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“Not to fight,” I reminded him, stepping in front of him when he tried to charge past me. “Tocharm.”

He frowned, looking stumped. “Charm?”

“Charm,” I confirmed, nodding. “Believe it or not, you have it in buckets, lad. Go back over there and charm her away from him.”

“Charm,” he repeated slowly, mulling over the word. His silver eyes flicked to mine and he nodded. “I can do that.”

“You’ve got this,” I replied, squeezing his shoulders. “Now go fuck that little weasel over.”

Leaning against the bonnet of the car, I watched Gibsie stalk away, muttering the words “Charm, not harm,” over and over to himself as he went.

Shaking my head, I hoisted my bag back onto my shoulder before setting off toward the school to find Shannon. I left my crutch in the back seat of Gibsie’s car because I couldn’t stand another day of walking around with the bleeding thing. Besides, I didn’t need it anymore. I was hardly limping now, and with any luck, Coach Mulcahy would spot me all mobile and willing and cut me a deal, because I sure as hell needed someone to take pity on me.

My step faltered when I spotted Shannon leaning against the railing at the bottom of the P.E. hall. She was wrapped up in her winter coat, with a wooly hat perched on her head and a scarf wrapped around her neck, as rain drizzled down on her. To be honest, I almost didn’t recognize her through the layers of clothing. She noticed me, though, and raised a hand, smiling softly.

Instantly, I veered off course, striding toward her, with my heart slamming in my chest.

Something’s wrong,my brain hissed when I drew closer and saw the dark circles under her eyes.Something bad.

Keep the head.

Don’t bulldoze!

“Hi, Shannon,” I said when I was close enough for her to hear me. Frowning, I added, “Were you waiting out here for me?”

“Hi, Johnny,” she replied in a small voice. “Yeah, I, uh, was hoping to see you before class.” She chewed on her lip, watching me warily before saying, “Can we talk for a sec?”

“Yeah.” Stopping just short of her, I gave her my full attention. “Of course.”

She smiled up at me and then her entire expression caved. Without another word, she let her schoolbag fall off her shoulders and walked straight into my arms.

“What’s wrong?” My heart slammed violently against my rib cage as I wrapped my arms around her and held her to my chest. She was so small, so fucking tiny, that all I wanted to do was pick her up and take her home with me, where I could keep her safe, where no one could make her cry again. “What happened?”What did they do to you?

“They, uh, they found my dad,” she said, voice muffled as she buried her face in my chest. “I found out last night.”

“They did?”Thank you, Jesus.I tightened my arms around her. “Where was he?”

“Brickley House,” she mumbled.

I frowned. “The rehab place?”

“Yeah.” Nodding, she sniffled and glanced up at me, eyes wide and full of tears. “But, uh, he’s not going to prison, Johnny.”

What the actual fuck.

Breathe, Kav, breathe.

Don’t lose the head.

“How do you know?” I managed to get out, squeezing her so tight I was fairly certain I was hurting her. I couldn’t seem to loosen my hold, though, and she wasn’t complaining as she held on to me just as tightly. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” she whispered. “He only has to complete a thirty-day treatment plan in Brickley House and then he’s allowed out again, and his court date isn’t until November. So he’ll be—” Clenching her eyes shut, she leaned her cheek against my chest and exhaled a broken sob. “God, Joey was right.”

“Joey?”

She nodded stiffly, her whole body rigid. “He said this would happen. Joey told us that he wouldn’t go to prison, but Darren seemed so convinced that I just—” She exhaled a gut-wrecking sob. “I let myself get my hopes up for a little while, thinking that maybe it reallywasover.” Sniffling, she added, “But it’s not over, and Joey left again last night—didn’t come home until five in the morning. It’s not over and it’s all going bad again.”

“Where’d Joey go?”

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