26 Ollie #2
“What is going on?” Victor demands, chest out. “Who even is this guy?”
“It’s fine,” Jon says, one hand open and up, the other holding his beer. “I just found Ian in our room and asked them what they were doing.”
“I just got turned around,” Ian says as they stand up.
“Okay,” Ollie announces, desperately trying to keep control.
“So it’s all fine! Let’s go back upstairs and keep playing.
You missed the lesbian question, Nicole.
” This is bad. Ollie had a whole plan for the night, and the feeling he has now—like the moment before a bar fight breaks out—is not part of that plan.
“No, I want to know what this guy was doing to Ian,” Victor says.
“Victor, relax,” Tom says. “You just said—”
“I look out for my friends,” Victor shouts at him. “And that means protecting them from drug dealers and whatever”—he spins on Jon—“you are.”
“I’m not a drug dealer,” Tom says, laughing.
“And I’m just a guy,” Jon says, backing away. This is the most nervous Ollie has seen him. His charm flickers for a moment, and Ollie can see him deciding between trying to talk his way out or fight. “Relax, man.”
“Victor—” Ian says, putting their hand on Victor’s shoulder.
“Watch yourself,” Victor says, reaching out and shoving Jon’s shoulder slightly, causing his beer to splash up all over his face.
“Fuck,” Jon says, then pauses for a moment. Ollie swallows. Is he going to punch back? But he just pulls up his tee to wipe his face.
“What the hell, Victor?” Brandon asks, standing between him and Jon. “Don’t be an asshole.”
“He pushed Ian!” Victor shouts back, face turning pink. “I’m not letting this guy hurt anyone.”
“He’s not going to hurt anyone,” Brandon yells back. “Just cool down!”
“‘Cool down’?” Victor asks, even louder. “Fuck you, ‘cool down’!”
Then, wildly, Brandon throws his drink on Victor. Ollie feels his eyes widen in shock as the liquid flies through the air, like it’s in slo-mo, a paper towel commercial where something is about to stain a carpet. He really hopes nothing is about to stain anything.
It splashes on Victor’s face and the carpet, but thankfully it’s clear. Good thing he made sure it was only gin and vodka, Ollie tells himself.
“Cool down,” Brandon repeats, calmer. His face is all Real Housewives aside from the eyes, which are too wide, stunned by what he’s done. Victor also looks stunned.
“Whoa,” Safiya says.
“Okay,” Ollie says, waving his arms. “Let’s all just relax.”
“I think it’s a little late for that,” Ian says. “What the fuck, Brandon?”
“He shoved Jon!” Brandon sounds borderline hysterical now.
“Jon shoved Ian,” Nicole says. “C’mon, Brandon—”
“No, I didn’t,” Jon protests.
“He—” Ian starts.
“Please!” Ollie shouts again, but everyone is talking over each other, words and bodies forming a knot in the middle of the room, almost shaking the walls as they pull everything inward. Ollie instinctively puts a hand up, as if to protect Safiya from the gravity.
“Is it always like this?” she asks him.
“No.” He can’t hide the sadness in his voice.
“Why don’t any of you give Jon a chance?
” Brandon’s voice is hoarse from screaming, so raw that everyone goes quiet.
He locks eyes first on Ian, then Nicole, and finally Ollie.
He looks so hurt, Ollie drops his gaze to the floor.
“I really like him, and you’re all here snooping”—he points at Ian—“or interrogating”—his hand flies over to Nicole—“or trying to be smart and find stuff out but just embarrassing yourself,” he says, hand finally landing on Ollie in a way that feels like a punch.
“I’m just trying to solve the case!” Ollie protests, but it sounds weak.
“Case?” Tom asks, but everyone ignores him.
“He’s trouble, Brandon,” Nicole says. “Can’t you see that?”
“Oh, like you would know, with your nose in your phone all night. Texting your boss?”
Nicole frowns.
“Yeah, you want to talk about bad romantic decisions, how about that one? Or you”—Brandon turns on Ian—“bringing the guy you say is ‘too nice’ but is clearly a drug dealer and the ex you were hate stalking until today to the same party?”
“Fuck you,” Ian says, but their eyes flick to Victor, who looks back at them, confused.
“I think maybe I should go,” Safiya whispers in Ollie’s ear. Ollie doesn’t say anything, waiting for Brandon to tear him down next, but he doesn’t even seem to spot Ollie. Which somehow hurts even more.
“It’s like the moment I find something that makes me happy, and not just the butt of all your jokes, you need to do everything you can to take it away from me,” Brandon screams at the room. Tears are running down his face.
“Hey,” Jon says, taking Brandon’s arm. “Hey, it’s okay.”
“He’s dangerous,” Nicole says, now her turn to point at Jon. “Look what he did to Ian!”
That seems to remind Victor about the push, and he puffs his chest out again.
“What does ‘too nice’ mean?” Tom asks quietly.
“Let’s clean you up,” Brandon says, getting between Jon and Victor. “I think we’re done for the night.” He pulls Jon back into the den and slams the door.
Ollie forces a laugh, too loudly, he knows. He wants to go knock on Brandon’s door and make it all better. But Nicole and Ian look angry. “Well, that was dramatic.”
