JANUARY 7TH 2004 AOIFE
โISย that seriously Aoife Molloy Iโm seeing, with Joey Lynch between her legs?โ Rebecca announced in a voice laced with exaggerated admonishment, as she stood underneath a bright pink umbrella, with her pal in tow. โAnd behind her boyfriendโs back.โ Giving me a look of snooty superiority, she tutted softly. โOn the wall outside his house, no less. Wow, classy girl, Aoife. Real classy.โ
โOh, bore off, Rebecca,โ I growled, unwilling to wither under her snotty judgement. โWe were kissing, not riding, so tone down the disbelief. Itโs not that deep.โ
โJoey?โ Danielle choked out, and I stared in horror as tears filled her eyes. โWhat are you doing with her?โ
โFor fuckโs sake,โ Joey muttered under his breath. Inhaling a deep, steadying breath, he stepped away from me and turned to face our classmates. โGirls,โ he acknowledged with a clipped nod, cheeks flushed, and lips swollen from all of our earlier kissing, as he took a stance in front of me. โWhat are you two doing around my neck of the woods?โ
โDanielle was looking for you,โ Rebecca snapped, gesturing to her tearful friend. โShe wanted to make sure you were okay after what happened at school. More fool her, I guess?โ
โYeah, well, Iโm fine.โ
โOh, yeah,โ Danielle cried out hoarsely. โWe can see just howย fineย you are.โ
โDonโt start,โ Joey said in a low, warning tone. โI didnโt you make any promises.โ
โYou hadย sexย with me less than a week ago!โ she practically screamed. โAnd now youโreโฆ youโreโฆโ She shook her blonde head and glared at me. โWhat the hell, Aoife? You were supposed to be my friend! What are you even doing here?โ
Iย was?
I thought we were more classmates and acquaintances than bosom buddies.
โHey.โ Jumping down from the wall, I held my hands up. โI didnโt know you had anything serious going on with him.โ
โWe donโt,โ Joey was quick to point out. โWe have nothing going on, serious or otherwise.โ
โAnd I was justโฆโ Trailing off, I shrugged. โChecking on him, too.โ โLiar,โ Danielle screamed, face turning an unflattering shade of purple.
โYou saw us together the other night. You knew exactly what was happening between us.โ
โShe did?โ Joey barked. โWell, that makes one of us.โ
โYou have your own boyfriend to check on,โ Rebecca hissed, tone accusing, as she joined the fray and pointed a finger at me. โYou do remember Paul, donโt you?โ
โOh, pack it in, Becks,โ Joey sneered. โHeโs far from fucking perfect himself.โ
โYeah, does Paul know what youโve been up to?โ Danielle demanded, planting her hands on her curvy hips.
โNot yet,โ I drawled calmly, when I felt anything but, and resisted the urge to reach into my pocket and grab my phone. โBut Iโm sure that youโll be only too happy to tell him.โ
โOh, you can bet your ass I will.โ She glared at me. โHeโs going to flip his lid.โ
โBold of you to assume that I care,โ I shot back, groaning internally when I couldnโt stop my mouth from verbally kicking my own ass.
Quiet, Aoife, youโre in the wrong here. Now shush.
Narrowing her eyes, Rebecca planted her hands on her hips and glowered at me. โItโs bad enough that you donโt have any respect for your own relationship, but you could have spared a thought for Danielleโs!โ
โWhat relationship?โ Joey demanded, throwing his hands up. โBecause she sure as shit isnโt in one with me!โ
โOh Joey,โ Danielle sobbed, pressing a hand to her chest. โHow could you?โ
โNo, no, no, donโt go there. Donโt give me thatย oh, Joey, how could youย bullshit,โ he snapped, shaking his head. โI told you, Danielle, I fuckingย toldย you that I wasnโt interested in anything serious. I told you that it was a one- time thing and you said that you were fine with it!โ
โA one-time thing?โ She glared at him. โHave you forgotten about the other couple of dozen times?โ
Ouch.
