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CLAIRE
By the time school rolled around on Monday, I was so deep in my feels that I didn’t think there was any saving me. Happy, wondrous, epic, first love feels that had consumed me to the point where I honestly felt like I was floating on air.
Sure, Hugh’s party had imploded on Saturday night, and everyone had gotten in a huge fight, but I’d woken up in Gerard’s arms yesterday morning and we had spent the entire day together. I didn’t care that a large portion of that time had been spent cleaning up after the party and receiving lectures from our mothers. He’d been by my side the entire time and that was all I ever wanted.
Across the table, though, something was very off with my brother. Katie had her hand entwined with his on top of the lunch table, but while she was giggling at something Patrick and Gerard had said, my brother looked like he wanted to face-plant on the table.
Seriously, with his elbow resting on the table, Hugh slumped forward and stared down at his untouched lunch. I knew it couldn’t have anything to do with being told off for fighting with Mark because he was fine yesterday. This sudden dip in mood was both new and concerning.
“Did you get bad news?” I asked, reaching across the table to tug on his sleeve.
“Huh?” Blinking, he looked up at me, wide-eyed and startled. “What?”
His eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles underneath his otherwise paler-than-usual face.
Aw, crackers.
Something was really wrong.
“Is it Aunty Sarah? Did Mam text you?” Panic gnawed at my gut. Our maternal aunt had a hospital appointment today. She was in remission from breast cancer. Our mother was taking her for her three-month checkup. I suddenly had the worst feeling niggling at me. “Did she get bad news at the hospital?”
“Sarah’s grand,” he muttered, resuming his post of slumping over the lunch table with his head in his hand. “Mam texted this morning. She’s still in the clear.”
Relief flooded me. “Then what’s wrong?”
“He’s been like this all day,” Katie explained in a concerned tone, flicking her attention back to my brother.
“I’m grand,” Hugh said quietly. “Just tired.”
“Are you sure?” Reaching over with her free hand, she pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. “God, Hugh, you’re spiking a temperature.”
“Are ya sick, lad?” That was Johnny, who had turned his attention to his friend.
“Jesus, he is, Cap,” Gerard added, straining out of his seat to catch ahold of my brother’s shirt collar and yank him across the table. “He’s burning the fuck up.”
“You should go to the office,” Patrick added, all eyes on Hugh now. “There’s a bad dose going around the place.”
“He said he’s fine,” Lizzie muttered from her perch beside me. “So drop it.”
“I can drive you home.” Pushing his chair back, Johnny stood up and reached for his keys. “Do you want to come for the spin, Shan?”
“I’m grand, lads,” my brother bit out, breathing hard and fast now as he pulled at the tie around his neck and settled back down on his seat. “I’m just tired.”
“You’re clearly not,” Katie pushed, fawning at him like he was a little child.
“You’re right.” Clearly unhappy with the attention he was receiving, Hugh reached up and gently removed her hand from his face before rising from the table. “I need to go home.” Turning to Johnny, he added, “I have the car, Cap. I’ll drive myself, but thanks.”
“You sure, lad?”
“Yeah, I just need to lie down.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Katie asked, moving to follow after him.
“No, you should probably stay away from me,” Hugh strangled out, offering her a half-hearted smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “I could be contagious.” When Hugh hurried out of the lunch hall, Katie still chose to rush after him.
“What a big baby,” Gerard offered up. “Jesus, talk about milking the situation. Having everyone worrying about him.”
“Why don’t you do the world a favor and lose your voice, Thor,” Lizzie spat out, turning to glare at him. “I swear if the world ended tomorrow, you would be the cockroach still slithering around the place.”
