โNice of you to join us, lads,โ Coach Mulcahy barked when Gibsie and I stumbled into the jam-packed classroom filled with both fifth and sixth year students. โYouโre only fifteen minutes late.โ Leaning against the desk at the front of the room, he folded his arms and gave us a no-nonsense nod. โFind a seat wherever you can and be quick about it. Our visitors want to get the presentation underway.โ
โHey there,โ Gibsie purred, winking at the three seriously attractive women standing next to Coach. โI just want to let you lovely ladies know that Iโm seventeen, Iโm single, and Iโm one-hundred percent willing to be a guinea pig for anyย hands-onย demonstrationโโ
โGet away from the ladies, Gibsie,โ Coach snapped, ignoring the loud snickering around us. โGo to the back of the classroom โ andย notย with Kavanagh, Biggs, or Feely. Go sit with someone else.โ
Shaking my head, I spotted an empty desk five rows back on the left, and moved for it, ignoring the curious stares as I went. Fucking eejits.ย Youโd swear they never saw a crutch in their lives.
โI talk to everyone, sir,โ Gibsie shot back with a chuckle. โAnd the back row is full.โ Waggling his brows, he added, โLooks like Iโm going to have to sit up front with you.โ
โLike hell you are.โ Eyeing the back row of desks, Coach pointed a finger, โBella, move up to the fifth row with Kavanagh. Gibsie, take her seat.โ
Noโฆ
Why, God, why?
โFine,โ Gibsie sulked. โBut Iโm taking these,โ he added, grabbing a box of tissues off the desk as he stalked to the back of the classroom and proceeded to wipe down the chair before slumping down. โCanโt be too careful these days.โ
โAre you alright there, Kavanagh?โ Coach Mulcahy asked as I tried to maneuver my way down the narrow rows of desks, ignoring the glowering girl sitting at my fucking desk. โDo you need a cushion to sit on?โ
โNo, sir,โ I bit out as I gingerly lowered myself onto my seat, careful not to brush againstย her. โMy arse is grand.โ
โAre you sure?โ Coach asked, watching me warily. โDo you need a hand?โ
Loud snickering came from Hughie and Feely who were perched at the back of the class. Two seats over from them, Gibsie was doubled over his desk laughing.
Twisting around, I not so discreetly gave him the finger.
Gibsie returned the gesture by shoving his hand under his desk and pretending to wank himself โ toppling a stack of books off the desk with his over enthusiastic performance.
Lovely.
Just fucking lovely.
โOr a mouth?โ a familiar voice sneered in my ear.
Disgusted, I turned to glare at Bella. โWhat did you say to me?โ
She rolled her eyes. โIt was a joke, Johnny.โ
โYou think because youโre a girl itโs okay to say shite like that to me?โ I hissed.
โRelax,โ she spat, drumming her long nails on the desk. โI was just making conโโ
โConversation,โ I deadpanned. โYeah, I got that.โย Fucking double standards.ย โWell, hereโs me making conversation; donโt fucking talk to me.โ
โYouโre an asshole,โ Bella growled, purposefully poking me with her elbow. I presumed she meant to hurt me, but it was just plain irritating. โSo, whatโs going on with you and the Lynch girl?โ
Clenching my jaw, I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms across my chest, dutifully ignoring her.
Donโt feed the crazy.
Donโt feed the crazy.
โAnswer me,โ she whispered-hissed.
Give me strengthโฆ
โYou might as well answer me because Iโm going to keep โโ
โSheโs my girlfriend,โ I spat, losing my cool. โNow stop fucking talking to me.โ
Bellaโs expression fell. โYour girlfriend?โ
I nodded stiffly and turned my attention back to the nurse listing off types of STDโs on the projector machine at the top of the class.
โYouโve lost your mind,โ Bella growled. โWhat are you going to do with a girlfriend? Youโre leaving in a couple of months.โ
You donโt fight with girls.
You donโt fight with girls.
โAh, now I get it,โ she mused. โYou feel sorry for her.โ
That got my attention and I snapped my head around to glare at her. โExcuse me?โ
โShannon,โ Bella replied with a smirk. โSheโs all fucked up, with a broken home and a bad daddy, and youโre a sucker for a sob story,โ she added, โJust look at Gib โโ
โDonโt even go there,โ I warned, hands balling into fists.