โDonโt give me that shit,โ Joey was quick to counter. โI laid it all out for you, said I wasnโt interested in anything more than one night, and you said that you agreed with me.โ
โWell, I lied,โ she cried out.
โWell, I didnโt!โ Clearly frustrated, Joey ran a hand through his soaked hair and hissed, โYou came on toย me,ย remember? You propositionedย me,ย and I made my intentions perfectly clear. You knew that I was out of mind that night. You knew I was unavailable. I was up fucking front with you, Dan, so these tears youโre spilling are not on me.โ
โHave a heart, Joey,โ Rebecca snapped when her friend cried harder. โThe girl has feelings for you.โ
โThen tell her to stop having feelings for me!โ Releasing a frustrated growl, he pointed a finger at Danielle and hissed, โYouย promisedย you wouldnโt do this.โ
โI know, butโโ
โNo buts,โ he snapped. โAnd no promises, either. Iโm a free agent.โ
โYou might be,โ Danielle spat, pointing a finger in my direction. โBut sheโs not.โ
โWhat she is or isnโt hasnโt got a damn thing to do with either one of you,โ Joey sneered in a menacing tone. โSo, why donโt you both turn around and walk your asses out of here before this gets messier than it needs to.โ
โWho are you calling?โ I blurted out, attention flicking to Rebecca, who had her phone pressed to her ear, expression smug.
โHi, Paul, yeah, itโs me Becks.โ My eyes widened.
โYeah, so, Iโm up Elkโs Terrace, and I thought you should that I just saw your girlfriend, Aoife, with Joey Lynch.โ
Oh god, oh god.
โUh-huh, thatโs right. Yeah, I legit just saw them scoring with each other.โ
โJesus Christ,โ Joey groaned under his breath. My mouth fell open. โWhat a bitch.โ
โYeah, I swear,โ Rebecca said, grinning deviously. โNo, Iโm not lying.
She was wrapped around him like ivy.โ
โUgh.โ I dropped my head in my hands and groaned. It felt like my rolling stomach had fallen out of my ass, as I listened on helplessly.
What could I do?
Not deny it, thatโs for sure. Iโd been caught red-handed.
I planned on owning up to Paul anyway, and it would have sounded a hell of a lot better coming from my mouth than hers.
Yeah, because the instant Joey Lynch reciprocated my kiss, my feelings, I knew there was no going back to pretending.
โOh my god, Joe,โ I groaned, screaming on the inside, as the realization of what I had done suddenly dawned on me. โIโm my father.โ
โWhat are you talking about, Molloy?โ
โDad,โ I choked out. โIโm him.โ I looked at Joey. โHeโs a cheater, Iโm a cheater!โ I threw my hands up in dismay. โWeโre both cheating apples from the same cheating tree. Ugh,โ I muttered, thoroughly distressed. โAnd now Iโm no better than he is.โ
โRelax,โ Joey attempted to comfort me by saying, tone gruff. โIt was a kiss, not an affair, Molloy. Youโre nothing like your father.โ
โAffair?โ I stared at him, unblinking. โWhat do you meanย affair?โ He shrugged, clearly uncomfortable.
โOh my god, you know, donโt you?โ I sucked in a sharp breath as my brain quickly twigged. โAbout the other women? What he gets up to? You know about my dadโs affairs?โ
Joey didnโt respond, but he didnโt deny it either.
โYou knew?โ I shook my head. โYouโve always known? And you didnโt think to tell me?โ
โItโs not my business,โ he finally said, jaw clenched tight from the obvious tension that was emanating from him. Catching ahold of my arm, he led me slightly away from the girls before he continued speaking. โI work with the man. Iโm not his keeper and Iโm not your spy, either. I donโt get involved in shit that doesnโt concern me.โ
The rain was beating down on us, plastering his halo of dirty blond hair to his forehead as rain drops trickled from his brow to his nose and then his lips. Yet still, he remained absolutely rigid, eyes locked on mine.
