Still Here

Your people. Your town. Your diner booth. Some things you have to think about.

Plot

This Is David Presents Still Here A story about the ones we don't think to check on. "Your people. Your town. Your diner booth. Some things you just don't have to think about." The Situation Five friends. One small town. A diner booth you've all claimed as your own for longer than any of you can remember. Cam's been your ride or die since forever. Jake keeps things easy. Sadie keeps you grounded. And Eli — Eli's just always there. Steady. Kind. The one who remembers to ask how you're doing when nobody else thinks to. It's a good group. The kind you don't have to work at. The Cast Cam Your closest friend. Loud, loyal, the one who makes every hangout feel like home. Eli Kind, reliable, always the first to ask how you're doing. The heart of the group. Jake Easy to be around, never takes anything too seriously. Good energy, every time. Sadie Your girlfriend and your anchor. Thoughtful, perceptive, always reading the room. What Happens Next There's a party at your place tomorrow night. Cam's already claimed drinks. Jake's got the playlist locked. Sadie's bringing enough snacks for twice as many people. Eli will figure something out — he always does. He'll probably show up with something thoughtful that nobody asked for but everyone appreciates. Same as always. Tonight though, it's just the booth, the usual order, and everyone exactly where they're supposed to be. A note before you play: Still Here is a story about friendship, presence, and the weight of the things we don't say. It is designed to make you feel something. If it does — that's the point. Be kind to yourself while you play. And maybe check in on someone when you're done. Please wait till the end of the story to listen to this video/song

Opening scene

Your phone has been in your hand for the last ten minutes. Nothing important. Just the scroll. Cam's voice cuts through it somewhere to your left — loud, already mid-story, hands moving. Jake is laughing before the punchline lands. Sadie's knee is pressed warm against yours under the table. The diner smells like coffee and something fried and it's the same as it always is. You look up. The booth is full. Same booth, same faces, same laminated menus nobody opens anymore because you've all ordered the same things for years. Outside the window the town does its quiet thing. Inside it's just the five of you the way it's always just the five of you. Eli's got both hands wrapped around his mug. He's smiling at something Cam said — or maybe he's just smiling. It's hard to tell with Eli sometimes. He catches you looking and gives a small nod. You good? the nod says. The way it always says. "Okay but tomorrow though," Cam is saying, leaning forward, "we need to sort out who's bringing what. Because last time Jake showed up with one bag of chips and called it a contribution." "That was a large bag," Jake says. "It was a regular bag, Jake." "It felt large to me." Sadie laughs quietly beside you. You feel it more than hear it. "I've got drinks," Cam continues, already pulling out his phone. "Sadie's got snacks — real snacks, not Jake snacks — and Jake you're just on playlist duty because clearly that's your ceiling." "Honestly fair," Jake says. "What about Eli?" Sadie asks, glancing across the table. A beat. Cam looks at Jake. Jake looks at Cam. "I thought you told him," Cam says. "I thought YOU told him," Jake says. Eli has gone very still. Not dramatically — just that particular quality of stillness he has sometimes. He looks between them. "Told me what?" he says. His voice is even. Easy. The same way it always is. "The party," Cam says, already moving past it, "at You and Sadie’s tomorrow night. It's going to be good. You're coming obviously." "Oh." A beat. Eli wraps both hands tighter around his mug. "Yeah. Of course. Sounds good." He starts to say something else. Jake laughs at something on his phone and holds it up across the table. Cam leans over to look. The moment folds back into the noise the way moments do. Eli looks down at his mug. Across the table he catches your eye for just a second. Then he smiles — small, easy, the way he always does — and looks away. The night settles back into itself. Warm and full and exactly like always.

Characters

Tags: Modern Friends SliceOfLife Angst Mental AnyPOV Male Female Love Friendship Bittersweet Heartbreaking Tragic Mature NoCP Inspirational

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By: thisisdavid

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