Reeling, I sat outside the office on the wooden bench with Johnny, Hughie, and Gibsie. On the bench opposite us sat Bella and Cormac.
‘Oh my god!’ I couldn’t stop the tears that were dripping down my cheeks as I watched the Gardaí take my brother away in handcuffs from the school. ‘Please don’t take him!’
‘It’s okay, Shan,’ Joey called over his shoulder as they led him down the corridor. ‘I’ll be grand – don’t cry.’
It wasn’t okay.
Nothing about any of this was okay.
My brother was being arrested and it was all my fault. ‘I’m sorry, Joe,’ I strangled out just before he was carted out the main door by the two male Gardaí. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘It’s okay,’ Johnny continued to whisper over and over as he kept his arm around me. ‘It’s going to be fine, Shan.’
‘I’m such a fuckup,’ I choked out, crying hard and ugly. ‘He’s going to be in so much trouble.’
‘You’ve got that straight,’ Cormac sneered. ‘I’ll be pressing charges on your scumbag brother.’
‘Back off,’ Johnny snarled, tensing beside me. ‘Or you won’t be around to press charges.’
‘Please don’t,’ I begged, sniffling. Rolling up the sleeves of Johnny’s school jumper that I was now wearing, I wiped my cheeks and tried to get a handle of my emotions. It was close to impossible, though. I was so worried about Joey, I could hardly breathe. ‘My brother’s going through a lot,’ I tried to plead. ‘Please don’t get him in trouble.’
‘I don’t give a shit what he’s going through,’ Cormac snapped. ‘He broke my nose, Shannon.’
‘Shut the hell up, Ryan,’ Hughie sighed wearily. ‘Don’t make a bad situation worse.’
‘He attacked me!’ Cormac shot back defensively.
‘And she attacked me,’ Bella sobbed.
‘Because you attacked her,’ Johnny snarled, chest heaving, as he pointed to me. ‘There’s only one scumbag around this place, Bella, and that’s you!’
‘Screw you, Johnny Kavanagh,’ she spat. ‘This is all your fault.’
‘You need to keep your mouth good and shut,’ Gibsie hissed. ‘Stupid, fucking girl.’
‘I’m a victim here,’ Bella wailed.
‘You’re a victim?’ Gibsie shot back, sounding outraged. ‘Jesus Christ, I hope your parents didn’t breed any more of you because you are one septic girl. The world doesn’t need another one of your kind prowling around.’
‘Go away and find some water to drown in, Gibs,’ Cormac shot back, glaring at Gibsie. ‘Like the rest of your –’
‘Back the fuck off!’ both Johnny and Hughie roared in unison.
Meanwhile, Gibsie remained rigid and silent.
‘Don’t even think about going there,’ Johnny snarled, wholly enraged. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’
‘He called my girlfriend names –’
‘So that justifies you saying that?’ Johnny seethed. ‘Don’t even think about trying to make excuses, Ryan. That’s bleeding despicable.’
‘From here on out, we’re done, Cormac,’ Hughie added, shaking with temper. ‘If you’re thick enough to knock around with someone like her, then don’t even bother looking in my direction. And I mean that on the pitch as well as off it.’
‘No skin off my nose, Biggs,’ Cormac sneered. ‘You’re so far up Kav’s ass, it doesn’t make a difference to me –’
‘Who is she?’ Bella demanded then, dragging the attention back to her. ‘The girl who attacked me – what’s her name?’ Narrowing her eyes, she spat, ‘I know you all know who she is.’
‘What girl?’ Gibsie replied calmly. ‘I didn’t see a girl, did you, lads?’
‘Never saw any girl,’ Johnny agreed. ‘But I did see Cormac hit Joey first.’
Cormac’s eyes widened in disgust. ‘You liar.’
Johnny shrugged. ‘That’s what I saw.’
‘Funny, I saw that, too,’ Gibsie offered. ‘He just lunged at you, Johnny – Lynchy was protecting you.’
