falling for 13 || Johnny Kavanagh

Bus Rides

J O H N N Y

I was already slouched in the back seat of the bus, earphones in, music blaring, trying to drown out the sound of the loud crowd of students piling in for the school trip to Fota Wildlife Park. "Best Friend" by 50 Cent was blasting at full volume. I wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone, least of all Grace. But Coach Mulcahy threatened rugby if I didn't go, and I didn't want anything to get in the way of what I had going.

It's been weird between Grace and I—well, weirder than usual. We barely talked, and when we did, it turned into an argument within seconds. I wasn't expecting that to change anytime soon, either.

The bus was almost full, everyone laughing, throwing stuff across the aisles. I spotted Gibsie and a few lads up front acting like they were seven, shouting and messing about. I kept my eyes on them for a second, just long enough to catch Cian Starky sitting nearby. I instantly felt my mood darken, but I forced myself to look away before I could spiral into thoughts about him and Grace.

The bus door squeaked open again, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her—Grace Lynch—running up the steps like she was late for everything, as usual.

She scanned the seats, looking for a place to sit, and I didn't miss the way her eyes darted over the full rows until her gaze landed on the one next to me. Of course, there was only one seat left, bar the ones next to teachers, and it had to be right next to me.

I turned my head and stared out the window, pretending I didn't see her, but I could feel her presence, hovering next to the aisle, like she was just dying to sit anywhere else. She stood there for a second too long before she finally spoke, her voice laced with irritation. "Move."

I didn't respond right away, making her wait as I pulled my legs in at a snail's pace, giving her just enough room to squeeze by. I kept my gaze focused out the window, not even bothering to look at her.

Grace huffed as she dropped into the seat, practically throwing her bag onto her lap. "You do realize that playing your music that loud is going to make my ears bleed, right?"

Without turning my head, I pulled one earbud out, glancing sideways at her. "Your voice already makes my ears bleed."

She shot me a glare, her eyes sharp. "Keep going, and my hands will be making you bleed."

I couldn't help it—I smirked, leaning back in my seat. "That supposed to scare me, Gracie?"

"I'm not here to scare you, Johnny," she snapped, crossing her arms. "Just warning you. You might want to shut up before you get hurt."

"Oh yeah?" I said, finally turning my head to face her, a smirk still playing on my lips. "Who's gonna hurt me? You?"

Grace glared at me, her jaw set, and for a split second, I thought she might actually take a swing at me. Instead, she just rolled her eyes and turned toward the window, ignoring me like she was over it.

But I knew better. We weren't over anything.

"You've got a real way with threats, Grace," I muttered under my breath.

She didn't answer, just clenched her jaw tighter.

"Shouldn't you be sitting next to Starky or something?" I added, unable to stop myself from throwing it out there. "I'm sure he's just dying for more of your charming company."

Grace shot me a look so cold it could freeze over a lake. "Believe me, Johnny, if I had a choice, I wouldn't be sitting anywhere near you."

I leaned back again, folding my arms across my chest. "Don't act like you don't enjoy it."

"You're delusional," she muttered, turning back to the window, trying to block me out again.

We stayed like that for the next few minutes, the silence between us thick with tension. I could still feel her frustration radiating off of her. I wanted to rile her up more, maybe get a real reaction out of her, but at the same time, I hated that this was what it had come to between us—constant bickering.

But it wasn't like I knew how to fix it. We were too far gone at this point. At least, that's what I told myself.

A while later, after we'd been at Fota for a couple of hours, we were all walking through one of the big animal enclosures, everyone either in groups or paired off. I was trailing behind with Gibsie and a few of the other lads, half-listening to them mess around, when I saw Grace up ahead with Clara and Orlaith.

She was laughing at something one of them said, and I was about to look away when I noticed something off. A bruise. It wasn't huge, but it was definitely there, just below her cheekbone, partly hidden under makeup.

My stomach twisted. What the hell happened?

I found myself speeding up, closing the gap between us, and before I could stop myself, I called out, "Grace."

She slowed down but didn't turn around right away. When she finally did, I could see her eyes widen in surprise. "What?"

I stepped closer, narrowing my eyes at her. "What happened your face?"

Her brows furrowed. "Is that what your Mam said when she looked at you for the first time?"

I nodded toward her face. "That bruise. What happened?"

Grace blinked, her hand automatically reaching up to touch the spot I'd pointed at. "Oh," she said, her voice tight. "I tripped."

I frowned. "You tripped?"

"Yeah," she snapped, glaring at me. "I tripped. Is that so hard to believe?"

It was. She was lying, and I could tell. But I didn't push it. Not here, not now.

"Alright," I said slowly, watching her closely. "If you say so."

She looked like she wanted to argue, to tell me off again, but instead, she just turned away, rejoining her friends, leaving me standing there, feeling like I was missing something big. Something that had nothing to do with all the snarky comments and tension between us. I hated that she wouldn't tell me what was going on. But even more than that, I hated that I cared.