Page 117 of Releasing 10
“Me either,” he whispered. “Not even Claire.”
“Promise you won’t tell?” I held up my pinky finger. “I can’t get in trouble again.” They’ll send me away.
“I promise if you promise,” he vowed, hooking my pinky with his. “I’ll take it to the grave.”
“Me, too.” I breathed out a huge sigh of relief before asking, “Do you think we should try to break them up?” I shrugged before adding, “At least that way he would have to stop hurting my sister at nighttime.”
“Your sister won’t break up with him,” Gibsie replied, eyes laced with sadness. “She wants to marry him.”
“I don’t want Caoimhe to marry Mark.” Sadness bloomed in my belly at the thought. “He’ll be here forever then.”
“Don’t worry.” Gibsie tried to soothe me, wiping a tear from my cheek now. “We’ll be grown-ups by the time that happens, with our own houses, andhewon’t be invited inside.”
“Like the three little pigs and the big, bad wolf?”
“Exactly,” he agreed with a small smile. “Mark Allen can huff and puff all he wants when I’m a grown-up, but I’ll be strong enough to keep him out.”
“Me too,” I agreed, balling my small hand into a fist. “And the brave knight will stop him with his sword if he tries to come down my chimney.”
“Hey, Lizzie?”
“Yeah, Gibs?”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yep.” Smiling, I reached up and brushed a tear from his cheek. “I’m always okay, Gibs.”
PART 6
Growing Pains
CREATURES AND CREATURE COMFORTS
Lizzie
FEBRUARY 22, 1998
IALWAYS FELT AT MY BEST WHENISPENT TIME ATCLAIRE ANDHUGH’S PLACE. ITdidn’t matter what games we played or what delicious meal Sinead served for dinner. Their home felt like arealhome, and it was the only place I could go to escape the bad dreams. When I stayed at their house, I could relax.
I could breathe.
Today was no different, except for the fact that I wassupposedto be across the street attending Gibsie’s tenth birthday party. Instead, I had crept back to number four and was currently curled up in a ball on Hugh’s bed.
Everything about Hugh’s bedroom was comforting—his bed, his desk, the pictures hanging on the walls, the books he read that were piled on top of his nightstand, and even the scent of the washing powder his mother used on his sheets.
I loved Gibsie, he was one of my greatest friends in the world, but sometimes his house reminded me of mine, and I didn’t want to be there, either.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding.” Hugh stood in his bedroom doorway with a smile etched on his face. “You just missed the funniest thing ever, Liz,” he told me, eyes dancing with excitement. “Danny Call just got a whole chunk taken out of his ankle, courtesy of Brian.” Snickering to himself, Hugh padded over to his bed and flopped down next to me. “You should’ve heard him scream.”
“That feral feline belongs in a zoo,” I mused. “I don’t care what Sadhbh says about him being part Persian, because I swear, he’s part albino tiger.”
“He’s part demon is what he is,” Hugh corrected with a chuckle. “He escaped out the back door and terrorized all the lads. Everyone’s scratched to shit from trying to catch him.” Another hearty laugh escaped him. “Gibs and Claire are outside now trying to attach a leash to his collar to coax him back into the house.”
“Then I’m glad I missed it,” I replied. “Because if that beast bit me, I’d bite him back.”
“Don’t you mean to say you’d bite himagain?” Hugh teased, nudging my shoulder.
“Hey! I only did that because he bitmyear first and wouldn’t let go until I returned the favor,” I defended, unable to stop my smile from spreading or my heart from fluttering when he took my hand in his. “You know how the saying goes, Hugh.” Grinning, I shrugged. “Play stupid games.”
