Saving 6 (Boys of Tommen, #3)

by Chloe Walsh

Because she was Molloy. My friend. Maybe even my best friend.

“Just remember I’m always here for ya,” he called after me as I made my exit. “The door’s always open.” “Yeah, I know.” That’s the problem.

“Not Jesus, just Joey.”

it?” Danielle looked me right in the eye when she said, “Enjoy becoming his mam, Aoife. I doubt you’ll make it to sixth-year graduation without a baby Joey in your belly.”

Danielle was wrong about Joey. Yeah, she was so wrong.

“Don’t talk to me,” Joey warned when I passed him my keys and slid into the passenger seat. The fact that he had climbed into the driver’s seat beside me wasn’t a victory that I could celebrate, not when I could feel the war brewing between us. “Not a fucking word.”

“I’m mad at you too, you know.” Yeah, I got that loud and clear when she went batshit and attacked Shane’s car.

You know the old saying, “Don’t poke the bear”? Yeah, I poked him.

“O-wee,” Sean recited slowly, frowning up at me for a long moment. “O-wee dada.”

“Oh my god,” I screamed, eyes glued to the red inked heart on the right cheek of my ass with the name Joey in black ink inside it. “Your name is on my ass!” “Like I said,” he shot back with a yawn. “Looks like you’re my bitch.”

“So, I had a really good time this weekend, boyfriend.” “I’m not your boyfriend, Molloy.” “Oh yeah, I forgot,” she shot back with a grin. “You’re my bitch.”

“Roast beef?” Running a hand through his hair, he hissed, “Aoife, I’m going to be roast fucking beef when your father gets his hands on me.”

“First.” He eyed me carefully and asked, “Do you love my daughter?” Heart thumping violently in my chest, I felt myself nod. “Entirely.” And then I heard myself say, “For about five years now.”

“I took a chance on that boy, and I’m glad that I did because the man that small boy turned into is a man who I am damn proud of.”

Joey: I don’t love you. x Molloy: I don’t love you back. <3

“It’s me.” “If by her you’re referring to my fella’s sister, then I’ll give you a five-second head start to get the fuck out of her face before I cut your ponytail off and strangle you with it.”

My heart cracked in my chest. She was so small. So vulnerable. So broken. “Then it’s official.” I gave her a reassuring hug as I walked her down the corridor to class, making sure that every catty bitch in this school got a good look at us. “We’re friends.”

“Then why?” Her voice cracked, and I watched as a tear trickled down her cheek. “Why do this? You’ve been doing so well. I know you have. I know you’re not perfect, okay? I know you smoke weed. I know you have your demons and your secrets, but you were trying. You weren’t getting all fucked up like this!” “He broke Tadhg’s nose last night,” I heard myself admit. “And I wasn’t there to stop him.” “Your father?” Her breath hitched in her throat. “Your father broke Tadhg’s nose?”

“I need you. I need you, Joe. You can’t do this to yourself.” “It’s okay.” Rattled by just how deeply her pain affected me, I wrapped my arms around her. “Shh. It’s okay.”

And as I lay on my side, running my hand through his hair and watching him sleep, I made a mental vow that I wouldn’t allow him to lose himself to the world he teetered on the edge of. No matter what, I would be right beside him, ready to pull him back to safety.

Even if it meant that I lost myself in the process.

“I’m tone-sold-cober, Mam.” “Stone-cold sober, you mean?” Mam eyed me with that look only mothers could master. “I’m sure you are.”

“You are my bestestest friend in the whole wide world of Ballylaggin, Aoife Molloy.” “And you’re mine, Casey Lordan,” I wailed back, throwing my arms around her. “You’re the biggest ride in school.” “No, you’re the biggest ride.” “No, no, I insist it’s you.” “Okay, then we’re both rides.” “Yay!” “You’re both in love with yourselves, that’s what you are!”

a small black jewelry box on the mattress between us, along with a half-melted packet of Rolos. My heart fluttered. “A whole pack just for me?”

“Ollie plugged the toilet,” Tadhg shouted again. “And I need to take a—” “I like to make sure I’m clean,” a younger male voice called out. “It’s high-gleam-ick.”

“See,” I heard Ollie cheer. “Told you Joey would fix it.”

“Joey is nothing like your husband.” Surprise filled her eyes.

“That’s enough, Joey,” Mrs. Lynch whispered. “I don’t want to—” “Hear the truth?” He huffed. “Well, you’re going to.”

