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“Yeah, I know.” Her tone was clipped. “Your number came up.”
“What’s wrong?” I came right out and asked her. “You’re pissed.” No point in beating around the bush. “Tell me why.”
“Nothing.” She sighed down the line. “Everything’s fine.”
“Don’t bullshit me.” Taking another drag, I exhaled a cloud of smoke and said, “I know something’s up, Molloy.”
“Joe.”
“Tell me.”
“There’s nothing up.”
“Liar.”
There was a long pause, and the sound of cutlery clattering filled my ears before her voice came back on the line. “Listen, I need to go. I’m at work.”
“What time are you finished?”
“Half ten,” she said quietly.
“I’ll walk you home.”
“I have the car.”
“Fine. I’ll walk over to the pub and drive you home.”
“You finish at nine.”
“I’ll wait.”
“Joe, I need a night to myself, okay,” she said, tone strained. “I’ve… Oh, well, I just do, okay?”
“Are you mad at me?” I asked, hating the helpless feeling eating me alive. “Did I do something to upset you?” I swallowed down a growl before asking, “Are you pissed that I didn’t do something when Ricey knocked you over in P.E. yesterday? Because I wanted to, Molloy. I was fully prepared to kick the shit out of him for putting his hands on you.”
“Are you kidding? No, I’m so proud of you for not reacting. It was only a push, no big deal, and I swear you didn’t do anything, okay?” she hurried to soothe. “I love you, Joe. I’m not mad at you, I promise. I’m just dealing with something and I need a night to myself.”
“I love you,” I heard myself admit, tone gruff. “Do ya hear me? I love you, Molloy.”
“I know you do, Joe,” she replied, tone thick with emotion. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow, okay?”
“Yeah.” I bowed my head. “Okay.”
“Bye, stud.”
“Bye, queen.”
“That’s the start of it,” Tony chuckled, joining me out back. “Keep pandering to that young one of mine, and you’ll be in big trouble, boyo.”
I’m already in trouble.
“Yeah, well, it’s a quiet life I’m after, Tony,” I replied with a shrug as I took another drag of my smoke and scrolled through my phone, counting at least twenty-five call-me text messages from Shannon. “The hell is wrong now?”
“What’s that?”
“My sister,” I explained, dialing her number, feeling a different sort of panic rise inside of me. “She’s after blowing up my phone with messages.”
“Is she alright?”
