by Chloe Walsh
"But I –"
"Do it!"
Sighing heavily, Kelly knelt down and took over pinning my hands down, while Bella opened her lunch box and began to smear the contents all over my uniform. "Like that bitch?" Bella hissed, as she opened a tuna sandwich and smudged it against my jumper and skirt. "The smell suits you."
Still straddling me, she grabbed a tube of lipstick from her bag and then roughly cupped my jaw in her hands. "Go on," she mocked, as she smeared the lipstick over my forehead and cheeks. "Cry, little baby. I dare you!"
I will not cry.
I will not cry.
Do not give her the satisfaction, Shannon.
Bucking against her hold, I desperately tried to free myself, but it was no use.
I wasn't strong enough.
"Are you not going to say anything?" Bella taunted as she climbed off me, holding her water bottle in her hands. Turning it upside down, she poured the contents over me. "No, that's right. You're not going to say a word, because if you do, I'll fucking ruin you."
Don't lie there, Joey's voice hissed inside of my head. Fight back, even if you can't win.
A lone tear slid down my cheek.
"Aw, look, the little baby's crying," Bella taunted. "Fucking loser."
Fight back, Shannon.
Come on.
You can do this.
"Fuck you!" I choked out. "Fuck you both."
"Fuck me?" Bella sneered. Pulling her phone out of her skirt pocket, she flipped it open and started to take pictures. When she was done snapping her photos, she slid her phone back into her pocket and cupped my face, digging her nails into my cheeks so hard that I winced from the pain. "Fuck. You. Bitch."
Every ounce of fight went out of me, right along with my fickle faith in humanity. She thought she was hurting me, but she didn't know what pain was. Shivering violently, I remained perfectly still, just waiting for it to be over.
"Come on, Kel," Bella said when she had given me the final once over, clearly admiring her handy work. "Let's leave the bitch here."
"I'm so sorry," the blonde girl named Kelly whispered in my ear before hurrying to her feet and following Bella out of the bathroom.
Numb to the bone, I remained exactly where I was for several minutes, counting the ceiling cubes above me before finally dragging myself to my feet.
Every inch of my body ached, my lungs were burning, but it was my pride that had taken the hardest blow. Humiliated and trembling, I pulled my phone out of my shirt pocket and sobbed in relief when I realized it hadn't been soaked along with the rest of me.
Clutching my phone in my hand, I staggered over to the sink and heaved violently until everything inside of my body was swirling down the drain. Panting, I clutched the basin with my free hand and forced myself to look at my reflection. Tiny trickles of blood tinged my cheeks from where her nails had been, and I wasn't even surprised to see what she had written on my face.
BJ-13 was scrawled across my forehead to match Kav's on my left cheek and Slut on my right.
Tearing my gaze from the mirror, I focused on my phone, and with shaky hands, I dialed the number I knew off by heart.
Please pick up.
Please pick up.
Please don't be in class and pick up…
"Shan?" his familiar voice came down the line. "What's going on?"
"Joey." Clenching my eyes shut, I shuddered violently. "I n-need you to come g-get me."
60
Flying Fists
Johnny
I was used to seeing a lot of strange things go down at Tommen. Hell, I couldn't count the weird encounters I'd had in this place down through the years. But the sight of a lad in a BCS uniform stalking through the school carpark towards me after last class of the day was definitely a new thing for me.
It took me a few moments to register the lad wearing the grey jumper with the public-school crest as Joey Lynch, and a second too long to register that the arm he was rearing back was intended for me. His fist connected with my face so fast that my head snapped sideways.
"What the fuck did you do?" he demanded, looking livid. "If you hurt her, I'm going burn you alive and piss all over your bones."
"What are you talking about?" I roared, spitting out a mouthful of blood. I was about done with this whole family, and while up until the punch to the jaw, I actually liked Joey, I had a feeling that was about to change. "I didn't do anything to anyone!"
A huge crowd was forming around us, cheering and hollering like bleeding eejits.
"She's inside that school somewhere crying," Joey snarled. "She called me to come get her." Slamming his hands against my chest, he stalked towards me. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now, would you?"