โYou feel bad about it so youโre keeping this charade up,โ she continued. โI knew there had to be something more to this. It madeย noย sense for you to look sideways at the likes of her โโ
โSomeone swap seats with me!โ I roared, causing the nurse who was addressing the class to jump and everyone else to turn and look at me. โAm I a piece of art?โ I snapped, standing up stiffly. โStop fucking looking at me and start moving seats. Now!โ
โKavanagh!โ Coach said, looking confused. โWhatโs wrong?โ
โEither move her away from me, or find me another seat,โ I hissed through clenched teeth. โBecause Iโm going to lose my shit.โ
Coach obviously took me seriously because he didnโt hesitate when he said, โBella, move seats with Gibsie.โ
โWoo-hoo,โ Gibsie hooted from the back of the room.
โWhy do I have to move?โ Bella growled. โHeโs the one with the problem.โ
โBecause I told you to,โ Coach shot back tersely. โNow move!โ
โPreferential treatment because heโs your star boy,โ Bella sneered as she shoved her chair back and stood. โEnjoy your pity relationship,โ she hissed in my ear as she roughly shoved her chair into my leg. โCripple.โ
โMove along,โ Coach warned. โNow, Bella.โ
Biting back a growl as a wave of pain shot up my leg, I remained stoically silent as she stepped around me, not trusting myself not to explode on her.
โYou heard the man,โ Gibsie sneered, leaning against the desk. โMove along, Devil Pussy.โ
โFuck off, Gibsie,โ she snarled as she stalked to the back of the class.
โYou alright, lad?โ Slapping a hand on my shoulder, Gibsie slipped around me and sank down on the inside seat. โDid she hurt you?โ
โNah, Iโm grand.โ Sinking back down, I stretched my legs out and breathed easily for the first time since walking into class. โSheโs just batshit.โ
โThat she is,โ he mused. โNow listen, I have a plan โโ Settling his elbows on the desk, he clasped his hands together, and looked attentively to the front of the classroom. โWhen they come around with the freebies, Iโll hold the bag open and you just pour the whole tub in, okay?โ
โYouโre an eejit,โ I chuckled.
โIโm serious,โ he shot back, keeping his eyes trained on the large container of condoms on the desk.
I studied his face. โJesus, youย areย serious.โ
โTheyโre mine,โ he replied, grinning devilishly. โAnd Iโm taking them all.โ
โYou have no bleeding tact,โ I growled, eyeing my best friend from across the lunch table. The s*xual health talk that Gibsie unintentionally orchestrated rolled into the three classes โ and small break โ due to the fact that some big, blond eejit wouldnโt stop asking questions. I had French and History straight after and I swear my blood sugar levels had dipped from the lack of food. โYou say Iโm the tactless one, but you?โ Dropping my gaze to the plastic container in front of me, I stabbed the chicken breast with my fork and tore into it. โYou are in a league of your own, lad.โ
His brows shot up. โMe?โ
โYes, you,โ I shot back, nodding to his overflowing bag ofย suppliesย that he had emptied onto the table the minute we sat down for lunch. I swallowed every morsel of meat and veg in my lunchbox before continuing, โWhat are you planning to do with all of those? Make water balloons? Because youโre not going to use them all. Itโs physiologicallyย impossible.โ
โPhysiological?โ he scoffed. โYou need to get your head out of those books, lad,โ or at least thatโs what I thought he said. It was kind of hard to work out what he was saying with half a dozen lollipops hanging out of his mouth.