โDonโt make it more than it is, Molloy,โ he said in a heated tone. โItโs an omission, not a betrayal.โ
โWell, it feels like one,โ I strangled out, looking up at him. โI feel betrayed.โ
Emotion flashed in his eyes before he quickly schooled his features. โTony gave me a job, took a chance on me when nobody else would. My loyalties have always been with your father, not your mother.โ
โWhat about your loyalties to me?โ I pushed the boat out by asking. His jaw ticked. โThatโs not fair.โ
โWhat about me, Joe?โ โMolloyโโ
โOh my god, are you two having your first fight?โ Rebecca interjected with a laugh. โPriceless. That didnโt take long.โ
It was at that exact moment in time that a familiar blue Toyota Starlet came speeding up the street towards us.
Brakes screeching loudly, I watched as the passenger door flew open and Paul climbed out of his brother Billyโs car.
Lovely.
Just fecking lovely.
โIs it true?โ he roared, red-faced and raging, as he marched towards me. โDid you fuck her?โ
โWhatโ Gaping, I shook my head. โNo, I didnโt sleep with anyone, calm down.โ Hurrying over to intercept him before anything happened, I placed a hand on his chest. โPaul, please, if you just give me a second to explainโโ
My words broke off when he literally shoved me out of his way, in his bid to reach my partner in this particular crime, intent on one thing only, evoking violence.
โYou just couldnโt leave her alone, could ya?โ Paul roared, going chest to chest with his nemesis. โYou had to have her. Youย hadย to mark her off your list.โ
โList?โ Laughing darkly, Joey met his challenge head on, shoving him back with his chest. โThe fuck are you talking about?โ
โYou had no right to touch her.โ Rearing an arm back, Paul punched Joey in the face. โYou had no goddamn right.โ
Joeyโs head twisted sideways, and I held my breath, almost afraid to see what he would do in retaliation.
I didnโt have to hold that particular breath for long, because in the blink of an eye, Joey had Paul speared to the road.
โNewsflash, asshole, your girlfriend kissed me,โ Joey snarled, pouncing on Paul like a lion would a gazelle, as his fists rained down on his face.
โShut up, Joey,โ I groaned, dropping my head in my hands. โGod.โ
โThe truth hurts, Molloy,โ Joey seethed, laying into Paul. โYeah, thatโs right, prick. Your girl over there made the first move.โ
โAnd let me guess; you werenโt interested?โ Paul roared back at him.
โHave youย seenย your girl?โ Joey taunted. โOf course, I was interested.
In fact, I was very fucking interested. Still am.โ
โJoey, stop taunting him โ Billy, donโt you dare!โ I warned, only to curse in frustration when Paulโs brother ignored me entirely and jumped into the fray.
โGet off my brother, ya dirty junkieโโ Grabbing ahold of the back of Joeyโs t-shirt, Billy dragged him off Paul before knocking him to the ground and driving his boot into Joeyโs stomach.
Repeatedly. Over and over.ย Jesus.
โOh my god, stop!โ Danielle screamed, covering her face with her hands.
โAre you happy now?โ I demanded, glaring at both girls, who were watching on in horror. โLook what youโve done!โ
โWhatย youโveย done,โ Rebecca choked out shakily. โThis is your fault, Aoife. This is all on you.โ
โYeah,โ Danielle sobbed. โLook at whatย youโveย done!โ
Yeah,ย I thought to myself, as I raced over to break up the fight,ย I know.
โThatโs right, ya little prick,โ Billy continued to taunt, as he held Joeyโs arms behind his back, rendering him essentially helpless, while Paul kicked and punched at him. โNot so fucking tough now, are ya?โ
โGet fucked,โ Joey half-spluttered, half-laughed, as he grunted and heaved every time Paulโs boot connected with his flesh.
