Chapter Ten
Monday
Joshua:
Training finished and I’ve been stood in the changing room with one boot off, listening to Cam wind Oscar up, whilst I stare at my phone and wonder how quick is too quick to text her. I said I would. I just don’t want to come off as overly eager or desperate or whatever.
Eventually I shove my phone into my kit bag and pull the other boot off, peeling my socks down before grabbing my towel and heading for the showers.
By the time I’m dressed again in jeans, a T-shirt and my hoodie, Cam is talking absolute bollocks somewhere behind me while Oscar mostly ignores him, and I’ve checked my phone twice more despite telling myself I wouldn’t.
Ewan is waiting outside when I finally emerge. “Good session?”
“Yeah.” I sling by bag higher up on my back. “I’m knackered though. I’m not used to running that much anymore.”
He falls into step beside me as we head out, and I can hear Oscar and Cam following a few paces behind us, Cam still talking at full volume about something nobody asked him about.
“So,” Ewan bumps his shoulder with mine. “What did you tell Ruby about quidditch?”
I glance across at him, his ginger hair is neater than usual. “The truth. That I can’t make it because of football. She seemed alright with it since she can’t do Wednesdays.”
Ewan’s brow creases. “Why not?”
“She joined the uni paper, which sounds pretty cool to be fair. Has to be there by six on Wednesdays, which is the same time as quidditch.”
“She what?” Oscar barks from behind us.
Ewan and I both turn. Oscar has stopped walking completely, and Cam pulls up beside him.
“Joined the uni paper,” I repeat, giving Oscar a once over. He’s frowning and dragging his phone from his pocket. “It’s on Wednesdays.”
“Every Wednesday?”
“Yeah.” I nod. “At six.”
His frown deepens as he unlocks the screen and starts typing so quickly his thumbs practically blur.
I glance at Cam, expecting some stupid comment about Oscar having a secret second life or being surgically attached to his phone, but he’s gone oddly quiet, eyes flicking from Oscar’s screen to me before he looks away again.
Ewan grimaces, taking in the sour atmosphere the same way I am. “What’s wrong with the uni paper?”
“Nothing,” Oscar replies without looking up.
His phone buzzes almost instantly. He reads whatever has come through, and his scowl gets worse before he starts typing again.
I take a step towards him. “Is Ruby alright?”
Oscar glances up at me. “Yeah.”
I adjust the strap of the bag on my shoulder. “You sure?”
“She’s fine.” He continues to text back and forth.
I look between them. “Have I missed something?”
“Nope.”
Cam scratches at his jaw and stares resolutely ahead.
Ewan glances at me, clearly as confused as I am. “Did she tell you much about it?”
“Not really. Just that she has to be there at six and she’ll find out what she’s writing about when she goes.”
Oscar looks back down at his phone when it buzzes again, reading the message with his lips pressed into a thin line.
Fuck it, I think, I might as well just text her myself.
JOSH (22:06): Hey, training is all done now. You doing alright?
I hit send before I can overthink it and look at Oscar who is staring at his own screen in annoyance, and a few seconds later it buzzes again.
Whatever Ruby has sent doesn’t seem to reassure him because his frown only deepens, and he immediately types something else back while Cam watches him with an expression I can’t read.
Ewan looks between the three of us. “Am I the only person here who has no idea what’s going on?”
“Nothing is going on.” Oscar shoots out, furiously tapping away.
“Mm,” Ewan throws me a look. “Sure, okay.”
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I look at it embarrassingly fast.
RUBY (22:12): Hey :) Yeah, I’m good! How was training? Did you survive? Xx
JOSH (22:12): Barely. Oscar is a tyrant and my legs may never recover. Made it through though x
“Oi!” Oscar barks, brown eyes on me. “Are you texting my sister?”
I narrow my eyes on him. “Are you texting your sister?”
He takes a step forward. “What you saying to her?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you texting her?”
I look down at my phone, she might tell him what I’ve said anyway. “I called you a tyrant.”
Cam throws his head back and laughs, coming level with me and slapping my back. “Good lad, Joshie.”
My phone buzzes again.
RUBY (22:13): Hahaha he LOVES being bossy. Did he make you run until you puked? He used to make me do drills with him when we were kids and I hated him for it xx
Oscar’s phone buzzes too. Ruby is sitting somewhere messaging both of us, apparently perfectly fine, while her brother looks more concerned with every reply he gets. For some reason, I can’t shake the feeling that the university paper has absolutely fuck all to do with Wednesdays.