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“Clearly.” A faint smile teased Joey’s lips, but it was almost impossible to see because he had the ultimate poker face. He didn’t show emotion. He didn’t divulge information, either. Gerard might have walls erected around his heart, but Joey Lynch’s walls were built from the blueprints of the Great Wall of China.
Regardless, he seemed to have a strange camaraderie with our angsty friend. They probably bonded over their mutual hatred of all things human.
“Yeah,” Tadhg chimed in with a grumble. “Because his dad looks like shit.”
“Oh, shush you,” Shannon scolded.
“I could say the same to you,” Tadhg clapped back with a scowl. “All I fucking hear these days is your voice.”
“Tadhg.”
“Johnny, oh Johnny, yes,” he mimicked his sister’s voice. “I love it when you rub your big oval rugby balls all over my face.”
“Tadhg!”
“So, when’s baby AJ’s christening?” I threw my bestie a lifeline by asking.
“No idea.”
“You don’t know?” I gaped at him. “Joe, he’s almost two months old already.”
“Yeah,” Shannon agreed. “And Nanny Murphy told us that babies should be christened before they are four weeks old.” Shrugging, she added. “Just in case.”
“So?” Lizzie was quick to defend. “Not everyone buys into that crap, girls.”
“Into what crap?”
“The church.”
“Oh my god.” I gaped at her. “You did not just say that.”
“I did,” she replied breezily. “And would you look, I haven’t been struck down by fire bolts, either. Funny that, huh?”
“Nice.” Tadhg chuckled in clear agreement.
“Well, I believe,” I declared.
“Good for you. Believe in whatever you want. Just don’t ram it down my throat and we’ll be golden,” Lizzie countered. “Besides,” she continued, clearly irked with something I said, “in my humble opinion, it’s a lot easier to believe in God when you haven’t been faced with a reason not to.”
“Jesus, I’m so glad I have a son,” Joey muttered under his breath. “Teenage girls are a whole different life force.”
“You sure about that, Joe?” Tadhg teased. “He might turn out like me.”
“Wouldn’t be the worst thing,” Joey replied breezily. “You were a dream to toilet train.”
Tadhg’s face turned bright red. “You did not fucking say that in company.”
“There’s no talking me down this time, lads. I mean it. I quit,” Gerard’s familiar voice filled the air moments before he barreled into the common room, freshly showered and kitted out in his school uniform, minus the jumper. “I refuse to partake in another pukefest of a training session at the hands of that sadist.”
“Oh great,” Tadhg deadpanned “Fatty’s here.”
“What did I tell you about calling me fat,” Gerard shot back, not missing a beat. “I’m big-boned, you little shit.”
“Don’t fight with the first-year, Gibs.” Johnny, who was also missing his jumper, sauntered in after him. “And cool your jets on the whole resignation saga, you gobshite. Training wasn’t that bad.”
“Great,” Lizzie muttered, folding her arms across her chest. “Captain Fantastic and his freak-show sidekick.”
“Wasn’t that bad?” Tossing his schoolbag on the floor, Gerard turned to gape at his friend. “I’m chapped! Down there, Jonathan. My ball sack is chapped, I tell you!”