"No, I fucking wouldn't," I snarled, shoving him away from me. He needed to step back and fast because he was pushing my patience out to sea and I was packing about four inches of height and four stone of muscle on him. "Back the fuck up, Lynch."
"Or what?" he sneered, moving for me again. "What are you going to do, Kavanagh?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Hughie commanded as he jumped into the mix, running through the carpark to step in between us. "Just calm down, lads."
"I am calm!" I roared, clearly not calm. "He's the prick who walked over here and hit me in the face."
"Because you hurt my sister," Joey shot back.
"I didn't hurt your sister," I snarled. "I would never hurt her."
"Well someone fucking did something!" Joey roared before lunging for me once more.
This time it was Gibsie who intercepted Joey from behind. "Howdy, buddy," he said in a friendly tone, as he wrapped his arms around him and dragged him away from me. "I see we're in the old front-to-back position again."
"Get the fuck off me, Gussie," Joey snapped, wrestling against his hold.
"It's Gibsie," he replied calmly. "And no can do. You can't be going around hitting my center, Joey. He's got some important business to attend to this Saturday, and it would be terribly irresponsible of me to let you go right now."
"Joey!" a female voice called out above the noise of the crowd. Seconds later, a blonde appeared in my line of vision, moving straight for Joey. His girlfriend, I noted. Aoife. "What are you doing, Joe?" she puffed out, stepping in front of him. "I thought we said no fighting." Catching ahold of his face, she forced him to look at her. "Ask questions first, remember?"
"I forgot, baby," he muttered, sagging enough that Gibsie released him and took a step back.
"What the hell is happening?" I demanded, feeling a mixture of fury and panic shoot through me.
"Shannon called me," Joey snarled, shaking with temper. "Someone in this stuck-up school did something to her."
"Did something to her?" I gaped at him in confusion. "What?" Something happened to Shannon? "What did they do to her?" What the hell? "I was just with her at lunch," I added, feeling a swell of rage build up inside of my body. "What the fuck is going on, Joey?"
"I don't know!" Running a hand through his blond hair, he released a growl and glared at the crowd. "But when I find out which one of you privileged pricks hurt my sister, I'll do time for ye!"
"What's going on here?" the familiar voice of Mr. Twomey cut through the air and the crowd around us quickly dispersed until it was just the five of us and Mr. Twomey remaining in the carpark with cars buzzing past, honking loudly.
"Johnny," he said with a sigh when he noticed me in the middle of what was going on – nothing new there. His gaze flicked to Joey and Aoife and his eyes narrowed. "Are you two aware that you are not permitted on school property if you are not enrolled here?"
"Fuck you," Joey shot back, causing Aoife to groan into her hand.
"Joe!" she hissed, placing a hand on his chest. "He's their principal."
"So?" Joey shrugged, unaffected. "He's not mine." Narrowing his eyes on Mr. Twomey, he spat, "I'm here to pick up my sister since your piece of shit school can't control its students and keep her safe."
Mr.
Twomey's brows furrowed. "And your sister is?"
"Shannon Lynch." Mr. Twomey paled and Joey lunged for the jugular like he could smell fresh blood. "Yeah, that's right," he sneered. "You know who I'm talking about. You made all sorts of promises to her, didn't ya? About keeping your students safe? What a fucking joke you are!"
"I beg your pardon," Mr. Twomey strangled out. "I have no idea what you're talking –"
"Hi, Joe," a small voice said and we all swung around to find Shannon walking towards us.
Her hair was drenched and clothes destroyed with food. Her face was red and blotchy, like she'd scrubbed herself raw, but when I looked harder, I could see scratches and words? Her gaze flicked to me and her expression caved. Tears pooled her eyes as she sniffled. "H-hi, Johnny."
"What the actual fuck?" I demanded, stalking towards her. "What happened to your face, Shannon?"
She shook her head and practically collapsed against me when I reached her. "I want to go home," she sobbed, shaking violently. "I just want to go."
"It's okay – shh, just calm down." Cupping her face in my hands, I squinted my eyes and tried to make out the lipstick marks on her face.
