Red Uto had just turned to ask Blue Boom what had happened at the training, when the merry shouts of the Chill Ruff made him shut up.
"He seemed jealous," said Hoodie, the blond guy.
"Bah, you can't tell that just like this," objected Box, his dark-haired brother.
"Of course you can. He has the same look as you when Tamara turned you for that skinny boy in third year," pointed Flannel.
"What? I was never jealous! And still, that he and I look exactly alike doesn't mean we are".
He stopped when they noticed Red Uto and Blue Boom.
"Oh, hey, guys. What's going on?" Flannel added, casually.
"Nothing much," answered Red Uto as he picked his clothes from the bench.
"Were you going to shower?" asked Box
"I'll use another room," was the cold answer.
"Oh, come on! Don't be such a pus…"
"There are only three shower stalls. Count them," said the red-headed as he and his brother left.
"One… two…three…Oh! He is right! There are only three stalls here!" exclaimed Hoodie, an amazed smile on his face.
Flannel and Box looked at each other.
"Well, that was strange", said the dark-haired boy as he took off his shirt.
"Yup. I guess they've already 'switched' to their fighting mode", continued Flannel, taking off his sneakers. "Told you we shouldn't get used to this relaxed version of the Ghosts".
And then, they went back to their regular talks.
The two Ghosts walked around the lab, unable to relax, unable to find another free shower, and unwilling to face the third Ghost just yet.
"Really… what bit him?" Red Uto finally muttered, his frustration slipping through. "Boom?"
Blue Boom hadn't been listening. He startled slightly when he heard his name.
"Sorry—what?" he said. "I was thinking about what the Chills said."
Red Uto looked at him, confused.
"They said Butch seemed jealous," repeated Boomer.
"Yeah. So?"
"Remember the other night? When they threw that little riot—this party?" Boomer continued. "They asked if you or Butch would get jealous if Dhalila picked one of you."
Brick stopped walking. The pieces were starting to fall into place.
"You think Butch is jealous?" he said slowly. "But… that's supposed to be about girls, isn't it?"
"What if it isn't?" Boomer replied. "What if you can be jealous of anyone?"
He hesitated, then went on.
"Think about it. Since we got to the Sequoia Lab, he's been acting strange. He hates this place as much as we do—but he always seems more annoyed after we talk to Parra or Professor Utonium."
The argument made a lot of sense. An uncomfortable amount of sense.
"He would have told us if something was wrong with him, right?" Red Uto said, though his voice betrayed how little he believed it.
"Maybe we should check the library," Blue Boom suggested. "The psychology books must have something."
Brick shook his head.
"No time for that. We're setting the trap for Him tonight. We can't stop the mechanism now."
With this in mind, they went looking for Thornton. They had already checked most of the common areas, leaving only two possible hideouts: the Greenhouse or his own bedroom. Since the "Nerd Club" was currently occupying the library right next to the garden, they decided to head down to the bedrooms to avoid any more witnesses.
They stopped at his door and considered the possibility of knocking, but in the end, they just walked in.
"Don't you know how to knock?" Butch asked. He was lying on his bed, one arm draped over his eyes, blocking out the world.
"Butch…" Brick started, then stopped. The tactical confidence he usually wore like armor was nowhere to be found. He wasn't sure how to begin. "Would you mind if I use your shower?"
The excuse was stupid—so stupid that Butch actually moved his arm a few inches to squint at his brothers. He knew the showers in the common area were working just fine.
"Yeah, whatever," he muttered, shifting to make himself comfortable again.
Even though Brick and Boomer thought these ten minutes would give them time to formulate a solid argument, the truth was that the ticking clock only added pressure to their dilemma. They stood there in the quiet of the room, listening to the distant sound of the water, feeling the weight of everything unsaid.
But at least Butch seemed to have calmed a little. The sharp, jagged energy from the locker room had faded into a dull, quiet ache.
"You've been... jealous of us?" Boomer finally blurted out, breaking the silence before Brick could find a better opening.
"I'm fine," Butch said into his pillow, his voice muffled.
"No, you're not," intervened Brick, "you're compromising the mission…"
Boomer shot him an immediate, angry look, scolding him with just his eyes. He didn't have the right words either, but he was certain that anything related to "military talk" was the worst possible choice right now.
"I mean..." Brick stammered, trying to pivot as he realized his mistake. "All these things—the Utoniums, Parra, the Thorntons... It's just a lot to deal with right now. It's complicated."
Boomer rolled his eyes.
Butch stood up and interrupted Brick from continuing with his pathetic attempt at talking as a regular human.
"Let's just finish with all this so we can go ho…"
He stopped. The word "home" hung in the air, unauthorized and dangerous. He stiffened, waiting for them to call him out for his weakness.
But Brick and Boomer only shared a shy, small smile.
"Yeah," Brick said, stepping closer to the bed. "Let's finish with all this. Let's go home."