𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝟖 (𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐂)

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟓 | 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬, 𝐉𝐨𝐞. |

ORLA LYNCH

"You got her pregnant, Joe!"

I choked out, my words tumbling out of my mouth as soon as I laid eyes on my brother and his girlfriend, both looking flushed and slightly panicked. "Oh, shit." Joey hissed through his teeth whilst Aoife looked at me horrified.

Rumors were spiraling through the school halls, the school bathrooms, the classrooms— All involving Aoife Molloy being impregnated at the ripe age of eighteen, by none other than Joey fucking Lynch.

My brother.

I clutched onto the straps of my backpack, clenching my hands tighter around the fabric as my nerves bottled up inside of me like water. "Are they true? The rumors?" I choked out.

Fear crawled my insides. If the rumors were true then everything was fucked. Because If Aoife was pregnant that meant I was losing my brother.

"Orla," Joey said, rushing towards me. His tone was calm and deceiving to my ears. "Just Calm down, Okay." He put his hands on my arms, holding me in place. Calm down? I was calm, I was very fucking calm.

"Just answer me, damn it!" I demanded, stumbling out of his hands. "Did you get her pregnant?" I snap.

And when he looked at me, mouth shut and silent, I looked to his girlfriend who looked to be on the brink of tears. "Are you pregnant, Molloy?"

She bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes as she reached her arms over to shield her stomach. She nodded.

I nearly choked on my spit and died right there, on the fucking spot.

I slapped my hands on my mouth, fear crawling up my back and swirling my stomach into I felt like I could throw-up right then and there. "Oh God, Joey!" I croaked, My eyes stinging with something I did not want to do. "Oh, God, Oh God, oh God!" I repeated, over and over to myself.

I was losing my brother.

Love was taking him away from me.

Joey ran a frustrated hand through his hair, approaching me cautiously. "Listen Orla, everything is grand. Everything will be grand—"

"No," I shook my head, the back of my throat lodging with a lump. "You're leaving." I choked out, tears brimming my eyes.

My heart thrummed in my ears. He was leaving. My pulse skyrocketing in my chest, and my skin crawling with so much fear it enveloped me until it was the only thing I could feel. "You have to leave us Joe."

"No, I'm not going anyway. Okay, Orla? I am not going anyway, you hear me? I'll be there for you and my baby—" He rushed, ushering me to believe me. He held my shoulders firmly, a look of pure panic on his face, cracking under the pressure of his lying facade.

I pushed him off of me, anger swallowing the fear in an instant. "What the fuck, Joe! You have to leave us—You have to support Aoife and her baby, they are your top priority now." I hissed, seething with pent up anger.

I glanced to Aoife. "I'm sorry my brother impregnated you—"

"It's okay," She waved a hand dismissively. But her words didn't distract me from the tears staining her cheeks.

I pressed my palm to my forehead, pacing around anxiously now.

Aoife was Having Joey's baby.

So he had to leave us.

He has too. He has to support them, they are his family now.

We'll be put on his backburner now. We will have nobody.