Page 34 of Twice Shy

The brief nod, tight lips, and averted gaze told Joel that everything was decidedlynotokay. Crap. Was this because of their date/not-a-date and Joel’s cowardly backing off afterward? Had hehurtOllie? The thought distressed him.

Not knowing what to say, he was glad when a gaggle of sixth-graders showed up at the table and he could busy himself scooping out ice-cream into cups, sending them giggling down the line of tables to where Alyssa supervised as they piled gory jelly candies, ghostly marshmallows and gruesome green syrup onto their ice-cream. When they were gone, Rory and Luis appeared at the table with Ollie. Joel served both the boys a scoop and gave Ollie his two bucks change.

As he passed over the money, their hands briefly touched. Ollie’s fingers felt like ice, shaking as he shoved the bills into his wallet. Frowning, Joel said nothing. But something was definitely wrong, something more than their non-date.

“I’m gonna help Mr. Morgan now,” Ollie told Rory. “Don’t eat too much candy. Remember how you felt last night.”

“I won’t,” Rory said, and headed over to Alyssa with glee.

Ollie brought Luis behind the stall and sat him down on an unopened box of paper cups to eat his ice-cream, sans syrup and candies.

For the next half hour, Joel and Ollie worked steadily and there wasn’t time or opportunity to speak much as everyone arrived at once and lined up for their ice-cream. But Ollie wasn’t his usual self, he looked tense and distracted and like he’d rather be anywhere but helping at this event.

Someone—Jackie’s ‘other half’ probably—had set up speakers with a spooky playlist on loop and they were already on their third rendition ofGhostbusters. Most of the kids were in the middle of the hall, racing about or ‘dancing’ to the music, their parents gathered in knots around the edge chatting and laughing. With the holiday season fast approaching, the mood was relaxed and optimistic.

For everyone but Ollie, apparently. A couple times Joel noticed him squeezing the back of his neck, closing his eyes, and he wondered whether he was unwell. It would be like him to show up even if he was feeling like crap. Joel would have suggested he head home, except that Rory was having a great time and he figured Ollie wouldn’t want to drag him away early. The kid was currently loading up a second ice-cream cup with sugary crap, his gleeful smile a nice contrast to his earlier anxiety. Ollie had initially refused him more ice-cream but had quickly given in to Rory’s pestering. And that was as unlike him as the rest of his behavior this evening. He just hadn’t had the stomach for a fight, it seemed, too distracted by whatever dark thoughts were bothering him.

“Do you have a headache?” Joel said eventually, when the rush had abated and they were starting to tidy up.

Ollie blinked at him. “What?”

“You look like you have a headache,” Joel said, grabbing a cloth to wipe down the sticky table. “Or maybe it’s just this music.”

Ollie laughed faintly and even that half-laugh sparkled lightly through Joel’s chest. But it didn’t last long. “Kinda, actually,” Ollie said and rubbed at his neck again.

Joel took a step closer, resisting the concerned impulse to touch Ollie’s arm. “You need something for it? I’ve got pain killers in the staff room.”

“I’m fine.” Ollie opened his eyes. They looked very dark in the low lighting. Troubled. “I just need to get home and go to bed.”

Joel found himself snared by that hopeless miserable look. “Long day?”

“You could say that.”

“Anything I can—?”

A distraught wail rose over the music and they both looked over to find Alyssa shepherding Rory towards them, the front of his shirt an alarming green and his face a not dissimilar color. “Oh God,” Ollie groaned. “Now what?”

“I’m sorry, Ollie,” Alyssa said. “I think he ate too much syrup.”

And he’d brought it all back up again by the looks of things.

“For God’s sake,” Ollie barked. “What did I tell you, Rory? I told you not to eat too much of that crap.”

Rory’s miserable snivels got louder. “I didn’t mean to.”

“You didn’tmeanto? Well, what the hell am I supposed to do now? What the hell do you think—? I don’t even have your—Fuck.Fuck. I can’t—”

“Ollie.” Joel touched his arm, but Ollie snatched it away and turned around, pressing both hands over his mouth. Something had happened; this was not the Ollie Snow Joel knew.

Rory stared with wide miserable eyes, Alyssa looked concerned, and Luis started howling.

“Okay,” Joel said, scooping Luis up. “Alyssa, can you help Rory out? There’re spare clothes in the lost property box in the school office. You know where it is?”

“Sure.” She glanced at Ollie’s tense back and mouthed,Is he okay?

Joel shook his head. Ollie hadn’t moved, still standing rigid with his hands pressed over his mouth. But his shoulders were shaking.

“Give me Luis,” Alyssa said, with a significant look at Ollie—you sorthimout.

---