Grabbing the front of my shirt, he dragged me towards him and sniffed my mouth.
"You traitor!" he choked out, looking comically horrified. "You went to the chipper!"
"Yeah, I did," I replied, shoving away from him. "And it was fucking delicious, and I have no regrets."
"What did you have?"
"A few cheeseburgers and a curry-chips."
"How did it taste?"
"Better than sex."
"We're supposed to be on a diet!" Gibsie hissed in an appalled tone before quickly asking, "Did you get me something?"
"Yeah, I got you a burger."
"Thanks, Johnny."
"And then I got hungry so I ate it."
"You're a monster."
"You two are so weird," Aoife laughed. "Aren't they funny, Joey?"
"They're something, alright," Shannon's brother replied.
"Hey." Suddenly realizing he was in the company of strangers, Gibsie leaned through the middle of their seats and asked, "Who the fuck are you guys?"
"Johnny's friends with my boyfriend's sister," Aoife explained.
"Sister?" The word seemed to confuse Gibsie, who stared blankly at me for several moments.
Throwing a prayer up to the heavens that he could control himself, I nodded and said, "Shannon."
Gibsie sank back beside me and frowned. "Shannon?"
"Yes, Shannon." I glared at him.
Gibsie's eyes widened then, awareness suddenly dawning on him.
"Oh, Shannon!" he exclaimed. "Ah, yeah, little Shannon from third year." Grinning, he nudged me in the ribs. "Johnny here has a fierce soft spot for your sister."
"Is that right?" Joey replied tightly.
Oh fuck.
"Yeah, he's always looking out for her at school," Gibsie added with a wink. "Making sure she's not getting into any hassle."
I bit back a groan and resisted the urge to wrap my hands around his neck and choke the life out of him.
To be fair, it could have been worse.
Gibsie was capable of saying so much worse.
"That's lovely," Aoife chimed in, and I noticed the way she placed a hand on her boyfriend's knee. "Isn't it kind of him, Joe?"
"Why?" Joey demanded, tone hard and suspicious. "What's in it for you?"
I sighed heavily and tried to come up with something believable.
"Because I fucked her –"
"You what?" Joey roared, slamming on the brakes.
The sudden jolt of the car stopping caused Gibsie and me to lunge forwards.
Turning around, Joey glared at me. "You better be messing around right now, Kavanagh, because I swear to Christ I will –"
"Over!" I hurried to explain, dragging myself back onto the seat. "I fucked her over on her first day. Embarrassed her on the pitch when I knocked her out."
But I want to fuck her...
I want in your sister so bad you wouldn’t believe it...
The things I imagine doing to her would shock you…
I waited for the homicidal look in his eyes to fade before continuing.
"I figured I owed the girl, so I just kept an eye out on things – made sure she was settling in okay. It's not easy starting a new school." Shrugging, I added, "Didn’t want her getting any unnecessary shite."
I was a sitting duck waiting for her brother to make the next move.
If Joey hit me, I wouldn’t hit back.
I wouldn’t retaliate.
That was the scary thing about this situation.
Sitting in his car, drunk off my ass, knowing that I was more than capable of beating the shite out of him, but knowing I wouldn’t.
Because of her.
Because he was important to her.
Because if I hit him, I would hurt her.
And hurting her was bad.
Hurting her made me want to hurt something harder.
That notion was more messed up and complicated than my drunk ass could comprehend.
Joey didn’t reply, but he did turn his attention to the road and start driving again.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Turning to Gibsie, I mouthed the words keep your mouth shut.
He responded with a theatrical finger to mouth zipper motion.
When we reached the turn off to my house, half an hour later, I mumbled a few short directions.
Joey responded with a clipped nod and turned right, leaving the main road for the rickety secondary road that led to the entrance of the property.
I was feeling more clear-headed now – I guess the near brush with death at the hands of Shannon's brother had shaken some sense into me and sobered my ass up.
I wished the same could be said for Gibsie, who was passed out beside me, snoring like a grizzly bear.
When Joey pulled up outside the gates of the property, I said, "We can get out here, man."
"That's where you live?" Shannon's brother asked, speaking for the first time since the almost disaster that was our miscommunication.
His attention was riveted to the huge cast iron gates with the ugly ass eagles on either pillar.
"How far is it up that driveway to your house?" he asked.
"About a quarter of a mile."
"You'll never manage getting him to walk that far," he muttered. "I'll drive you up to the door."
"310587," I rolled out the code, which just so happened to be my date of birth. "Just key that into the pad over there and they'll open for you."
Joey keyed the code into the pad and waited for the gates to open inwards.
"Again, I appreciate this," I felt the need to mention. "I know it's out of your way."
"Just returning the favor," he replied, driving up the narrow laneway towards the house.
"This place is amazing," Aoife said with a dreamy sigh. "Look at all the trees and – oh my god! Look at the size of that house," she squeaked when the house came into view, lit up like a fucking Christmas tree.
Mam was paranoid as fuck about potential robbers thinking the house was empty so she had automatic sensors and timed lighting installed everywhere.
In the yard.
In the house.
On the lawn.
It was ridiculous but drunk me was grateful for the illumination.
Joey killed the engine and climbed out, adjusting his seat as far forward as it would go.
I was much steadier on my feet when I was getting out than I had been climbing in.
"Thanks again," I said before reaching into the back and hauling sleeping beauty himself out of the car. "I owe you one."
Wrapping an arm around Gibsie's waist who was still half-asleep, I dragged him to the front door, and wrestled to get my keys out.
Failing to get them out of my jeans pocket, I dropped him on his ass, and battled with my jeans for a long moment before finally retrieving my keys.
"Stop, will ya, I'm sensitive," Gibsie groaned before curling up, snoring resumed.
"Here," Joey announced when I managed to stab the timber frame with the key, missing the keyhole by a good three inches. "Let me give you a hand."
Grateful for the intervention, I handed over my keys and turned my attention to my friend.
"Get up," I growled, nudging him with my foot. "We're home."
Fucker didn’t budge.
"Gibsie!" I barked.
Nothing but snores.
Goddammit.
Releasing a frustrated sigh, I reached down and grabbed his shoulders and tried to haul him off the ground.
Joey, who had the door open, came and helped me heave him up.
I was in no position to decline his help, so with each of us taking a side, we hauled his deadweight ass into the house.
"Drop him down in here," I instructed, gesturing to the living room.
"You sure?" Joey asked, flicking on the light. "That couch is white, man."
"It's leather," I muttered, too tired and sore to worry about my mother's three-piece suite. Shuffling over to the couch, we tossed Gibsie down "If he pukes, he'll be hosing it down by himself in the morning."
"Fair enough," Joey replied with a shrug before turning around and heading for the door.
I trailed after him, not really knowing what to say.
This night had gone from depressing to infuriating to downright confusing in a matter of hours.
"Listen," Joey said when he stepped outside onto the gravel. "About Shannon."
Here we go, I thought to myself.
I'd been waiting for this since I climbed into his piece of shit car.
Behave yourself, Kav, keep your mouth shut.
"What about Shannon?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"She's fragile," he came right out and said. "Vulnerable."