Kav's slut?
BJ-13?
"Who did this to you?" Joey demanded, shoving me out of the way – or at least he attempted to. It didn't work out so well for him because I didn't move an inch. "Shan, what happened?"
"Was it her?" I asked, shaking just as much as she was now. "What am I saying – of course it was her."
"Who?" Mr. Twomey strangled out. "Who did this to you, Shannon?"
"Bella fucking Wilkinson," Gibsie sneered. "Who else?"
"I want her out of this school," I snarled, swinging around to glare at him. "She can't get away with this. You know what she's going through. She's supposed to be safe at school!"
Paling, Mr. Twomey moved towards us. "Shannon, are you saying Miss Wilkinson did this to you?"
"Back the fuck up," Joey warned, taking a protective stance in front of his sister. I didn't know what he thought old Twomey was going to do, but the lad wasn't taking any chances. He was coiled tight with barely restrained feral fury and I had a feeling the only reason he hadn't exploded already was the blonde stroking his arm. "Don't come near my sister," he added, glaring daggers at our principal. "I'm warning you."
Mr. Twomey's mouth fell open and I felt a pang of sympathy for the old man to be thrown in the deep end like he had. God knows, I knew what it felt like. Being at the end of Joey Lynch's wrath wasn't a good feeling.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Bella and Cormac strolling through the courtyard towards the carpark, all smiles.
Oh, hell fucking no!
"You!" I roared, side-stepping Shannon. "I want a fucking word with you!"
"Johnny, don't move," Mr. Twomey warned.
"Johnny, don't –" Shannon begged.
"Cap, you're in contract," Hughie shouted.
"Think about Saturday," Gibsie called after me.
"Take the high road," Hughie added.
"Fuck your high road," I snarled, glaring after them. "And fuck them, too."
Cormac paled as I approached. "Alright, Cap?"
"What did I tell you?" I demanded, stalking straight for him. "Huh? What the fuck did I tell you about that bitch?"
"Whoa, Johnny, I have no idea what you're –"
Bang.
Cormac hit the ground like a sack of potatoes before I had a chance to raise a fist.
Confused, I swung around and locked eyes on Joey. "What the –"
"I owed you one," he explained with a shrug as he shook out his wrist. "Besides, I'm already getting arrested."
I gaped at him. "For what?"
"For this," he replied before lunging at Cormac.
"Get off him!" Bella screamed as she slapped and punched at Joey's head. "You dirty, little scumbag."
"Hey– don't call my boyfriend a scumbag," Aoife snarled as she barreled towards Bella. "Is this her, Shan?" she demanded. "Did she do this to you?"
"Please, just leave it," Shannon strangled out.
"Who the hell are you?" Bella hissed, glaring at Aoife.
"Oh, I'm your worst nightmare, bitch." Taking her to the ground in one fell swoop. Aoife straddled Bella. "You like terrorizing little girls?" she demanded, straddling Bella. "Try someone your own size."
"How's your money fairing out for ya now, rich boy?" Joey sneered, grappling with Cormac on the road. "Being a scumbag has its benefits, doesn't it?"
"Think you can call my boyfriend a scumbag?" Aoife continued as she full on punched at Bella. Whoa, there was no palm slapping with this girl. "Think you can bully his sister, huh? Think you're safe because you're a girl and he can't hit you back?" She reared her fist back and cracked Bella in the mouth. "Well, I can!"
"I'm calling the Gardaí!" Mr. Twomey roared. "Stop it this instant or I'll have every last one of you arrested!"
"Call the Gards and you're down a quarter of the rugby team," Hughie interjected calmly. "And looking at some serious bad press for the school. Look what she did to her." He pointed to Shannon's face. "I thought there was zero tolerance for bullying at Tommen? If so, you better change your policy because that girl's been giving Shannon hell for months." Shrugging, he added, "I'd also love to know what your policy is on stalking, because she's been tormenting Johnny day and night for a year. He's just too damn polite to say so."
"Joey, stop!" Shannon cried, running towards her brother. "Don't –"
"They're not going to do this to you," Joey snarled. "No fucking more, Shannon!"
