Caleb rolled his eyes. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
Maurice didn’t raise his voice. “I’m telling you to respect him.”
Caleb opened his mouth to snap back, but that’s when Mr. Santos appeared, moving fast and looking absolutely done with the situation.
“Enough,” Mr. Santos said sharply. “All three of you. Stop.”
Caleb threw his hands up. “He started—”
“I don’t care who started it,” Mr. Santos cut in. “Caleb, Maurice—go to your rooms. Now.”
Maurice looked at Finn immediately, checking him over with his eyes.
“I need to speak to Finn alone,” Mr. Santos said.
“Are you okay with that?” Maurice asked.
Finn nodded. “Yeah. Go. I’ll be fine and meet you after he talks to me.”
Maurice hesitated, clearly not loving it, but he squeezed Finn’s hand once before stepping back. “I’ll be in my room,” he said. “Come find me when you’re done.”
Finn nodded again, and Maurice left with one last look over his shoulder.
Caleb stomped off in the opposite direction, muttering under his breath.
Mr. Santos turned to Finn. “Walk with me.”
They stepped into the quieter hallway outside the Lounge Car. Finn braced himself—he knew that tone.
“Finn,” Mr. Santos began, “you are here to mingle. To meet people. Not to attach yourself to one man and ignore the rest of the program.”
Finn crossed his arms. “I’m not ignoring anything. I’m serious about Maurice.”
Mr. Santos sighed. “You’ve known him for a few days.”
“I’m going to move into his room,” Finn said, maybe a little too defensively. “We’re serious.”
Mr. Santos pinched the bridge of his nose. “Finn, that is exactly what I’m talking about. You’re supposed to explore your options, not move in with the first man who smiles at you.”
Finn’s jaw tightened. “He’s not the first man. And he’s not just some guy. I know what I’m doing.”
Mr. Santos gave him a long, assessing look. “Do you?”
“Yes,” Finn said. “I do.”
Mr. Santos exhaled slowly. “Fine. But you still broke a rule.”
Finn blinked. “What rule?”
“When you change rooms,” Mr. Santos said, “you are required to notify me. It’s in the pamphlet. Page three.”
Finn groaned. “I didn’t think—”
“Exactly,” Mr. Santos said. “You didn’t think or read the pamphlet. And now we have drama in the Lounge Car.”
Finn looked down at his shoes. “I’m sorry.”
Mr. Santos softened just a little. “I know you are. But you need to be more careful. And more considerate of the structure we’ve put in place.”
