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I sighed. “I wish I could do that.”

“Do what?”

“Be brave,” I whispered, feeling wistful.

“You already are.” He turned to look at me then, green eyes full of pain. “So fucking brave.”

“Don’t feel like it,” I mumbled with a shaky breath. “I just feel like running.”

“Do you want to?” His tone was hopeful and a little desperate. “We could get on a bus right now and just go.”

My heart skipped a beat in my chest and I had to fight down the surge of unease rising up inside of me. “When you say go…” I kept my eyes on his, gauging his reaction. “You mean for the day, right?”

Joey didn’t reply right away. Instead, he just sat there, staring back at me.

“Joe?” I whispered, heart racing hard now. “That’s what you meant, right?”

He forced a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. I hadn’t seen one of those in a very long time. “Of course.”

“Don’t leave me,” I choked out, clutching his school jumper in my hand. “You can’t go away again.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” he replied, tone strained.

“What about Aoife?” I asked, clinging to the one thing I knew could keep him close. “What’s happening there?”She’s a reason to stay…

“We’re fine.”

“And Shane Holland and his friends?” My heart bucked wildly. “You’re not going to—”

“No,” he said, tone harder now. “I’m not.”

I don’t believe you…

“Joey, your girlfriend’s waiting outside in her car for you.” Darren’s voice filled my ears and I looked up to find him standing in the doorway, shrugging on a jacket. “You’d better get a move on or you’ll make her late, too.”

Without saying another word, Joey stood up and stalked out of my room, roughly brushing Darren aside as he went.

“Good morning to you, too,” Darren grumbled.

“I’ll see ya later, Shan,” Joey called back as he disappeared inside his bedroom, returning a moment later with his schoolbag slung over his shoulder and his helmet and hurley in his hand. “Chin up, kid.”

“Joey,” Darren began to say. “Can we not do the wounded boy act today and just be civilized—”

“Eat shit,” Joey sneered, holding his middle finger up as he thundered down the staircase.

“Lovely,” Darren muttered, rubbing his jaw. “He’s pleasant in the mornings.”

“Depends on the company,” I reminded him, tone petulant. “He waspleasantto me.”

“Jesus, not you, too,” Darren grumbled. “I can’t handletwohormone-ridden teenagers this early in the morning.”

Then go back to your life.“Where’s Mam?” I asked instead.

“Work. Now, are you ready?” he asked. “The boys are waiting in the car.”

“You don’t have to drive me,” I stated, eyeing the set of car keys dangling from Darren’s fingers. “I can get the bus.”

“Come on, Shannon,” he groaned. “Cut me some slack here. It’s my first day on the school run.”

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