The Group Chat Without Me, The Life They Had Without Me - Chapter (5)
Ch. The Group Chat Without Me, The Life They Had Without Me 5 The Group Chat Without Me, The Life They Had Without Me 5
Chapter 5
During my first week in the new apartment, none of them contacted me.
It wasn’t that no one at all reached out. It was that not one of the eight people in that group chat did.
Caleb didn’t call or send a message.
Brooke never asked what had happened.
Owen didn’t bother to check whether his sister was even alive.
Their silence made it feel as though I had never existed.
On the eighth day, Caleb finally sent me a message.
Caleb: [One of those subscription boxes of yours showed up.]
Caleb: [Do you want me to send it to your new address, or should I toss it?]
That was his reason for reaching out.
It wasn’t [Are you okay?] or [Can we talk?]
It was a package.
Me: [Throw it away.]
Caleb replied: [Okay.]
Then there was silence again.
Three days later, Brooke called.
I hesitated before answering.
“Nora, what’s been going on with you? I haven’t seen you in days.”
“I moved.”
“You… moved?” A trace of panic entered her voice. “Did you and Caleb have a fight?”
“We broke up.”
The other end of the line went silent for a full five seconds.
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“Why?”
“You know why.”
There was another silence.
Then she said, “Nora, is this about that group chat?”
“Let me explain-
“Don’t.”
“It wasn’t what you think. That group chat was only-”
“Brooke, let me ask you one thing.”
“Okay.”
“You told me you had to work that day, and then you went to the cookout.”
“What would you call that?”
She didn’t answer.
“I don’t hate you,” I said. “But I don’t want to be friends anymore.
My hands were shaking after I hung up-not from fear, but because, for the first time in all that
time, I had said it out loud.
Owen called that evening and immediately demanded answers.
“Nora, did you break up with Caleb?”
“Yes.”
“Why? What did he ever do to you?”
“You’ve been in that group chat for two years, Owen. You tell me.”
He hesitated. Guilt crept into his voice, but he quickly turned defensive.
“No one even said anything bad about you in the chat. Sometimes everyone just wanted to hang out
without inviting you.”
“That’s normal, isn’t it? You can’t break up with him over something that small-”
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“Normal?”
“You’re overthinking it, Nora. You’re just too sensitive. Everyone says that about you.’
“Everyone says I’m too sensitive,” I repeated. “That’s what they said in the group chat, isn’t it?”
He stopped talking.
“Owen, that winter when you were fifteen and had a high fever, I took three days off to get you medical care, and it cost me half my monthly bonus. Do you remember?”
“That was years ago—”
“When you wanted those limited-edition sneakers at seventeen, I lived on ramen for a month so
could buy them for you. Do you remember?”
“Nora, stop keeping score-”
“I’m not keeping score.”
“I’m asking when you started believing it was normal to shut me out.”
He was silent for a long time.
Finally, he said, “Nora, don’t use all of that against me. My friendship with Caleb and the others is
separate from my relationship with you.”
“Fine. Then the next time you need money, don’t come to me. Ask Caleb.”
I ended the call and set my phone facedown on the table.
I sat alone in my small rented apartment.
None of them were there. No one was.
Yet breathing came easier than it had before.
The next day at work, I noticed that the flower shop downstairs from my office was hiring temporary help.
I went in to ask about it. The owner said the shop needed help on weekends and asked whether I was interested.
After a moment, I said yes.
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That Saturday morning, I spent my first weekend alone with no plans, no lies, and no one shutting
me out.
At the flower shop, I trimmed stems and leaves, wrapped bouquets for customers, and got water and soil all over my hands.
That afternoon, my phone buzzed.
Caleb: [Nora, can we meet?]
I looked at the message but didn’t answer.
Then he sent another.
Caleb: [I want to explain everything in person.]
Half an hour later, a third message arrived.
Caleb: [If you don’t answer, I’ll take that as a yes. Tomorrow at three. Same place as always.]
By “same place as always,” he meant the coffee shop where we’d had our first date. The irony
wasn’t lost on me.
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