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“You’re my favorite person in the whole wide world, and I would swap everyone for you. Even Hugh.”
When they said someone had been saved from the water. I prayed for it to be you.”
think they wanted your dad to save Bethany.” “I didn’t,” I admitted honestly. “I wanted to keep you most of all.”
“I’ll keep you safe, Gerard.”
“But your hugs feel like sunshine.” “Like sunshine?” I frowned in confusion. “How?” “Because you are sunshine, silly,”
“I mean it,” he urged, turning to look at me now. “I can’t lose another person I love.” “You love me?” He nodded sadly as another tear trickled down his cheek. “I love you most of all.”
“You can’t be my sister, Claire.” “Why not?” “Because you can’t have the hots for your sister.”
“I don’t see anyone.” His lips tipped up in the smallest of smiles before he added, “Except for you.”
“You can hold my hand forever.” “You promise?” “Uh-huh.” I yawned, feeling sleepy. “I promise.”
Claire Biggs had a lot of things. My back. My attention. My heart. My soul. Yeah, she had all of me and that wasn’t an exaggeration.
She was the nicotine I couldn’t walk away from. The crutch I hadn’t learned to walk without.
It couldn’t hurt when I was Gibsie, because Gibsie was my armor, and humor was my sword.
If I could sew this girl to my skin without causing her an ounce of harm, then I would do it in a heartbeat. That’s how vital she was to my life. How essential she was to my existence. If drugs were to Joey Lynch what Claire Biggs was to me, then there was no amount of rehab that could sway me to kick the habit. Because she was the habit of my lifetime.
I cared so fucking much it was hard to find where she started and I ended.
From as far back as I could remember, my mind had always been very clear about three things. One: Hugh was my brother. Two: Bethany was my sister. Three: Claire was mine.
Claire meant it when she told me that she loved me. That was the first of two things in life I was sure of, and I meant it right back. That was the second thing I was sure of. If I knew nothing else in this world, then I knew that I loved Claire Biggs.
“It’s all about priorities, babe.” “And I’m yours?” I teased. “Always,”
Gibsie belonged to the rest of the world. Gerard belonged just to me.
Holding hands? At their age. Puke.
You need to start taking life more seriously.” And you need to take a long walk off a short cliff, asshole
“I don’t remember agreeing to him being ungrounded, Sadhbh.” “I don’t remember your name being on my birth certificate.”
She was the safest memory my mind contained, the only face I could trust not to hurt me.
Cowa-fucking-bunga.
“This is entirely inappropriate behavior.” “Duly noted. Should we continue?” “Of course.”
Some of the best things in life aren’t meant to last forever. That’s why we cherish them when they happen. Like your favorite chocolate in a box. Or shooting stars. We don’t refuse to eat the sweet because once we do, it’ll be gone, or stop looking at the stars after one shoots by. We enjoy the moment because we know it’s worth living in.”
this boy had always been my favorite boy. My favorite friend, person, human, everything.
“Five, six, seven, eight, I use this hand to masturbate.”
“If you ever speak about her like that again, I’ll rip your fucking guts out your asshole and smear them all over your face!”
All Aboard Jacob’s Ladder,
I’d rather be a Lynch than a bitch any day.”
Joey looked to me and repeated, “Who are we fighting, Gussie?”
You do too much thinking.” “And you don’t think at all.”
“I’ve developed a hernia from the weight it’s taking me to give a fuck!”
“In front,” came his quick response. “On top. Number one. Fucking always, Claire.”
“You missed the clown.” “No, she didn’t,” Tadhg chimed in from his perch on the island. “She brought him with her.”
I’m seeing you, okay? Not that I ever didn’t. But I’m hearing you, baby.”
“You waited for me,” he said, squeezing my hand. “Now it’s my turn to wait for you.”
“I’ll do whatever you want, okay? Just set the pace here, Claire-Bear, and I will follow you anywhere, okay?”
“I need to hear your voice.” “Why?” “Because I need to know it’s you touching me.”
“I killed you with my hymen!”
“Lizzie would rather scalp herself bald and offer her hair as sacrifice to the devil before she helped me with my relationship.”
“I know ladies are supposed to be modest and all that jazz, but honestly, girls, if I was a cake, I’d eat myself.”
“Your brother puts the sex in life, period,”
“My man is gifted, girls. He puts the D in BD energy.”
she used her hands to illustrate in detail what I presumed was the length of her boyfriend’s willy, which sort of resembled that of a giant cucumber and mildly terrified me.
Time can’t heal when it doesn’t pass by.”
I can only hope that my absence gives you some comfort, because while I know I wasn’t your abuser, my lack of willingness to believe your truth hurt you in ways he never could. Goodbye, sweet boy.
For most of his life, Gerard had been trapped in a room in his head, while I had been banging on the door, desperately trying to break him out. Because his past was his prison, and our love was his getaway car.
You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, and I love the fucking bones of you, ya mad eejit.”
“And if you think this is going to chase me off, then you’ve another thing coming, fucker, because I’m never leaving you. Do ya hear me? Because you’re my Gibs.” “And you’re my Kav.”
