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THE BOYS OF TOMMEN

Hugh

AUGUST 30, 2000

“O H, MY J AYSUS, WHO LET YA OUT OF THE HOUSE LOOKING LIKE THAT ?” J OHNNY Kavanagh demanded in his thick Dublin accent, as he circled Gibsie in the car park of Tommen College on our first morning of secondary school. “There’s no bleeding way I’m letting you walk into school with that thing on ya, Gibs.” He turned his accusing, steel-blue eyes on me. “How could you allow this to happen, Hughie?”

“I’m not his keeper, Cap,” I laughed, holding my hands up.

“No, but apparently he is,” Feely interjected with a chuckle.

“I beg all of your pardons,” Gibsie huffed, grabbing the lapels of his ultra-posh, navy blazer. “My mam said I look smart.”

“Yeah, and my ma said the same thing when she tried to wrestle me into one, but I wasn’t thick enough to believe her,” Kav countered, grimacing. “Take the bleeding thing off, will ya? Or you’ll be the laughingstock before first bell.”

“But all the other first years are wearing blazers,” Gibs complained, pointing to a group of fresh-faced first years hurrying past us before smoothing the sleeves of his tailored blazer. He then cast a disparaging glance at all three of us before huffing out a breath. “Don’t be jealous because I look beautiful while the three of ye look like dog shit in jumpers.”

“Yeah, well, I’ll take dog shit any day over Carlton bleeding Banks,” Kav grumbled before he proceeded to physically wrestle the blazer off our friend. “No best friend of mine is walking around with a target on his back.”

“You just called me your best friend.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yeah, you did.”

“No, I bleeding didn’t.”

“Yes, you did!”

“Yes, you did, Jonathan , admit it.”

“It was a minor slip of the tongue, Gerard . Don’t read into it.”

“Say it.”

“No.”

“Say it or I’m putting the blazer back on,” Gibs warned, snatching the blazer back.

Kav narrowed his eyes in challenge. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh no,” Gibs said loud enough to draw attention to us as he made an exhibition of feeding his arm through one of the sleeves. “If only I had a best friend to show me the way.”

“Fine—fine!” Kav snapped, snatching the blazer back. “You’re my best friend,” he grumbled, balling the fabric up and stuffing it into his bag. “Are ya happy now?”

“Ecstatic!” Gibsie exclaimed, and I swear if he had a tail in this moment, it would have been wagging. He turned back to us and grinned. “Johnny called me his best friend.”

“He sure did, Gibs,” Feely and I laughed in unison, thoroughly amused by the horrified expression on Cap’s face. “He must love ya, lad.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a coercive relationship status at best,” Kav grumbled, closing his bag and tossing it over his shoulder. “And loosen that tie, will ya?” he added, giving his best friend a final once-over. “You’re heading into a classroom, Gibs, not a courtroom.”

“Anything for you, bestie,” Gibsie replied, quickly falling into step with him.

“If you call me that again, I’ll throttle ya,” Kav grumbled, while planting a hand on Gibsie’s shoulder and steering him away from a puddle of rainwater.

“Aye-aye, Captain.”

“This place is a zoo,” Feely declared when we finally found each other at big lunch. Meanwhile, Gibs and Kav were nowhere to be found. “I’ve never felt so intimidated in my life.” Sinking into the chair beside mine in the lunch hall, he unscrewed the cap on a bottle of Tanora and took a deep swig. “I’m not sure about this school, Hughie, I’m really not.” He took another gulp of his drink before whispering, “The girls here are fucking terrifying.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice.

After spending the last eight years in an all-boys school, Tommen College felt like we had been transported to an entirely new planet, and I felt acutely grateful to my sister for preparing me for this alternate universe.

“See the blond over there, the one with the ponytail?” Feely gestured toward a group of girls sitting at the table opposite ours. “She full on grabbed my ass at the lockers this morning, and when I turned around, she didn’t even look away. She just stood there and winked at me.”

“No shit,” I laughed. “What did you say to her?”

“I didn’t have a fucking chance,” he replied, pulling at the collar of his shirt. “She laid it on me before I could get a word out.”

“What do you mean she laid it on you?”

“I mean she stuck her tongue in my mouth!”

