"Shag off, Gibs." Cormac glared down at him. "I wasn’t talking to you."
"Maybe not," Gibs replied, tossing his drink back. "But I'm sure as hell talking to you." Shoving his stool back, he jerked to his feet and squared up to Cormac. "Now turn your ass around and take your little girlfriend back to the hole you both crawled out from."
"Or what?" Cormac growled, pressing his forehead against Gibsie's.
Bad fucking move on Ryan's part.
"There's no contract hanging over my head like there is his, asshole," Gibsie seethed, pushing back with his forehead. "I have no fucking problem stepping in on Kav's behalf and kicking the ever-loving shit out of your turncoat ass."
At six feet, both lads were evenly matched in height, but Gibsie outweighed Cormac by a good thirty pounds because on the pitch, Cormac was a skilled runner and Gibs was a highly charged battering ram.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Hughie groaned, voicing my thoughts aloud. "He had to push it."
"Yep," Katie agreed glumly. "He sure did."
Gibsie had an easy-going nature, but give him a few drinks and a reason to fight and he went all in.
"I've got no problem with you, Gibsie," Cormac barked. "My issue's with Kavanagh."
"Well, that's too bad, because I have a huge fucking problem with you," Gibsie snarled. "Who the fuck do you think you are, coming over here with her, trying to cause drama?"
"I was trying to clear the air," Cormac bit out, jaw clenched.
"No, you were trying to get a rise out of him," Gibsie corrected, snarling. "You were trying to fuck up his season." He shoved Cormac in the chest and claimed the space when he staggered backwards. "Because you're a jealous, little prick and The Academy doesn’t want you."
"Push me one more time and I'll break your legs," Cormac snarled, shoving Gibsie right back.
Unfazed by the threat, Gibsie continued on his rampage. "You and that bitch were trying to get one over on him because he doesn’t want her, and you can't do it where it counts." Pressing his forehead to Cormac's, he hissed, "On the pitch."
"We don’t want any trouble in here tonight, boys," the barmaid called out over the crowd. "Pack it in!"
"Trouble?" Gibsie laughed humorlessly, and then he swung his fist, catching Cormac straight in the jaw. "I'm going to rip this fucker's head off," he roared, barreling into him.
Several high-pitched screams erupted from the girls around us as both lads landed on a nearby table, sending chairs flying and glasses crashing to the floor.
I was out of my seat and closing in on my friend in seconds.
"Gibs!" I roared, dragging him off of Cormac who was getting a few punches of his own in.
"Walk away, lad," I commanded in a low tone as I clamped a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back to me. "This isn’t your fight."
"Like hell it's not," he snarled, lunging forward so hard that I had to double my efforts to keep him at bay. "You're my best friend and this prick has been disrespecting you for months."
"Let him," I replied calmly, catching Hughie's eye and gesturing for him to get his arse over here pronto. "I don’t care, and neither do you."
"Oh, I care," Gibsie snarled, eyes locked on Cormac.
"Get this mental case away from me or I'll kill him," Cormac seethed, wiping a trail of blood from his mouth. "You're a fucking lunatic, Gerard Gibson."
"You'll do nothing," I snarled, glaring at Cormac, as I took a protective stance in front of Gibsie.
Bella, who had been screaming her head off to the side, decided this was the perfect time to slip around me and get in Gibsie's face.
"You prick," she screamed, slapping him across the face. "Don’t you dare touch him."
"Get out of his face," I warned her, shoving my best friend behind me. "Now."
"Or what?" she hissed, slapping me across the face. "You'll set your guard dog on me, too?"
"Did you enjoy that?" I seethed, not even flinching. "Because that's the only way you'll put your hands on me again."
She reared back and slapped me again.
I laughed into her face. "Go on. Go right ahead. Hit me all fucking night. It won't change a thing."
"Stop," Cormac commanded, pushing her behind his back. "Don’t hit him."
"He deserves it," she screamed.
"Because I don’t want you?" I tossed back and laughed. "Oh yeah, because that's how life works."
"Don’t make me call the Gardaí on ye!" the older woman behind the bar screeched. "Pack of little gobshites."
"No need for that, Mags," Hughie announced, scrambling to intercept Gibsie's swinging fist with his hand.
"Get him out of here," I ordered, dragging Gibsie back once more.
"Your place?" Hughie asked.
"Anywhere." I ran a hand through my hair in exasperation. "Just keep him safe."
Hughie nodded and turned his attention to Gibsie.
"Let's go, Rocky Balboa," he said brightly. "Before you get us all thrown in the barrack for the night."
"He asked for it," Gibsie slurred. "Piece of shit."
"I know, lad," Hughie coaxed. "Come on." Wrapping his body around Gibsie's, he forcefully walked him backwards out of the bar.
"You coming, Johnny?" Katie asked, glancing nervously between me and Cormac.
"I'll be grand," I told her and turned my attention on Cormac.
Are you sure?" Katie persisted. "You should come with us –"
"Go ahead, Katie," I ordered, swinging around to catch her eye. "I'll make my own way home."
"If you're sure."
"I am."
I waited until Katie had followed Hughie and Gibsie out of the bar before turning my attention back to Cormac.
"You want to talk to me?" I snarled, gesturing towards the door. "Then let's go."
Not waiting for a response, I pushed my way through the crowded bar towards the exit, receiving several claps on the shoulders and 'Great match, Johnny' and 'Looking forward to seeing you in green in June' spiels as I tried my best to walk a straight line.
Doubtful, I thought to myself. Very fucking doubtful.
When I reached the pub door and stepped outside into the street, I was relieved to not find the lads outside waiting for me.
A few minutes later the door swung open and Cormac walked out.
"Not her," I barked, pointing a finger at Bella who filed outside after him. "She stays the fuck away from me."
"It's a free country," Bella countered, glaring daggers at me. "I can go wherever the hell I want."
"Either she goes or I go," I growled, addressing Cormac. "Your choice."
Bella opened her mouth to say something else, something spiteful, no doubt, but Cormac spoke first, "Go back inside," he told her. "I won't be long."
"But I –"
"I need to talk to him," Cormac pressed. "Go inside."
With what looked like great reluctance, Bella went back inside, leaving me alone on the street with Cormac.
"Right," he growled, rolling out his shoulders. "Let's do this, Kavanagh."
I arched a brow, amused at the fighting stance Ryan had taken.
If he thought I was going to throw my career away for a punch up over Bella, he was seriously mistaken.
Shannon – absolutely, but Bella? Not a chance.
"Put your fists away, ya bleeding eejit," I barked. "I'm not going to touch you."
He watched me for several moments, eyes full of mistrust, clearing waiting for me to pounce.
It was almost comical.
Almost.
"Believe it or not, Johnny," he finally broke the tension by saying. "I was genuinely trying to clear the air between us."
"When we're both full of drink?"
"Fair enough," he conceded. "But I didn’t mean for that to happen."
"You didn’t mean for what to happen exactly?" I asked, leaning my shoulder against the wall of the pub for balance. "You didn’t mean to fuck me over, or you didn’t mean to hit my best friend and your teammate?"
The night air had hit me like a fucking wrecking ball and I knew full well that without the wall for support, I would be swaying like the tower of Pisa.
"Gibs hit me first," Cormac snapped and then threw his hands up. "He was in my face."
"Because you were in mine," I replied calmly. "Because you were told to leave and you wouldn’t, and because I'm his captain and that means something to him."
Cormac grimaced at my words.
Good.