“Fuck,” Feely muttered with a flinch. “She’s not getting over it, is she?”
“Nope.” Claire shook her head. “She just keeps getting sadder.”
“Getoverit?” I snapped, instantly pissed off. “It hasn’t been a year since she watched her sister being fished out of the fucking river, lad. How do you propose she gets over something like that?”
“Sorry, lad,” my friend replied, looking embarrassed. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“She only wants to talk to you,” Claire chimed in then. “Seriously, Hughie. She barely talks to anyone at school anymore, and she never answers my text messages.” Sighing sadly, Claire flopped back down on my bed. “I want to help her,really I do, but she gets so mad at me over Gerard, and we always end up fighting.”
I understood where my sister was coming from. Gibs was a thorny subject to my girlfriend, but it wasn’t fun to hear she was becoming more and more isolated.
“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted with a sigh. “Or how to help her.”
“Clearly you do because you’re the only one she speaks to,” my sister replied, giving me a supportive smile. “You really are going to be a great doctor, Hughie, because you’ve been working miracles on Lizzie for months.”
On the contrary, I had messed things up spectacularly for my girlfriend. Insisting on her making a statement to the Gardaí after New Year’s not only traumatized Liz but it had broken her. Likeseriouslybroken her.
The Gards didn’t do anything about her mental breakthrough, which knocked Liz back ten damn steps.
She had retreated into her shell and refused point-blank to talk about what they said to her or how she was feeling.
She was cutting more and missing more school, had had her meds changed several times, and it was entirely my fault.
If I’d kept my mouth shut, she wouldn’t be spiraling.
SO THIS IS THIRTEEN?
Lizzie
JUNE 9, 2001
“ILOVE HOW YOU NEVER TAKE THIS OFF,” HUGH SAID, FINGERS PLAYING WITH THEcharms of my ankle bracelet while we lazed on my bed in a top-and-tail position. “It feels like I’m branded on you.”
“You are,” I replied, sliding my other foot under his T-shirt. “And I’ll never stop wearing it.”
“Never?”
“I’ll be buried in this thing,” I vowed, dangling my foot in front of his face and making the charms jingle. “Thank you for my new charm.” I eyed the latest addition—an infinity charm—and smiled. “I love it.”
Propped up against my headboard, Hugh smiled back at me. “You’re welcome.”
Resting my bracelet-clad foot on his shoulder, I exhaled a contented sigh. “So this is thirteen.”
“Yep,” he mused, while stroking my calf absentmindedly. “Fairly underwhelming, isn’t it?”
Everything about life was underwhelming. Hugh was the only exception to the rule, and I was pleased to level up with him once again. “Hey, Hugh?”
“Yeah, Liz?”
“Can we kiss?”
His hand stilled on my leg, and he gave me a strange look. “Yeah.” His tone was gruff. “Of course we can.”
“Good,” I breathed, flopping onto my back and letting my legs fall on either side of his body. “Because you haven’t kissed me in a while.”
“Not because I haven’t wanted to.” Pulling up on his knees, Hugh moved into position, hovering above me. “Ialwayswant to.” Heated, brown eyes locked on mine. “But you’ve had a hard few months.” Resting his weight on one elbow, Hugh leaned in close and stroked my nose with his. “And I didn’t want to make it worse.”
“You’re the only thing that makes it better.” Reaching up, I cupped his jaw and pulled his face to mine.
