Page 47 of Redeeming 6

“Just be careful, okay?” she hurried to say. “I know you love him, Aoife, and I know what you and Joey have is about as real as it gets, but so are his issues.”

“He’s doing better,” I heard myself defend.

“For now.”

“He’s doing better, Casey,” I reiterated thickly. “I don’t have a crystal ball to show me the future, so I’ll take a ‘for now’ as a win.”

“Fair enough.” She sighed heavily before adding, “Just don’t let yourself get swallowed up in him again.”

The referee blew his whistle before I could answer her, signaling the end of the match, and I turned my attention back to the pitch just in time to see Joey yank his helmet off. Breathing hard and fast, he used the hem of his jersey to wipe his face, and the move gave me a glorious glimpse of his toned stomach, while his teammates celebrated the win.

The moment he noticed me watching him, a slow smile spread across his face.

Cupping my hands around my mouth, I called out, “Nice abs.”

“Nice legs,” he called back with a wink, and just like that, I was ruined.

“What am I saying?” Casey declared with a resigned laugh. “Of course you’re going to get swallowed up in him again.”

16

Same Shit, Different School

JOEY

My day had consisted of seven hours at school, followed by a match, followed by a further four hours at the garage. By the time I walked through the door a little after eleven that night, I was bone-weary and in dire need of a mattress to collapse onto. However, the look on my mother’s face assured me that sleep was the last thing I would be getting.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, dropping my schoolbag, gear bag, hurley, and helmet in the hallway before making a beeline for the kitchen. “Mam?”

“It happened again,” she choked out, tears streaming down her face as she dropped her head in her hands. “Shannon’s in hospital.”

My heart sank. “No.”

Mam nodded in confirmation, and I thought I might explode from the sudden rush of blood to the head.

“Why?” My breath caught in my throat. “What happened?”

“She has a concussion,” Mam explained, slumped in her usual chair. “They’re keeping her overnight for observation.”

“A concussion?” I gaped. “How? Where? What the fuck?”

“Some boy in one of the senior classes hit her with a rugby ball during practice, and she took a terrible fall at school.” Sniffling, she reached for the torn fabric in front of her and held it up. “Ripped her skirt in the process, apparently. I can’t remember his name,” she strangled out. “But he was an older boy around the same age as you.”

“On purpose?” Fury roared to life inside of me. “Mam, did he do it on purpose?”

“He swore blind to the principal that he didn’t mean to hurt her,” she replied, tone dripping with disdain. “He brought her inside when she collapsed and was sitting with her outside of the office when I arrived, but you know what they’re like.” Mam sobbed. “I thought this time would be different for her. Better. She needs better, Joey. She needed a fresh start and it’s ruined.”

“What’s Shannon saying about it?”

“She swears it was an accident, too,” Mam replied wearily. “But you know how she lies.”

“Well then, maybe it was,” I offered, allowing myself to be hopeful for once in my life. “If he took her to the office after it happened and stayed with her until you came.”

“I expect that kind of naivety from your brothers and sister, but not you,” Mam snapped. “You know better.”

Yeah, I did, but for once, I didn’t want to. For once in my life, I wanted my mother to show me the same consideration that she so willingly showed the rest of my siblings. It wouldn’t happen, of course. Because my feelings weren’t meant to be spared.

They were meant to be bulletproof.

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