Grimacing, Podge shook his head. “Not yet. But he’ll be here.”
I glanced at the clock on the wall, feeling my anxiety swell. “It’s ten past eleven, Podge. He’s already after missing the first three classes. School ends at twelve. We only have one class left after lunch.”
“Something must have come up at home.” My boyfriend’s best friend offered me another uncomfortable shrug. “Listen, I know it looks bad, but there’s no way Lynchy would leave ya to deal with the mob on your own unless it wasn’t important.”
“Yeah.” Feeling sick to my stomach, I drummed my fingers on the desk, and fought back the urge to scream. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
Because I had enough faith in my boyfriend to know that he wouldn’t skip out on me. Joey was a lot of things but he was no coward. Never in his life had he backed down from responsibility, which only caused the anxiety festering inside of me to swell.
Mam had called the Gards last night and reported Teddy. It didn’t take a genius to know that his absence at school was linked to it.
“That’s her,” a group of baby first years whispered, as they hurried past our table, huddled close together. “The pregnant sixth year.”
“Is the guy she’s sitting with the father?”
“I heard she doesn’t know who the father is.”
Damn Miss Lane for giving Casey lunchtime detention. It wasn’t so bad when she was with me during class. She had a mouth like a sailor and an answer for every eejit stupid enough to approach me in the hallway. That mouth had landed her in detention, though, which meant that I was alone and bleeding in the shark tank.
I was grateful to Podge for coming to sit with me. Every other one of my so-called friends were treating me like pregnancy was contagious. Aside from Casey, it was the boys in my class who were being kind.
The girls were awful.
I hadn’t been summoned to the office for the dreaded talk yet, but I knew there was only time in it before the rumors of my wayward ways reached our principal’s ears.
“How’d Lynchy take the news?” Podge asked, dragging me back to the present. “I tried to call him a few times, but he didn’t answer.”
“Better than could be expected.” I blew out a shaky breath. “Especially after how he found out.”
“Shitty behavior out of your brother,” he offered. “Telling Ricey before Lynchy knew. Jesus, that’s low.”
“Don’t,” I groaned, still feeling sick at the thought. “I’m so done with Kev.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
I blinked. “The plan?”
“Yeah.” Podge nodded. “Are you going to have it?”
“Yes,” I bit out, feeling oddly defensive. “Obviously.”
“Good for you.” Nodding to himself, Podge scooped up a spoonful of yoghurt and popped it into his mouth. “He’ll do right by ya.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I know he will. It’s just… It’s just a huge mess, you know?”
“I don’t want to even think about it.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“Listen.” Reaching across the lunch table, he pressed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a supportive squeeze. “You’re not the first to have a baby off a lad in school, Aoif,” he offered. “And you sure as shit won’t be the last. Just ignore them. You’ll be old news soon enough.”
“Yeah, Podge, thanks and all,” I mumbled, feeling my cheeks burn from the intense stares I was receiving. “But somehow I doubt this is going away any time soon.”
“Hey, sexy-legs, I slapped the shit out of your brother just now,” Alec declared, sinking down on the table in front of us. “Hope ya don’t mind.”
My eyes widened. “You did?”
“Of course.” He winked. “Lynchy’s on his last warning, so he couldn’t do it. And I couldn’t have Brains doing my favorite girl dirty like that.”
“Where is he now?”
“Who? Brains?” Alec shrugged. “On the phone to your mammy, I suspect.”
“Aw, Al…” I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face, thrilled that little shit got put in his place. “Thanks, buddy.”
“Anytime,” he replied with a grin. “And just so you know, even with a big belly on ya, you’ll still be completely rideable.”
“Smooth, Al,” Podge chuckled. “What every girl wants to hear.”
“I call dibs on godfather,” Alec chimed in.
“You can’t call dibs on godfather, asshole.”
“I just did.”
“Well, it doesn’t count,” Podge huffed. “If anyone’s going to be godfather, it’s going to be me.”
“Nope, see, sexy-legs is going to give devil-tits the nod as godmother, which gives Lynchy free rein over who his spawn’s godfather will be.”
“Yeah, because referencing our best friend’s unborn child as spawn is something a godfather would say.”
“Listen, ginger-pubes, it’s happening, so back the fuck off and don’t even think about trying to steal my thunder on this.”
Podge shrugged. “Yeah, well, I’d rather have ginger pubes than a crab infested cock.”
Alec gasped. “I don’t have crabs.”
“Anymore.”
“I never had crabs.” He narrowed his eyes. “I was scratching because I shaved my balls and the itch was fucking horrendous!”
I laughed. “You shaved your balls, Al?”
“Oh yeah, Al here is big on the man-scaping,” Podge chimed in, as the bell sounded around us, signaling the end of small break.
“What can I say?” Alec jumped up and offered me a lopsided grin. “I’m a gentleman.”
“Do you want to walk with us, Aoif?” Podge asked, rising to his feet. “We’re all in Irish with Dineen next.”
“I’ll catch up with you guys,” I said, waving them both off. “I need to pee.”
“Keep that head up, sexy-legs,” Alec called over his shoulder as he sauntered out of the canteen with Podge. “And keep those legs closed until my god-child is fully cooked.”
“Thanks, Al.” I sighed heavily, ignoring the gawks and stares I was receiving. “Thanks a lot, buddy.”
I was in coming out of the bathroom, on my way to Irish, when my brother stopped me in the hallway. “We need to talk.”
Dutifully ignoring him, I sidestepped him and kept walking.
“Aoife, stop.” He caught ahold of my arm and pulled me back to him. “Please. We need to talk about this.”
“What’s wrong, Kev?” I snapped, begrudgingly falling into step alongside him as we walked down the corridor towards my classroom. “Are you blaming me for your busted lip, too?”
“Your boyfriend’s henchman hit me.”
“Yeah, well, snitches get stitches, asshole.”
“I’m sorry, okay?” Holding his hands up in front of me, my brother tried to reason with a part of my heart that wasn’t there anymore. Not for him, at least. “I know what I did was shitty, okay? It was a really bad thing to do, Aoif. I get that now.”