Page 94 of Rat

He glanced around, then shuffled nearer to Rory. “I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s up with Sebastian?”

Rory gulped, then shrugged. “No idea, he’s not told me.”

“He’s gone from smiling and all over you to miserable and distant in the flick of a switch.”

Sebastian kept his distance during the day, and at night when Rory tried to speak to him, he shut the conversation down with a swift ‘Night, Rory’.

The rejection stung, and he found it harder to look Sebastian’s way. His chest tightened when he saw him, and the guilt in the pit of his stomach curdled and made him want to vomit. He was responsible for Sebastian’s depressed state, and he didn’t know how to fix it.

Bombs and murder, Rory thought. The goal was to stop Sebastian’s plans, and he’d done so. On paper, the result was worth it, but Rory’s heart faltered just like Captain had described.

“Maybe he’s trying to distance himself.”

“Distance himself?” Rory asked.

“It’s not long until he goes. Maybe he doesn’t want you relying on him too much. He’s being cruel to be kind.”

“Maybe,” Rory mumbled. He spotted Jack and Green at the pool table close by. “Wanna see if they want a game?”

Ollie glanced over his shoulder. “If you want.”

Rory waved his hand to get Jack’s attention. “Can we play?”

Jack waved them over. “I’ll give you some pointers.”

“Do you know any trick shots?” Ollie asked.

Jack nodded. “Yeah, a few.”

“Let’s see them.”

Green huffed and perched on the side of the table. “Here we go. Jack loves showing off.”

“You’re only jealous because you suck.”

Jack showed them all sorts of trick shots, and Ollie was eager to learn them. When he chipped the ball over a cue, he punched the air.

“You see that?”

“Yeah, I saw it,” Rory said. “My turn.”

He couldn’t chip a ball to save his life, and each time he missed, Ollie clutched his stomach and laughed.

“Not so good at hitting pool balls,” Ollie mumbled.

Rory swung the cue his way. “Good at hitting real ones.”

“Maybe that’s why Sebastian’s avoiding you. You hit them too hard.”

Rory snorted and shook his head. He leaned over the table for another try, and Jack came up behind him and pushed his back down. “Get closer to the table. You’ll shoot better.”

“Back off.”

Rory looked up at the sound of Sebastian’s growl. His eyes pulsed from his head as he stared at Jack.

“I don’t want any trouble,” Jack blurted.

“You’ve got it.”

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