โHow many are you planning on wearing at once?โ I shot back, unscrewing the cap on my water bottle. โHalf a dozen? Because thereโs no other reason to fill your bag to the fucking brim, Gibs.โ Shaking my head, I pressed my bottle to my lips and drained the contents in four long gulps. โTheyโll be out of date in a year and then what?โ
โSay what you want, but Iโm being practical,โ he replied, slurping loudly on his lollipops as he perused his freebies proudly. โAnd sensible.โ Sifting through what had to be a minimum of eighty different colored condom wrappers, he compiled a neat pile to the left of his sandwich. โOne of us has to be.โ
โOne of us has to be?โ I narrowed my eyes. โAre you serious? You honestly think youโre the sensible one in this relationship?โ
โWell, where areย yourย condoms, Johnny?โ
I narrowed my eyes. โIโm not having s*x, so I donโt need any.โ
โSure.โ He, in turn, rolled his eyes to the heavens. โFamous last words, lad.โ
โYou look like a gobshite,โ I stated. โPack it away, will ya?โ
โWhy?โ
โBecause everyone can see you.โ
โAnd I care because?โ he shot back, unfazed. โFuck them all.โ Grinning, he waggled his brows. โYouโre just afraid yourย girlfriendย is going to see.โ Snickering, he shook his head and continued to make small piles. โLad, I canโt believe you signed yourself off.โ He sighed dramatically. โI guess itโs down to me and Feely now โ since you and Hugh both fucked yourselves over.โ
Dear Jesus, please give me strength to deal with his crazy todayโฆ
Leaning back in my chair, I gripped my water bottle and practiced the art of not strangling my best friend to death. โYou need to put that shite away,โ I bit out when I felt calm enough to speak again. I glanced around the room, looking for Shannon and coming up empty. โIโm serious, Gibs.โ
โItโs all foreign,โ he mused, inspecting the label. โI canโt read the instructions.โ
โWhatโs to explain?โ I shot back. โRoll it on your dick when youโre ready and roll it off when youโre done. Iโd say the whole process is fairly self-explanatory, lad.โ
โWell, this pileโs for you,โ he offered. โSince you were too pussy to get your own.โ
โI already told you that Iย donโtย need any condoms,โ I bit out, aggravated.ย I donโt need the temptation.ย โAnd if I do, Iโll get them, because, believe it or not, Gibs, I am more than capable of getting shite for myself. Iโve been keeping myself out of trouble for years now.โ
โTrue.โ He shrugged, unfazed. โBut that was before you went and got yourself shacked up.โ
Yeah, it was safe to say I bulldozed this morning, but I had no regrets. For the first time in months, I felt like I had some clarity over my feelings. Like something in my life was falling into place.
Did I push her too hard too fast? Probably. Should I have taken it slower? More than likely.
Either way, I wasnโt about to take it back.
โItโs not like that with her,โ I snapped, dragging myself from my thoughts. โSo just put them away before she comes in here and you freak her out.โ
โNo, itโs not like that with Shannon,โ he agreed. โItโs a lotย worseย and a lot more dangerous because you went and caught yourself some big, fat feelings, didnโt ya, lover boy? And Iโm telling you now that this valiant act wonโt mean shit when you find yourself caught in the moment, bollocks naked, and drowning in tight, virgin pussy. Just ask every poor bastard our age with a baby on his hip or on a food run in Dunnes Stores forย cravings.โ Pushing a pile of condoms towards me like he was hustling poker chips, he added, โIโm only looking out for you. So here โ big boy ones for you.โ
โI canโt deal with you today, Gibs,โ I growled, throwing my hands up in sheer fucking despair. โI honestly canโt.โ
โTake them.โ
โNo.โ
โTake them.โ
โNo.โ
โYes.โ
โDid they adjust your medication?โ
โNot lately, now take them.โ
โJesus, Gibs โโ
โTake the condoms or Iโll make a scene.โ
โFine!โ Grabbing two fistfuls of foil packets, I shoved them into my pockets and glared at him. โHappy now?โ
He grinned widely. โYou will be โ when youโre not caught out in aย moment.โ
โFine, thank you, Gibs, for keeping my dick protected. Now, will you put it away?โ I practically begged.
Nodding, he started to sweep everything back into his bag and I sagged in relief. Because the very last thing I needed was Shannon walking in while we were trading Trojans like Pokรฉmon cards.