Blood was flowing freely from his lip, but he didnโt seem to notice or care, as he continued to taunt Paul. โNo wonder youโre pissed, lad. Letting a girl like that slip through your fingers.โ
โIโm going to kill you!โ
Joey laughed. โYou couldnโt fight your way out of a paper bag, prick!โ โStop it,โ I ordered, pulling at Billyโs brick-shit-house-sized shoulders
in my feeble attempt to get the older lad to release Joey. โLet go of him.โ โCanโt say I regret kissing her back, though.โ Joey spat out a mouthful
of blood and grinned. โIโd have her mouth on me again in a heartbeat.โ
โOh my god, Joe, stop taunting him!โ I practically begged, stumbling backwards when Paul pushed me out of harmโs way. โPaul, come on, Iโm sorry, okay? Iโm sorry I hurt you, but please just stop this.โ
โScrew you, Aoife,โ Paul snarled, socking Joey in the gut with his fist, looking angrier than Iโd ever seen him. โYouโll play the ice-queen card with me, dangling your virginity over my head like a fucking carrot, but the minute this piece of shit crooks his finger, your knickers come off. Is that it?โ
โOh my god,ย nothingย like that even happened,โ I screamed back at him โIt was a kiss, okay. It was just a kiss.โ
โNothingโs ever just a kiss with him,โ Paul sneered, hitting Joey again. โI hope you enjoyed it, because when I get done with him, he wonโt have a
face to kiss.โ
โHey!โ It was at that very moment, that a small, blond-haired boy came bounding out of the Lynchโs house, and rounded the garden wall, with a floor brush in hand. โGet off my brother!โ
โTadhg,โ Joey roared, chest heaving and eyes wild now, as he thrashed and tried to break free, the sight of his brother igniting his protective instincts. โGo back inside.โ
โI said get the fuck off my brother!โ Tadhg screamed, ignoring Joeyโs words, as he swung the floor brush at the back of Paulโs legs.
โHey, donโt touch him!โ I snapped, when Paul roughly shoved Tadhg away. โHeโs just a little kid.โ
โYour brotherโs a scumbag with a serious learning problem, little man,โ Billy taunted the younger Lynch. โMy brother and I are here to teach him a lesson thatโll stick.โ
โHow about I teach you a lesson?โ Tadhg seethed, taking aim at Billy this time. โOn how to fight fair.โ With that, the little guy rammed the handle of the floor brush into Billyโs face. โAnd how to not be your brotherโs little bitch boy.โ
Blood sprayed from Billyโs nose, and he quickly released his hold on Joeyโs arms. โJesus Christ,โ he roared, cupping his nose with both hands. โYou little lunatic.โ
Joey and Paul went crashing to the road once more, fists flying back and forth.
โLike that, did ya? Well, hereโs some more where that came from!โ Yielding the floor brush around like he was Master flipping Splinter from the Teenage Turtles, Tadhg hit him again, this time in the dick.
Falling like a sack of spuds to his knees, Billy cupped his junk and groaned, while the little guy went in for the kill, flaking him on the head with the brush.
The sound of Paulโs promises of pain dragged my attention back to where he had Joey on his back, in the middle of the road, while he straddled his chest.
โYou couldnโt just let it go,โ Paul snarled. โYou could have any girl you want โ what am I saying, youโveย hadย every fucking girl youโve ever wanted, but that wasnโt enough for you, was it? You had to go and ruin her!โ
โGive it all youโve got, lad,โ Joey continued to laugh, as his head snapped sideways from the impact of Paulโs fist, clearly exhausted from the hammering heโd just taken. โItโs the only free pass that youโll ever get from me.โ
The sound of sirens filled the air, and flashing blue lights came into view.
โOh my god, the cops!โ I heard Rebecca call out, as the both of them legged it before the squad car reached us.
