“Omigod, Hugh!” Resurfacing from beneath a mountain of pillows and stuffed animals, Claire broke our heated stare-down when she flung Garry, her ugly-assed, oversized stuffed bear at her brother’s head. “Get the hell out of my room, you weirdo, and take your bloody music with you!”
After one final emotional glance, Hugh tore his eyes off mine and moved for the door, but he didn’t turn off the music, leaving his stereo behind him to tell me all of the things his pride would never allow him to say.
I’M MISTER BRIGHTSIDE
Hugh
DECEMBER 12, 2003
OUR SCHOOL RUGBY TEAM WON THESHEELER’SCUP THIS EVENING AND SOME OF THEolder lads on the team decided to throw an impromptu party at Creano’s house to celebrate.
I knew coming here tonight was a bad idea, but I somehow allowed Feely to persuade me, only to turn around andnotshow up himself. According to the text he sent me when I’d already arrived, Feely’s newfound friend from music club needed his help with something important.
Yeah fucking right.
I knew what kind of help he provided to girls, and it sure wasn’t shoveling shite.
The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” started to blast through the speakers then, and I sighed dejectedly, feeling like I was being personally attacked by the lyrics.
If I had just stayed home like Johnny had, then I wouldn’t be sitting on a sixth year’s couch with a full view of my own personal hell.
Liz was here, rubbing herself all over Pierce as they attempted to dance but kept stopping to maul the faces off each other.
Jesus Christ.
I couldn’t catch a break.
I honestly fucking couldn’t.
I tried my hardestnotto look, but somehow my gaze always returned to her.
Dancing with him.
Touching his chest.
Kissing his lips.
“Don’t look, lad,” I heard Gibsie instruct a few seconds before he sank down on the coffee table in front of me, blocking the horrendous view. “Keep your eyes on me.”
“I’m okay, Gibs,” I forced myself to say when I felt the complete opposite. “Really, I am.”
“Listen to me,” he said then, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. “I know you’re in pain, and I know this is killing you, and I am so fucking sorry you have to go through this, lad.” He sighed heavily and implored me with his eyes to listen. “But you have to get back up, Hugh. Youhaveto pick yourself up and fight, lad.”
“I’m trying,” I bit out, feeling my heart shatter and thunder all at once. “But I’m just so fuckinghollow, Gibs.”
“I know,” he told me, squeezing my knee. “And I know you still love her, but it’s over, lad.” My oldest friend in the world winced before adding, “You have to let her go.”
As painful as it was to hear, it was sound advice from a friend Iknewhad my best interests at heart and would never stab me in the back.
Gibsie was a lot of things, but disloyal wasnotone of them. In my whole life, I had never met a more faithful human being. It didn’t matter if we were on the outs or not, he never breathed a word of my personal life to anyone—not even to Johnny and Claire. He had more shit on me than any one of our friends, had lived through the worst of my days with me, and I knew with absolute certainty that he would take all of it to the grave.
It was Gibs who’d picked me up off the ground after the breakup, and he was the one who sat with me during my darkest days—and there had been some dark fucking days. The shit Ispurted after the breakup had been unhinged. I didn’t dare think about it. Gibs never threw it back in my face, though.
Christ, I was so fucking relieved that I hadn’t ruined my friendship with him for a girl who was anyone’s girl. Because that’s exactly how it had turned out to be.
It still felt sort of strange being here with him, like I was doing something wrong. I suppose I had spent so long getting the head bitten off me for acknowledging the lad that I wasn’t used to spending quality time with him.
“It’s all good, Hugo,” Gibsie interjected, clearly reading my mind. “Water under the bridge,” he added with a mischievous wink. “I’m just glad I’ve got my friend back on a full-time basis. That shared custody of you was triggering bad memories for me.” Chuckling, he added, “I’ll happily take full custody of you in the divorce, though.”
