“Come on, Hart. You fucking owe us. Thirty minutes of your time won’t kill you.”
“You should go, Donovan,” Theo says, coming to join me in the doorway. “Thirty minutes until food’s here anyway.”
“Ugh, fine.”
???
Even though the tactics talk and video clips of our upcoming opposition get my blood pumping, I’m still eager to head back to the apartment as soon as I can.
Fateball is excellent, but Tee-Tee and Thai are better.
I let myself into the apartment, remembering to be quiet in case Cos is still snoozing. The room is dark, and only one lamp is switched on. As my eyes adjust, I see Theo curled up on a seat on the far side of the room.
On the floor, sprawled around the coffee table, Max and Wes are concentrating on something. My eyes seek out Tee-Tee again. She meets my gaze, and I pick up on the vibe, slowly making my way over to her.
Don’t know what’s going on, but Wes isn’t snapping at anyone currently, so that’s a start. “What’s happening?” I whisper in Theo’s ear.
“Max and Wes have been going through all the photos on Wes’s digital camera. I’m just keeping out of it, but I think,” she looks at me with hopeful eyes, “I think it’s helping.”
I snuggle next to her and watch the scene.
I’ve never in my life seen Max so gentle.
“Focus on this one,” Max says in a hushed voice. “That’s from Dono’s Fateball match against Montrose Academy. It was an away game. We all rode bikes there. Ring any bells?”
Wes frowns. “I-I think so? But they’ve played Montrose so many times, maybe I’m thinking of a different season.”
“It was the first time I’d ridden with you and Dono. Borrowed a bike from Gordon, his Kawasaki.”
“Kawasaki,” Wes echoes.
“Donovan took the piss out of its green paint job the entire time.”
Wes shakes his head. “The green was funny? I don’t understand.”
Max flicks through a load more shots until he settles on something else. “This SD card goes back fucking ages. What about this? Skiing in Switzerland.”
“Were you there?” Wes asks.
Max scoffs. “Hardly. Don’t have the triple-billion-platinum-plutonium bullshit credit card for that kind of thing; I’m your broke friend. But do you remember the trip?”
“Skiing, yes. You are too poor to ski.”
That’s a weird response.
“Rub it in, why don’t you, buddy?” Max grumbles.
Food arrives, so Theo and I busy ourselves with containers of pad thai and the like in the kitchen area.
I know we are both still intently listening to Max and Wes, though.
“Wanna try something more recent?” Max asks.
“I don’t know…I…” My twin looks up and locks eyes with me. “I’m not sure if I want to.”
Max knocks his shoulder against Wes’s. “No worries, bro. We can leave it for now. One step at a time, and all that.” He gets up and stretches. “Food! Fucking yes.”
“Thanks,” I tell Max in an undertone as he comes towards the counter.
