Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)

by Chloe Walsh

“Everyone wants him,” she finally replied, still laughing humorlessly. “And here’s a heads-up: you are nothing special. Johnny’s only being nice to you because you were a stupid little bitch who got herself tangled up in one of their training sessions and caused him a ton of hassle.”

“Save it,” Bella snapped. “Your poor-little-me victim act won’t work on me. I’m letting you know that what those girls in that shitty school you came from did to you will feel like a walk in the park in comparison to what I do if you don’t back off.” She gave me a hard look before adding, “This is me being friendly, Shannon. I won’t be so nice if I have to tell you again.”

I had done enough stalking to know that wherever Gerard Gibson was, Johnny Kavanagh was never far behind, and vice versa. That was a worrying concept considering the war that had been just declared on me. I nodded once and tried to sidestep him. Problem was, Gibsie intercepted my move and blocked my path. “Hey,” he coaxed, tone suddenly serious. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you or something?” “I’m f-fine,” I sniffled, desperately trying to keep my sobs at bay. It didn’t work. The minute he crouched down and made eye contact with me, a huge sob racked my body. “Shit,” he muttered, looking around nervously. “I did hurt you.”

It was too much and I was freaking out.

“Fine,” he snarled, turning his back to me. “I’ll find out for myself.”

“Don’t even think about lying to me again,” Johnny shot back, looking furious. “You’re crying and there’s a girl over there with a vendetta against me shooting fucking daggers at us.” Narrowing his eyes, he bit out, “I’m doing the math here, Shannon, and two plus two equals a bad bitch.”

Mortified, I waved for Johnny to come closer, and when he did, I leaned up on my tiptoes and whispered into his ear, “I’m after getting my period.”

Johnny certainly looked horrified, and his entire frame had frozen, but he didn’t run, and the hand he had on my elbow didn’t move, either. It tightened.

“You coming, Kav?” one of his friends called out. Johnny waved a hand, gesturing that he was busy. “Johnny?” “Fuck off, Feely,” he growled. “I’m talking here.” “Alright, lad, but we’re heading down town for lun—” “I said I’m fucking talking here!” Johnny snarled. “Piss off.”

He blew out a breath. “I have some ibuprofen in my gear bag for my adductor.” He looked at me with a hopeful expression. “Would those help?”

I glanced uncertainly to where Bella was still watching me and debated my next move before deciding to go with Johnny. I needed the medicine and he was throwing me a life jacket by offering me a temporary escape. Shame or pain, Shannon, shame or pain? Shame, I decided, and fell into step with him. “Slut!” Bella called out, loudly enough to garner everyone’s attention.

“Leave her the fuck alone,” he was barking. “She’s not your business.” “You’re my business,” Bella screamed back at him. Johnny threw his hands in the air. “You’re delusional.” “I take it you were lying to me when you said nothing was going on?” she snarled. “Take it whatever way you want, Bella. I couldn’t give a flying fuck what you think,” he shot back loudly. “Just leave her out of your bullshit scheming.” He was defending me. Not my brother. Not Claire. Not Lizzie. Not a teacher. No, this boy who made my heart jackknife in my chest at regular intervals and my common sense flatline, was standing in the middle of the school hallway, defending my honor.

No, I was intimidated because he looked like that and I was infinitely inferior. Whatever spark of hope I had in my heart quenched out. He would never look at me when he could have the likes of Bella at his disposal.

I was a teenage girl with a bad case of lust.

waited for Johnny to stand up and tell me he needed to go back to his friends, but he didn’t. He just sat there with me while the pain relief took effect. He didn’t mock me or run. He didn’t react in the way most boys would. He took control of the situation. I knew right there that he was exceptionally special and that it had nothing to do with his sporting capabilities. He was exceptional on the inside, too.

“Not as bad,” I whispered, relieved with the speed with which the medication was working. “I don’t feel like I’m being stabbed by a thousand blunt knives anymore.”

“I don’t know shite all about what’s going on with your, uh, your body,” he added, cheeks turning pink. “But I hope it fucks off soon.” His words, so crass and boyish, yet sincere and caring, caused a small laugh to crack through my nervousness.

Did he think of me as a sister? It certainly sounded like he did. He certainly reacted to my kiss like he did. Had I been sister-zoned?

No. No, of course he wasn’t. Overthinking was my specialty. Dammit.

“Stop,” Johnny ordered, intercepting my panic. “You don’t need to worry about her.” He leaned back against the wall and hooked his hands together on his lap. “If she even thinks about coming at you again, I’ll know about it and I’ll sort it.”

“I’m a prize to her. A shiny trophy,” he muttered under his breath. “That’s all I am to most people.”

“I should probably go,” I whispered, quickly breaking the tension.

Don’t do it, Shannon. Don’t put yourself through it again. And don’t you dare get your hopes up. I blew out a ragged breath. “Yeah, okay.”

