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“Stop the world,” Gibsie groaned. “I want to get off.”

“Gerard, calm down. Nobody is going to prison. Johnny—” Claire placed a hand on my arm, “Come on. Let’s just go.”

“I’m going nowhere,” I hissed for the fiftieth fucking time, keeping my eyes locked on Darren. “Not until I see her.”

“See?” Gibsie croaked out. “You heard him. He’s going nowhere, and I’m going to heaven.”

“What are you hiding?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“Nothing.”

“Then why can’t she see me?” I demanded. “Why can’t I see her? What is your fucking problem with me—”

My words broke off when a small figure darted out from under Darren’s arm and sprang toward me. My brain barely had the chance to process that the figure I was seeing was Shannon before she lunged at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and causing me to stagger back a step.

“Hi, Johnny,” she whispered, tumbling off the door step as she clung to me. “You came back.”

“Hi, Shannon.” My crutches fell to the ground as I wrapped my arms around her body, holding her in place. “I promised I would,” I replied, keeping my eyes narrowed and locked on her brother.

15

Beautiful Boys and Broken Brothers

Shannon

At first, I ignored the angry voices penetrating the quiet bubble of my bedroom, presuming Darren and Tadhg were going head-to-head again downstairs, but then I remembered Tadhg and Ollie were at a birthday party. Sean was with Nanny, Joey was AWOL, and Mam was at work. That left Darren and…

Dad?

My breath hitched in my throat, and I dropped the pen I had been using to scribble revision notes into my copybook. For a moment, I just sat there on my bed and held my breath, waiting for my bedroom door to fly inward and my father to appear. When it didn’t happen, my anxiety lowered to the point where moving my limbs was possible again.

Unnerved, I climbed out of bed and walked over to my window to investigate. Pushing it open, I leaned out, rested my elbows on the sill, and searched for trouble. The sight of the familiar silver Ford Focus parked outside my house caused my heart to thud rapidly.

I knew that car. It belonged to Gerard Gibson.

And wherever Gibsie was…

“Then go for it, because I’m not going anywhere, asshole!” an achingly familiar voice with a thick Dublin accent boomed. “Go right ahead and call the fucking Gards, because quite frankly, I’d love to speak to them.”

Johnny.

Because the veranda under my window blocked my view of the front door, I couldn’t see him, but I could hear him, and oh god, my heart thundered violently at the sound of his voice. For a long moment I stood there in a state of shock, absorbing his voice and the realization that he was actuallyherebefore my brain kicked into gear and my legs started to move.

Every inch of my body was aching, and the bruising on my face was darker now, more purple and prominent, but I didn’t care. I pushed past my pain, forced down my insecurities, and got dressed in record time. The jeans I threw on were loose and needed the support of a belt, but I knew I wouldn’t find one in my wardrobe, so I used my hair tie to hold them up. Slipping my feet into my runners, I grabbed one of Joey’s hoodies off the back of my door before hurrying into the landing.

Feeling skittish, I clutched the banister and half stumbled down the stairs in my haste to get to Johnny. When I reached the bottom step, I had to stop for a moment and catch my breath, my lungs protesting against the sudden movement. Darren was standing in the doorway, obstructing my view of Johnny, as they both argued back and forth.

Moving purely on instinct, I hurried over to the door and slipped under Darren’s arm. Johnny’s brows shot up in surprise at the sight of me, but I didn’t give him a chance to say anything. Instead, I practically fell over the doorstep as I threw my arms around his neck and clung to him, feeling a rapid sense of instant relief spread across my skin like a hot flush. “Hi, Johnny.” Clenching my eyes shut, I held on to his body for dear life. “You came back.”

“Hi, Shannon.” I heard his crutches clatter to the ground as his arms came around me, and then I was enveloped in the warmth and security I felt like I had been chasing my whole life. “I promised I would.”

This isn’t safe for you,my mind protested.You feel too much for this boy, too deeply. Getting attached to him is a bad idea…

“Shan!” Claire’s voice filled my ears and my head snapped up. It was only then that I noticed her and Gibsie standing slightly back from the door. She looked back at me, brown eyes filled with tears, and waved awkwardly. “Hi!”

At the sight of her, something snapped inside of me and a sob tore from my throat. “Hi,” I choked out, as I detangled myself from Johnny and moved for her.

“God!” She met me halfway, wrapping me up in a hug so tight, I flinched. “Are you okay?” she demanded. Sniffling loudly, she released me and stepped back, letting her gaze trail over my body. “Oh my god, Shan, what happened? I can’t… I don’t even know what to… Girl, you better be okay!” Grabbing my hoodie, she dragged me back in for a monster hug. “I’m so mad at you,” she hissed as tears dripped freely down her cheeks. “And I’m so mad at me—and him.” She glared at Darren, who was still standing in the doorway. “He’s not as nice as I remember.”

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