โSo,โ he mused, tone slightly more serious now. โHow are you feeling?โ
I flexed my jaw. โFine.โ
โYouโre in pain, arenโt ya?โ His eyes landed on mine, full of concern. โLad, if you need to go home, thatโs okay.โ
โIโm just stiff, Gibs,โ I muttered. โEverythingโs locking up on me.โ
Fisting a handful of condoms, he said, โWe should go for a swim after school.โ
โYeah.โ I nodded. โI know.โ
โBut you wonโt?โ Smirking, he dropped the wrappers back down and leaned forward. โBecause you have other plans?โ He waggled his brows. โShannonย plans?โ
โI donโt know, lad.โ Exhaling heavily, I leaned forward and dropped my elbows on the table. โItโs all fucked up.โ
โAlready?โ His brows shot up. โChrist, Johnny, you made short work of that, lad.โ
โNot Shannon,โ I muttered, feeling my body grow hot with temper. โBut her familyย hatesย me.โ Dropping my head in my hands, I bit back a growl. โItโs so messy, Gibs.โ
โMessy?โ
โMessy,โ I confirmed grimly, glancing back up at him. โYou saw the way her brother reacted to me last week? Well, Iโm telling you that wasย nothingย compared to how her Ma was with me.โ
โJoey the hurler doesnโt have a problem with you,โ he offered. โWell, no more than the rest of the world.โ
โOne out of seven, lad,โ I mumbled. โIโm on a winner, arenโt I?โ
โI donโt get it,โ he mused, catching his jaw. โI honestly donโt.โ
โYeah, well, you and me both, lad.โ
โMaybe they find you threatening?โ
โIf I was a threat, theyโd be scared,โ I countered. โTheyโre not scared, lad. Theyโre just out for blood โย myย blood.โ My shoulders sagged in defeat. โI canโt catch a bleeding break.โ
โItโll balance out eventually,โ he told me. โLife has its own built-in weighing scales.โ He shrugged. โIt canโt be all bad all of the time, the same as it canโt be all good. Somethingโs got to give.โ
โYeah?โ I grimaced. โI hope youโre right, lad.โ
โYouโre ridiculous,โ Hughie said then, as he and Feely joined us at the table, bringing an abrupt end to our conversation. Slapping a tinfoil covered sandwich down on the table, Hughie sank down on his usual chair to my right and roughly scraped the legs of his chair forward, never taking his eyes off Gibsie. โPut that shit away before Katie comes over.โ
Gibsie stared at Hughie and then me before sighing dramatically. โI donโt know where I went wrong with the two of you.โ Packing away the last of his supplies, Gibsie tossed his school bag on the floor and huffed loudly. โI really donโt.โ
โLet it go, Hugh,โ Feely, who had positioned himself next to Gibsie, said with a sigh. โIt was a joke.โ
โAbout myย sister,โ Hughie bit out, glowering.
Morbidly curious, I turned to look at Hughieโs face and, oh shit, he was still peppering over this morning.
โYouโre still pissed off with me?โ Gibsie accused, sounding amused. โThat was hours ago, lad.โ
โDamn straight Iโm still pissed with you,โ Hughie seethed.
โHey, Johnny,โ Katie Horgan, Hughieโs tiny, red-haired girlfriend said as she slipped around the back of my chair.
โAlright, Katie,โ I replied, offering her a nod.
โHope youโre feeling better,โ she added, giving my shoulder a small squeeze before moving straight for her fella.
โYouโre overreacting,โ Gibsie said, smiling at Hughie. โFirst about your sister and now the condoms.โ Sighing, he added, โYouโd swear you never saw a pair of tits the way youโre carrying on.โ
โIf you want to see a pair of tits, Gibs โโ Pausing mid-rant, Hughie murmured, โHey, babe,โ to his girlfriend. Dragging Katie down on his lap, he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before turning his glare back on Gibsie, โYou need only look in the mirror.โ
โWhatโs wrong?โ Katie asked, curling an arm around Hughieโs neck. โBabe?โ
โHim.โ Wrapping an arm around her waist, Hughie drew her closer to his chest, and pointed across the table at Gibsie. โThat little fucker.โ
โLad.โ Gibsie threw his head back and laughed, much to Hughieโs dismay. โIโm two inches taller than you.โ Shoving his chair back, he pulled his jumper and shirt up, revealing his bare chest, and grinned. โAnd are these the tits youโre talking about?โ he taunted, flexing his pecks. โFine pair, arenโt they?โ
โYouโre an eejit,โ I muttered wearily.
โAn eejit with great tits, apparently,โ he shot back with a wink.
โI canโt believe you pierced your nipples,โ Katie chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand. โWhat if they get ripped off in a match?โ
โDonโt look atย hisย nipples, baby,โ Hughie huffed. โLook at my fucking nipples.โ
Deciding to eject myself from the storm brewing around me, I leaned back in my chair, zoned out of their conversation, and waited for Shannon.
Checking my watch for the fiftieth time in the last fifteen minutes, I felt a pang of agitation surge through me.
Where was she?
We only had an hour for big lunch and I wanted to spend those sixty minutes with her, because letโs face it, it was the only time I was going to get with her.
Glancing around again, I spotted two blonde heads in the reflection of the glass floor-to-ceiling window. Twisting around in my seat, my eyes landed on Claire and Lizzie just beyond the archway of the hall. They were clearly arguing with one another and standing in between them, several inches closer to the ground, was Shannon.
My heart slammed against my chest bone and I took a moment to just soak in the sight of her. She was tugging on their sleeves, pulling them away from the archway, looking all flustered and wide-eyed. As soon as she slipped out of view, my brain kicked into gear and my feet started moving.