โAw crap,โ I choked out, when my eyes landed on the Garda car coming towards us. โStop it. Pack it in, the pair of you!โ Rushing over, I grabbed at Paulโs arm, only to stagger backwards, seeing stars, when his elbow made contact with my face.
โOuch,โ I cried out, losing my balance front the brunt of the force, and landing on my ass on the road. Pain coursed through my cheek bone as the stinging sensation of tears filled my poor, wounded eye socket.
โLook at what you did, you prick!โ I heard Joey roar. โLook at her.โ โJesus, Aoife,โ Paul was quick to shout, turning his attention back to
me. โAre you alright?โ
โIโm fine, Iโm fine,โ I croaked out, holding a hand over my sore eye, as a horrible vibrating ache pounded inside of my head. โJust stop fighting.โ
โWhatโs going on here?โ a Garda demanded, marching into the fold, with two more following close behind him.
Great timing,ย I thought to myself sourly,ย especially now the fight was over.
Billy and Paul quickly went on the offence, giving the Gards their version of events, which just so happened to completely throw Joey under the proverbial bus.
โThatโs not how it happened at all,โ I argued to the female Garda, who was scribbling down notes in her little black notepad. โIt was a huge misunderstanding.โ
โAnd then he threw the first punch,โ Paul reeled off, lying through his teeth, while Joey sat on the road, remaining stoically silent, not bothering to defend himself.
โAnd itโs not the first time, either,โ Billy interjected. โHe assaulted my brother before today, too.โ
โThatโs right,โ Paul agreed, nodding. โAnd heโs literally just been suspended for breaking my friendโs nose at school today during lunch.โ
โLiars,โ Tadhg spat, face turning beetroot red from temper. โHeย was holding him down whileย heโฆโ He paused to point an accusing finger at Paul, โkicked his face in.โ
โI was trying to protect my brother,โ Billy assured the Garda. โPaulโs never been in trouble with the law in his life, sir, neither of us have. You can ask our father, Garda superintendent Jerry Rice.โ
I narrowed my eyes. โName dropping, Billy?โ โBut this lad keeps bullying him.โ
โBullying him?โ I gaped. โStop it, Billy.โ
โItโs true. My brother has been the victim of a vicious smear campaign. I was afraid for his safety,โ Billy continued, tone convincing. โHeโs dangerous, Garda. I donโt want to think about what could have happened to my brother if I hadnโt been here to protect him from this lunatic.โ
After taking down a whole heap of notes, making a few phone calls, and cajoling between themselves for a few minutes, one of the male Gardaโs
searched us all before finally settling on Joey, gaze stern and unyielding.
Aw crap.
โShitting on your own doorstop, Lynch?โ he asked, inclining his thumb towards the Lynch house. โHave to say, thatโs a new one for you.โ
โYeah, well, what can I say. I like to keep things interesting,โ Panting breathlessly, Joey flopped back on the ground and held his wrists up. โLetโs just get this over it.โ
I watched in horror as another Garda walked over to where Joey was sprawled out, and roughly dragged him to his feet. โJoseph Lynch, I am arresting you under Section 4 of the criminal law act on the suspicion of assaultโฆโ
โWhat?โ Tadhg roared, eyes bulging, as he threw his hands up in outrage. โAre you serious?ย Theyย were double-teamingย him!โ
โYou are not obliged to say anything unless you wish to do so, but whatever you do say will be taken down in writing and may be given in evidenceโฆโ
โMam!โ Tadhg hollered then, bolting back towards his house. โCome out, quick! Theyโre arresting Joey again.โ
โWait, wait, wait,โ I blurted out, hurrying over to where they were placing handcuffs on my, well, on myย Joey. โThis is all a huge misunderstanding.โ
โWhatโs going on here?โ I heard Joeyโs father demand, as he stood at the front door of their house, with a can of beer in one hand, the remote control for the television in the other, and a cigarette balancing between his lips. Squinting, he asked Tadhg, โWhich one is that?โ
โItโs Joey,โ Tadhg cried out hoarsely, still clutching the floor brush, as he looked up at his father with a pleading expression. โPlease, Dad, do something!โ
โYour son is under arrest, Teddy,โ the Garda called back to him. โUnder theโโ
โYeah, yeah, yeah,โ Teddy Lynch interrupted, waving the Gard off. โDonโt give me that long spiel. Whatโs he being accused of?โ
โAssault,โ the Garda replied, looking a little uncomfortable. โAssault, eh?โ He turned his gaze on Joey. โDid ya do it, boy?โ
โSure did,ย daddy,โ Joey sneered, as tension emanated from his body. โThen do whatever the fuck you want with the little bollox,โ his father
told the Gard. โLet the courts deal with him. Just donโt expect me to come down to the station to bring him home like the last time.โ He turned back to Joey and called out, โDo ya hear that, ya little fucker? Donโt you be phoning your mother up to come save ya, either. You can clean up your own mess this time.โ
With my mouth hanging open, I watched as his father hauled a tearful Tadhg back inside and closed the door behind them.
