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“Back the fuck up, Danny,” Johnny warned, pointing a finger at the boy who was still trying to goad Gerard into fighting. “We both know what’ll happen if I let him go.”
Whoa.
Seriously, I’d never heard him sound so furious.
“Sit your holes down,” he warned, using his free hand to shove Danny away from Gerard. “Now!”
His tone was so full of authority in this moment that I found myself dropping into my chair for fear of getting in trouble. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one to feel the pressure of the alpha’s siren. One by one, his pack untangled themselves and returned to the infamous rugby table, looking bruised, bloody, and a lot worse for wear.
“Is this what I came back to Tommen for?” Johnny demanded, still keeping a firm hold on his beta. “A bunch of jumped-up little pricks fighting with each other?”
“No, Cap.”
“Sorry, Johnny, lad.”
“You should be sorry,” Johnny sneered, tone laced with disgust as he eyed his teammates with distain. “Bleeding disgraces, the lot of ye.”
“That asshole started it,” Danny snapped, pointing a finger at Gerard, who had thankfully managed to calm himself down. Being around Johnny had that effect on him. “We were having the craic and he flipped the fuck out.”
“You know what you did,” Gerard shot back, shoulders bristling with tension. “You know what you said about her.”
“It was banter, Gibs.”
“Well, your banter is shit, Danny.”
“Jesus Christ, I was trying to rise Biggs. She’s his sister.”
“Yeah, well, a little word of warning: you fuck with her, you fuck with me—”
“Listen, I don’t give a shite who started it. I’m finishing it,” Johnny barked, tone leaving no room for argument. “Whatever happened, forget it. It’s done with. It’s over. It ends now. Does anyone have an issue with that? Anyone still feeling the need to throw down? Because I’ll go outside right now with any bleeding bollox on my team that has an issue to clear up.”
“No, Cap.”
“No,” Johnny replied coolly. “Didn’t think so.”
“I’ll take it from here, Johnny,” Mr. Twomey interrupted.
I watched as Johnny’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t react negatively to his dismissal. Instead, he offered our principal a clipped nod before rounding the table to return to his throne. Taking Gerard with him, Johnny pushed him into Shannon’s usual chair and sank down beside him, keeping his arm resting on his friend’s shoulders the entire time.
“Now, I want every member of the rugby team involved in this altercation to remain seated,” Mr. Twomey instructed, phone in hand. “Everyone else can return to your classrooms. Now.”
12
Push-Ups and Penance
GIBSIE
“It’s your fault.”
“It’s your fault.”
“You started it.”
“No, you started it.”
“You took the first swing.”
“Because you overstepped.”
