Page 62 of Rat

Sebastian nodded awkwardly, then mumbled, “No siblings?”

Rory hesitated, thinking of Erica. “No.”

“That explains the lack of visits.”

“My mum died when I was three, I can’t even remember her, and my dad died eighteen months ago.”

“I’m sorry.” Sebastian squeezed Rory’s linked hands. “Were you close to your dad?”

Rory didn’t look Sebastian in the eye. “Yeah. He was a good man, a great dad. I just wanted to make him proud, live up to the expectations he had of me.”

“How did he die?”

“Cancer. There wasn’t anything the doctors could’ve done.”

“Is that why you lost your way?”

Rory frowned. “What do you mean?”

“After your dad passed, is that when you started with the drugs, dealing? Did you spiral?”

Rory pulled his hands away from Sebastian’s and rubbed his fingertips into his stinging eyes. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he murmured.

Sebastian tried to pry his hands away again, but Rory didn’t let him.

“He’d be ashamed of me if he could see me now.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“I’m an idiot, and a liar, and I’ve made a mess out of this.”

“Out of what?”

Rory shook his head. “My life.”

“We’re all in here because we’ve messed up, but most of us haven’t messed up our whole lives. You’ve got eight years, and then you can think of a way of turning it around, making your dad proud.”

He wanted that more than anything. His dad would want Rory to do the right thing. He’d want him to help bring Sebastian down before he could hurt anyone. Despite his heart and mind being tugged in all different directions, he knew what he had to do. He just hated the thought of doing it.

“And you’ve still got your uncle, right?”

“Right.” Rory bit his lip. “Sebastian…can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

Rory removed his hands from his face. “That phone…”

Sebastian checked behind himself, then came closer. “What about it?”

“Could I use it?”

Sebastian exhaled through his nose, grimacing. “Why?”

“To call my uncle. I’m all out of phone cards, and I…I don’t want our conversation to be overheard.”

Sebastian glared at him.

“Please,” Rory whispered.

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