Loving 4

Tadgh

As the day went on, I kept thinking about one person—a person with the most beautiful green eyes I'd ever seen. After I left to go to the bathroom during lunch, I heard a voice coming from the music room. I was mesmerized. The voice was smooth and velvety, like warm honey dripping slowly, wrapping around each note with ease. Suddenly, the need to piss was gone, and all I could think about was that voice; it soothed something deep inside me. Without thinking, I went to the music room. As I got closer, the piano and singing grew louder. I opened the door carefully, not wanting to startle whoever was playing. When I finally saw who it was, my jaw dropped. Mona was sitting there, her eyes closed, fingers dancing atop the keys, lost in her own world as if nothing else existed but the melody and rhythm. It was as if she was born for this. I had never seen anyone so talented. Even Ollie, who has practiced piano for two years, couldn't compare, and he's good. I kept staring, watching her face relax as brown locks fell across her face, partly obscuring it. When she finished, I couldn't help but clap. She looked startled when she opened her eyes. We talked a little afterward. For the first time in a while, I felt peace; even though we didn't say much, the silence alone was enough to relax me. Later, I left, but her singing lingered in my mind.

My phone ringing pulled me back to the present. Joey's name flashed across the screen. I accepted the call, holding the phone to my ear. "Hey, Joe," I said, tossing books into my bag from my locker. "Hey, kid, I'm outside in the car. Come out," he replied before hanging up. Once I finished packing my bag, I headed out. As I reached the car park, a car honked at me. When I opened the door of the backseat, AJ was in his baby seat, Aoife in the passenger seat, and Joey in the driver's seat.

"Hey, kid, how was your day?" Joey asked as I got in. "Good," I replied, though AJ was already sticking my hand in his  mouth. I tried to pull it away, but he was surprisingly strong for a kid, like he had a hand of steel. I gave up and let him grab my hand. As the car engine roared to life, Aoife turned in her seat, looking at me. "How was your first day?" she asked, her green eyes smiling. "All good, the usual—classes, hurling, that kind of thing." She nodded, still smiling. "Well, good. Edel wanted us to get some things from the grocery store. Want us to drop you off first, or do you want to come with us?"

I was too tired from hurling, so there was no way I was going. All I wanted was a shower and my bed. "Nah, thanks. Could you drop me off first? I'm too tired from hurling." Joey nodded, and we fell into silence, broken only by AJ's giggles and calls to Aoife, "Ma!" I looked at them and felt happy. My brother, after 18 years of suffering, had finally gotten what he deserved. If it weren't for Joey, all of us would've been lost long ago. He was our protector, our mom, our dad—the reason we survived. I used to be terrified that he'd leave us, just like Darren did. It kept me up at night, haunted by the thought of him passing on his burden to me, because if he left, I'd have to protect everyone. But deep down, I knew I couldn't do what he did. My brother is one of the strongest people I've ever met; he fought our father and his addiction to return to Aoife.

To be honest, I kind of envy my siblings. Sometimes, I feel like I don't belong, even after two years with the Kavanaghs. Joey has Aoife, Shannon has Johnny, Ollie has John, and Edel loves Sean. And that leaves me. The sound of the car engine cutting off brought me back from my thoughts. "See you later, Tadgh," Joey said as I opened the door. I kissed AJ's forehead, still hearing his giggles as I entered the house.

"I'm back," I called, removing my shoes. Edel came in from the living room door. "Hey, love, how was school?" she asked, her smile making me smile, too. "All good." She nodded. "I have lunch ready if you want." I placed my shoes in the cabinet. "Nah, thanks. I'm too tired from training. I'll shower and get some rest. By the way, when are Shannon and Johnny coming back?" Last year, after his graduation, Johnny left for the U20 in Paris, and Shannon joined him later to study in medical school there. They were supposed to come back this week. "They'll be here at midnight. I could wake you up," Edel offered. I loved Shannon, but I was too tired to stay up that late. "No, thanks. I'll see them before school." Edel nodded, and as she turned to walk away, she paused. "Love, tomorrow is family night. My boss is coming over for dinner, so be ready, okay?" I agreed and headed up to my room.

Lately, my head feels like a tornado. I'm grateful, but there's always a small sense of loneliness, a feeling that I don't belong here. My thoughts keep drifting back to that house, the one I left behind. Sometimes, I feel messed up for thinking it, but part of me believes I belonged there, in that pain. Maybe I don't deserve fancy dinners and vacations because I left her behind in that house. I should have saved my mother, but I didn't—I ran away with Johnny. I didn't even tell him to save her. Why should I get to live this kind of life when she never did?

I hate being alone with my thoughts; they always lead me to dark places. I headed to my room, stripped off my clothes, and stepped into the shower, turning the water as hot as I could. The scalding water eased the ache in my muscles from training, and with each drop, the storm in my mind seemed to clear a little. After finishing, I wrapped myself in a towel, changed, and lay down. As I drifted off to sleep, my last thought was Mona.

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I don't know how to thank you all ,1 k was something I couldn't imagine reaching so thanks all 

It really means a lot to me,anyway how are we liking tadgh and Mona's interactions, trust me it gets better ,anyway thanks all for reading my story it means a lot to me.

Bye pookies 😘😘😘😍😍🎀