JOEY

THE ANGER EMANATING from the girl in the driver’s seat assured me that not only had I been given permanent residency in her dog-house, but I’d earned the title of king of fuck ups.

By the time we reached school on Thursday morning, the silent tension building up between us was unbearable.

Both unwilling to budge an inch, I let her sit in her anger, while she let me stew in my guilt.

After her fourth piss-poor attempt at reversing into a narrow parking space, and this time almost taking the bumper off a neighboring car, Molloy released a furious growl. She jacked the handbrake, put the gearstick in neutral, and climbed out, leaving the car in the middle of the line of traffic.

Wordlessly, I climbed out and rounded the driver’s side, while Molloy folded her arms across her chest, tapped her foot expectantly, and gave me a stormy-eyed glare.

Reversing the car into her intended parking spot, I killed the engine, climbed back out, and rounded the boot.

Yanking it open, I grabbed both of our bags and tossed them over my shoulders, before reaching for my hurley and helmet.

Slamming the boot shut, I locked the car back up and tossed her the keys.

Catching them mid-air, she pocketed them, and then, with her nose cocked in the air, she walked over and yanked her bag off my shoulder.

Fine.

Suit yourself.

Arching a brow, I watched as Molloy slid her bag onto her shoulder and strutted off in the direction of the main entrance, keeping at least ten feet between us, and giving me a glorious view of her peachy ass, as her hips swayed with temper.

“Lynchy?” I heard Rambo call out, dragging my attention from my girlfriend’s fantastic rear end.

I turned to see him waving me over to the side of the PE hall, with smoke drifting up from beneath the sleeve of his school jumper.

“You coming, lad?”

Offering him a clipped nod, I veered off path, feet moving in the direction of my buddy, when a hand wrapped around mine and pulled me to a stop.

I swung back to find Molloy standing there, with my hand in both of hers, as she glared up at me and shook her head.

Still refusing to speak to me, but unwilling to walk away, she stood there, glowering up at me, giving me an ultimatum with her eyes.

Do it, she mentally dared me, see what happens.

Beyond fucking irritated, I glared down at her, equally unwilling to be the first one to give in and speak.

Releasing my hand, she gave me one final hard look before backing up a few steps, and then, with that sexy fucking nose cocked in the air, she turned on her heels and walked off.

Fine.

Blowing out a frustrated growl, I turned on my heels and walked towards the PE hall, but only managed to make it about five steps before swinging back around.

Goddammit to hell!

I could hear Rambo and the lads cracking up with laughter, and making the mandatory whipped sound as I trailed after my girlfriend like a fucking puppy.

Jesus Christ.

When I caught up with her at the door, she didn’t look behind her when she slid her bag off her shoulder and held it out.

Jaw ticking, I begrudgingly took her bag and slung it over my shoulder.

Clearing her throat, she folded her arms across her chest, and inclined her chin to the door.

Biting back a growl, I stepped around her and held the door open. “Hm,” she huffed prissily before sauntering inside.

Resisting the urge to swing the door shut on her ass, I ground my teeth together and followed after the girl who had a firm hold on my heart – and my nuts.

 

 

“WHAT’S AILING YA?” Alec asked, tossing a cigarette towards me when I joined him at the back of the PE hall for a smoke. “Sexy-legs still giving you

the cold shoulder?”

“Let’s just say that the women in my life have my head in a fucking spin, lad,” I muttered, hopping up on the wall next to him. “Cheers, Al,” I mumbled, cigarette balanced between my lips, as I took the lighter he held out for me and sparked up. “Sound as a pound, lad.”

“Girls are a mindfuck, Lynchy.”

“Oh, believe me. I’m only too aware.”

“How’s your sister getting on with the elites of Tommen?”

“Good,” I told him, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “Really fucking good, Al.”

“I’m glad,” he replied, nudging his shoulder with mine. “She was always too pure for this place.”

Nodding my agreement, I inhaled another deep drag before saying, “Got herself a fella.”

“One of those preppy rugbyheads?” “Yep.”

“Well shit,” he chuckled. “Do we need to give him a warning?”

“Nah, he seems like a decent enough lad.”

“Must be if you’re not stringing him up by the bollocks.”

