AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I had my bag loaded into the back seat of my car and was rounding the driver’s side when a sudden pang of uncertainty hit me in the gut.
Was she okay? Should I go back and check on her?
No, she was probably gone home. I should go home.
But what if she wasn’t?
You don’t have time for this, asshole, my brain hissed. You have a PT session in an hour.
Shaking my head, I opened my car door, only to quickly slam it shut and stalk back into the school.
You’re just going to check on her, make sure she’s okay, and then get the fuck out of there, I told myself as I walked through the school to the girls’ bathroom. There’s nothing wrong with that.
But there was.
There was something seriously wrong with this picture. I was standing outside the girls’ bathroom, waiting on a girl to come out who might not be in there to begin with. I was as bad as McGarry. Disgusted with myself, I turned to leave.
I made it five feet before retracing my steps back to the bleeding bathroom.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
I was deep in thought, fighting an internal battle with my conscience, when the bathroom door flew open and a tiny wisp of a girl came rushing out and crashed straight into my chest. The minute my eyes landed on her, I knew I was in trouble.
You should have gone home while you could, eejit, my mind hissed. There’s no leaving now.
Wasn’t that the truth.
17You’ve Got a Fast Car
SHANNON
My body smacked into a hard chest of muscle, causing my schoolbag to fall to the floor from the impact. Instinctively, my hands darted out in front of my face, self-preservation mode activated.
If I wasn’t so frightened, I would have been proud of the scream that tore from my chest.
It was progress.
Two large hands shot out, capturing my flailing limbs and steadying me.
“Hey—hey, relax.” I recognized the hint of a Dublin accent immediately. “Shh, relax. It’s just me.”
Sagging in relief, I looked up at his face, registering the familiarity.
“Oh god.” My words came out in a sharp gasp as I stared up at him, breathing hard and fast. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Shite, sorry about that.” Johnny released me and took a step back, holding his hands out in front of him. “You were in the bathroom so long I thought I’d need to call in a rescue crew or something.”
He took another step backwards, then cupped the back of his neck with a hand, looking a little uncomfortable. He was still wearing the same jersey with the sleeves slightly torn at the biceps, but had switched his shorts for gray sweatpants and his footballs boots for a pair of runners.
“I just wanted to check that you were okay.” Shrugging, he dropped his hands to his sides and asked, “Are you?”
Was I?
“I think so?” My heart was beating at a hundred miles an hour, and I felt like I was two seconds away from passing out from the adrenaline battering through my veins. Pressing a hand to my chest, I took a few deep breaths to steady my frazzled nerves before I could speak.
He was so much taller than me that I had to crane my head back so I could look at his face when I asked, “Were you waiting out here for me?”
“Uh, yeah.” Shoving his big hands into the pockets of his sweats, Johnny nodded. “I wanted to make sure you were alright. Gibsie told me what he said to you.”