“Who stuck their tongue in your mouth?” Pierce O’Neill asked, joining us. “Well, Biggsie?” He turned his attention to me. “Don’t tell me you got the shift already, you jammy bastard.”

“I have a girlfriend, asshole,” I snapped back defensively. “I’m hardly going around shifting randomers.”

“You’re still knocking around with your sister’s friend?” Pierce asked in an incredulous tone.

My entire frame stiffened. “And?”

“Isn’t she still at primary?”

I narrowed my eyes in challenge. “And?”

“And nothing,” he muttered, looking uncomfortable “I thought you would’ve binned her off by now.”

“Why would I do something as absurd as that?”

“Look around ya, Biggsie,” Pierce replied, sounding genuinely confused by my reaction. “Why would you want to be tied down to the same girl you’ve been with since primary school when you could get with a hundred girls here?”

“Because I don’t want any of these girls.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because I already have the girl I want.”

“But how can you know for sure if you don’t at least test the waters?” he continued to push. “You’re a shoo-in for the number ten jersey, lad. You’re going to have girls falling at your feet, and you’re telling me you’re going to give that all up for—”

“The blond at the next table,” Feely swiftly interjected, only too aware of how this asshole rubbed me up the wrong way. “She kissed me.”

“No fucking way,” Pierce cheered, attention immediately shifting to Feely. “You’re a legend, lad.”

Several of the lads from Scoil Eoin joined our table then and quickly set to work on ranking, rating, and eyeing up the girls around us like the desperate dogs they were.

Meanwhile, I pulled my phone out of my pocket, while I tried to calm myself down. Fucking Pierce . There wasn’t a girl at this school who could hold a candle to Liz, and even if there were, I still wouldn’t be swayed because Lizzie’s looks weren’t what had me locked down. It was her .

Scrolling through my phone, I noticed I had one unread text message and quickly tapped into it. My pulse quickened when I saw it was from Liz, with the time marked 08:39.

You can look but don’t touch. x

Keeping my chin ducked low to hide my smile, I tapped out a response and pressed send.

The only girl I’m looking at is my girl, and she’s the only girl I’ll be touching. x

Knowing I wouldn’t get a response from Liz until she finished school, I slid my phone back in my pocket and retrained my attention on the mind-numbingly dull conversation happening around me which consisted of girls, girls, and more girls.

Blonds .

Brunettes .

Redheads .

Tall girls .

Short girls .

Girls with small tits .

Girls with big tits .

Girls that looked like grown women .

Girls that were off limits .

Jesus Christ, it was exhausting listening to them.

“But you would if you could get away with it, wouldn’t you?” Lukey asked, directing his question at me.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I gave him my attention. “Would I what?”

“Score with another girl?”

“No.”

“You have to answer honestly, Biggsie.”

“I did,” I deadpanned. “And it’s still no.”

“I saw that girl in Irish trying to talk to ya.”

“Yeah, I saw her, too.”

“Jesus, she was a bit of all right that one.”

“She was hanging off his every word.”

“She asked me for a pen.”

“And your number. I heard her.”

“Did ya give it to her, lad?”

“That would be another no.”

“Aw, come on, Biggsie,” several of the lads chorused. “She was hanging off ya in class.”

“Lad, that girl was stunning.”

“Too right.”

“Jesus, she can have my number if she wants it.”

“Don’t bother with Biggsie, lads. He’s sworn off all the talent at school,” Pierce guffawed. “Because he’s in love .”

“Why don’t you shoot your shot with her,” I challenged, locking eyes on the dopey bollocks in front of me. “Or are you too much of a pussy to actually walk up to a girl and speak to her?”

“I’m not interested in your sloppy seconds, lad,” Pierce laughed. “Although, I would absolutely make an exception for that girlfriend of yours.” Waggling his brows, he teased, “Be sure to pass her over when you’re done.”

“Oh my Jesus, you shouldn’t have said that,” Feely groaned, dropping his head in his hands.

“You really shouldn’t have said that, lad,” Robbie Mac added grimly. “Bad form.”

“Yeah.” Roughly shoving my chair back, I jerked to my feet and moved for him. “You really shouldn’t have said that, asshole.”