“Ah, it sounds fairly innocent,” I mused, taking another drag of my smoke, and ignoring the bell signaling that small break was over. “Once he’s good to her, he won’t have any hassle from me.”

“Well, if he isn’t good to her, there’ll be a queue waiting to take his place.” He slapped a hand on my shoulder. “Because I hate to break it to ya,

Lynchy, but that sister of yours is a ride.”

“Jesus Christ,” I groaned, unable to stop the shudder rolling through me. “Why do you have to ruin my life by saying shit like that?”

“What?” he laughed. “It’s true. We all think it. None of us ever went there out of respect for you.”

“She’s my baby sister, you fucking pervert.”

“She’s no baby, lad,” he said with a chuckle. “Shannon Lynch is sweet sixteen and looks like a wet dream.”

“I will kill you.” “I’m only saying.”

“Well, don’t say it.” I shuddered again. “Don’t even think it. Jesus.”

“She has epic blue eyes.” “I have an epic right hook.”

“Then save it for the fella actually banging your sister, not the fella admiring her from a distance,” he laughed.

“He’s not banging her.” “Not yet.”

“Stop it.”

 

 

WEATHERING the storm that was Hurricane Molloy, I managed to keep off her radar and out of trouble for the first four classes. Until double Maths before big break, where not only did I have to face her wrath, but I had to do it in the seat next to hers.

With a face like thunder, Molloy strolled into class five minutes late, which was abnormal for her, while spinning some yarn to our teacher about needing to use the bathroom.

With all eyes on her, and her long legs on full view to every eager-eyed prick watching her, which, let’s face it was most of the class, my girlfriend strutted down the aisle to our desk, with her tits pushed out and her hips swaying.

See that was the thing about Molloy – and one of the earliest things I’d learned about her – when she got pissed, she got sexy.

That wasn’t to say that she wasn’t ridiculously sexy every day. It was more that she was never more aware of her feminine supremacy than when she had a point to prove.

Like right now, for example, she was letting me know that I was topping her shit-list, and she had plenty of options if I didn’t get with the program and up my game.

“Molloy,” I decided to breach the silence by saying when she took her seat next to me. “Nice legs.”

Her lips reluctantly tipped upwards, but she quickly steeled her features, keeping her scowl in check, as she set her books and pencil case on our desk.

“Can we just…“

She shook her head, letting me know in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t ready to wave a white flag of her own.

She had a lot of nerve.

If anyone had the right to be pissed off it was me, the misfortunate bastard whose stash she flushed down the damn toilet the night before.

Shrugging at her prissiness, I leaned back in my seat, pencil in hand, and stared out the window, watching as the March rain pelted against the pane of glass outside.

Deep in my thoughts, I let myself delve into the mess that was my life, all the while wondering how the fuck the girl sitting beside me was still, well, beside me.

Yeah, stash flushing aside, I knew I was punching.

And in the wrong.

I’d made a hash of everything.

Again.

I’d gone back on my word.

Again.

I’d let her down.

Again.

Nothing about our relationship was balancing in my favor anymore, and honestly, aside from my ability to put my dick to good use, I couldn’t see the appeal of being with me.

I thought she was done with me that night. I expected her to be done with me.

My father assaulted her, for Christ’s sake.

No relationship, no matter how much love or loyalty there was, came back from a blow like the one ours had taken.

But here she was, mad as hell, and pulling on her boxing gloves to go another round with me.

I didn’t know how Molloy could love me after what he did to her, much less want to be with me. I sure as hell couldn’t stand the sight of myself.

“Joseph, do you need a hand with something?” our teacher asked, dragging my attention away from the window and to the front of the class.

I stared blankly up at her. “Huh?”

“Page 457,” she said with a weary sigh. “Eyes on the book please.”

Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to Molloy’s textbook laying open on our desk, the one I’d been using since the start of the year, and frowned when my gaze settled on one lone earphone.

The cord attached to it led back to the MP3 player balancing on Molloy’s lap under the desk, while the other earphone dangled from her right ear.

Picking it up, I discretely popped it in my left ear, and listened as Puddle of Mudd’s She Hates Me drifted into my ear.

Lovely.

