Binding 13

31

Bitchy girls and Burger Breath

Joh

The minute I stepped foot inside Biddies, I knew I had made a terrible mistake.

Scratch that: the minute I let Gibsie open that bottle of my Da's whiskey, I knew I had made a terrible mistake.

After my shower, I tried to persuade him to have a few drinks at home with me instead of going out, but whiskey made me compliant.

It turned me into an agreeable, bleeding eejit.

Which was exactly how Gibsie had managed to coax me out of my bad mood, into what he called my 'shifting jacket', and into the passenger seat of his car.

I should've known better when he wasn’t drinking with me.

Fucker.

Drip-feeding me Jameson was the reason I was currently standing in the doorway of Biddies Bar, three drinks past tipsy, and wishing I was anywhere but this goddamn pub.

Not only were half the girls from sixth year inside.

But so was Bella.

The minute Bella noticed us, she caught ahold of a nervous looking Cormac and welded her face to his.

Whatever semblance of enthusiasm I had churned up for tonight being a bit of craic had flown out the window at the sight of her.

Not so much because she was scoring with Cormac in front of me, though that didn’t help, but because I was still peppering with anger over the way she carried on at school yesterday.

All I wanted her to do was go away.

Just go away and leave me alone.

In all honesty, I didn’t think that was too much to ask for.

"Ignore them," Gibsie muttered in my ear.

"Kinda hard all things considered," I shot back, gesturing to where my former whatever-the-hell-she-was mauled the face off my winger less than ten feet from me.

I instantly felt my brain kick to life and start the sobering-up process because I knew exactly how dangerous this girl was, and dammit, I needed to be in my full senses to defend myself.

"Understandable," Gibs said in agreement. "At least you know the show's for your benefit."

"I don’t want it to be for my benefit. I want her to fuck off," I growled, repressing a shudder at the sight. "Please tell me that I never carried on like that with her."

"Well, I don’t know how you carried on behind closed car doors," Gibs replied. "But you never let yourself down like that in public."

"Thank Christ," I muttered.

"Come on, Joh

"Vodka, Gibs," I corrected, knowing I was going to need something a hell of a lot stronger than the beer that what was on tap to get through tonight. "A double vodka and red bull– and a shit load of shots."

Fuck getting sober.

I was going all out.

Gibsie could take care of me for once.

"I'm on it, buddy," Gibsie chuckled before disappearing into the crowd.

Ignoring the table of girls from school who had conveniently positioned themselves at the table next to ours, a table that included Bella and Cormac, I slumped down beside Hughie and his girlfriend, Katie Wilmot.

"Hughie," I muttered by way of acknowledgement.

I eyed the bottle of 7up with a straw sticking out the rim that Hughie's girlfriend was clutching and my lips twitched.

"Alright, Cap?" Hughie acknowledged with a loose smile. "How was training?"

I grunted my response, too sore and uncomfortable to make an effort and lie.

It was shite.

Everything was shite.

My world was going to shite.

And tonight's spectacle was the cherry to top it all off.

"Feely coming out tonight?"

Hughie shook his head. "Nah, lad. Something came up."

"No surprises there," I replied knowingly.

"You're telling me," Hughie replied with a weary sigh.

Patrick was a quiet fish, and even though we'd been friends for the bones of seven years, I didn’t know a great deal about him aside from the fact that he was evasive, quiet, and had a tendency to back out of plans at the last minute.

After catching up with Hughie, I inclined my head to the pretty, little redhead tucked into his side. "Katie."

"Hi, Joh

No fucking wonder you're huddling, I thought to myself.

I'd huddle, too, if I was a shy, sixteen-year-old girl being subjected to the horrendous mouthfucking at the other table.

Katie was too young to be in a bar, we all were, but kudos to my friend for having the decency to not fill her up with booze.

Not that I thought for one minute that he would.

For some unknown reason, Hughie was obsessed with the tiny redhead under his arm.

Had been since she walked through the doors of Tommen as a fresh faced first year.

We had been in second year when Hughie threw his cards in with Katie Wilmot.

At the time, I – along with every other one of our friends and teammates – had thought Hughie was a lunatic and had voiced my thoughts aloud regularly.

But now that I had age and experience on my side, I had to admit that his situation seemed a hell of a lot more appealing than mine.

Devotion had to feel better than being used did.

"You're looking well tonight, Katie," I told her, because it was the truth and she was insecure.

I knew this tidbit of information because her boyfriend often confided in me about their relationship.

I probably knew far more about their relationship than Katie would be comfortable with, but I'd take those details to the grave.

Katie smiled shyly and snuggled closer into Hughie's side. "Thanks."

Hughie shot me a grateful look.

He didn’t need to thank me for shit.

His girlfriend was beautiful.

Gibsie rounded the table a few moments later, distracting me with a tray laden down with glasses.

"Bottoms up, Cap," he a

"Cheers." Not bothering to ask what was on offer tonight, knowing I'd drink petrol with the mood I was in, I grabbed two shot glasses off the tray and tossed them back.

And then, for good measure, I threw back another four shots before settling on my vodka and red bull.

I needed it because watching the floorshow occurring at the table next to ours wasn’t fun.

From where I was sitting, I had a perfect view of Bella straddling Cormac.

He had his hands under her skirt, and her legs were wrapped around his waist.

They might as well be naked and shagging they were being that bleeding obvious.

Propping himself on the stool in front of me, Gibs thankfully blocked my view.

"I'm prettier to look at," he a

I could always depend on this fucker.

Hail, rain, or snow, Gibsie had my back.

That was a comforting notion.

"Ryan's a clown," Hughie, reading my thoughts, stated aloud. "She's doing this on purpose to get a rise out of you, and he's letting her use him to do it."

"You had a lucky escape, Joh

I shrugged and reached for another shot.

"She can do whatever she wants." Pressing the glass to my lips, I tossed the drink back and swallowed quickly. "They both can."

I meant it.

I didn’t want her back.

I would never go back there.

But that didn’t mean that this was easy to watch.