“Let’s go, racers!” Ryan shouts. The momentum of hundreds of runners presses Josh forward.
For a few seconds, he’s almost glad to be literally running away from Ari.
Josh:You have the wrong number.
Unknown Number:Is this not the Biggest Boy?
Josh:That’s it?
This is still a joke to you?
Nothing about the two of them has ever been as straightforward as a declarative statement and a direct response.
Unknown Number:There’s a speech where I list out all the reasons we should be together but to be honest this is not how I envisioned this going down
“You okay?” Briar asks, nudging him as the entire pack of Ryan’s Racers slowly makes their way toward East Drive. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Josh:You don’t just get to come back here and say that, like ntithjg happened.
For once in his life, he doesn’t care about typos.
Unknown Number:I’m saying it because of everything that happened. Because I missed you so ducking much every moment I was away
Josh:You cnat just show up here and ambush me and expct things to go back to what you want them to be.
Stupid fucking giant thumbs on tiny keyboards.
Josh:I’m not doign this again. I don’t want to be your friend. I don’t want to be the person you crawl back to when the other thing doesn’t work out.
The ellipsis reappears on the screen and Josh exhales.
Unknown Number:I’m not crawling.
I did an airport run to get here!!
Josh:I don’t know what that is.
Unknown Number:It’s basic cultural literacy!!
and there is no other thing. There never was.
Just you
Josh:Then I want the speech.
The whole thing.
Unknown Number:my hands are shaking
Josh:DICTATE IT. VOICE TO TEXT.
“Hey, man,” says Ryan, flanking his other side. “Can you grab some B-roll of this? My iCloud storage is full.”
“No!” Josh yells, pushing him off.
“Okay. Jesus. I guess I’ll just delete something.” Ryan shakes his head, scrolling through his Photos app as they jog forward.
The ellipsis is still animating—what’s taking so long?—whenJosh feels the first snowflakes. A few heads in the crowd of runners tilt upward.
