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“That’s good to know,” his mother replied, tone slightly less pitchy. “Now, tell me what happened.”
“Oh god…” I pressed my hands to my burning cheeks and inhaled a steadying breath before trying again. “I transferred to Tommen after Christmas break. It was my first day and I was late for a class so I cut across the pitch where they were having rugby practice. Johnny kicked the ball and it smacked me in the back of the head. I fell down the bank of the pitch and cracked my head off the ground. I must have hit a rock or something when I landed because I passed out. It’s all still pretty fuzzy, but Johnny helped me to the office and waited with me until my mother got to the school. Mam took me to the hospital to get checked over.” I blew out a shaky breath and added, “That’s it.”
Mrs. Kavanagh watched me for a long, uncomfortable moment, obviously taking my measure. I guessed that she realized I was telling her the truth because her voice was laced with concern when she finally asked, “And you were alright?”
“Yeah.” I nodded, relieved to have cleared the disastrous miscommunication up. “It was just a moderate concussion.”
“Oh, Jesus,” she gasped. “Shannon, love, I am so sorry.”
Reaching across the console, she snatched a designer-looking handbag off the floor and clicked it open.
“Your hospital bills,” she began to say, tone distracted as she rummaged in her bag. “Do you know how much they are. Dammit, I’ve left my purse on the kitchen counter. I’ll need your mother’s phone number.” She continued to rummage in her gorgeous designer bag. “Why didn’t the school contact me?”
“What?” I gaped and shook my head. “No, no, Mrs. Kavanagh. It’s fine. There was no bill. I have a medical card.”
She watched me for several long beats before finally pulling her hand out of her handbag.
I was glad she did because I had a firm grip on the door handle and was two seconds away from bolting out of this vehicle—shoe or no shoe.
“Well, I’m very sorry that happened to you, Shannon,” she finally said, setting her handbag back down on the passenger-side floor. “But I would still like to talk to your parents to apologize. Maybe I can do that when I drop you home—”
“There’s no need,” I blurted out, feeling my chest constrict with panic as the blood in my veins turned to ice. “My mother works all the time so she won’t be home, and my father isn’t… He won’t… Please don’t call… He isn’t—” My words choked on my tongue and I exhaled a ragged breath and strangled out the words, “It’s not necessary.”
Mrs. Kavanagh nibbled on her bottom lip uncertainly as she studied my face.
Her brown eyes were full of unspoken concern, her expression matching. “Shannon, love, I don’t—”
It was at this exact moment the front passenger door swung open, startling us both, and causing Mrs. Kavanagh to—thankfully—stop talking.
“Fuck, it’s freezing out there!” Johnny announced as he jumped inside and shook himself down, causing water to spray everywhere. “I’d say it’s time to batten down the hatches and get the rubber dinghies out, girls. The weather’s gone to shite.”
“Says the genius running around in a storm for the last half a bleeding hour,” his mother quipped. “We’re on the orange alert for flooding, you know. Fourth one in a month.”
“You know I’m no quitter, Ma,” Johnny shot back, holding up my shoe in triumph.
Twisting in his seat to face me, he arched a brow and said, “Tip for next time we do this?” His tone was serious but his eyes danced with mischief as water dripped from his rain-flattened hair onto his forehead. “Keep your shoes on your feet.”
Winking, he tossed my shoe onto my lap before turning back around and reaching for his safety belt.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, red-faced.
Picking the slimy shoe off my lap, I reluctantly slipped my foot inside, shuddering at the squelching sensation.
“Thanks for saving my shoe.”
“Yeah, well, thank me by learning how to walk in them,” Johnny shot back in a teasing tone.
I blushed beet red. “Um, yeah, okay.”
“Christ, that’s some amount of rain for March.”
“Watch your language,” Mrs. Kavanagh scolded as she started the engine and pulled off. “And what’s this I hear about you knocking Shannon out?”
Johnny swung around and stared at me, the expression on his face saying, Really?
I sank back in my seat.
“Well?”