What a sweet way to serenade your boyfriend. Fuck. My. Life.

Turning the page in her copybook, I watched as Molloy hovered over the

page, and scribbled something down before pushing the copybook towards me.

/ov’ce αn αssLo£e¸

SIGHING HEAVILY, I grabbed my pencil from behind my ear and quickly jotted down a response.

/ov’ce on£y /igvcing tLαt ovt now?

READING OVER MY WORDS, she quickly put pen to paper and responded.

I wαs b£inded by yovc big dick¸

SHAKING MY HEAD, I snatched the page up and wrote my reply.

So, yov’ce wciting me notes αnd p£αying me £ove songs¸ Does tLis meαn I’m ovt o/ tLe dogLovse?

HER BROWS FURROWED as she read my question and scribbled a furious response.

No, dickLeαd, yov’ce not ovt o/ tLe dogLovse¸ Considec tLis note my vecsion o/ tLcowing yov α bone¸ As /oc £ove songs? Hα! /ov sLov£d be so £vcky¸

I SMIRKED and wrote down a reply.

/eαL, we££, tLis dickLeαd £oves yov¸

/ov cαn’t wcite tLings £ike tLαt¸

WLy not?

Becαvse I’m tcying to be pissed αt yov¸

So? /ov’ce α£wαys pissed αt me, αnd I’m α£wαys £oving yov¸

Okαy, now yov’ce jvst being smootL¸

SmootL £ike α Ro£o?

OL god, I’d £ove α pαcket o/ Ro£os cigLt now¸

CLeck tLe /cont pocket o/ my bαg¸

“AOIFE! JOSEPH!” A hand reached between us and snatched up the cord of the earphones, yanking the mp3 player away. Miss Murphy stood in front of our desk, MP3 player in hand. “What have I told the two of you about distracting each other in my classroom?”

“Do it quietly?” Molloy offered with one of her award-winning smiles etched on her face – the kind of smile that got her out of trouble on the regular. “Which we were.”

“Don’t do it at all,” Miss Murphy corrected, glowering. “Honestly, you two are old enough to know that bringing music into my class is not okay. This is your leaving cert year,” she urged with a weary sigh. “Your last few months to revise as much as you can to get you both through your exams.”

“Apparently, those two don’t need any practice with maths, miss,” Ricey piped up from the front of the class. “From what I hear, they’re both pros at multiplying.”

“Paul, back to your work please,” Miss Murphy admonished.

I watched as Molloy’s mouth fell open, and my back was up in an instant.

Molloy’s gaze flicked to Casey in the desk in front of us, who shrugged in confusion and mouthed the words ‘I swear it wasn’t me’ to my girlfriend.

“The fuck are you talking about, asshole?” I demanded, glaring across the room at the smarmy bastard leering at us.

“Your brother has a big mouth,” Paul continued.

“Kev?” she strangled out, and the look of hurt in her eyes was sobering. “Kev told you?”

“He’s been telling anyone who will listen to him.”

“No,” she choked out, shaking her head. “No, no, no, no.” She dropped her head in her hands. “This isn’t happening.”

“I dodged a bullet with you, didn’t I? What a fucking cliché you turned out to be,” he sneered. “Good fucking job on ruining your life, Aoife.”

A cliché?

Good at multiplying?

I felt the air leave my lungs in a rush. “What. The. Fuck.”

“I don’t…I, uh…” Exhaling a ragged breath, Molloy choked out a sob. “Oh Jesus.”

My heart slammed wildly against my chest, as I turned my attention to the girl sitting beside me.

“Molloy.”

I wasn’t fucking stupid. “Molloy.”

I could hear the penny dropping. “Molloy.”

Shit, I could hear the sound of my pulse ringing in my ears. “Aoife!”

“Joe,” Molloy whispered, turning her panicked eyes on me. “I…”

“Looks like he’s having trouble doing the maths,” Danielle laughed, joining in. “Let me help you out with that, Joe,” she added, looking only too happy to throw her two cents into the equation. “Your penis, plus her vagina, equals a baby.”

Everyone in class went deathly silent.

Aside from a few sharp intakes of breath, you could have heard a pin drop.

Meanwhile, my heart thundered in my chest, as my entire fucking world came crashing down around me.

