"I just don't get what I've been doing to anyone nowadays. It's starting to feel like… I don't know, everyone hates me or something."
Aubrey's voice carried a little louder than she probably meant it to. The fire popped between them, sending sparks up into the dark. Hale sat across from her, elbows on his knees, hands loosely clasped, eyes on the flames.
He hadn't said a word yet.
Aubrey dragged a hand down her face, exhaling hard.
"Since all this shit started, I lost Lila," she went on. "And yeah, I know how that sounds, but… we were close. Like, really close. Middle school, high school, all of it. She used to tell me everything."
She gave a dry laugh that didn't last.
"Now all she cares about is Adrian. That's it. Like the rest of us don't even exist."
She gestured vaguely with her hands, like she couldn't even pin down what annoyed her most about it.
"And now Terri too?" she added, her voice tightening. "For what? Because I left a stupid walkie talkie behind?"
