Phone call

I sat against a wall, hidden in the shadows of the bustling street outside, my fingers clawing into my scalp as I tried to process what was going on. Zorua and Eevee looked at each other, their eyes filled with worry for my well-being. Both of them tried their best to cheer me up, but I could hardly think. My mind was whirling in circles, over and over, without end. I-I...

"Chloe... I need to tell Chloe," I gasped in realization, reaching and digging through my bag in hopes of finding my Pokédex. I frantically searched through the numbers, trying to find Chloe's.

"Where is it, where is it?" I fumbled with the device, my grasp loosening ever so slightly as I came across her number. Taking a deep breath, my hands shaking, I struggled to bring myself to do it. Zorua and Eevee rested their paws on my shoes in an attempt to reassure me. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I sank my head between my thighs, holding up the Pokédex as I wept, soft sobs escaping my lips, my vision blurry.

"I... I don't get it, I don't get it at all," I whispered. "How is he alive?" My hand fell lazily to my knee, the Pokédex almost touching the ground from my weak grasp as I tried to control my breathing to stop the tears. Eevee nuzzled into my hand, her gaze filled with sympathy.

"Right... I'll call her," I muttered, steeling myself for the conversation to come as I pressed the call button. The soft ringing on the other side, a gentle melody, became more anxiety-inducing as time passed.

"Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up," I muttered, my foot tapping against the stone road repeatedly, a part of me hoping it would ring out so I could justify not talking to her, to say that I tried and there was nothing I could do...

"Hello?" A soft, familiar voice on the other side made me raise my head in surprise and a hint of happiness.

"What do you want-" Her tone immediately crushed the mood, my eyes drifting to the floor as I spoke.

"Well... I ran into Jeffrey today..." I mumbled, my hands wrapping around my legs as I sat in a fetal position.

"What..." Her disbelief and annoyance were clear.

"I know, it's crazy but- he was older! He had a Gengar and he tried to kill me, saying some weird stuff about timelines... and... and-" My mind spiraled as I tried to recall the events, but Chloe cut me off.

"If this is some weird way of apologizing- it's not working," she retorted. My thoughts came to a stop.

"What-" I muttered, my voice dropping to a whisper.

"I mean seriously- You don't talk to me for months after a big fight, and this is the first thing you say?! Joking about our dead friend isn't okay, Ayuna." I remained speechless for a minute before speaking, hands clawing into my shorts.

"I'm being serious! Please just listen to me-"

"You know, you always made light of situations, never taking anything as seriously as you should, and somehow always making it work in the end." Her sigh on the other side of the phone made my heart drop. A few more seconds passed before she continued. "And honestly, I loved you for it. I really did. I thought you were some cool guy who would never hurt his friends, a guy who would be upstanding no matter what."

"Maybe I was wrong... though until I can say for sure, until I hear a genuine apology, I'd like to keep my contacts closed from now on... Bye, Ayuna."

"Wait, Chloe, please!" I nearly shouted, desperation creeping into my voice. "I swear, I'm not making this up! He was right there, in front of me, alive! Older, yes, but it was him!"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Chloe's voice was now a mix of anger and sadness. "You think you can just come back into my life with some insane story about Jeffrey and everything will be fine?"

"I know, Chloe, I know! And I'm sorry. I never meant to leave you alone. I just... I couldn't handle it. Losing him, fighting with you... it was... it was too much."

"You weren't the only one who lost Jeffrey!" she practically screamed. I could tell she was sobbing too, remembering the event like it was yesterday. "I saw it, I was there, I took in his last moments! You're not the only one- but you keep making excuses..."

"That whole thing- that fight we had, it made me realize I needed a bit of space from everything... I'm sorry but don't call me again."

Before I could even argue, she hung up on me. A soft groan of frustration escaped my lips. The hand that held the Pokédex fell to the ground as I just sat there.

"I'm such an idiot," I muttered to myself, my hands reaching up to grip my face. My fingers clawed at my temples as I screamed as loud as I could.

"AHHHHHH!!!!" I shouted in frustration, my head resting against the wall behind me as I shed tears of anger and frustration. "Why?! Why am I so dumb?!" I broke down into tears, Zorua and Eevee just sitting there, watching as I wailed with nothing they could do for me.

"I always stumble where I shouldn't. I can't keep friends; I can't keep anyone! Everyone's just... just slowly drifting away!" I wiped my eyes, but it wouldn't stop, my gaze lingering up to the blue sky.

I felt so alone. I sat in a fetal position once more, sobbing to myself. The sound of opening latches filled my ears, and slowly I felt a warm embrace, then another, and another. I raised my head slowly to see what it was, my eyes widening with emotion and sadness when I saw my Pokémon huddled around me. My lips quivered, and I let out a shaky sigh.

"Thanks... you guys."