‘That’s what I saw,’ Hughie agreed. ‘And Mr. Twomey was standing behind Johnny. His view was obstructed so he couldn’t see who threw the first punch.’
‘And there are no cameras in the carpark,’ Gibsie mused. ‘I guess that makes it your word against ours.’
‘Five against two,’ Hughie offered. ‘Funny that.’
‘Karma’s a beautiful thing,’ Gibsie agreed with a smirk.
‘There was six of you!’ Bella hissed. ‘There was a girl.’
‘Nope,’ Gibsie replied with a shrug. ‘You’re imagining things.’
‘You’re a pack of liars,’ Bella hissed, furious.
‘You do realize you caused all of this?’ Hughie shot back. ‘Or do you just not care?’
‘Leave her alone,’ Cormac quickly came to her defense. ‘She’s hurt.’
‘She’s a parasite, is what she is,’ Gibsie sneered. ‘And you’d do well to get as far away from her as possible because you’re not acting like the lad we grew up with.’
The sound of whistling grew closer and all six of us turned our heads just as Ronan McGarry, one of the boys from my year, turned the corner of the hallway. When his eyes landed on all of us sitting outside the principal’s office, he did a double take. ‘What are you all doing out–’
‘Keep walking, prick face,’ Johnny warned, bristling beside me. ‘And keep your bleeding mouth shut.’
Ronan glared at Johnny for the longest moment before flicking his gaze to me. ‘Causing trouble again, Shannon?’ A ghost of a malicious smirk teased his lips. ‘Why am I not surprised?’
‘I said go!’ Johnny snarled, rising to his feet. ‘Before I mangle you.’
Ronan stumbled backwards so quickly that he dropped his schoolbag, causing Gibsie to snicker.
‘Ah, lad,’ he chuckled. ‘Thanks for that. I needed the laugh.’
‘Shag off, Gibs,’ Ronan growled, red-faced, as he grabbed his bag off the floor. ‘I’m not afraid of him –’
‘Get out of here, you little pervert,’ Johnny’s voice boomed loudly and was laced with authority, as he took a menacing step towards Ronan. ‘Don’t think I’ve forgotten about what you did!’
Ronan backed all the way up the hall he’d just walked down before disappearing around the corner.
‘Brilliant.’ Laughing hysterically, Gibsie slapped his own thigh. ‘I thought he was going to piss himself –’
The office door opened inwards then, causing them all to fall silent as our parents filed out – well, their parents.
First to emerge was Bella and Cormac’s mothers. Mrs. Ryan and Cormac walked away without speaking a single word.
To my absolute shock, Mrs. Wilkinson marched over to her daughter and hissed, ‘Stand up.’ Pouting and huffing loudly, Bella stood up, dabbing her cut lip with a tissue. ‘Now, give me your phone.’
‘Mam –’
‘Give. Me. Your. Phone.’
Wordlessly, Bella slid her phone out of her pocket and handed it to her mother. Mrs. Wilkinson tapped furiously at the keypad, stiffening when she found what she was looking for. She looked over at me, eyes laced with guilt, and then turned back to her daughter. ‘Go over there and apologize for what you did to that poor girl.’
Oh god…
My entire body coiled tight with dread.
I didn’t want her to apologize to me.
I didn’t want her to come anywhere near me ever again.
Bella groaned. ‘But Mam –’
‘Don’t push me on this, Isabella!’ her mother seethed. ‘You’re lucky I’m not taking you down to the Garda station and handing you in myself! I’ve never been so disappointed in you as I am today.’
‘Her friend hit me,’ Bella squabbled. ‘And they know who she is –’
‘I’m not surprised,’ Mrs. Wilkinson snapped, red-faced. ‘After what you did to that girl, it’s a miracle her guardian isn’t pressing charges. Now go over there and apologize!’
