Josh had dragged Trent away from a particularly good game of Playstation, but he'd looked so worried about something that Trent hadn't the heart to say no. So they'd wandered out to the garden area and were sitting together, hoping they looked like two friends discussing an important issue, rather than a budding young gay couple.
"So, you look like someone who has the weight of the world on his shoulders," Trent observed.
"I sorta feel like I do," Josh replied dismally.
"Go on, spill."
Josh heaved a heavy sigh. "Haven't you noticed anything wrong lately? With our friends, I mean."
Trent thought for a moment. "Well, Matt is still largely innappropriate, Dan is getting strangely fascinated by making gross concoctions to feed us, and Lib's just Lib, I guess. Why?"
"You forgot about Avery," Josh pointed out.
"Huh? Oh yeah, well I mean, she hasn't really been hanging out with us enough lately. Not enough to classify her as part of our group. And man, I know you're bummed coz you like her and everything, but sometimes that happens, people grow apart, and truthfully, do you really like the person she's turned into lately?" Trent studied his friend's reaction.
Josh was quiet. "I don't think she's a bad person," he said. "And we don't know what's going on in her head, but - "
"There's something wrong in there," Trent interrupted. "Not in a mental problem way, just in a way that she has to work out her own things first. I mean, she's not as crazy as she was like a few months ago, but she's just..."
"A little too quiet these days," Josh finished. "And... well... I know you guys don't approve of Lo and everything - "
"It's not that we don't approve, Joshie," Trent said gently. "It's that Lo did encourage her to behave the way she was behaving. Sure,it was Avie's own choice, but she didn't exactly get discouraged, did she? Listen, man, I still care about her, of course I do, she was - is - my friend, and I will always worry about her, but sometimes, you just have to let go."
"I think she's the pregnant student," Josh blurted.
Trent stared at him with wide eyes. "Um..."
"Think about it... she suddenly disappears from here, she's quiet, she and Lo have been sticking to each other like glue, she goes downside on the weekend all the time now, and... well... she's put on some weight in the stomach, just lately," Josh explained.
"I had noticed that," Trent said thoughtfully. "And the other day in Biology, we sat together like we used to, but she looked like... she looked like she'd been crying. And not in a light way, like it looked like she'd had a good couple of hours of crying. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to upset her, and I thought she'd just had a fight with... whoever she's seeing at the moment."
"She didn't come to us at all," Josh pointed out. "I know we've drifted, but I thought maybe, you know... support from old friends and everything..."
"I think Lo is the only one who knows for sure," Trent replied. "And I think that's why they've been together all the time. And I think maybe we were a little wrong about her. But that's not the point... I don't think Avie consciously made the decision not to come to us, I think she's just confused these days."
"But then why not come to the people who can help her?" Josh asked.
"Could we help her? Josh, realistically, we couldn't. None of us have been in that situation, we don't know all the details and honestly, from how we'd all drifted lately, do you really think we would've? I believe in our friends, I believe the best about them, but I also know we would've turned our backs, or at the very least, been pretty unsupportive - not on purpose," he added, before Josh could protest. "But just from a general lack of experience and knowledge in the area. I think she went to Lauren because Lauren was the one person who she felt would take care of her. And that's good, I'd rather Avery went to someone who genuinely cares about her - and don't argue, you can see that Lo cares. I think she made the right choice with who she leant on for support. And I think you know that too."
Josh was quiet for a long moment, processing everything Trent had just said to him. "I know we're not perfect, and I know she isn't... and I know that she's more or less left our group... but I can't help but care, Trent."
Trent put an arm around his best friend. "I know. And I care too, but this is Avery's life, and the only thing we can do is just be there for her when she needs us."
Josh put his hands to his eyes to cover his tears. "We're not meant to be dealing with this stuff yet!"
"I know, Joshie, I know."