Derry Girls: A New Arrival Part 2

Chapter 23: The hits just keep coming.

"Do you have ANY idea of how serious this could have been for me, Shannon?!" Patrick bellowed.

"But Daddy..."

"Don't Daddy me! From now on, you stay away from that McCool girl! And the rest of them! You have embarrassed me for the last time, Shannon! All you seem to do is get yourself into trouble with that mouth of yours! I won't hear any more of this ridiculousness, is that clear?! I thought you had more brains than that empty headed sister of yours, but clearly, I was wrong! It was only by the grace of God that the other board members didn't see any of this!"

"I honestly don't understand why you've bothered yourself with that girl, Shannon. She's a simpleton if anything! You have more important matters to deal with than to waste your time with the likes of them. Especially that.... That.... Idiotic child!" Jeanette stated.

"But you said it yourself Daddy... They-"

"I am not prepared to discuss this petty playground nonsense any further! I have more important matters to attend to. Now, go to your room and stay there until dinner!" Patrick shouted.

Shannon stropped angrily out of the living room. Patrick O'Driscoll loosened his tie and plumped himself into his desk chair. His anger smouldered as he attempted to steer his mind back to the other issue. He picked up the handset of the black phone that sat upon his desk and dialled a number.

"Hello."

"Yes, hello. This is Patrick O'Driscoll speaking. I wondered if I could speak with Mr. Stevenson. It's regarding the upcoming fundraising event for Valentines Day." Patrick said.

The end of Wednesday's lessons were ending. James sighed with exhaustion as he sat in Double History. Although he was truly thankful for being allowed to remain at Our Lady Immaculate, and for being around people again after suffering his week of isolation. As the month of January was ending; things were proving to be more difficult than he imagined. He had noticed how disgruntled Erin had been for the past couple of weeks. Despite things remaining pretty much the same, they were also very different. With the allowance to hold hands as a couple being receded by the school board. The urge was practically unbearable. James felt the urge to just get up from his chair and hug Erin, as well as other things. But such a move would render consequences that he wouldn't want to inflict upon her. Especially now that they felt as if forces beyond their control were interfering with their blossoming relationship. He then took a moment to observe his other friends, as well as the scolding looks that were being directed mostly towards Erin.

It was clear to the group that the only control they had was over their own individual destinies. But the encounter with the new school authority seemed to make James feel like he was back at square one. Ironically, Erin felt the same way. She and James had chosen similar A Level subjects for different reasons. English Literature and Media Studies. Erin had also chosen English Language, whereas James had chosen Business Studies. However, despite the fact they were able to see each other in classes more than the others, despite sitting right next to each other; this seemed to make things worse. The new rule of not holding hands was one thing. But with the announcement of the upcoming Valentines disco, the group had gotten wind of a rumour circulating the school, that if Erin and James were to violate the rule of not holding hands, the disco would be cancelled immediately. It seemed as if the whole school, students and teachers alike, were acting like a wall that stood between the couple.

Another harsh reality for the group of friends, was that they began to feel that their individual paths were causing them to not be around each other as much. It was quite the shock to their usual routine when they started the new term in September. The incredulous amount of time they spent together during Christmas break was something they truly cherished. But now they were in different classes throughout the week again, and as fate would have it, none of their free periods coincided for them to spend time together. English, History and Maths were the only classes where they would see each other.