‘Don’t even think about it,’ Johnny cut in when Bella and her mother moved towards us. ‘Walk your daughter away from my girlfriend and keep her away,’ he ordered, tightening his arm around me. ‘Shannon doesn’t want her apologies. Your daughter has done enough damage. Sorry means nothing to us. So just walk away and leave her alone.’
Mrs. Wilkinson opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again. She cast a sympathetic glance my way before dragging Bella away.
‘Thanks,’ I whispered, melding myself into his side.
‘No problem,’ he replied gruffly.
Next to emerge was Sinead Biggs, followed swiftly by Gibsie’s mother, whose name I learned was Sadhbh.
‘Oh boys,’ Claire’s mam sighed as she wrapped her arm around Hughie’s waist. ‘What are we going to do with you?’
‘I didn’t hit anyone today,’ Gibsie offered brightly. ‘I was a good boy.’
‘Today being the appropriate word,’ his mother replied with a sigh. Ruffling his blond hair, she added, ‘Come on, Bubba. Let’s get you home before more trouble finds you.’
‘That’s the thing, Mam,’ Gibsie replied as he bounded after her. ‘Trouble finds me, not the other way around.’
It wasn’t until we were on our own that Johnny spoke. ‘When did it happen?’ His voice was low and thick with emotion. Shifting sideways to face me, he choked out, ‘What did she do to you, baby?’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ I mumbled, feeling bone weary. I’d already explained it all to Mr. Twomey and Darren when it was our turn to speak to him in the office earlier.
‘I need to know, Shan,’ Johnny replied. ‘So please…just tell me.’
Exhaling a tired sigh, I explained what had happened in the bathroom with Bella and her friends, leaving nothing out. Too exhausted to censor myself, I told Johnny everything, right down to the vomiting.
‘Why didn’t you call me?’ he asked when I was finished. ‘Or come find me. Shan, I would have –’
‘Because you had a French test and I didn’t want to get you in trouble,’ I whispered, knees bopping restlessly. ‘I know The Academy and the scouts are watching your every move right now, and I was afraid you’d get mad and retaliate, so I called Joey because I thought he would come pick me up–’ My voice cracked and a huge sob tore from my throat. ‘I just wanted a spin home. I didn’t think he would do that.’
The door of Mr. Twomey’s office opened again and this time, Mr. Kavanagh stepped out with both Darren and Mr. Twomey in tow.
‘Again, I am terribly sorry for what happened,’ Mr. Twomey said, extending his hand to Darren. ‘Please, rest assured that Tommen adheres to a strict zero-tolerance for bullying policy and this matter will be dealt with immediately.’ When Darren didn’t take his hand, Mr. Twomey’s gaze flicked to me and he grimaced. ‘Shannon, I saw the photographs and I am very sorry.’
‘So, what are you doing about it?’ Johnny asked in a tight tone of voice. ‘It’s all well and good saying you’re sorry, but that means nothing if you don’t take action. Is Bella being expelled? What about Kelly? She was involved, too. And Tash? She’s just as bad for walking away and not stopping them.’
‘Johnny,’ Mr. Twomey sighed wearily. ‘Stay out of this.’
‘No!’ Johnny erupted, springing to his feet. ‘Three of them cornered my girlfriend in the bathroom – two of them held her down and assaulted her. They’re all sixth years. They’re over eighteen. Shannon’s a minor. They should all be done for assault.’
‘Johnny,’ I muttered, feeling another wave of shame sweep through me. ‘Just let it go.’
‘No, Shan,’ he shot back. ‘I’m not letting this go.’ Glaring at our principal, he hissed, ‘I want justice.’
‘It’s not good enough,’ Darren shocked me by agreeing with Johnny. ‘My sister was brutally assaulted by two girls during school – one of whom, I learn, has been bullying her for months. My brother has been arrested for defending her when your teaching staff failed to do so. We’re going through hell as it stands, something you are well aware of, and all you can say is that you’re sorry?’ Darren shook his head. ‘Forgive me for saying this, Mr. Twomey, but what the hell are we doing paying thousands of euros in school fees if you can’t do something as basic as guarantee my sister’s safety at school?’
