Page 9 of The Secret We Keep
“Really?”
My feet nervously start tapping the floor, but I eventually nod, pacifying her. There’s no way I’m going to say hi to Paddy O’Keefe.
“Alright, well, I guess I’ll see you at mine later, then.”
I give her an unsure look, but she smiles, clearly knowing more than I do. “The after party. It’s at my parents’ place.”
Oh.
“So, perhaps, you can make an effort and come by?”
Make an effort?That’s a weird way to word it. And given how my insides start flipping like she just slapped me, a little harsh, too. “I…”
“I’m sorry,” Fiona immediately says. “I mean, if youdoend up leaving here early, maybe you could come by later? We can catch up properly. It’s been so long since we all hung out. Might be good. For all of us.” She looks over her shoulder at her brother.
Paddy looks at me before he meets Fi’s eyes. The pair exchange a weird look, then he turns his back on her.
“Okay,” I say gently, not wanting to disappoint her, even though it’s the last thing I want to do. “I’ll drop by later.”
Fiona takes a few seconds just looking at me, and tension sneaks into my bones. The weight of her gaze isn’t heavy, but noticeable. Do I have something on my face? Did I say something wrong?
“That’s great. I’m looking forward to it already.” Then she smiles and stands, grabbing her cardigan off her chair. “I should go say hello to people. I’ll see you later, Morgan.”
I smile. “See you later.”
Watching her walk away, I catch sight of a few people watching her.
It’s wild. You can literally see everyone trying to work out what we spoke about, like we’re back to being eight years old and conspiring to steal matches.
“Wanna get out of here?”
I turn and look up at Holly, who’s now standing beside me. “Did you know there’s a party later, at the O’Keefe’s?”
I can tell by the look on her face that she did. “Maybe. But that’s later. And right now, I’ve changed my mind. I think we should go.”
“Photo time,” Mrs Danford announces to everyone in the room.
“Fuck. Too late,” Holly mutters. “Sorry.”
“Every year at the exact time you were born your mother does this.” Holly holds out her hand, pulling me to my feet. “I think there should be a rule that states that now you’re in your twenties, she should stop.”
Because it’s kind of weird.
Holly’s eyes widen, but she nods. “Hey, I’m with you on that one.” She holds up her hands almost apologetically.
“Morgan.” My mother calls me over. Clearly, I’m taking too long.
And this is it. The part where we all huddle together like we’re all still young kids, living our best lives. I quickly down my drink, very much still hating it, but needing it.
“Good girl,” Holly whispers, giving me a wink. “Let’s get this done. Then we can get shit-faced back at yours before we have to face Paddy in his own home.”
I give her a wide-eyed look, and she turns me, snickering under her breath like I can’t hear her.
A little lost along the way
Morgan
Hollyisdrunkbythe time we sit down at the dinner table to eat. Having skipped food at the party, the table is full, along with a large jug of water in the middle. My parents were happy for us to miss the after party at the O’Keefe’s place and have not long been back from there themselves.
