Behind the Lights (Tommen legacy 1)

Chapter twenty-six

RORY
The rain drenches my face as I watch the match from the dugout . Coach pulled Jack O'Sullivan and me out of the next three matches after some first-year snitched  on our fight. Neither of us is happy about it. I have yet to tell my Mam and Dad about it, and they will find out after watching me play centre-bench the whole time. Da will likely come for my neck when he discovers it's a three-match  suspension. Trials for the academy are next week, and my chances have just been cut fifty percent after this suspension. Not that I want to play there anyway, but I still have to tell Dad, and I know the disappointment on his face will hurt worse than playing for them will.
We are up with four minutes remaining. And the match is won. . It is impossible for Christian Brothers College to catch up with us, especially with how our backs are playing tonight.
The final whistle sounds signalling the end of the game. With another win, our chances of  winning the championship this year are higher than ever, and the team is on fucking cloud nine.
"Nice playing out there." I pat Corey on the back as he approaches me, drenched and breathless. I grab his water from the dugout and shove it toward his chest. He gratefully takes it and downs almost half of it. Eighty minutes of gruelling play will do that to you.
We go through the routine post-match  talk with Coach before hitting the showers and heading out to our family. I already know Dad will give me a lip by his posture; I can see from across the pitch. His arms are crossed over his chest as he stares across the field, waiting for me to come up. Mam is utterly oblivious to Dad as she chats with Claire, her gestures animated despite the pouring rain. My parents knew about the fight, but we didn't expect it to get out, costing me playing time.
As I approach him, he stares at me and says, "You want to tell me what that was about, son?"
"The fight," I mutter, avoiding his eye contact, I have a few inches on my Dad, but he was still my Dad, and fucking intimidating for that matter.
"Yeah, nice work, right before academy tryouts too. Rory, what were you thinking? You know what we are striving for here, and throwing it out the window just like that is disappointing."
Anger takes over my mind, forcing me to think less clearly, and I lash out, "I don't even want to go to the stupid academy! It's your dream, not mine!" I burst into his face, earning looks from Mam, who stopped her conversation with Claire and came over.
"Well, that's the first I've heard about that because I was under the impression you wanted to!" he shouts back.
"Well, news flash!" I say before turning around, done with this conversation.
"What's going on, Johnny?" my Mam asks, coming to his side. I roll my eyes before seeking out the eye of my storm: Gracie.
"Rory, get our arse back here; this conversation is far from over." my Dad shouts as I walk away, and I simply flip him off.
Before Dad can shout back, I see Gracie's familiar braids and smile running toward me. Her neck is wrapped in a scarf, clad in the familiar crest, as she carries an umbrella over her head.
"Rory!" she shouts, running towards me and stopping at my side. Her breath is ragged from sprinting, and she looks up at me, eyes wide. "Hi!" she exclaims, her smile somehow getting bigger.
"Hi, Sunny!" I smile back down at her. Suddenly, the urge to kiss her takes over me.
Jesus Christ, get your head out of the gutter, Rory.
"I would say it was a good match, but you didn't get much playing time," she laughs, scooting closer to me. I take the umbrella out of her hands and pull her side close to me, placing my hand on the small of her back. "I assume it's because of the shiner you're rocking."
I grunt in response. I led her towards where everyone was standing. It's been two weeks since Coaihme was released from the hospital; since that night in Gibson's bedroom, Gracie has snuck over almost every night to lie with me while I sleep. I haven't broken down like I did that night, but I'm still addicted to her being there. She's like the only thing keeping me at bay. I don't know how she gets there every night; I have a sneaking suspicion it's Corey who brings her and that he is staying with Caoimhe, but I decide not to press the issue. I don't want to keep Corey from Caoimhe , but I am still not fully in support of whatever the fuck they have going on. I asked C about it; she claimed she would never date Corey if they were the last humans on Earth. And she sounds sincere; Caoimhe  is not one to lie, so I wonder what the fuck is going on with those too.
"Biddies?" I ask as we approach the group. Since the girls started sitting with us, we have begun to form a friendship. It's usually me, Corey, Connor and occasionally Fin with the girls after every game at biddies. We sit there for hours drinking and eating until Tom, the bar owner, kicks us out at midnight.
"Hell ya! After that win, it's going to be some fucking afters." Finn jumps in, slinging an arm around Connor's shoulder.
I feel Gracie tense at my side. Jesus, I never thought about how the idea of a party might bring back memories.
"Hey," I look down at her. " We can just go to my place and watch a movie if you want. It can even be La La Land." I tease her, hoping to bring out her tension.
She looks up at me, "Not it's grand. I want to go."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it'll be alright."
"Okay, but you give me the go-ahead, and we can get out of there."
"Okay, but we are watching La La Land tonight. I need a dose of Ryan Gosling."
Jesus Christ. Why did I ever mention that? Now I get a whole night of Gracie drooling over a man who isn't me? Fucking balls.
"We aren't watching that, Gracie," I murmur, refusing to watch her do that.
"Oh, get off your high horse, cavemen. If it makes you feel better, I cried at the end scene and will probably need someone to comfort me."
When she puts it that way, we are fucking watching her Ryan Gosling thirst trap.
Most of the time, it feels like we are more than friends; we are constantly touching and looking up at each other like the other hangs the moon, but I have to stay where we are and take things at her pace. When we sleep together at night, there is barely any touching, unlike that first night, and it's fucking agony. The most she will do is take my hand and curl in my arm-not my chest-as we sleep. But any touch is better than none.
Gracie looks up at me and bats her eyelashes.
"Come one, big boy." she wraps her slender hand around mine as we follow the group towards the car park