just dive in [reed bishop spin-off] ✔️

eleven

— e l e v e n —

THE PARTY WAS in full swing when Oliver stepped out into the crowded hallway, the walls shaking with the force of speakers built into them. Oliver thought he could feel Post Malone being drummed into his heart from how loud the music was being played.

He shoved through the drunken gatherings of people into the kitchen, bypassing the witch snorting a line of questionable white powder off the very counter where food was prepared and the werewolf puking into the sink. He couldn't spot Reed's pale hair or the green tie he was wearing anywhere. Trying to work his way towards the back door to get out into the garden, Oliver realised he was more drunk than he had thought. He stumbled into a table twice and almost walked straight into the glass patio door, eliciting giggles from a group of girls dressed as M&Ms standing nearby. He braced a hand against the wall, took a deep breath, and walked outside.

The air was bitterly cold, and the chill sobered him up enough to at least walk in a straight line. The only people crazy enough to venture outside were those having a cig. Oliver wandered past them, the acrid scent of smoke and weed wafting over him, and saw a dark figure at the end of the garden. He thought it might be Reed until he drew closer and the shadows consolidated to reveal two people, huddled together against the shed. Oliver realised with a start he recognised them.

"Adam?" Oliver asked. "Oh, Clair — "

"Oliver!" Clair detached herself from Adam's side to wander towards him, a dreamy smile on her lips as she pulled him into a tight embrace. "Have I ever told you I love you? Like, really love you? Wow, I just love you sooo – "

"He gets it," Adam said, but he was laughing, which surprised Oliver more than anything. It took a lot to make Adam laugh like that and he never would have guessed his girlfriend professing her love to another guy would cause it. "She's right, though. You may have fucked off to London for a bit – "

Clair hugged him a little tighter, as if he might suddenly fuck off to London again.

" – but you were always a good friend. A best friend," Adam continued, growing sentimental in a way he had literally never done before. Oliver couldn't believe Adam was an emotional drunk...except he didn't really seem drunk, neither of them did. They eyes weren't glazed over at all and they appeared to be in complete control of their bodies. "Maybe I was never a best friend to you the way Reed was, but I wished I was, you know? You and Reed were always so close. I could never have been a part of that. Not until you left, anyway. Then Reed didn't exactly have a choice."

Oliver was still too drunk to process the barrage of feelings he was receiving from Adam but managed to figure out that something was up. "Are you guys okay?" he asked. "How much have you had to drink?"

Clair finally pulled away from Oliver and exchanged a look with Adam. "None at all," Clair giggled. "We don't need alcohol to have fun. Just a little..." She mimed popping something in her mouth.

Realisation dawned on Oliver. "You took drugs?"

"Yeah. Just a bit of MD," Adam shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

A slight defensive edge had crept into his voice and Oliver just said, "Okay," because there was nothing else to say. Drug culture was common at Woodway, rich kids cutting up lines with daddy's credit card and sneaking out behind the languages block to smoke weed during free periods, so he could hardly be surprised that Adam did them too. Oliver suspected half the people here were high as a kite and it wasn't really his business what people did in their free time. He had more pressing issues to deal with than their recreational past-times.