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“Don’t start,” I grumbled, rolling onto my back. “Whatever it is, just leave it out.”
“I wasn’t going to start anything.” Closing my bedroom door, Mam walked over to my bed and sat down beside me. “I just wanted to see if you are okay.”
Sighing heavily, she reached a hand out to brush my hair off my face, and that small act of affection had me scrambling to the far end of the bed and as far away from her as possible.
“You wanted to see if I was okay,” I repeated flatly as I leaned my back against the wall and glared at her. “Since when did you give a fuck about how I am?”
“Since the day you were born.”
“Huh?” Confusion furrowed my brow. “Is there a social worker lurking downstairs or something that I’m not aware of?”
“No, Joey.” Mam sighed, blue eyes full of sadness as she watched me watch her with wary mistrust. “It was a genuine question.”
“That I’m genuinely confused by,” I said. “What do you want?”
“What makes you think that I want something?”
“Because you’re in my room, asking how I’m feeling,” I replied, shoulders tense. “So, come on, out with it.”
“I don’t want anything from you, Joey.”
I remained silent and waited for her to get to the point.
This was not a spontaneous checkup on my emotional welfare.
“You haven’t been to school this week,” she finally said. “Mr. Nyhan phoned twice.”
“So? Neither has Shannon.”
“Yes,” Mam agreed. “But Shannon has stayed home from school this week to help me.”
“As opposed to me, the prick who’s never helped you a day in his life?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying at all.”
“Then what are you saying?” I shot back. “What do you want?”
“I’m worried about you.”
Bullshit.
I folded my arms across my chest. “Since when?”
“Since what happened the other weekend,” she replied, tone weary.
“Oh, you mean when my father tried to rape my girlfriend?” I bit out, trembling with anger again. “No, no, I’m grand, Mam. That didn’t fuck with my head one bit.”
“Oh, Joey.” Mam choked out a shaky breath. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why?” I deadpanned. “I wasn’t aware that you tried to fuck my girlfriend, too?”
“Joey.”
“Oh, wait, that’s right. You didn’t try to fuck Aoife. No, you just took her would-be rapist into your bed instead.”
Mam flinched. “How is Aoife? Is she alright?”
“I have no idea,” I replied tightly. “I haven’t seen her.”
