“I’m grand,” Molloy was telling Casey, who was fussing over her. “I said I’m fine, Case.” Taking her friend’s hand, she climbed unsteadily to her feet and adjusted her helmet that had been knocked sideways. “Relax, will you? I’m okay.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I roared, closing the distance between us, fury rising inside of me. “You just mowed her down!”
“It was a fair tackle,” Ricey called back, retreating several steps. “Besides, what are ya complaining about?” He smirked. “We’re on the same team, remember?”
“It’s okay, Joe,” Molloy called over. “I’m fine.”
“No, no, no,” Mr. Ryan interjected, swiftly coming to block me. “You heard Mr. Nyhan, Joey. You’re on your last strike, son. No more fighting. He will expel you.”
“Like I give a fuck,” I roared, pushing against the hands that were holding me back. “You saw that. You saw what he just did to her.”
“Three months,” Mr. Ryan, who I reluctantly had to admit was my favorite teacher, implored me with his eyes to listen to him. “That’s all you have left, Joe.”
I presumed his motives for trying to keep my ass in school had a lot more to do with the upcoming hurling championship we were competing in more than anything else. However, aside from Mrs. Adams, he was the only other teacher to ever show an interest in me in the six years I had attended BCS. He’d spoken up for me on many the occasion down through the years, and, for that, I respected him.
“You’ve come so far,” he continued to coax, as he slowly walked me backwards off the pitch, and away from trouble. “You’ve been doing so well since Christmas. You’re so close to finishing this out. Don’t throw it all away for a punch up over a girl.”
“She’s not just a girl,” I bit out, feeling my body burn with heated frustration, as I ran a hand through my hair and stared over his shoulder to where Molloy was brushing herself down. “It’s like you said earlier; she’s my girl.”
“I know.”
“You don’t know shit.”
“Listen to me. I’m a teacher, Joey, I’m not immune or blind to the rumors and gossip that spreads through the halls,” he explained, tone coaxing. “I’ve heard all about the on-going issues you have with Rice. So, think about just how nicely it would suit his narrative if you were to go and get yourself expelled from school. It would suit him down to the ground to have you off the team and out of the way.”
I gave him a hard look. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying don’t give the little shit what he wants,” he replied. “He’s playing you. He can’t compete with you on any level, so he’s pushing the one button he knows will make you trip yourself up.”
“Aoife.”
“Aoife,” he confirmed with a knowing sigh. “Don’t prove him right, kid. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”
DOING THE MATH
AOIFE
“That house party we went to back in the new year?” I whispered in my best friend’s ear, as we huddled together at lunch, heads bent over the table, food untouched. “The one the boys of Tommen threw before Christmas break ended?” Feeling a frantic flurry of panic attack my insides, I added, “I had way too much to drink and spent that entire night and following day spewing my guts up. That’s the only thing that I can think of.”
“And Joey?” she asked, leaning in close. “You were with him that night?”
“Yeah.” Flushed, I blew out a breath. “We had epic makeup sex that night, and we were together a lot that weekend.”
“Did he wear a condom?”
I shook my head.
“Shit,” Casey expelled a breath. “That’s not good, Aoif.”
“But I didn’t miss my pill,” I tried to defend. “I took it at the same time on both days.”
“That wouldn’t matter.”
“Don’t say that, Case,” I strangled out, clutching her hand. “Please don’t say that.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, squeezing my hand. “I don’t want to upset you, but I can’t lie to you either.” She gave me a worrying look. “It’s not looking good, babe.”
“Oh Jesus.” My lungs heaved and I bit down on my lip before asking, “The vomiting? Do you think that might be what happened here?”
The way she winced in response assured me that she did.
“I can’t be pregnant.” My eyes welled up with tears, and I shook my head, feeling utterly blindsided. “I can’t be.”
“It’s going to be okay.”
“How?” I choked out, feeling my windpipe tighten. “How is it going to be okay?”
“Because it just will be,” she assured me, looking as uncertain as I felt. “We’ll go to the pharmacy after school and get a test, and at least then you’ll know for sure.”
“I don’t want to know.”
“You kind of have to, Aoif.”
“No.” Dropping my head in my hands, I clenched my eyes shut, feeling the tears dampening my lashes. “No.”
“Don’t panic,” she instructed, placing her hand on my back. “We’ll figure this out.”
“Case,” I strangled out, chest heaving. “Tomorrow is the first of March. If that wasn’t a period I had last month, then I’m…”
“Eleven weeks tomorrow?” She sighed heavily and rubbed soothing circular patterns on my back. “Yeah, Aoif, I’ve already done the maths.”
“This can’t be happening,” I groaned, feeling sick to my stomach, as I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. “This isn’t happening.”
“What’s wrong, Molloy?” an achingly familiar voice asked, and I clamped up with tension when Joey sank down on the table in front of me. “Were they out of Rolos in the tuck shop?”
Forcing myself to steady my nerves and look at him, I leaned back in my seat and smiled weakly. “How’d you guess?”
He tossed a packet onto my lap and winked.
My heart flipped in my chest as I stared down at the packet.
“Joe.” My throat felt like sawdust. “That’s so sweet.”
He rolled his eyes at my overly dramatic reaction to his kindness and turned his attention to his friends, who were all joining us at the table.
“Fuck no, he didn’t,” Alec announced, laughing at something Podge had said. “Not a hope in hell does he have a chance of making the under 20’s.”
“I’m telling ya, lad, he’s a shoe-in for the summer tour,” Podge pushed, wolfing down a sandwich, as they discussed some rugby player. “Maybe even the senior team.”
“Bullshit,” Alec argued, tossing his crisp packet on the table. “He’s younger than us.” Turning to Joey, he asked, “What do you reckon?”
“You know my view on Kavanagh,” my boyfriend said with a shrug. “He’s going to make a fortune.”
“Thank you,” Podge said before turning back to Alec with a smug expression etched on his face. “I rest my case.”