Page 76 of Rat

“How’s your lawyer?” Ollie asked as soon as Rory stepped back onto the wing.

“He’s fine.”

“Is he trying to shorten your sentence?”

Rory looked away. “Yeah—”

“I hope he’s a shit lawyer then. I’m already dreading that one year I have in here without you.”

“A lot could happen in here. Don’t…rely on me. They could transfer me at any moment.”

“They’d better not,” Ollie said. He smiled. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Ollie’s words knifed Rory straight in the chest.

14

Rory peeked over Ollie’sshoulder. “Show-off.”

Ollie laughed and attempted to hide what he was drawing. “I’m sorry that I’ve progressed from stickmen, but you haven’t.”

Rory flapped his sheet of paper. “My stickman battle is epic.”

“It’s childish.”

“I wasn’t an art kind of kid.” Rory narrowed his eyes. “You said you failed at everything at school, clearly a lie.”

Ollie winked. “Everything except art.”

“Where you’re like a mini-Picasso apparently.”

“When I was drawing, or painting…or just creating, it made me feel good, and all of my troubles were gone, just for a little bit.”

Rory swallowed, then gestured to Ollie’s picture. “You’re really good.”

“Thanks… Do you think Teddy will like it?”

Ollie gestured to the front of the classroom. Sebastian and Teddy were sitting together, lounging in their seats as Mrs Mason waited for the room to settle.

“I think he’ll love it.”

“I’m going to give it to him after class. I hope it’ll make up for the maggots.”

Mrs Mason cleared her throat, but it had no effect on the chatter. They only fell silent when one of the officers yelled at them from the back.

Pauly sat a few tables away. Rory ignored his stare and focused on Mrs Mason. Art was supposed to lower stress, increase positive endorphins and offer an outlet for pent-up emotions. Those were the reasons it was offered as a subject in prison. There had been studies about its effectiveness.

Rory found each lesson more humiliating than the last, especially when he was sat next to the star pupil.

“Thank you,” Mrs Mason said. “This will be our last day on these pencil sketches.”

“Thank Christ for that,” Rory muttered.

“Have you volunteered to show your piece to the class?” she asked.

Rory’s cheeks flamed. “No.”

“Stand up and show us.”

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