Olivia bit her lip, watching him as he walked away. She hadn't meant to just completely push him away right when it was clear he'd been trying to reach out. But following after him right away would've seemed too -- Desperate? Needy? She wasn't sure.
She just wasn't used to this kind of thing. Trying to actually talk about what was going on and whatever. She was much more comfortable with just running it out until she couldn't think anymore. It was easier that way.
So she stayed where she was, running her fingers over the dusty magazine racks. She looked at the dates, trying to remember what 2016 had actually felt like -- god, freshman year felt like it'd been more than a decade ago -- conscious of what Josh was doing all the while. Until finally she wandered over to where he was, a couple of the magazines tucked into her bag. And then, before she lost her nerve, she said: "My friend's dead, okay? And all I can think about is that it could've been me. Or my friend. Or anyone else that I care about."