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I blushed and Johnny snapped his head toward him. “Rein it in, Gibs,” he instructed in a warning tone. “Whatever you’re thinking about saying? Don’t say it.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Gibsie laughed good-naturedly. “I was making friendly conversation with yourgirlfriend.”

“Hmm.” Johnny arched a brow, eyes locked on Gibsie. “Keep it that way.”

“How’s your brother?” Gibsie asked, turning his attention back to me. “Is he doing better?”

“Uh, yeah,” I mumbled, tucking my hair behind my ears. “Well, he’s home and he went back to school today.”I hope.“So he’s doing a lot better.”

Gibsie smiled warmly at me. “Good.”

Claire and Lizzie arrived at the table then, making me sag in visible relief.

Lizzie stalked right past the boys with her nose cocked in the air, smacking the back of Gibsie’s head as she passed, not stopping until she was halfway up the table and dragging out an empty chair beside her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Pierce.

“Hey—what was that in aid of?” Gibsie called after her.

“Because you’re a dickhead,” Lizzie shot back.

“And you’re a viper,” Gibsie muttered under his breath, rubbing the back of his head. “Jesus.”

Claire slumped into the chair beside Gibsie, much to Hughie’s dismay as he glared, red-faced, at the pair of them.

“Hey, Claire-Bear,” Gibsie said, smiling again. “How’s it going?”

“Hey, Gerard,” she sighed, sounding sad and looking nothing like the bundle of energy she’d been a few minutes ago. Rolling up her sleeves, she placed her elbows on the table and dropped her head in her hands. “I’m so sad.”

“Why?” Gibsie stiffened. “What happened?” His eyes narrowed. “Was someone at you?”

“Dee happened,” she grumbled. “Again.”

Gibsie’s mouth fell open and Johnny muttered something unintelligible under his breath before shifting closer to me.

“Dee?” I scrunched my brows together. “The school secretary?”

“That’s the one,” Claire replied and then huffed out a pained breath. “I swear that woman hates me for no reason, Shan.”

Gibsie choked on his lollipop and several of the lads sitting around the table snickered. Meanwhile, Johnny stared dutifully out the window, looking anywhere but at Claire, while Hughie glowered darkly at Gibsie.

Leaning over the table, I gently touched her wrist to get her attention. “What did she do?”

“I have a hockey match in Thurles tomorrow,” Claire replied, brown eyes full of sadness. “Somehow, my forms have vanished and now Mr. Twomey is saying that I can’t go.” Pouting, she folded her arms across her chest and added, “Dee told him that I never handed them in to the office when I was supposed to, which is a complete lie, because I specifically remember handing themto herthe Tuesday before we went on Easter break.”

“Why would she do that?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Hughie bit out through clenched teeth. “I wonder why she would do that.”

“Lolly?” Gibsie offered, pulling a lollipop stick from his mouth and holding it out to her.

Claire stared at it for a moment before shrugging, swiping it out of his hand, and then popping it into her mouth. “Sherbet?” She arched a brow. “You hate sherbet.”

“Got it for you,” he shot back with a wink. “I know it’s your favorite.”

“Don’t put that in your mouth,” Hughie practically spat out. “You don’t know where he’s been, Claire.”

“Hmm.” Claire shrugged again, like it was a normal thing to be swapping lollipop saliva with Gibsie. “It’s good.”

“Jesus Christ,” Hughie hissed in despair. “I don’t know why I bother.”

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