just dive in [reed bishop spin-off] ✔️

four

— f o u r —

REED AND ADAM BOTH turned to stare at him at the slam of the car door, with the engine still idling. Oliver glared at them in response.

"What?" he demanded. "I'm not allowed in the car either?"

Adam went from surprised to dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?"

Oliver ignored the question and turned his attention to Reed, daring him to try kick him out of the car. He didn't think Adam would be too hard to convince to listen to him, but there was no point trying it if Reed wasn't even willing to hear him out. Reed was the one who showed his anger of the two of them, not Oliver, so that might have been why he looked momentarily startled. Oliver would have felt triumphant at his expression if he wasn't annoyed. Catching Reed off-guard always felt like an accomplishment because he tried so hard not to be surprised, even if it was easy enough to do. He was far more expressive with his face than he realised.

"Fine," Reed said finally. "Whatever. Do what you want."

"And what is that?" Adam demanded, beginning to look a little annoyed himself. "I swear, if one of you doesn't start explaining what's going on, I'll kick you both out of my car and leave you to sort out your issues yourself."

"I'm giving you both an explanation to clear the air. I'm not spending the next year tiptoeing around you," Oliver said, looking at Reed who was resolutely avoiding his gaze. "Especially if we're on the same swim team."

"Okay." Adam considered it for a second before sighing. "We'll talk, but not here. Doesn't really seem like a car conversation."

"Your house?" Oliver suggested.

"No," Reed said immediately, sharper than Oliver was expecting. He just scowled at Oliver's confused glance and shook his head. "Not my house or Adam's house."

Oliver wasn't surprised that he'd declared his own house off-limits, because he was touchy about the fact that he wasn't as well off as the other Woodway kids and his mother when she was home, but he wasn't expecting the vehemence at the Montgomery household. It had been the place they hung out most because it was the middle point between their houses, and his parents were usually out with only the housekeeper watching over them. Reed had never cared about it then. Adam didn't look surprised and just shrugged when he saw Oliver's confusion.

"A lot has changed since you left," he said. "For reasons neither of them care to explain to me, Brooks and Reed have decided they're at war with one another. That apparently means not going to my house as much as possible."

"Fine," Oliver said slowly, knowing that was a discussion for another day. If Reed didn't want to tell Adam he certainly would start spilling his secrets to Oliver. "Not my house, either."

His parents were still under the impression that this past week had been a happy reunion with Reed and Adam for him, and that pretence would fall apart pretty quickly if the three of them turned up now to his mother's inevitable questions.

"Then where?" Adam asked.

"Juniper's," Reed said. "Bailey has a shift there now. At least I can get a free drink out of this."

Oliver just nodded when Adam glanced back at him for confirmation and didn't even have time to grab his seatbelt before Adam stepped on the gas, tearing out of the car park so fast Oliver was surprised he didn't clip off a wing mirror or two in the process. He soon learnt that despite how serious and responsible Adam was, he drove as if the brake didn't exist and the only way was up — on the speed. Oliver was quick to snap his seatbelt on as they sped down the road, hurtling past other cars and turning the world outside into a indistinguishable blur. He turned a five minute car ride into possibly less than a minute.