Okay, so maybe I jumped the gun a little when I predicted this would be mine and Shannonโs best year to date. Or heck, maybe I jinxed it. Either way, sitting across the lunch table from my sobbing best friend was not how I anticipated spending our first day back at Tommen.
Weโd been back at school less than half a day and, already, one of our lunch-table associates had fallen prey to Mr. Twomeyโs dreaded suspension wrath.
Not only had Joey Lynch been suspended for pummeling Ronan McGarry, but Tadhg Lynch had taken a rap on the knuckles for his role in the altercation, too.
Apparently, Ronan was suicidal enough to call Aoife Molloy a slut to the face of a hothead like Joey Lynch. Likeย come on. What the hell did he think would happen when he called the newly appointed mother of a manโs child that kind of name?
Apparently, Mr. Twomey gave him aย two-weekย suspension. I mean, two weeks was unheard of at Tommen. The worst I could remember since my being here was one-week tops. The beating Ronan took was a severe one, though.
To top off all the Lynch-sibling drama, Ronan had drippled blood all over my new school shoes, Katie had been sent home with period pains, and then Lizzie and Feely, of all people, had the weirdest argument at the beginning of break, which had resulted in Lizzie storming off.
Clearly Hugh was more in the loop than I was regarding what had gone down between our friends because heโd gone after Lizzie and had somehow managed to persuade her to return.
She was back at the lunch table, sitting next to my brother in the chair Katie had vacated, and hadnโt spoken a single word to anyone.
I wondered if Lizzie and Patrickโs argument had anything to do with what Hugh said about getting Patrick to talk to Liz. Either way, all three of them were in a heated staredown across from me.
Meanwhile, Shannon was so distraught over her brothersโ suspension โ plural โ that Johnny had spent the last ten minutes whispering words of what I assumed were comfort in her ear, in between peppering kisses to her face.
When he tucked her hair behind her ear to kiss her temple and then trailed his thumb over the little dimple in her chin before pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose, I audibly crooned. โAww!โ
I loved temple kisses. Forehead kisses, too. And nuzzling noses were the cream of the crop. Those intimate forms of affection were my favorite, and my bestie received an abundance of both on the daily from herย lover.
โItโll be grand, chickie,โ I tried to appease when I saw a tear trickle down her cheek. โHey, donโt cry.โ Reaching across the table, I snatched her hand up in mine, feeling a huge swell of sympathy for my timid friend. โMr. Twomey did Joey a favor if you think about it.โ Joey clearly didnโt want to be at school to begin with. His girlfriend was still in the hospital, having just given birth to their son. โAt least now he gets to spend some quality time with Aoife and baby AJ.โ
โExactly,โ Johnny agreed, giving me a grateful look. โYou know his mind wasnโt here anyway. Heโll have a couple of weeks off to spend with his family and then heโll be back.โ
โCap, you might want to tell your old man to keep an eye on Twomey.โ Arriving back to the table with a large wicker basket in hand, Gerard walked straight over to where I was sitting and dropped the basket down on the table in front of me. โI just saw your mam leaving the office with the Lynch brothers,โ he said, flipping the lid of the basket open. โAnd let me tell you, that cranky old bastard watched her ass the entire time.โ
โOooh โฆ muffins!โ I rubbed my hands together with glee when my eyes landed on the fantastic array of baked goodies, courtesy of Gibsonโs Bakery. โGimme, gimme.โ
โMammy Kโs here?โ Robbie Mac piped up from further up the table. โWas she wearing the white pants suit? Oh fuck, Gibs, tell me she was wearing the white pants suit.โ
โThe one that shows her thong print?โ Pierce asked, reaching over the table to swipe a muffin out of the basket.
โThatโs the one,โ Robbie confirmed with a groan. โJesus, that woman is immortal. Doesnโt look a day over thirty-five.โ
โYouโll be wearing the imprint of my foot up your hole if you talk about my ma like that,โ Johnny warned, bristling. โPack it in.โ
โHey, donโt look at me,โ Gerard huffed. โI wasnโt looking.โ
โBullshit,โ one of the team fake-coughed, causing everyone else at the table to erupt in laughter.
โBleeding perverts, the lot of ye.โ
โBoys are dogs,โ I groaned, momentarily standing for Gerard to sit down, and then unceremoniously sinking back down on his lap.
