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Diving into the car, he scooped up an armful of empty bottles, socks, plastic containers, chewing gum packets, deodorant cans, and towels, and tossed them over the back of the seat. He had to repeat this cycle three more times, dumping the rubbish from the front seat to the back, before the space was clear—pausing midway to pocket a black wallet, informing me that he had been looking for this.
Finally, when he was finished with the impromptu cleanup, he climbed back out, grinning sheepishly. “I think we’re good now.”
I smiled. “Thanks again for offering to drop me home.”
“It’s no problem,” he replied. “I figure I still owe you for the broken head, huh?”
“You didn’t break it,” I was quick to clear up. “You just knocked my brain around a little.”
Johnny grimaced. “I kind of did, didn’t I?”
“Well,” I mused. “It’s fifteen miles to my house. So, between the money, threatening to cut off Ronan’s penis, and the spin home, I think we can call it quits.”
“He’s not in your class, is he?” Johnny expelled a frustrated breath. “Because that can be sorted, too.”
“We only have one class together twice a week,” I explained.
The male-to-female ratio in third year was heavily unbalanced with eighty boys and only five girls. All five girls were placed into the same class, 3A. Luckily for me, Ronan McGarry was in 3D, so with the exception of a couple of mixed classes during the week, I wouldn’t have to look at him.
“He’s never spoken a word to me until this evening,” I added.
“Well, if he gives you even a whiff of shite, then let me know,” Johnny growled. “And I’ll fix it.”
“You’ll fix it?” I questioned. “You make it sound like you’re in the Mafia or something.”
Johnny barked out a laugh and held the door open, gesturing with his hand. “Come on, Shannon like the river. Get in my car.”
He was so unexpected, and I was so distracted by him, that I didn’t feel any hesitation. I just climbed in and fastened my seat belt, watching as he closed my door and jogged around the front of the car to his side.
It wasn’t until he was sitting in the driver’s seat beside me with the doors closed that I felt my heartbeat increase and my usual swell of anxiety churn.
“Christ, it’s freezing,” Johnny announced, rubbing his hands together before starting the engine.
He was right. It was freezing in here.
“It’s late to be catching a bus,” he added, flicking on the light overhead. “School finishes at four.”
“Yeah, I know.” I clasped my hands together, my entire body a bundle of nerves. “But the half-five bus is the only one that goes past my road.”
“That sucks.”
“It’s not so bad,” I replied, adjusting my seat belt. “I usually manage to get most of my homework done before I leave school in the evenings.”
A small shiver rolled through me then, to which Johnny automatically responded with, “Are you cold?”
Reaching for the heater, he turned it on full blast, then returned to rubbing his hands together and shivering. “Shouldn’t take long to melt,” he added, pointing to the thin layer of ice on the windscreen.
“I’m okay, but you should probably put a coat on,” I stated, eyeing his bare arms. “Or at least a jumper. It’s like two degrees out there. You’ll end up getting sick.”
“Nah, I’m used to it,” he told me. “I spend most of every winter on a pitch in the pissings of rain.”
“Playing rugby,” I filled in thoughtfully.
“Yep.” Cupping his hands close to his mouth, he blew a breath into them and continued to rub. “Do you play any sports?”
“No.” I shook my head and fingered a button on my coat. “I like watching, though.”
Tilting his head to one side, he studied my face. “Do you watch a lot of rugby?”