“I told you that you wouldn’t reach graduation without a baby in your belly,” Danielle sneered. “Looks like I was right.”

“Oh god.” Choking out a pained sob, Molloy shoved her chair back and bolted out of our desk, moving for the classroom door quicker than I could process what the fuck was happening.

“Aoife!” Miss Murphy called after her, before turning her wide-eyed, horrified gaze on me. “I didn’t know.”

“Neither did he, by the looks of it.”

“Shut up, Paul!” Miss Murphy barked, red-faced, as she continued to stare at me expectantly. “Joseph, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

Unable to comprehend a word of what was coming out of her mouth, I rose to my feet, stunned that they could still hold my weight, and walked out of the classroom, ignoring the sound of whispers as the rumor mill kicked into high gear, no doubt.

My entire body was on fire, rattled further by an anxious tremor, when I reached the corridor and my eyes landed on Molloy.

My feet faltered when I took in the sight of her leaning against the wall opposite our classroom door in the empty corridor, clearly waiting for me. “Joe.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’m so…” Swallowing back a sob, she looked up at me with tear-filled eyes. “Sorry.”

“For what?” I didn’t recognize my own voice, as I watched her watch me, feeling unsettled and on edge. “What the fuck is happening here? What are they talking about?”

“I’ve been trying to tell you,” she strangled out, as she reached up and tucked her hair behind her ears. “I did tell you, but you for…” Her voice cracked, “got.“ She dragged in several shaky breaths before trying again, “I’m so sorry, Joe.” Clutching her face between her hands, she shook her head and choked out a sob. “Please don’t hate me.”

“Stop saying sorry, Molloy,” I snapped, holding a shaky hand up, as I resisted the urge to fucking scream. “I don’t hate you, but you need to just…

just tell me what’s going on here.”

I watched with my heart in my mouth, and a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, as my girlfriend pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead and strangled out the words that would forever turn my world on its axis.

“I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant.” How I got the word out, I would never know, but I said it, and I managed to keep my tone level in the process. “You’re pregnant.”

Trembling, she kept her hand pressed to her forehead like a shield and nodded weakly.

“Pregnant.”

A pained sob escaped her. “Yes.” “You’re pregnant.”

“Yes.”

“You’re saying you’re pregnant,” I heard myself repeat like an idiot, as my heart jackknifed in my chest. “Pregnant with a baby, pregnant.”

“Yes, Joey, I’m saying I’m pregnant with a baby,” she snapped, and then choked out another sob. “So just stop saying the word pregnant. Jesus!”

“I’m sorry, I’m just…” I tilted my head to one side, feeling a mixture of disbelief and confusion, as I waited for her to break out of character and yell got you. “Are you fucking with me?”

“I did fuck you,” she ground out, looking flustered. “Many times. That’s precisely the problem.”

“You’re not messing, are you?” I choked out, thoroughly fucking rattled, as I felt myself sag against the wall at my back. “You’re seriously…” I shook my head and gaped at her. “Pregnant?”

The tears in her eyes assured me that this was no joke. Jesus Christ.

My brows furrowed as a surge of raw, undiluted terror coursed through my veins. “How?”

She gave me a look that said how do you think?

“But you’re on the pill.”

“I know, and I’ve never skipped or missed a day, I swear,” Molloy urged, hand still shielding her face. “But it was that house party. The one those Tommen boys threw.” She shivered violently before adding, “I spent the whole night puking. And that following evening, too, remember? After we ordered that Chinese when we were babysitting Sean? Remember I was sick for hours afterwards? It must have messed with my birth control.”

“The Tommen party?” My heart slammed wildly against my ribcage. “Jesus Christ, Aoif. That was months ago.”

She flinched. “I know, Joe.”

Blowing out a shaky breath, I ran my hand through my hair, completely fucking reeling. “Exactly how pregnant are you?”

“Joe.”

“Tell me.”

“About three and a half months.”

“Three and a half months!” My eyes widened and the panic I was feeling multiplied by about three and a half months’ worth. “Three and a half fucking months and I’m only hearing about it now?”

