up super late at my front door.”
“Yikes; that doesn't sound great.”
“I was trying to tell him how it hurt me, but I think I ended up hurting him in the process.”
She nodded knowingly. “Extreme emotions tend to warp our intentions.”
“Yeah, I think I ended up hurting him. And then, he hurt me. And now, we're not really talking.”
“So, what's your question?”
He let his eyes sink to the ground, his frown deepening. “What should I do?”
“I guess that depends on how bad you were hurt. What did he say?”
“He said I was starting to sound like Stanley.”
She hissed. “Ouch.”
“I may have low-key accused him of using me.”
“That doesn't sound great either.”
He sighed heavily. “None of it was great. My allergies were killing me because of Scotty and I was questioning everything. After seeing him with Stanley in that coffee shop, I just lost it.”
“What was he doing with Stanley in a coffee shop?”
“I guess they were talking things out.”
She nodded. “And do you believe him?”
“I want to believe him. I think I...” He licked his lips, sniffling slightly. “I think I actually love him.”
“I'd say it's worth having a candid conversation.”
“I just feel like maybe I dug a hole and now I can't get myself out of it. I'm not sure how exactly to proceed.”
She hummed. “I can understand that. I mean, I'm not exactly the most skilled when it comes to relationships, but I know that communication is a huge key. Love is great and all, but you got to be able to talk to your partner.”
“Yeah, I may have skipped that class growing up.”
“Hey, we all make bruises, right? The point is how we handle making up for those bruises.”
He sighed with longing. “I really like him, Theo. I don't want this to ruin anything between us.”
“So, don't let it ruin it. Why don't you give him a call right now?”
“He might be at work.”
She chuckled. “Then, leave him a message.”
“What if he doesn't want to talk?”
“Then, give him space. Everybody needs space to think sometimes.”
He smiled warmly. “Thanks. I really appreciate you listening.”
“Absolutely, dude. It's what I'm here for. I think after how you defended Charlie, he couldn't possibly ignore you forever.”
“That's if he ever finds out about it.”
She nodded. “I'm sure he will. I mean, if he's tried to check FanChannel today, then he knows.”
“Yeah, I just want to be able to be there for him. Things have been so rough lately and he's been a mess.”
“That's sweet of you to do. I'm sure he's appreciated it.”
“I think so. I don't know.”
She huffed with amusement. “I'm sure he does, Elias. You're a great guy and you two seem to get along really well.”
“Yeah, we do.”
“So, are you officially off work or do you need to clock out?”
He shrugged. “I should probably go return the truck and clock out.”
“Do you want to come back after that? I'm making burgers.”
He smiled. “That would be super cool. Thanks, Theo.”
“Of course. I'll see you soon!”
Elias waved as he headed for the door. When he hopped into his truck, he sighed as he turned the key in the ignition. He popped the truck into gear, made his way down the neighborhood road, and headed back to work, feeling a sense of hope.
Anything can happen as long as I have hope, he reflected. Right?
Chapter Thirteen
Charlie
Charlie shook his head as he gaped at his phone.
“That can't be right.”
He refreshed FanChannel, searching frantically for the campaign group chat. He couldn't find it anywhere. When he attempted to contact the app's server, he continuously received an error screen. He shook his phone as if that would help and then dropped it on the counter, frustrated.
“If all our crap got deleted, I'm going to lose it.”
He went to the fridge to grab milk for his coffee. As he poured a generous serving into his mug, he heard Scotty boof from the other side of the apartment. He set the milk down and padded over to Scotty.
“What's up, buddy?” he asked. “Do you hear the neighbors again?”
On cue, a round of cheers came from the other side of the wall. He rolled his eyes and shrugged, returning to the kitchen. While lifting his mug from the counter, he noticed his phone buzzing. He eyed the screen curiously.
Elias was calling.
“Fat chance,” he grunted. “Not after what happened last night. We need space.”
He slurped his coffee, humming confidently about his decision. He even walked a few feet away from his phone to avoid the persistent buzzing. Having spent the evening crying, he wasn't in the mood for discussion.
I need to get my head back on. I need time. Maybe it's a good thing that the group chat doesn't exist anymore.
He walked into the living room and turned on the television, flipping through channels until landing on the news. He studied the letters scrolling at the bottom of the screen. But despite his efforts to distract his mind, he couldn't stop perking up at the sound of his phone.
After a few minutes of heated concentration, he gave up and set his coffee mug down on the table. He returned to the kitchen with every intention of telling Elias to quit calling, but the name on the screen caught him off guard.
“Why is Theo calling?” He answered immediately. “Hey, Mr. Giggles.”
“Not Mr. Giggles.”
He frowned. “Elias?”
“Don't hang up, okay? I want to talk about FanChannel.”
“Okay, what happened? I couldn't access the chat a few minutes ago and it looks like it got deleted.”
“Roger decided to boot you from the group.”
Charlie scowled. “For what?”
“For last nig
ht.”
“Wow, what a prick.”
“The good news is that we don't have to hide any of our private lives any longer. Theo and Ivan, you and me, the divorce—it's all fair to be out in the open.”
“I don't understand.”
Elias chuckled. “We've decided to boot Roger. Nobody is going to come into our group and push our favorite bard to the outskirts of the camp. That's just unacceptable. So, instead, we've brought Valerie on board. She's friends with Theo and Theo vouches for her.”
“You and me,” Charlie repeated. “Is that still a thing?”
“Do you want it to be a thing?”
He went silent. His eyes scanned the kitchen, drifting from the stove to the fridge. He didn't focus on anything in particular. He couldn't.
His eyes were watering too much.
He sniffled. “I do...”
“Listen, I'm really sorry I accused you of using me. I'm sorry I threw all those things in your face. I shouldn't have judged you and Scotty like that. I know you see the best in people, so when I saw you with Stanley in the shop, I just lost it.”
Charlie nodded. “I get it.”
“No, you don't get it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I care about you a lot, Charlie, but my jealousy wasn't warranted. I shouldn't have blown up. I should have talked to you first and gotten the real details.”
“You should have trusted me.” He bit his lower lip. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blurt that.”
“No, you're right. I should have trusted you. I should have believed you when you were telling me the truth.”
Charlie released his lower lip, allowing it to quiver. “And I shouldn't have said that awful thing about you sounding like Stanley. I'm sorry, Elias. I regret every syllable that came out of my mouth.”
“I know you didn't mean it. I know you were saying it from a place of hurt. I understand that. I was reacting in much the same way.”
“So, what now? What happens with the group?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. All that's happening is that we're switching campaign managers. That's all. We're going to keep running our game.”
“And us?”
Elias huffed slightly. “I mean, as I said, that depends on if you want it to be a thing.”
“We don't have to hide it, right?”
“No, we don't have to hide it.”