“We’re going to be fairly squashed,” Ryan says, leaning against the wall, arms folded.
“That’s because your stupidity takes up every spare seat,” Nick fires back.
“Nice T-shirt, Casey,” I say, trying to ignore the brothers long enough to make it through the evening.
Let’s save the coach’s arse, the T-shirt reads.
Casey glances down at it, then grins.“Someone has to be on his side.”
“So the rumours were true.”
“What rumours?”Nick snaps, already on edge.“I knew you knew, that everyone knows, and I’m the only idiot left in the dark!”
“I don’t know shit, Nick.What rumours?You’re the one who brought it up in the first place!”
“I didn’t say there were rumours.You’re the one who started talking about rumours!”
“You’re the one giving out your arse is about to be kicked!”
“But you said you didn’t know shit about it!”
“And I don’t!”
“Then why are you on about rumours?”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake!”I flinch, losing patience.“Just forget I said anything.”
“Too late,” Ryan cuts in.“Own your words, like.”
“Mine?All I said was I liked Casey’s T-shirt!”
“And then you started on about rumours,” Ryan says.
“Are you actually serious?”
“This is nothing,” James says, wandering over.“You should see what happens when Ryan robs Nick’s T-shirts, and Nick swaps the bulb in his room with a blood-red one before he goes to bed.”
I smile at James’s words as the group falls quiet.
“That sounds like a proper spine-tingling scene,” I say.
He laughs, then turns back to me.“You should stay for dinner…”
“Jamie,” I say, helping him.
“Will you stay with us, Jamie?”
“Ah, sure, why not?”
“Then I’ll tell Karen.”
James heads back to the kitchen, and at the entrance, no one is in the humour for jokes anymore.
“That’s the way of it today,” Casey says, giving Nick’s arm a squeeze.
“I don’t want to be any bother,” I say, my chest tight with discomfort.I feel out of place in their house, especially with things so delicate.
“Enough with the bullshit,” Ryan says.“The more the merrier.”
