AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I won’t leave him, I promise.”
52
From Bad to Worse
AOIFE
Mam was waiting for me at the front door when I got home from school on Tuesday evening.
“Well?” she asked, tone hopeful, as she stepped sideways to let me inside. “Did you tell him? Is he coming over?”
Yes, I told him, but he was on another planet and didn’t hear a word of it.
Shaking my head, I dropped my bag in the hallway and hung my coat on the banister, feeling thoroughly deflated.
“Aoife.” Her expression fell. “You need to tell the boy.”
“I know,” I quickly cut her off, moving for the kitchen as my body thrummed with anxiety. “I tried. He was busy.”
Busy losing his mind.
“We’re all busy, Aoife,” Mam offered, closing the front door and trailing after me. “There’s never going to be a right time to have this conversation, but it has to be done.”
“I know,” I repeated, shoulders knotted with tension.
“Do you want me to talk to him for you?”
“What?” Slamming the fridge door shut, I swung around to gape at her. “No, Mam. Jesus!”
“If you don’t tell him soon, it’s only going to make matters a million times worse.”
My eyes narrowed. “I’m trying, Mam, but it’s not something that spills off the tongue easily, okay? What am I supposed to do, huh? Just blurt it out in class?”
“You should call him,” Mam said, moving to place a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “If you can’t tell him face-to-face, then do it over the phone.”
Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I implored her with my eyes to understand. I felt broken enough from this afternoon’s shitstorm without my mother pouring on the pressure. “Just let it go, okay?”
“You need to do this, Aoife,” she pushed. “You have the hospital on Friday, and Joey needs to be there. He needs to know that he’s about to become a father. He has rights, you know.”
“A father?” Kev inquired, and I swung around to find him standing in the kitchen doorway.
“Kev, you really shouldn’t eavesdrop on people,” Mam admonished, pressing her hand to her chest, as she scolded my brother. “It’s not nice.”
“Joey Lynch is going to be a father,” he repeated, eyes locked on mine. “Which clearly means you’re going to be a mother.”
“No, I’m not,” I lied, red-faced and flustered as I stepped around Mam and moved for the kettle. “Don’t be thick.”
“I’m not thick,” my brother was quick to shoot back, stalking into the kitchen. “I happen to be your twin, you know? I could sense something was off with you for a while now.” He shook his head. “And now it all makes sense.” He turned and glared at Mam. “The two of you have been joined at the hip for days now. Whispering and sneaking off together,” he sneered. “Because she’s pregnant.”
“Stop saying that,” I strangled out, feeling weak. “It’s not true.”
“Bullshit,” he argued, tone vehement. “You’ve been a nightmare to live with for weeks. It’s like mood swing central in this place—not to mention all of the school Mam just let you skip.” He looked me up and down, eyes narrowing in disgust. “It’s because you let that waster get you pregnant?”
“That’s enough, Kev,” Mam warned, speaking up for me when I couldn’t. “You need to back off right now, young man. This has nothing to do with you, so just drop it.”
“Nothing to do with me?” he spat out, looking furious. “Are you joking? I live here, too, you know. If she’s bringing a baby into this house, then I have a right to know, and so does Dad.”
“Stop it,” I begged, feeling the blood drain from my face. “Just stop talking, Kev.”
