The Girl In The Dirty Shirt

Chapter 18

Liam cracked a joke trying to make her smile. Sally didn't have a very good poker face, and the longer they stood there the easier it was to see that she was in pain.

"C'mere, since y'can't walk home we'll have to do it this way"

Liam scooped Sally in his arms carrying her over to the picnic table before he sat her down. I walked over to where they stood.

"Piggyback?" I asked

He nodded sitting on the bench of the table. Sally scooted to the edge of the table top holding onto Liam's shoulders.

"Around the neck kid" I smiled. "Less of a chance of falling off that way"

"What?"

"Don't do it like you used to when you were little, it was too hard to carry you that way then; I can't imagine how hard it would be now."

"Did y'never 'ave a piggyback as a kid?" Liam asked looking at her over his shoulder.

"She did, she just held your shoulders and pulled you backwards as you tried to walk"

Liam reached around his shoulders with both hands. "Give me your hands"

Sally rested her small wrists in his waiting palms and he pulled her arms around his neck, resting her hands on the front of his chest. "Keep 'em like that"

I helped her stand as Liam boosted her up on his back. I could tell her heart was beating a mile a minute. "Are you on?" I asked her as I took a tentative step backwards holding both my hands out before she nodded.

"Just....don't drop me"

"I won't" Liam smiled as we walked through the park out to the road.

"Promise?" She asked squeezing her arms around him a little harder for half a second.

"Promise"

I jumped when Sally screamed. Liam just laughed boosting her back up into place on his back.

When she realized he wasn’t actually going to drop her she smacked him in the side of the face “You are an asshole” she muttered.

“Wanna walk?” He threatened

Sally shook her head. “No”

“That’s what I thought”

We walked back to the house and it was dark, Mom was in bed already. I held the door and Liam walked inside.

"You should take something" I commented locking the door behind me.

Sally nodded as Liam carried her upstairs. I went to the bathroom digging through the medicine cabinet for the Tylenol.
I took it upstairs handing it to Sally with a glass of water; Liam was sitting on the end of her bed gingerly rolling up her pant leg.

"Is it broken?"

Liam picked up her ankle slowly and she hissed in pain. He looked up at her and back down to her foot.

"I'm no doctor, but I don't think so; just...sprained really bad"

I sighed. "Sally, I told you...”

Sally just rolled her eyes at me.

I folded my arms. "If you're going to be like that we'll just leave you here and you can figure out how to get around yourself"

"Lyla..." Liam said looking up at me from the bed.

"I'm not going to help her if she's going to be a snot"