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The tires of her brother’s car skidded as he tore out of my driveway.
Standing in the pouring rain, I watched him take her away from me.
39Bad News and Worse News
SHANNON
“Are you feeling it, too?” Joey bit out, hands gripping the wheel with such force it turned his knuckles white as we drove away from Johnny Kavanagh’s house.
“Feeling what?” I strangled out.
Joey looked me dead in the eye and made me feel a little less alone in my disgrace when he said, “Relief?”
I nodded, hating myself for even thinking it, but I felt it. And so did he.
“Is she okay?” I croaked out, when words found me again.
Joey nodded stiffly. “Supposed to be.”
“Is that what happened?” I whispered, feeling tears prickle my eyes as disgust and self-hatred took over. “Was she in the hospital all weekend and we didn’t know?”
Again, my brother nodded stiffly.
“Oh, Joey,” I sobbed. “She was alone.”
“She had him,” Joey bit out, jaw clenched. “He was with her, and he is home now.”
“What are we going to do?” I asked, needing him to have the answers I didn’t. “Joe?”
“I don’t know,” he finally choked out, voice cracking. “I don’t know what to do anymore, Shannon.”
“It’s okay,” I forced myself to say. “You don’t have to know. You’re only eighteen.”
“I can’t be there, Shan,” he finally said, face awash with guilt. “I can’t live like this anymore.”
“I know,” I breathed, feeling faint hearing those words come out of his mouth.
I’d heard those words before. From Darren.
“I think we should consider what Aoife said,” Joey added, voice thick with emotion.
“What about what Aoife said?” I choked out, horrified.
“Calling this in.”
“You must be joking,” I deadpanned.
Joey looked at me with guilty eyes but he didn’t respond.
“I am not going into care,” I spat out, feeling betrayed. “You’re fine. You’ll get to live your own life and walk away. I will be put in a home!”
“Shannon, she was talking to me last night about my future, and she made a lot of sense—”
“Your future,” I deadpanned.
Joey groaned loudly. “Not just me, Shannon. All of us—”
“I can’t believe you would even think it after what happened to Darren!” I screamed, losing all grasp on my emotions. “How could you think about doing that to us, Joey?”
