"Leah Kmosko's "Elephant in the Room" is about two fromer close friends who have faded apart but one friend still wants the other as a partner.  

    The "two friends" in this publishing are fading quickly apart after a past relationship.  I understand the feelings erupted for the one who still cares for the other but is getting nothing in return.  Most likely referring to summer when they were close, the two became distant when the school year starts.  This situation is quite common in highschool or teenage years.  I can recall events like these because normally students get together and break apart multiple times through their schooling.  These breakups are awkward and cause a lot of tension in classrooms.