โItโs true,โ Gerard agreed, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a set of car keys. โAnd before you even start on the lecture train, just stop,โ he added, tossing the keys at Johnny before reaching around me and grabbing a muffin. โIโm an emotional eater.โ
โOh no, no, no, no,โ Hugh said with a humorless laugh, as he pointed a finger at me. โThereโs a spare seat at the table now that Lynchyโs gone. No need to sit on anyoneโs lap, baby sister.โ
โIโm not sitting on anyoneโs lap,โ I countered with a grin. โIโm sitting on Gerardโs lap.โ
โThatโs me, by the way,โ Gerard taunted, snaking an arm around my waist, while he waved his free hand around over his head. โHi.โ
โOoh, ooh, please let me have a bite,โ I begged, catching ahold of his wrist when he raised the most beautiful-looking double chocolate chip muffin towards his mouth.
โNuh-uh, bite with your mouth, babe, not with your hands,โ he teased, snatching the muffin back when I tried to swipe it. โOpen wide.โ
โClaire.โ Lizzie broke her silence with a hiss. โDonโt let himย feedย you.โ
โToo โฆ ate โฆ โ I mumbled between bites. โ โฆ orry โฆ ugh โฆ โ
โGibs!โ Hugh joined in on the judgement. โStop feeding my sister!โ
โWhat?โ Gerard replied, holding his hand to catch the crumbs that didnโt make my mouth, while he fed me another bite of his muffin. โShe wants it.โ
โOh, leave it alone,โ Feely laughed. โWhat harm are they causing to anyone?โ
โPa, heย justย put his fingers in her mouth.โ
โNo, he didnโt. He put a piece of muffin in her mouth,โ he replied calmly. โYouโre overreacting.โ
โI bet thatโs not all he puts in your sisterโs mouth, Hughie,โ Danny called out, causing most of the team to laugh and snicker around us.
โA lot youโd know about putting anything in girlsโ mouths,โ Lizzie was quick to defend me. โGet back in your box, asshole.โ
โDoesnโt look like she has a gag reflex,โ Pierce added, goading the boys. โLucky bastard.โ
โHey! Asshole!โ Gerard deadpanned, turning his attention to his teammates. โDonโt even go there.โ
โHey, Baby Biggs,โ another one goaded, โwant to come sit on my lap and Iโll feed you something a lot more satisfying.โ
โCock-tease.โ
โYouโre a dead man, Callaghan!โ Hugh snarled, shoving his chair in his rush to get out of it to defend my honor.
The move was a sweet one but unnecessary because Gerard had beaten him to it.
โThe fuck did you say about my girl?โ He was on his feet and lunging across the lunch table before I had a chance to register that I was no longer sitting on his lap, but on the seat he had vacated. โIf you ever speak about her like that again, Iโll rip your fucking guts out your asshole and smear them all over your face!โ
In this moment, Gerard reminded me a lot of one of those dormant volcanos people travel to see because they look so beautiful and assume theyโre harmless but raise the temperature of their core and said volcano became truly lethal.
All it took was one sexual innuendo at my expense to flip the trip-switch inside of his brain, causing him to erupt on his teammates in the middle of the lunch hall at Tommen.
โI was only messing,โ Danny wheezed, clearly struggling to breathe with the hand clamped around his throat that was cutting off his airways.
โFollow me, Shan,โ Johnny commanded, shoving out of his chair. โCome on, baby. Quickly.โ Tucking his girlfriend under his arm, Johnny led her out of the lunch hall, and harmโs way.
โWhoa, Gerard,โ I yelped, making a beeline for the boy who had not only dragged his teammate onto the lunch table, but was straddling his chest, while his fists swung into said teammateโs face with a flourish.
โGibs, donโt,โ Pierce commanded, trying to pull him off Danny, only to be rewarded with a headbutt to the face. โJesus Christ, Gibs.โ Wiping the blood trickling from his nose with his sleeve, Pierce shoved Gerard hard from behind, causing him to lose his balance and stumble. โYou broke my fucking nose!โ
โHeyโโ Hugh barked, diving over the table and head-first into the fray, while Lizzie remained motionless in her seat. โKeep your hands off my friend, asshole.โ
โHe broke my goddamn nose, Hugh!โ
โPity he didnโt break your neck while he was at it!โ
โWhatโs your problem, Biggs?โ
โYouโre my problem, OโNeill!โ
โWhy me? Gibs is the one always stirring the shit pot!โ
โYeah, well, heโs family!โ
โFucking do something, lads!โ Robbie shouted, catching ahold of Gerard from behind when he lunged for Pierce. That was a bad move that ended with all five boys crashing over chairs before landing on the floor.
