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“Nothing much.”
“Don’t give me that shite,” he argued with a shake of his head. “Did you have a fight with Claire or something? She’s usually your first port of call.”
“Nah, we’re good,” I replied, stretching out. “But I was over at her place when the Viper showed up, throwing her usual shade at me.” Shrugging, I added, “Basically, I had to split before I snapped.”
“Jesus Christ.” Johnny narrowed his eyes. “That bleeding girl.”
“Yep,” I agreed with a tired yawn. “Oh, but it gets worse.”
“I’m listening.”
“So, I go back to my place after the fight.”
“Yeah?”
“And I walk through the door.”
“Keep going.”
“And there he is.”
“He?”
“Mark.”
“Mark?”
“Mark,” I repeated, giving my best friend a knowing look.
Confusion filled Johnny’s eyes for the briefest moment before awareness quickly set in. “Oh shite…”
“Yep,” I replied flatly, feeling my mood darken. “And apparently, he’s planning on packing the family up and moving back to Ballylaggin. Fuck my life, huh?”
“Gibs, man, what’s the story there?” he asked in a cautious tone. “I know shite went down when I first moved down here, but no one ever talks about it, and I’ve only heard bits and pieces from Feely, Hugh, and Shan.”
“Trust me, Cap, bits and pieces are all you need to know,” I muttered, feeling the four walls close around me at the thought. “It’s in the past.”
“Humor me, lad,” he pushed, nudging my thigh with his knee. “Come on, Gibs, you know I’m always on your side when it comes to that girl, no matter what.” Shrugging, he added, “But it would be a hell of a lot easier to defend you when I know the whole story.”
“You don’t need to defend me, Johnny.” His words felt like a slap to the face and my entire frame stiffened. “Because I didn’t do anything.”
“I know, Gibs,” he agreed calmly. “Never thought for one moment that you did, lad. But when it comes to you and Lizzie, I feel like I’m walking around with a blindfold on.”
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” I mumbled sleepily, settling deeper into his epic mattress that I couldn’t even pretend I wasn’t jealous of. In fact, if I could find a way to smuggle it out of the manor and back to my house, I would do it in a heartbeat. That’s it, lad. Distraction. Good thoughts. Happy thoughts. Block it all out. “It’s so fucking pointless and we’ll just end up going around in circles.”
“Try me.”
“Jesus Christ, fine.” Sitting up, I wiped the sleep from my eyes and slumped against the headboard at my back. “Tell me what you already know, and I’ll fill in the rest.”
“Your ma left your da when you were eight and got with Keith.”
“I was seven when she threw him out,” I interjected with a heavy sigh. “But close enough.”
“Meanwhile, Keith was a widower when he moved into your gaff with his kid…”
“Mark was no kid,” I cut him off by saying. “That prick was fourteen when our parents got together.”
“Okay, Keith moved into your gaff with his teenage son after your parents got divorced,” Johnny deftly corrected. “Is that about right?”
