SKYFALL, Johnny Kavanagh

When life gives you lemons, grab an ice pack

Johnny's Point of View

Practise went terribly.
I was slow and uncoordinated.
Most of all, I was in pain.

After the shitshow on the pitch, Coach decided to let me go change early and I hit the showers.
The hot water poured over me, but it couldn't wash away the tension.
I gritted my teeth, willing the discomfort to fade.
It didn't.
Once I was done, I sat in my towel waiting for my best friend.

"There's the ice pack for your balls, Cap." Gibsie threw it at me before sitting. "That's a lot of discoloured balls, you know."

I caught the ice pack and let out a weak laugh, though it hurt to do so. "You don't know the half of it." I tried to sound light-hearted, but my voice betrayed me, cracking slightly.

"Seriously, man. How are you feeling? You look like you've been hit by a truck." He studied me, the playful tone fading from his voice.

I shrugged, biting my lip. "It's just a rough day. I'll bounce back."

"Bounce back? You can barely sit still without grimacing," Gibsie said, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe it's time to see someone about this," Gibsie suggested gently, leaning back against the locker. "You shouldn't be in this much pain for this long."

"I can't." My voice was firmer now, a hint of anger creeping in. "I can't let anyone else know about this. Not even Coach. He'll think I'm weak."

"Not weak, Johnny. Human. You're pushing yourself too hard, and it's going to hurt you in the long run." Gibsie's expression turned serious, and I knew he meant well.
He had been by my side through countless injuries, but this one felt different.
It was an injury I didn't want to admit existed.

"Just... don't say anything, okay?" I pleaded, running a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of my secret pressing down on me.

Gibsie nodded slowly, understanding etched across his face. "I won't say anything. But promise me you'll take it easy. You need to heal, Cap."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll take it easy," I muttered, though the words felt hollow.
I had convinced myself that pushing through the pain was the only way to prove I was still the captain, still capable of leading the team.
But with every practice, it was becoming harder to hide the pain.

I picked up the ice pack and placed it gingerly against my groin, flinching at the cold. "So, what's the plan for tonight?" I asked, attempting to change the subject.

Gibsie grinned, his earlier seriousness melting away. "Tonight, we'll have some well-deserved rest and get ready for the lunch and my party tomorrow."

"Party? I thought you only invited a few people, I'm not hosting a rave in my house."

"Would you loosen up? It's not a rave and only a few people are staying the night. For the party I invited the rest of the team, Niamh and Maeve. I also extended the invitation to Claire-bear, Lizzie Young and Shannon Lynch."

"Lizzie Young?" I asked perplexed. "That girl hates your guts."

"Yeah lad, but both Pierce and Claire wanted her there." He told me. "It made sense to invite her, but she's not spending the night, neither is Claire-bear. Their Mams want them at home for midnight."

"Who's going to drive them?" I asked because there was no way in hell it was me.
That Lizzie girl was fucking evil with her tongue, so much so that she was known as the Viper around Tommen.
I was very much not giving her a lift ever.
I already pitied the poor Pierce who was willingly going out with her.

"I'm bringing them and Pierce is taking them back." He explained. "Wish me good luck, I'm going to need it."

"Shannon Lynch agreed to come?" I asked then.
She didn't seem like the type.
She looked shy and the few times I had talked to her made me realise she did not appreciate the attention.

"No, she did say she might consider it if her sister went with her, but her Mam won't allow her to spend the night so, in the end, she decided not go."

"So did Maeve agree?" I asked faking nonchalance.
Like it wasn't the thing I was most curious about.

"Shit, that's what I forgot to ask her today." Gibsie put a hand on his head.

"Seriously Gibs? The party is tomorrow and she still has no idea about it?" I told him incredulous.

"When you put it like that you make it sound so much worse than it actually is." He pouted. "I wanted to ask her during first period, but she ran away after the bell."

In that moment Gibsie phone chimed and he took it to read the message, before handing it to me to show me.

Main hoe
Did you seriously forget to invite me to your birthday party?

Just to let you know, expect a shitty gift. It's the best I can do on such short notice.

"See, she already knows. We're connected." He said smugly.

"That, or Niamh told her." I proposed. "By the way, text her and ask if she found out about what happened with Maeve."

"Lad, you have a lot to learn." Gibsie rolled his eyes at me. "Niamh isn't going to tell you anything."

"She said she would help." I stated.

"Yeah, help Maeve. Not you." Gibsie laughed. "Did you think it was going to be that easy? The only way you'll find out what's going on with that girl is by asking her yourself."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but it hasn't gone well the last times I tried." I reminded him.

"That's because you came at her like a bulldozer." Gibsie explained. "Besides, I have a feeling that this time it'll be different."

"And what makes you think that?" I asked half with curiosity half with disbelief.

"You're an awfully persistent fucker and I don't think she has it in her to shut you out anymore." He shrugged. "It's just a feeling, anyway."

"I don't think you're right, if Maeve can do something well, it's keeping me at a distance." I responded.

"Just trust me on this." Gibsie said.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot," I said, determination flooding my voice. "But if she starts shutting me down again, I'm bringing you in for backup."

"Deal." Gibsie laughed, clapping me on the back.

I took a deep breath, trying to push through the pain in my groin as I stood up, the ice pack slipping from my lap.
I grimaced at the sudden movement but shook it off. "So, what's the plan for the rest of the day? We've got time to kill before tomorrow."

"Well, we could just chill here for a bit. I was thinking about getting some pizza later. Can't celebrate my birthday without pizza, right?" Gibsie grinned, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his perpetual enthusiasm.

"Pizza sounds good. Just don't forget to include me in the ordering process. I don't want to end up with anchovies or some weird topping." I said referring to the time he had ordered both of us pizzas with pineapple toppings.

"Will you let it go, it only happened once, and it was a mistake. How was I supposed to know a Hawaiian pizza had pineapple on it." He defended himself.

"You could have looked at the menu." I proposed.

"Fuck the menu." He said serious. "I'll just order whatever speaks to me."

I chuckled at that, but it quickly turned into a grimace. "Well, let's hope your instincts have improved since then."

Gibsie smirked, nudging me playfully. "You'll be the judge of that when we dig in later. Besides, what's a dinner without a few surprises?"

"Surprises? I don't need any surprises when I'm already nursing my groin. Just stick to the classics." I leaned back against the locker, my body feeling heavy and achy.

"Fine, fine. I'll order the plain cheese and pepperoni for you, Captain Cranky." He shot back, laughing.

"Alright. But the moment you pull another pineapple stunt, I'm bringing a whole case of anchovies to your birthday." I smirked, relieved that the light banter was easing the tension in my muscles, if only a little.

"Noted. Now, let's go grab some of those ice-cold Gatorades and cool off for a bit." He suggested, standing up.