They Left Me Out of Their Group, So I’ll Leave Them Out of My Life Chapter 12

They Left Me Out of Their Group, So I’ll Leave Them Out of My Life Chapter 12

Two weeks after Marco left, I got an email. 

It was from an address I didn’t recognize. 

The subject line read: “Formal Apology to Kira.” 

I opened it. It was from Nico. 

The wording was absurdly formal, like a corporate 

statement. 

“Dear Kira, I, Nico, would like to express my sincere 

apologies for my inappropriate behavior over the 

past two years.” 

“My repeated participation in concealing social 

gatherings from you in the group chat reflected poor judgment on my part and was never intended 

to cause harm…” 

It went on for another long paragraph. 

Basically: I didn’t mean to. I didn’t think about the 

consequences. I hope you can accept my apology. 

I finished it, closed the email, and didn’t reply. 

Even his apology felt like an assignment. 

Three days later, Elena asked me to dinner. 

I ignored three of her messages. Then she called me directly. 

“Kira, I know you don’t want to see me. But I need 

to say something in person. Just five minutes.” 

I hesitated for a long time, then agreed. 

We met at the cafe downstairs from my office. 

She looked awful when she arrived, like she’d been 

crying or hadn’t slept in days. 

She sat down and took a deep breath. 

“Kira, I’m sorry.” 

I stirred my drink with the straw and said nothing. 

“That group… I knew it was wrong from the 

moment Enzo made it.” 

“But everyone else was in it, and I… I didn’t want to 

be left out.” 

“So you let them leave me out instead.” 

She bit her lip. 

“Yeah. I know how pathetic that sounds.” 

“But that was what I thought. If I didn’t go along 

with it, I’d be next.” 

I looked up at her. 

Her eyes were red. 

“I was your best friend for four years, and I spent 

all four helping them lie to you. I know it’s too late 

now.” 

“Did you come here because you want me to forgive you?” 

“No.” She shook her head. “I just wanted you to 

know I know what I did was awful. There was 

nothing wrong with you. I was a coward.” 

Soft music drifted through the cafe, barely more 

than background noise. 

I took a sip of my drink. 

“Elena, let me ask you something.” 

“Okay.” 

“Did you actually not like being around me?” 

She froze, then shook her head hard. 

“No. I liked being with you.” 

“It’s just… they kept saying the vibe was different 

when you were there, and after a while, I started seeing you the way they did.” 

“And you decided they were right.” 

“…Yeah.” She lowered her head. “I’m disgusted 

with myself.” 

I didn’t respond. 

After a while, she stood. 

“I’m going. Kira, I don’t expect you to forgive me.” 

“If you ever need anything, call me. Though I know you probably won’t.” 

She left. 

I stayed there and finished my latte. 

It wasn’t bitter or sweet. Just ordinary. 

When I got home, I unblocked Enzo’s number. 

Not because I wanted him back. 

Keeping him blocked almost felt like admitting I 

still cared. 

The second I unblocked him, messages flooded 

1. in. 

Forty–seven of them, all from the past three 

weeks. 

The first ones said, “Can you please answer me?” 

and “I know I was wrong.” 

Then came, “Kira, I deleted the group. Nico and the 

others apologized to you.” 

Later: “What do you want from me?” and “This is 

destroying me.” 

The newest was from yesterday. 

“Kira, my dad’s in the hospital. I’m not trying to get 

sympathy. I just wanted you to know.” 

I stared at it, my finger hovering over the screen. 

Enzo’s father was in the hospital. 

The older man who always texted me on holidays 

and smiled whenever he called me Kira. 

He was the only one who had never been in that 

group.