‘Bella has been suspended for the next three days,’ Mr. Twomey responded, cheeks flushed. ‘I will be bringing this incident to the attention of the board of management at our next meeting. We’ll decide on the appropriate action to take then.’
‘Take action by expelling her,’ Johnny seethed, furious. ‘Screw a three-day suspension. That won’t do any good. She shouldn’t be let back inside this school after what she did to my girlfriend!’
‘My hands are tied,’ Mr. Twomey replied, looking to Johnny’s father for help.
‘This is a mess, Seamus,’ Johnny’s father stated calmly. ‘I sincerely hope the school has sufficient legal representation – and for the Wilkinson family’s sake, I suggest you let them know the same. I will, of course, be offering my services to the Lynch family, and will be in touch when my client decides on the course of action she wishes to take – be it against Miss Wilkinson alone, or the school for their negligence and failure to safeguard a minor in their care.’
Mr. Twomey’s mouth fell open in surprise and I was pretty sure that his expression was a mirror image of mine and Darren’s faces as we gaped at Johnny’s father. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Well, it’s very clear, Seamus,’ Mr. Kavanagh replied in that sickly-sweet voice only people with great power used. ‘You were so quick to call the Gardaí and press charges on the Lynch boy for his role in the incident, that I find it only fair, and my personal responsibility, to make my services available to their family. However, given the circumstances surrounding both Lynch children, I feel I should advise you that you will have a challenge on your hands to find a judge the length and breadth of this country unsympathetic enough to their plight to convict Joey Lynch – and believe me, I know several of those judges.’ Adjusting his tie, Mr. Kavanagh smiled. ‘Have a good day, sir.’
Johnny grinned at his father.
Meanwhile, Darren and I both continued to gape in wonder.
‘Let’s go,’ Mr. Kavanagh instructed in the cool, calm, and collected tone of his, as he turned to his son. ‘Your mother needs me to pick up pepper sauce for dinner, and I have to take a trip to the Garda Station before I –’
‘Wait, wait, wait,’ Mr. Twomey strangled out. ‘Mr. Kavanagh, can you step back into my office please?’
Johnny’s father made a big deal of checking his watch and sighing before reluctantly nodding. ‘I can give you fifteen minutes.’
‘Yes, yes, thank you.’ Mr. Twomey sagged in relief and scurried back into his office.
‘Shooting fish in a barrel, Da?’ Johnny quipped.
Chuckling softly, Mr. Kavanagh winked at his son before following Mr. Twomey. Pausing in the doorway of the office, he turned to Darren and said, ‘I’ll have your brother home by ten tonight.’
‘Thank you so much.’ Exhaling heavily, Darren strode over to Mr. Kavanagh and extended his hand. ‘And I’m very sorry for the way my family –’
‘Irrelevant,’ Johnny’s father replied, shaking Darren’s hand. ‘We all need a little mercy sometimes.’ Flicking his sharp gaze to Johnny, he said, ‘Bring that pepper sauce home to your mother before you go to training, son.’ He looked to me then and gave me a soft smile. ‘I hope one day we will meet under happy circumstances, Shannon.’ With that, Mr. Kavanagh sauntered into the office, letting the door swing shut behind him.
‘He’s going to torture him,’ Johnny chuckled, as he strolled over to where I was sitting and pulled me to my feet. ‘Don’t worry, Shan,’ he added, wrapping an arm around my waist. ‘He’ll get this sorted.’
I blew out a ragged breath. ‘I can’t believe he did that for us.’
‘Neither can I,’ Darren muttered, rubbing his jaw.
‘I told you my parents love you,’ Johnny coaxed, taking my hand in his. ‘Do you believe me now?’
Trembling, I squeezed his hand and sagged against his chest. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t even say that,’ he whispered, wrapping me up in his arms.
