falling for 13 || Johnny Kavanagh

I'll Smack You Harder Next Time

G R A C E

I was sitting in the middle of my third class of the day when I saw the school principal, Mr. Twomey, standing at the door of the classroom, his face serious. "Grace," he said, catching the attention of the entire room as his eyes scanned for mine. "Could you come out for a moment?"

Heads turned to look at me, and my stomach dropped. I grabbed my bag, avoiding the curious stares of the other students as I stood up and followed him out of the room.

"What's going on?" I asked the second we were out in the corridor, a sense of dread washing over me.

"It's your sister," Mr. Twomey said, his voice as gentle as he could manage, but it didn't stop the way my heart raced. "She's a bit upset, and I thought it might be good for her to have you with her."

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. Of course. Shannon. My little sister had only been at Tommen for a day, having transferred after getting bullied to hell and back at Ballylagin Community School. She hadn't exactly been thrilled about moving to Tommen, she fucking hated school. But I had hoped—really hoped—it would be better for her here.

"What happened?" I asked as we walked down the hall.

"Well," Mr. Twomey began, pausing as if unsure how to put it. "There was a bit of an accident during training. Your sister was walking across the pitch, and... a ball hit her."

I stopped dead in my tracks. "A ball?"

He nodded, wincing slightly. "From the rugby lads. It was an accident, of course. She's fine, just shaken up."

I clenched my fists. Of course it was the rugby lads. I didn't even need to ask who it was, but I had a pretty good guess. My mind instantly went to one person. Johnny.

I didn't say anything as Mr. Twomey led me to outside his office, where I saw Shannon sitting on a bench, her knees drawn up to her chest, her head down. My heart broke a little seeing her like that. She wasn't crying, but she looked pale and small, like she was trying to make herself disappear.

Johnny Kavanagh stood a few feet away, shifting on his feet, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there. He looked at me as I approached, his eyes flicking nervously between me and Shannon.

I didn't even think about it. I marched straight up to him, and before he could say a word, I smacked him hard across the back of the head with my palm.

"Ow! What the hell, Grace?" Johnny exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head as he looked at me, wide-eyed.

I ignored his whining and shot him a glare. "What the fuck, Johnny? You hit my sister with a ball?"

"I didn't mean to!" he shot back, holding his hands up defensively. "It was an accident, alright? I was aiming at... right I wasn't aiming it at anything I was just pissed at Mulcahy so I belted it and then she was just there."

I glared at him, trying not to completely lose it. I knew Johnny well enough to know he wasn't lying, but still. My sister had just transferred here, and now this?

"You're a fucking idiot," I hissed at him, before walking over to Shannon, dropping to my knees in front of her. "Hey, Shan. You alright?"

Shannon looked up at me, her eyes big and watery, but she nodded. "Yeah. It just... surprised me. Didn't really see it coming."

I sighed, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with this shit."

Shannon leaned into me, resting her head on my lap as I stroked her hair, trying to soothe her. My heart was still racing with a mixture of anger and worry, but I kept it together for her sake.