“I was scared, okay,” she cried out defensively. “And I didn’t know myself until a few weeks ago. I tried to tell you a million times, I swear, but I was just so fucking scared, Joe. I was terrified of sending you off the deep end again. You were doing so well, and I just… I didn’t want to risk that. But then everything with your father happened and you went off the deep end anyway—”

“Oh, my fucking god.” My stomach heaved and I had to press a hand to my chest to steady myself. “He did that to you while you were pregnant with my baby?”

“Joe, it’s—”

“He did that to you.” Heart hammering wildly in my chest, I squeezed out, “He hurt you when you were… are. Jesus Christ, you are. “

“When I finally did work up the courage to tell you, you weren’t even present.”

“What?” I demanded, hoarse. “When?”

“The other day,” she admitted brokenly. “But you were strung out.”

Heart gunning in my chest, I tried to wrangle in my raging fucking panic, as words from a conversation I couldn’t fucking remember flashed through my mind.

“We’re having a baby.”

”Where’s the baby?”

“In here.”

“In you? What’s it doing in there?” “You put it there, Joe.”

”AND YOU’RE sure there’s no mistake?” I asked, out of sheer desperation. “You’re definitely pregnant?”

“I’ve taken a ton of tests and they’ve all come back positive,” she replied, eyes wide and full of uncertainty. “And Mam took me to the GP last week to confirm it.”

“Your mam?” Her words were like a slap across the face. “Hold the fuck up.” Shaking my head in my desperate attempt to make sense of the madness, I held a hand up and said, “You told your mam before you told me?”

Grimacing, she offered me a small nod. “I’m sorry.” “Who else?”

“Joe.”

“Who else did you tell before me, Aoife?”

“Casey knows,” she admitted quietly. “But only because she guessed. I swear, I wouldn’t have told her if she hadn’t figured it out.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, so, let me get this straight.” Pressing my fingers to my temples, I strived for calm while my entire fucking world shattered around me. “You, Casey, and Trish have been walking around for the past few weeks, knowing that we’re going to have a baby when I didn’t?”

“It wasn’t like that, Joe.”

“Does your old man know?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I swear.”

“What about Ricey and Danielle?” I demanded, voice torn. “I’m guessing those two are also in the loop, considering the shade they were throwing in class. Did you tell your ex before me, too?”

“No,” she snapped. “Of course I didn’t. Don’t be so ridiculous.”

“I just found out that you’re pregnant during double fucking Maths, Molloy. How else am I supposed to react?”

“I don’t know how Paul found out,” she cried, shaking her head. “Kev must have told him.”

“Kev?” My eyes bulged. “Kev. Fucking Kev?” Her eyes widened in horror. “Joe.”

“Your brother knows?” I shook my head. “I don’t believe this.” “Stop shouting at me, asshole.”

“I’m not shouting at you,” I shouted, throwing my hands up. “I’m having a panic attack.”

“Then calm down, Joey.”

“I am calm. This is about the calmest a fella can get when he discovers that he’s the last to find out that his girlfriend is having his baby,” I practically roared.

“I’m sorry, okay. I was trying to protect you,” she shouted back hoarsely. “That’s all I was trying to do.”

“That wasn’t your call to make,” I shot back, trembling. “I had a right to know what was going on.”

“Yeah, well, I thought that I was doing the right thing,” she bit out stubbornly. “Besides, it’s my body this is happening to.”

“It’s my baby,” I countered doggedly, and then reeled when I registered what I’d just said. “Oh Jesus,” I wheezed, feeling my heart constrict so tight, I thought I might be having a heart attack. “It’s my baby.” Pressing a hand to my chest, I heaved out a breath, and tried to get the gasps under control. “Oh fuck.”

“I’m so sorry, Joe.” Throwing her hands up, Molloy spun on her heels and bolted away from me. “Please don’t hate me.”

I knew that I needed to go after her, but I couldn’t get my feet to cooperate.

Managing to make it two steps in the direction she went, I collapsed in a heap on my ass, completely fucking reeling.

Pregnant.

She was pregnant.

With a baby.

With my baby.

Get the fuck up and take care of her.

Stop thinking about yourself, you fucking pussy.

Don’t even think about pretending that you don’t care. It’s yours and you care.

She’s yours and you care.

It does matter and you do care.