I wasnโt the only one stunned by his fatherโs reaction, because the Gard leading Joey to the car shook his head and muttered something unintelligible under his breath.
โWait,โ I blurted out, jumping into action, as I hurried to intercept them. โGarda, please, you donโt understand. He didnโt start this.โ
โSave your breath, Molloy,โ Joey interrupted, as he walked compliantly to the car. โIt doesnโt matter.โ
โNo, no, it does, it does matter,โ I argued, watching helplessly, as he was bundled into the back seat. โJoeโโ
The car door slammed shut, cutting me off, and I looked on, helpless, as resigned green eyes stared back at me.
โJoe,โ I whispered, pressing my hand to the glass.
I watched as he sucked in a sharp breath before turning away from me, jaw set in a hard line, as another Garda climbed into the backseat alongside him.
The other two Gards climbed into the front seat and then they were driving away, taking him with them.
This time, the tears filling my eyes werenโt caused by my throbbing eye socket.
Spinning around to glare at Paul who was walking back to the car with his brother, I called out, โAre you proud of yourself?โ
โDonโt you dare talk down to me,โ he seethed, swinging back to point a finger at me. โThis is on you, Aoife. None of this would have happened if you werenโt sneaking around behind my back.โ
Furious, I stalked towards him and shoved at his chest. โListen here, you big bastard, I might be in the wrong for kissing him, and Iโm sorry for hurting you, but what I did pales in comparison to what you just did.โ
โYou cheated on me!โ he roared in my face. โIt was just a kiss!โ
โMaybe physically thatโs all it was, but youโve been having an emotional affair with him for years!โ
โPaul.โ
โHe got what was coming to him.โ With a look of utter contempt etched on his face, his gaze trailed over me, and his lip curled up in disgust. โAnd so did you, slut.โ
โSlut?โ I laughed bitterly. โOh myย god, I am so glad I didnโt lose my virginity to you.โ
โNah,โ he roared, losing his cool. โBecause you were saving that up for him, werenโt ya? You wouldnโt let the fella youโve been with for four years go near you, but youโre more than willing to be a whore for a junkie!โ
โDonโt be so ridiculous, Paulโโ
โHeโll have you on your back with his dick inside you before the weekโs out,โ he warned, face red and eyes bulging with temper. โAnd then youโll be old news to him. Just like Danielle and all of the others. Heโll sack you off once heโs had his fill of you, and when that day comes, because itย willย come, donโt even think about coming crawling back to me.โ
โIโd rather join a convent than ever let you touch me again, you big prick,โ I called after at him.
โThatโs unfortunate,โ he tossed over his shoulder, as he walked back to his brotherโs car. โBecause once Joey Lynch is done ruining you, not even the nuns will have you.โ
