Page 183 of Releasing 10
“Go?” Confusion filled his eyes, and he frowned. “To America? When?”
“April,” I replied, shivering when he entwined his fingers with mine. “They’re trialing a new drug or treatment that Mam’s a candidate for,” I told him, trying to remember what I’d been told. “Caoimhe said it’s crazy expensive, but Mam has more than enough money to cover the cost a thousand times over.” Shrugging, I added, “The success rates are decent, too.”
“That’s fantastic,” Hugh replied, looking genuinely thrilled at the prospect of my mother recovering. Meanwhile, I was terrified to get my hopes up.
“They want Mam to start treatment right away, so she’s flying out with Dad next week,” I continued to tell him. “I’ll stay home with Caoimhe, and we’ll fly out the next month. On April sixth.”
“How long are you going to be gone?”
“Three and a half weeks, I think,” I told him, feeling a wave of devastation at the thought of being away from him for that long. “Because of Easter break, we’ll only miss two weeks of school instead of four. I’ll be back on the first of May.”
“Will Catherine be finished with her treatment by then?”
I shrugged. “Who knows?”
“I’m going to miss you,” Hugh told me, and hearing him say those words made my heart crack.
Because I didn’t want to go.
If I had the choice, I’d remain right here in Ballylaggin with Hugh. Not go halfway around the world with Caoimhe and Mark. I knew that’s exactly what would happen. Dad would spend all his time at the hospital with Mam, and I would be left withthem.
SHE’S JUST A FRIEND, I SWEAR
Hugh
MARCH 17, 2000
“MAKE HER STOP,” FEELY GROANED, COVERING HIS HEAD WITH A PILLOW. “PLEASE, Hugh, I can’t take another loop of that fucking song.”
Neither could I.
We’d been playing PS1 for just under an hour, and already, I’d counted fifteen loops of NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye.”
“Claire saw the music video playing on MTV and hasn’t stopped trying to master the dance routine since,” I explained, tapping on the controller in my hand. “You know how she fixates on things, lad. Look at Gibs.”
“Well, if she doesn’t hurry the hell up and master it, I’m going to Van Gogh myself.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “Eejit.”
“You’ll see drama when I chop my fucking ears off,” Feely warned, tossing his controller aside. “There’s no point. I can’t concentrate on the game.”
“It’s not that bad,” I replied, tossing my controller aside now that he had given up. I couldn’t play two-player without him. “It’s better than her ‘My Heart Will Go On’ phase.”
“Jesus, don’t remind me.” Feely shuddered. “Your sister ruined that film for me. I couldn’t even enjoy Rose’s tits in peace.”
“Lad.” I threw my head back and laughed. “She wasn’t that special.”
“You’re mental,” he argued, narrowing his eyes. “That woman was pure perfection in the film. Every part of her. Especially her hair.”
I snorted. “Especially her tits, you mean.”
Feely grinned. “Those, too.”
“You know who has great tits?” I mused. “Sharon Stone.”
“True,” he replied in a thoughtful tone, clearly weighing up both options. “But you can’t beat a redhead with a perky rack.”
“Nowyou’rebeing mental,” I argued back, eyeballing him. “Sharon Stone, lad. Sharon fuckingStone.” I held my hands up for emphasis. “Come on, Feely, you have to admit the blond wins every time.”
