Brandon sank into his couch, the familiar comfort of home giving him a moment of peace after a long, chaotic day. The Thanksgiving tension still buzzed in the back of his mind, but now, with a plan in place, he figured it was time to face the messages he’d ignored all day.
He unlocked his phone and winced slightly as he saw the stack of notifications he’d left hanging. One by one, he opened the group texts, starting with Laura and Jazlyn. He quickly typed out a reply:
Brandon: I was busy today, I’m sorry. I’m answering them now.
With that, he moved to his dad’s message. Garth had taken the “text war” with Roberto a little more seriously than he’d hoped. Brandon took a breath and typed out a response, aiming for a balance of calm and reassurance.
Brandon: I’m dealing with it. Sorry he’s being like that, Dad. Roberto didn’t take the news very well, but I’ll handle it.
Satisfied with his reply, Brandon navigated over to Roberto’s messages. This one would need a little more tact. He knew Roberto had been planning Thanksgiving for a while, and he didn’t want to make him feel dismissed.
Brandon: I didn’t know how to tell you without hurting your and Jazlyn’s feelings. I’m sorry, Roberto. But maybe I can make it up to you? If you want, I could help get supplies for your dinner.
He hit send and stared at the message, hoping his offer would help smooth things over. Leaning back, he took a deep breath and opened up his social media to distract himself while he waited for replies.
Minutes passed, and still nothing. Curious, he opened his texts to see if there was any activity. The first thing he noticed was the new, painfully familiar status under Roberto’s message: Read. Brandon blinked, not sure if he was more surprised or irritated that Roberto was now the one leaving him on read.
“Touché, Roberto,” he muttered, shaking his head as he switched back to the group chat. He quickly typed a message to Laura and Jazlyn, trying to gauge the situation.
Brandon: Everything okay?
He waited, tapping his fingers on the couch arm as the message lingered, unread. An unease settled over him. Roberto’s silence was already unexpected, but the lack of response from Laura and Jazlyn only added to the mystery.
Seconds turned into minutes, and Brandon’s nerves began to build. What was going on?
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