Seeing his best friends outnumbered three to two, Patrick Feely rewrapped his sandwich in tinfoil before rising to his feet. โFuck my life,โ he muttered before joining the rumble on the floor. โSomeoneย find Johnny.โ
Several other members of the rugby team joined in then, and I wasnโt sure if any of them were truly trying to break up the fight. It sure looked like they were all enjoying beating seven kinds of shit out of each other. Fists were flying and blood was pumping, and they all seemed toย loveย it.
Mr. Twomey and several other teachers arrived on the scene, but they were no match for twenty-plus brick-shithouse-built, testosterone-fueled teenage boys.
Too sensible to jump into the action, but too pumped to do nothing, I discreetly stamped on Robbie Macโs hand when he rolled close to where I was standing.ย Ha.ย Served him right for calling me a cock-tease.
โThatโs enough,โ Mr. Twomey was roaring, as he managed to separate two players on the team from the year below me. โIโm warning the lot of you!โ
The older boys didnโt bat an eyelid.
Instead, they continued their hunt for bloodlust, by beating and pummeling each other viciously.
โI said thatโs enough,โ Mr. Twomey bellowed. โYou have five seconds to pack it in, or Iโm calling the Gards and telling them to take every last one of you to the barracks!โ
โHey!โ Johnny roared, stalking back into the lunch hall minus Shannon. โHe said thatโs enough,โ he snarled in a voice that was truly terrifying. โPack it in!โ
Marching right into the throes of the pile-up, I watched as Johnny reached into the biggest of the pile-ups and dragged a deranged-looking Gerard out from the bottom.
โPack it the fuck in,โ Johnny commanded, keeping one arm wrapped around Gerardโs waist.
โHe started it!โ
โBack the fuck up, Danny,โ Johnny warned, pointing a finger at the boy who was still trying to goad Gerard into fighting. โWe both know whatโll happen if I let him go.โ
Whoa.
Seriously, Iโd never heard him sound so furious.
โSit your holes down,โ he warned, using his free hand to shove Danny away from Gerard. โNow!โ
His tone was so full of authority in this moment that I found myself dropping into my chair for fear of getting in trouble.
Thankfully, I wasnโt the only one to feel the pressure of the alphaโs siren.
One by one, his pack untangled themselves and returned to the infamous rugby table, looking bruised, bloody, and a lot worse for wear.
โIs this what I came back to Tommen for?โ he demanded, still keeping a firm hold on his beta. โA bunch of jumped-up little pricks fighting with each other?โ
โNo, Cap.โ
โSorry, Johnny, lad.โ
โYou should be sorry,โ Johnny sneered, tone laced with disgust, as he eyed his teammates with disdain. โBleeding disgraces, the lot of ye.โ
โThat asshole started it,โ Danny snapped, pointing a finger at Gerard, who had thankfully managed to calm himself down. Being around Johnny had that effect on him. โWe were having the craic and he flipped the fuck out.โ
โYou know what you did,โ Gerard shot back, shoulders bristling with tension. โYou know what you said about her.โ
โIt was banter, Gibs.โ
โWell, your banter isย shit, Danny.โ
โJesus Christ, I was trying to rise Biggs. Sheโs his sister.โ
โYeah, well, a little word of warning, you fuck with her, you fuck with meโโ
โListen, I donโt give a shite who started it. Iโm finishing it,โ Johnny barked, tone leaving no room for argument. โWhatever happened, forget it. Itโs done with. Itโs over. It endsย now. Does anyone have an issue with that? Anyone still feeling the need to throw down? Because Iโll go outside right now with any bleeding bollox on my team that has an issue to clear up.โ
โNo,โ Johnny replied coolly. โDidnโt think so.โ
โIโll take it from here, Johnny,โ Mr. Twomey interrupted.
I watched as Johnnyโs jaw ticked, but he didnโt react negatively to his dismissal. Instead, he offered our principal a clipped nod before rounding the table to return to his throne.
Taking Gerard with him, Johnny pushed him into Shannonโs usual chair and sank down beside him, keeping his arm resting on his friendโs shoulders the entire time.
โNow, I want every member of the rugby team involved in this altercation to remain seated,โ Mr. Twomey instructed, phone in hand. โEveryone else can return to your classrooms. Now.โ