“Oh, shut up, Ollie,” Nicole says, taking a long swig of her beer.
“Are you okay?” Tom and Victor ask Ian, voices overlapping. They meet eyes for a moment, and then Victor backs up, letting Tom step closer to Ian.
“I’m really fine,” Ian says, laughing. “Victor, you shouldn’t have pushed him. I just tripped. It was all just…a misunderstanding.”
“Was it?” Nicole asks. “Or were you snooping?”
“Like you wouldn’t?” Ian shrugs. “We’re all doing it. Brandon was right.”
“Because he’s bad news!” Nicole says again. “Are we all forgetting what Ollie and Brandon saw?”
“This is why I was trying to be subtle,” Ollie says.
Nicole throws her head back and cackles. “You think that was subtle? Jesus, Ollie, you were as subtle as a car crash.”
The words car crash evoke images for Ollie, memories.
His dad on a slab in a dark room. He hadn’t had his license on him, was just out walking the dog, so Ollie did the ID.
Bodies are so fragile. He feels Safiya put a hand on his shoulder from behind and looks over at Nicole, who seems to have realized what she said, her face falling.
She shakes her head. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine,” Ollie says. It’s not. All the excitement of the case is gone. He needs an edible. A strong one.
“Hey,” Victor says to Ian, hanging his head. “Can we just, talk?” he asks Ian. “Privately?”
Ian bites their lower lip and nods. “Yeah, sure. I’m staying in the master bedroom, upstairs.”
“Thanks.”
Ian leads Victor upstairs, leaving Ollie alone with Nicole, Safiya, and Tom, who watches them go, frowning.
“Don’t worry,” Safiya says to Tom. “I think they just need to talk.”
Nicole throws Safiya a skeptical look.
“Why don’t we set up Pictionary?” Safiya says, her hand on Ollie’s arm. “We can go back upstairs…”
“You think Brandon and Jon aren’t coming back out?” Ollie asks her. He was hoping to apologize.
“Maybe after they’ve fucked,” Nicole says, taking a swig of beer and frowning at the taste. She puts it in the sink. “Maybe everyone will come back to the game room, all tension just screwed out of them.”
Ollie frowns at Nicole, nodding at Tom, whose eyes are still on the stairs, where Ian and Victor have vanished.
“Sorry,” Nicole says flatly. She sighs. “No, you’re right. I’m fucking everything up. Let’s go set up for Pictionary. Cheer us up. Or celebrity. But Pictionary we can do with only four people. Girls versus boys.”
They all walk back up to the game room. The house feels noisier now.
Soft murmuring. The sound of water. Ghosts.
Nicole sets up the little white marker board while Ollie takes out his cards of things to draw: cops, spies, violence.
He’s not going to learn anything without Jon here though. He takes a thick slice of cheese.
“Where’s Pete?” Safiya asks, settling back into her chair. At least she’s stayed. If she left, Ollie would have failed at everything tonight.
“Probably still downstairs. I’ll go get him,” Ollie says. Maybe he can coax Brandon and Jon back to the game. Apologize.
Downstairs, he goes over to the den and knocks on the door.
No answer. He pushes the door open a little, eyes closed, but all he hears is the shower going, so he opens his eyes: lights on, clothes on the floor—the shower.
He swallows and retreats, just as Pete zips into the room, carrying his teething ring.
Ollie doesn’t want to walk farther inside, so instead he just leaves the door open a little and retreats to the game room.
“No Pete?” Safiya asks with a frown.
“He was in the den,” Ollie says. “Sounds like Jon is…washing off. And Brandon is helping.”
Nicole snorts. “Called it.”
But then the door opens, and Ian walks back in. They sit down next to Tom, but with a little space between them. “Victor is going home,” they say, voice neutral in a way Ollie can tell is taking some effort.
“Oh,” Ollie says. “Well, that’s all right. It was good to see him, right?”
“Sure,” Ian says.
Nicole takes a sip of her drink.
“So, Pictionary?” Ollie asks. “Want to make teams? Nicole had said boys versus girls, so Ian, whatever you’re feeling.”
“Whatever,” Ian says.
“Be on my team,” Tom says, reaching out his hand to close the gap and squeeze Ian’s thigh. Ian looks down at it but doesn’t shift. “Yeah. Boys.”
“I kill at this,” Safiya says to Nicole as they sort themselves into different sides of the room.
“Yeah, let’s destroy them,” Nicole says, sipping again.
“You go first, then,” Ollie says, offering them a stack of cards.
Nicole draws one and frowns but flips the timer and starts drawing.
“Oh, pigs,” Safiya says. “Police, I mean. Police station. Someone talking? What is this? Someone—”
There’s the sound of a door slamming downstairs, loud enough that they can hear it. Everyone stops, looking at each other.
“Victor wouldn’t have done that,” Ian says. “He wasn’t angry anymore.”
Ollie stands, a bad feeling creeping up his spine, and starts down the stairs, everyone following him. The front door is closed, but standing in front of it, dripping and in just a towel, is Brandon, who turns as they come down the stairs. His eyes are red with tears.
“He left.”