joey lynch and aoife molloy quotes in keeping 13
“But then Aoife came along and within a few weeks he had cleaned up his act. He wasn’t walking around with bloodshot eyes or bouncing off the walls. He wasn't fighting as much at school. He was just…" I shook my head, trying to find the words to explain all of this. "She settled something inside of him. It was like she grounded him somehow – gave him something he clearly wasn’t getting from…" I let my words trail off.”
“Aoife?" he whispered a few seconds later. "It's me."
Whatever his girlfriend said in response to that caused Joey to shudder. Like visibly fucking shudder.
"I know," he whispered, clenching his eyes shut. "I know, okay? I know I promised. I fucked up." Turning his back to me, he ran a hand through his hair and choked out, "I'm so fucking sorry, baby.”
“Until one day at school, one of the girls from his class, the pretty blonde who always watched him, a girl I was sure Joey had never spoken more than two words to, chased him outside to the school yard and stopped him from climbing into that car. I knew this because I, too, had followed at a distance. The girl had caused an unmerciful scene in the carpark and had waved her phone around at those older boys in the car. And then she did something that had shocked me. She fisted his school jumper in both hands and dragged his face down to hers, kissing him right there, without thought for suspension had they been caught. I never did find out what Aoife said that day, but whatever it was, it caused Joey to walk away from the car and climb into hers instead. After that, things slowly started to change for him. He started to come back to us, piece by piece. Because Aoife gave him something that day, something to cling to. Hope for the future.”
“Resting his elbows on the table, Joey drummed his fingers together. "Aoife's pissed with me."
My head snapped up. "Since when?"
He stared hard at his hands. "Since I fucked everything up."
"She loves you," I offered, reaching for his hand. "She'll forgive you, Joe, and you guys will sort it out."
He shook his head. "Maybe I don't want her to."
I frowned. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I'm a fucking disaster, Shannon." He pushed his hair back with both hands and exhaled brokenly. "And she deserves better."
He shook his head slowly. "No."
"Then it's okay," I coaxed, desperate to comfort him. "It will be okay.”
“Aoife's always making mix CDs for Joey and he never listens to them.”
“Come on, baby," Joey panted breathlessly, as he dragged his girlfriend off Bella. "Come on. She's not worth it. You can't be fighting in –"
"She called you a scumbag," Aoife snarled, trying and failing to break free from her boyfriend's hold. "I'm not having it, Joe!"
"I know, baby," he coaxed, walking backwards with Aoife in his arms. "But I need you to be careful.”
“Joe!" Aoife croaked out, slipping her hand into his. "You're on a warning."
"I need you to get out of here, Aoife," Joey panted, still watching Mr. Twomey as he scampered off to the office with Bella and Cormac limping after him. "You weren't here and you didn't see shit." Turning to his girlfriend, he said, "You got that?"
"What?" Aoife shook her head, eyes wide. "No, no way. I'm not leaving you –"
"Get in the car and go home, baby," he ordered. "Now." He glared at us. "Nobody's going to mention you."
"But you're going to be –"
"I'll be grand," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Just go, and I'll call you when I can.”
“You were going to leave without telling me?" she demanded hoarsely as her long blonde hair blew around her face. "I'm not even worth a fucking goodbye?"
Joey looked broken as he stood in front of her, his gear bag shouldered on his back, and his head down.
"Look at me!" she screamed. "Goddammit, Joey Lynch, you better look at me!"
"Aoife, please," he whispered, shaking his head. "Just let me go."
"I can't," she cried, sniffling. "I won't!"
"I have nothing to give you!" he roared brokenly. "I'm not good for you. Why can't you get that into your head?”
“I don’t care about stuff, Joey," she strangled out as she wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him. "I only want you."
"I'm done, Aoife." Shaking his head, he held his hands up. "I'm done dragging you down with me."
"I can't." Sniffling, he moved her hands away from his body. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, stepping around her.
"Don't go," she screamed after him. "Please. Please don't go. Joey! Joey! I love you!"
"I know," he choked out, not looking back, as he walked away. "And it's not good for you to love me."
"No, you don't. You need to let me go, Aoife," he roared. "That's what you need to do."
"Just go home and don't come back here. Do yourself a favor and forget about me!”
I watched in horror as Aoife's legs gave out beneath her. Collapsing on the ground with a thud, she shoved her hands in her hair and screamed. "Come back!"
“She turned her face into my neck and cried hard and ugly, shaking so badly that I was afraid she was going to have a seizure. "Make him come back," she begged, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "Please! I need him."
“Joey remained completely motionless, still clutching the pillow, still staring out the window, as Aoife walked into the room. "You can't hide from me," she told him as she moved straight for him. "And you can't give up, either."
I watched him carefully, praying for some sort of reaction and then feeling a spike of relief shoot through me when he jerked at the sound of her voice.”
“My Joey," she whispered, cupping his cheek in her hand. "My baby."
A shudder rolled through him and he tightened his hold on the pillow, feet twitching sporadically.
Leaning her face close to his, she gently nuzzled him with her nose. "Come on back to me," she coaxed, whispering in his ear as she smoothed her hand over his hair and then his cheek and jaw. "Because I'm not giving you up."
He shook harder, limbs spasming, as a pained groan tore from his throat. My eyes widened in shock. It was the first noise he had made in days.
"I know," Aoife continued to whisper as she touched him and petted him like he was a small child. "You're in there, aren't you? Hmm?" She pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I see you, Joey Lynch." She stroked her nose against his and whispered, "You can't hide from me."
His hand shot out then, moving straight to her stomach.
"That's it," she encouraged, pulling his head onto her lap and cradling him there. "Come on back to me, baby."
Another pained noise tore from his throat and he buried his face in her stomach, shaking violently.
"It's okay," she whispered, leaning over his broad shoulders to hold him close. "You can't scare me away." Her blonde hair pillowed around them as she whispered, "You're mine, remember?”
“My eyes landed on Aoife then and her golden hair as it blew around her face in the light summer breeze. She wasn't looking at me. Her entire focus was on my brother as she watched him like he was a precious jewel that could vanish at any moment.”
“I told you not to come," he told her, trembling.
"And I told you to save your breath," she replied, tipping her chin up to face him.
"You shouldn't be here," he strangled out, shaking his head. "You know it's not good –"
"I don't care," she cut him off by saying. "Now put your arms around me and hold me like you're not going to see me for another three months."
"Jesus –" Shuddering, Joey pulled her close and rested his forehead against hers. "You don't wait, do you hear me?" Sniffling, he cupped her cheeks in his trembling hands and looked into her eyes. "You live your life, okay?"
"You shut up, Joey Lynch," she sobbed, gripping his sides. "I love you."
“You shut up, Aoife Molloy," he shot back gruffly and pressed a kiss to her brow. "I love you, too.” “
"I'll be here when you get out," she told him.
"Don't be here," he strangled out. "Be somewhere better."
"I don't take orders from you," she squeezed out. "You should know that by now."
"Because you're crazy stupid," he whispered. "You're wasting your life on me. You know this. Everyone keeps telling you, but you won't listen –"
"Because it's my life to waste," she shot back defiantly. "Now, you get your sexy ass better and come home to me." Reaching a hand behind him, she pinched his ass for emphasis. "Because I'm going to need you healthy, okay?"
He heaved a heavy sigh and nodded. "Yeah, okay."
"Now, give me a kiss and tell me you love me," she instructed, lip wobbling. "And make it a good one.”
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