I would only ever leave this boy if I was dragged from him kicking and screaming.

“Okay,” I replied calmly. “Then you be mad for as long as you need.” Because I’m not going anywhere.

“Yes, Joey, I do,” I urged. “And it has to be here.” He looked so lost when he choked out the word “Why?” “Because I want to put one good memory of this house in your head.”

“You mean you love me,” I teased, grinning up at him. “Yeah, Molloy.” His eyes burned with sincerity when he said, “That’s exactly what I mean.” Finally!

“It meant more with you.”

“It never meant anything before you.” “Aw,” she teased. “You’re a sweet slut.”

“Funny,” I deadpanned. “I could say the same thing about you.”

YES

“Wow, Joe.” She waggled her brows. “It kind of sounds like you might be in looooove!” “I am.” “Oh my god.” Her eyes bulged. “I was half expecting you to deny it.” “There’s no point.” I shrugged. “I love the girl. It is what it is.”

Shannon laughed and then asked, “So is Aoife the reason…” Clearing her throat, she said in a much quieter tone, “You decided to, ah, well, you know…” She cupped her hands around her mouth before whispering, “Not hang out with Shane Holland and those guys?” She’s certainly the reason I’ve become so good at hiding it. “Yeah, Shan,” I said, feeling like a piece of shit. “She is.”

“Does Seany have poos for Joe?” “No poos, o-ee.” Little liar.

Being in love with someone hell-bent on self-destructing was such a lonely place to exist. I felt incredibly helpless, watching on as my boyfriend buried his secrets with lie upon countless lie. I wanted to save him. I felt like I was watching him drown. That I was desperately reaching my hand out, but his pride was so potent that he would rather go under than let me pull him to safety.

“Well, I have to do something, Joey,” she choked out. “I can’t watch this happen to you. I love you!” “Well, don’t!” I roared back at her. “If loving me means betraying my trust, then don’t fucking bother! Don’t love me and don’t get involved. I can take care of my own shit.”

“You look like someone stole your last Rolo,”

Shadows danced on my bedroom wall. I couldn’t feel a thing. I couldn’t hurt. No more pain. No fucking more…

I closed my eyes and waited for my world to shatter around me. “We’re going to have another baby,” Mam told me. And there it was. The last ounce of hope left in my heart being snuffed out.

“Pain,” he roared into my face, eyes alight with temper as his shadow danced with his demons. “On the outside. On the inside. All around me. Pain so fucking strong I’m drowning in it!” He ran his bloodstained hands through his hair, tingeing his blond hair a faint crimson color. “That’s what I feel. That’s all I feel. All the fucking time!”

“No.” Shaking my head, I stalked right over to him and grabbed his face in my hands, roughly, raw, sincerely refuting his deepest fear. “You are nothing like him.” “Yes, I am,” he strangled out, breaking free from my hold as he staggered away from me. “And if you don’t get away from me soon, you’re going to end up just like my mother.”

There was a stained mattress on the floor. Alongside the mattress was a metal spoon with some dark, syrupy-looking stains, a lighter, and a tiny plastic bag with some brownish powder inside. Sprawled on top of the filthy mattress was my boyfriend, with his eyes rolling back in his head and a needle dangling from the crook of his arm. My heart, the same heart I didn’t think could be broken any more than it already had, cracked into a bazillion more pieces. “Joe.” My hand sprang up to cover my mouth as I battled with the image my mind was assuring me wasn’t a nightmare but reality. “Joey!” Nothing.

“I…love…” I felt my body tense when he clumsily reached across the car and tried to pat my thigh. “You…Molloy.…” “Tell me when you’re sober,” I replied, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “It won’t count tonight.” “Why won’t it count, Molloy?” “Because you won’t remember it,” I whispered sadly.

She was the only person I’d ever loved that hadn’t been produced from between my mother’s legs.

“It’s true.” Tipping my chin up with his free hand, he forced me to look at him. “My life has been a shitstorm from day dot, Molloy, and the whole goddamn town knows it. I’ve never had calm. But you?” His tear-filled eyes implored me to hear him. “You were like an island. Somewhere for me to go and escape. Somewhere safe. Someone to anchor me, if that even makes sense. And I took advantage of that when I had no right to. I was selfish when I dragged you into my world. Now, I need to put you first.”

“Joey,” I cried, leaning out the window. “Don’t do this.” With one final glance at me, he pulled his hood up, dropped to the ground, and called out, “I’ll be seeing ya, Molloy,” over his shoulder. And then he was gone.