‘I smell like fish,’ I warned him. ‘You’ll get it on your clothes, too.’
‘I don’t care,’ he whispered, dropping a kiss to my hair. ‘I love fish, I love you, and I still want to eat you for dinner.’
‘Not as much as chicken,’ I sniffled.
‘I fucking love chicken,’ he agreed with a chuckle. ‘Everything’s okay, Shan.’ Stepping back, he cupped my face in his hands, and stared down at me. ‘Do you hear me?’
I shrugged weakly. ‘I hear you.’
‘You’re going to be okay,’ he said gruffly, blue eyes locked on mine. ‘And so is Joey.’
‘I don’t think I’m going to make dinner tonight, Johnny,’ I squeezed out.
‘That’s okay,’ he replied, dropping his hands to rest on my shoulders. ‘We’ll do it another time.’ Stroking his thumbs over my collar bone, he added, ‘I’m going to make this right for you.’
I sagged against him. ‘Doesn’t matter.’
‘It matters,’ he corrected, pulling me back into a hug. ‘And it’s never going to happen to you again.’
‘I’m just so scared for Joey,’ I confessed, burying my face in his chest. ‘I don’t want him to be in trouble over me.’
‘My Da will get it cleared up.’ He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. ‘Seriously, if you knew the half of what he’s managed to drag Gibs out of down through the years, you wouldn’t be worrying. He’ll clear it all up, Shan. He’ll make it go away.’
‘Really?’ I sniffled. ‘You’re sure?’
‘Hundred percent,’ Johnny replied. ‘He meant what he said – Joey will be home tonight.’
Relief washed through me but I was afraid to absorb it. I was petrified of getting my hopes up only to have more bad news thrown my way.
‘I misjudged you,’ Darren’s voice cut through the air. Stunned, I spun around to find he was looking at Johnny. ‘I was wrong about you,’ he added, tone hoarse. ‘And I owe you an apology.’
‘Yeah, you were wrong,’ Johnny said tightly. ‘I’m not the person your Ma makes me out to be.’ Sighing heavily, he added, ‘But I don’t need an apology.’
‘Well, you have it all the same,’ Darren replied wearily.
‘And I accept it,’ Johnny stunned me by saying. He didn’t need to accept anything from Darren. He’d been treated terribly by both my brother and my mother. ‘No hard feelings,’ Johnny added, giving my brother a clipped nod. ‘But I’m still not going anywhere.’
‘Yeah.’ Darren sighed. ‘I’m beginning to gather that.’
Johnny sniffed. ‘Just so we’re clear.’
‘We’re clear, Kavanagh,’ Darren replied before turning to me and asking, ‘Are you coming with me?’
Am I?
Was he giving me an actual choice?
I frowned. ‘Huh?’
‘Are you coming home now?’ Darren repeated slowly. ‘Or later?’
‘I, uh…’ Shaking my head, I looked at my brother and said, ‘Now.’
‘You sure?’ Johnny asked, stiffening behind me. ‘I can take you home.’
‘You have training,’ I whispered. ‘And I need to go home and get cleaned up.’
‘I don’t have to go, Shannon,’ Johnny told me, tone uncertain, eyes flicking between me and Darren. ‘I can stay with you.’
I wanted to scream yes, but I stopped myself. Johnny was on track with his training. He spent most of his days staring longingly at his phone. I knew he was expecting that call from the Irish coaches to come soon, and I couldn’t expect him to railroad his life every time something happened to me. This wasn’t my first disaster and it wouldn’t be my last.
Besides, when he goes, you’re going to have to do this on your own.
Because he is leaving, Shannon…
‘I need to help my brothers.’ I gave him a watery smile. ‘I’ll call you later.’
Johnny didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t argue with me. Instead, he pressed a kiss to my forehead, nodded stiffly, and stepped back. I felt the absence of his touch in the deepest part of my soul as I walked away with Darren.