"It wasn't him," Shannon strangled out as she pulled at her brother's shoulders. "Don't – please. You're going to get in trouble."
"Come here," I coaxed, pulling her away from the fight. "Stay back, Shan."
"Stop him," she begged, clutching my arm. "Please!"
"Okay, the party's over," Gibsie announced as he stepped in and dragged Joey off Cormac, giving me the side eye in the process, as if to say WTF.
I shrugged unashamedly. I wasn't about to break up shit. They both deserved everything they got and more.
"This is all my fault," Shannon choked out, shaking violently. "I shouldn't have called him –"
"No, it's not," I corrected, tucking her into my chest. "It's her fault. Not yours."
"Come on, baby," Joey panted breathlessly, as he dragged his girlfriend off Bella. "Come on. She's not worth it. You can't be fighting in –"
"She called you a scumbag," Aoife snarled, trying and failing to break free from her boyfriend's hold. "I'm not having it, Joe!"
"I know, baby," he coaxed, walking backwards with Aoife in his arms. "But I need you to be careful."
"Everyone, follow me to the office! I'm calling your parents," Mr. Twomey barked as he pulled out his phone and gestured for Bella and Cormac to follow him. "All of your parents."
"You do that," Joey sneered, watching our principal like he was a defenseless antelope that had been separated from the pack. "Be useful for something."
"Joe!" Aoife croaked out, slipping her hand into his. "You're on a warning."
"I need you to get out of here, Aoife," Joey panted, still watching Mr. Twomey as he scampered off to the office with Bella and Cormac limping after him. "You weren't here and you didn't see shit." Turning to his girlfriend, he said, "You got that?"
"What?" Aoife shook her head, eyes wide. "No, no way. I'm not leaving you –"
"Get in the car and go home, baby," he ordered. "Now." He glared at us. "Nobody's going to mention you."
"But you're going to be –"
"I'll be grand," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Just go, and I'll call you when I can."
61
The Office
Shannon
Reeling, I sat outside the office on the wooden bench with Johnny, Hughie, and Gibsie. On the bench opposite us sat Bella and Cormac.
"Oh my god!" I couldn't stop the tears that were dripping down my cheeks as I watched the
Gardaí take my brother away in handcuffs from the school. "Please don't take him!"
"It's okay, Shan," Joey called over his shoulder as they led him down the corridor. "I'll be grand – don't cry."
It wasn't okay.
Nothing about any of this was okay.
My brother was being arrested and it was all my fault. "I'm sorry, Joe," I strangled out just before he was carted out the main door by the two male Gardaí. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," Johnny continued to whisper over and over as he kept his arm around me. "It's going to be fine, Shan."
"I'm such a fuckup," I choked out, crying hard and ugly. "He's going to be in so much trouble."
"You've got that straight," Cormac sneered. "I'll be pressing charges on your scumbag brother."
"Back off," Johnny snarled, tensing beside me. "Or you won't be around to press charges."
"Please don't," I begged, sniffling. Rolling up the sleeves of Johnny's school jumper that I was now wearing, I wiped my cheeks and tried to get a handle of my emotions. It was close to impossible, though. I was so worried about Joey, I could hardly breathe. "My brother's going through a lot," I tried to plead. "Please don't get him in trouble."
"I don't give a shit what he's going through," Cormac snapped. "He broke my nose, Shannon."
"Shut the hell up, Ryan," Hughie sighed wearily. "Don't make a bad situation worse."
"He attacked me!" Cormac shot back defensively.
"And she attacked me," Bella sobbed.
"Because you attacked her," Johnny snarled, chest heaving, as he pointed to me. "There's only one scumbag around this place, Bella, and that's you!"
"Screw you, Johnny Kavanagh," she spat. "This is all your fault."
"You need to keep your mouth good and shut," Gibsie hissed. "Stupid, fucking girl."
"I'm a victim here," Bella wailed.
"You're a victim?" Gibsie shot back, sounding outraged. "Jesus Christ, I hope your parents didn't breed any more of you because you are one septic girl. The world doesn't need another one of your kind prowling around."