Both Adam and Toby seemed in a mood. Tonight was not turning out to be ideal. The rest of the night went by with a certain lack of drama. I just sat and watched the boys play pool, drank too much soft drink and tried to forget about Ellie. They tried to coax me into playing pool, but my heart wasn’t in it. Adam snapped out of his bad mood after a little while, never one to hold a grudge, but Toby seemed a little off, just like he had been when I first walked in. Maybe he was thinking about what Angela was getting up to. Maybe he was annoyed by all the teenage gatecrashing and resented Adam and I even being there. I managed to convince myself that it had something to do with me, to the point I felt utterly miserable and decided to bow out early, say my goodbyes and go home. Adam agreed to walk with me, and then the Onslow Boys had had enough too and decided to walk with us back to the Onslow. Stan walked us out to the gates, he had his hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped, forehead furrowed; he looked like he had seen better days.
