SKYFALL, Johnny Kavanagh

Guarded secrets

Johnny's Point of View

"So...." I sighed.

"So?" Joey asked.

"I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't kill me in my sleep." Gibs interjected.

"I'm not going to kill you in your sleep." Joey rolled his eyes. "Although I would appreciate it in the future that if you hang out with my sister, you actually stayed somewhat near her and didn't ditch her."

"Yes. Definitely. Of course. I will surely do that." Gibsie screamed.

"As for you." Joey pointed at me. "I would like to talk to you in private."

"Shan, why don't you turn on the telly and watch something with Gussie while you wait for Maeve to come down?" Joey referred to his sister.

"Hell, yeah." Gibsie exclaimed. "The cartoons are on now."

After leaving his sister and my best friend in the living room, Joey led me to his room and shut the door.

"Do I have to worry about you killing me?" I asked sarcastically.

"Not for now." He concluded.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure." I tried initiating the conversation.

"You obviously saw what happened yesterday with my sister." Joey looked at me. "I need you to keep it to yourself."

"Of course." I agreed. "I have no intention of telling anyone."

"Not even your friend outside?" Joey tried.

"Not even him." I clarified.

"Thank you." He let out a sigh of relief.

"Do you know what happened?" I tried asking.

"I do, but I can't tell you. You'll have to ask Maeve." He responded.

"If I do, she'll tell me to go screw myself." I rebuked.

"Yes, she most definitely will." He retorted. "You'll have to get her to trust you enough to tell you the truth."

"Is that even possible?" I inquired.

"She has told a few people before." He confirmed.

"Is that where she was last night?" I quizzed him. "At the house of one of those people."

"She was with Aoife Molloy – my girlfriend – and Casey Lordan." He declared. "She's been friends with them ever since I first met them when I was twelve."

"Is that why she's so against being in my group of friends?" I asked. "Does she feel like she's betraying her old friends or some shite?".

"It may not seem like it, but Maeve likes her new school, and the company of friends she found there." Joey spoke.

"She told you that?" I was suspicious.

"I can tell." He admitted. "She's had a few arguments with my old friend group, that's why she's hesitant to be a part of yours. I can't tell you the details, but the last one was bad."
"At BCS she only hanged out with my group of friends, and while I didn't mind, a part of me was always worried about her." Joey added. "Then all of a sudden, she is thrown into a new reality, with new people and new surroundings. I wasn't sure how she was going to cope with that, but she surprised me."

"She surprised everyone, I can tell you that." I laughed. "I had never been threated so openly before, especially by someone half my size."

"Don't be angry at her, she was just worried about Shannon. We all are." Joey looked at me before adding. "It's the reason why Maeve accepted that scholarship in the first place, she wants to protect Shannon."