Forbidden Love

Chapter 15

The last day of term was a half day. Which meant after lunch I kissed Joe and wished him luck in his match. He told me one last time that it would probably be better if I didn't come. I told him I'd see him later and he left with the rest of his team.

Most of the school made its way down to the pitch. I stayed with Ethan and Aaron and we stayed firmly in the crowd. The rest of the guys were standing at the front of the crowd where they could see the action properly. I wished I was there with them but thankful for Aaron and Ethan standing with me.

I saw Joe's mum standing to the right of the crowd at the front with a group of other parents. They must be the parents of the team. She was standing next to a man almost as tall as Joe that I thought must be his father. She wouldn't see me from here. She wasn't paying any attention to the student part of the crowd anyway. She had brought Joe's little brother Andy with her and she was proudly showing him around the other mothers at the side of the pitch who were all very interested in the baby. He was a very cute baby.

Joe's father stared straight ahead only turning is head away from me occasionally to reply when spoken to. I could tell even from here he did not want to be spoken to.

The players came onto the pitch and the game began and I forgot about Joe's parents.

"It's a very violent game isn't it?" I said to Aaron who laughed. I wasn't sure I liked it very much. It seemed very possible to me now that Joe had simply got his black eye playing rugby, but he would have just said that, wouldn't he?

Half time came and our school was winning. Only just though. I had no idea how this game worked and I'd given up on trying to understand. Both Ethan and Aaron told me Joe was doing really well though.

Without the distraction of the players on the pitch my attention drifted back to Joe's parents. I gasped when his father turned to face his mother and say something. I grabbed an arm of both Aaron and Ethan to get their attention. He had a visibly swollen split lip. And not the type you got from a cold. The bruising around it showed this was from a punch.

"What is it?"

"He hit him!" I was livid.

"What?" Ethan grabbed onto me, "Olivia, calm down, tell us what is happening." Aaron nodded.

"Joe's dad has a busted lip!" I hissed, I was trying to keep my voice down, Ethan was right, we couldn't make a scene here.

"Joe hit his dad?" Aaron asked confused.

"No! Well yes, I guess so. That doesn't matter," I couldn't care less about his dad, "his dad hit him. That's why he wouldn't tell me about his eye. Did he tell you what happened?" I challenged Aaron.

Aaron shrugged, "he said it was nothing."

"Nothing? Nothing!" My voice was raising and people were starting to look at me.

Ethan dragged me out of the crowd. Aaron followed us.

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked me.

It made sense now. I suddenly felt like crying. What had Joe been through? I nodded.

"Ok." Ethan nodded and we sat down away from the match, we couldn't go back now. I don't think he knew what to say. I didn't know what to say either.

We didn't speak we just waiting for the match to be over. We knew it was over when the crowd started moving away from the pitch and we got to our feet.

It took us a while to find Joe but when we did he ran straight over to us with a wide grin and picked me off my feet, giving me a kiss he asked, "did you see? We won! The teams going back to simon's for celebration and everyone is invited." He looked over at Ethan and Aaron as well.

I couldn't help it I burst into tears, "I'm sorry," I said hugging him close, "I'm so so sorry."

"Hey want's wrong?" He brought me away from the crowd so we were alone and could sit down.

I was still crying. He had rarely seen me cry. He wiped away my tears with a look of concern.

I reached up and gently touched his black eye, "I know it was your dad." I said softly.

He pulled away from my hand but stayed where he was sat. "It's not what you think." He said quietly.

"Joe.. he hit you." Saying the words were painful to me but I felt they needed to be said.

"I hit him first." He justified.

"He's your dad! It doesn't matter," I said then I realised what he had said, "why did you hit him?"

Joe wasn't looking at me, "he said something. It doesn't matter what."

It clearly did I thought. It wasn't like Joe to hit people, he wasn't a violent person. "It mattered to you and it matters to me."

Joe snapped, I don't think he had ever snapped at me, "he insulted you ok? I couldn't take it. Over and over again they were insulting you and your family and I snapped."

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to think. Joe got hurt because of me. I brought my hand up to touch his face again. He didn't pull away this time. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." He leant into my hand.

I couldn't help but feel blame but didn't push it. I could deal with that myself. "Has he hurt you before? Since?" I almost don't want to know the answer.

He shook his head and I released a breath I didn't know I was holding, "it was heat of the moment. He just swung back when I hit him. He's been trying to say sorry ever since but I won't talk to him. They won't let me out of the house."

"You can't go back there!" I hated the idea.

He chuckled. He was probably remembering the night I made him go back there. I was remembering it too.

"Olivia," he always said my name when he wanted to get a point across, "I'm fine. I promise you."

"You're not," I argued with him, "we can tell my parents, they'll help you."

"No." He shook his head firmly, "I don't want that. Please don't do that." He looked at me and I couldn't go against him. I sighed and agreed.

"I'm so sorry." I said again giving him a hug.

"It's ok." He said hugging me tightly back. But it wasn't ok. It wasn't ok to me.

We sat together for a while longer just enjoying each other's company.

"We have a party to get to." Joe stood up.

"You still want to go?" I asked in disbelief.

Joe nodded, "I want to forget that this," he pointed to his eye, "ever happened and I want you to forget too."

I nodded but I knew I never would.

I could forgive his mother for her anti-Irish sentiments, she'd lost her brother. Grief does crazy things to people.

I couldn't forgive either of his parents for this. Not his father for striking his own son or his mother for allowing it. I never would.

But I nodded to tell Joe I would forget because that is what he wanted to hear and took his hand and let him lead me to the party.

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