Fucking Bella. She needed to get a bleeding life and stop interfering in mine. She needed to step the hell back and let go. Messing around with Shannon was something I would not tolerate. I hoped she got that message loud and clear today because I was not fucking around. Not when it came to the girl sitting beside me.

Already, I had forced my hoodie over her head and shoved tablets down her throat in my pathetic attempt to help. I wanted to make her better. I wanted to make it right. In whatever way she needed me to do it. I just didn’t know how.

I glanced over at her and bit back a groan. She was so fucking beautiful it was painful, with those big blue eyes staring back at me all innocent and full of uncertainty. I didn’t need the temptation that came with being this close to her. Problem was, every time she ran, I found myself chasing right after her, desperate to just be with her.

“Are you sure?” she asked, voice small and uncertain. I nodded and smiled, trying to reassure her. It must have worked because she whispered, “I love them all,” as she began to flick through track after track. “You have amazing taste.”

I didn’t know how to handle that. She was confusing the shite out of me.

Her red lips and rosy cheeks were fucking beautiful and I had to take a moment before I could form a coherent sentence and not sound like a fucking eejit.

She nodded shyly and opened the door inward. “If you want to?” Don’t do it, lad, my brain warned. Don’t put yourself in temptation’s way. Against my better judgment, I stepped inside.

“You weren’t messing when you said you liked to read,” I mused, eyeing several piles of neatly stacked books on her bedroom floor under the windowsill. Turning back to face her, I grinned. “Are you a little swot, Shannon Lynch?”

“I’ve been through it already,” I explained, desperately trying to keep my tone impassive and light. “If you need someone to go through the coursework with you, then just let me know.” “You would do that for me?” she asked, voice soft. I would do pretty much anything for you. “Yeah,” I replied, unable to keep the gruffness out of my tone. “I would.”

Didn’t need my trainer to tell me something I already knew. He’d tell me I needed to get my head back in the game. He’d scream at me and tell me to focus on my future—on the upcoming fitness test I needed to pass more than I needed to breathe. Problem was, I couldn’t focus. Because my head was gone. Shot to shite. Lost inside the girl whose bedroom I was sitting in.

When she eventually starting solving the problems without me hovering over her copybook with an eraser, it felt like I’d scored a bleeding try, I was so proud of her. It was ridiculous how much genuine satisfaction I got when those big blue eyes lit up when she clicked onto a problem.

“I don’t want you to go,” she moaned. She actually fucking moaned in my ear.

I knew I had played a dangerous game of Russian roulette by taking him up to my bedroom this afternoon. If my father had come home, he would have killed me. The problem was, if the opportunity presented itself, I knew I would do it again.

That was a crazy thought. I was being crazy.

Granted, it was on the cheek, but still. His lips had touched my body without coercion. I didn’t even care about Bella right now. Not tonight at least. It was hard to dwell on the negative when something so incredibly positive had just happened to me.

His gaze flicked from my phone to me. “Fran, next door, said she saw a lad from your school driving around here,” he slurred. “Said she saw him drop you home from school today.” He turned his attention back to my phone. “Where is his number? Where are his texts? Who the fuck are you knocking around with? Is it him? That rugby asshole? The Kavanagh prick?”

One of these days, I was going to get out of this house. And when I did, I was never going to come back. It was with that thought, that tiny slither of hope, and Johnny’s mix CD playing in my ears, that I drifted off to a fitful sleep.

I didn’t fuck about with second-guessing my decisions or any of that shite. I made a decision and I stuck to it.

I didn’t connect with people for the sheer sake of it—and never girls.

In a matter of months, I’d lost my head to a fucking girl. And my heart?

Gibsie grinned. “I promise I’ll get caught up over the Easter holidays, Dad.”

“Nothing’s changed,” I said in as patient a tone as I could muster. “I can’t, won’t, and will never go there.” Lies. Lies. Lies. My best friend stared at me for a long moment before asking, “Are you sure about that, Johnny?” Not even a little bit.

The bathroom door creaked open and Lizzie stepped into the bathroom, causing Claire to snap her mouth closed and me to sag in relief.

can shannon stop being so weird? stfu, honestly.

For the first time in my academic life, I had been given a beautiful cloak of invisibility at Tommen. Johnny Kavanagh threatened to take that from me, and I wasn’t nearly brave enough to let him.

she likes johnny but she cant handle. gosh, do u like him or not?

“No, it’s okay,” I mumbled. “You guys stay. I’m just…I’m going to go now.” Swinging around, I pushed past the tables and chairs blocking my way and bolted for the exit.

lizzie made shannon go so honestly she sucks

“Fine,” Lizzie growled, taking ahold of my hand Johnny had released. “Your evil whore of a girlfriend is spreading lies about my friend, and I’m holding you entirely responsible for neither straightening the facts nor putting her in her place.”

honestly lizzie shut up

“We’re in a fight right now, Pierce O’Neill, so don’t even look at me.”