SKYFALL, Johnny Kavanagh

Say you don't care

Maeve's Point of View

The air outside was cold, footsteps crunched against the grass behind me.
I didn't turn around, just stared ahead at the empty field.

He didn't say anything right away.
Then. "I'm going to talk to Bella."

"Don't."

Johnny ignored me. "She's not going to lay a hand on Shannon. Or you."

That made me turn.

I crossed my arms, barely restraining the anger crawling up my throat. "I don't need you to fight my battles, Kavanagh."

Johnny's gaze stayed steady. "I know."

I shook my head. "Just make sure your psycho ex doesn't go near Shannon."

His eyes darkened. "That's the plan."

Silence stretched between us.

Finally, he said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"About the rumours."

My stomach twisted, but I forced my expression to stay blank. "I only realized at lunch."

His jaw clenched. "And?"

I huffed. "And what? You want me to have a meltdown in the middle of the cafeteria? Run crying to you?"

His face didn't change. "I just don't get why you didn't say anything."

"Because it doesn't matter, Johnny." I met his eyes, voice sharp. "I don't care what those people think. I don't have the energy to care."

His expression didn't shift. "That's bullshit."

I inhaled sharply. "Excuse me?"

"It matters." His voice was calm, but there was something hard underneath it. "You just don't want to admit it."

"Oh, fuck off, Kavanagh."

"You keep pretending none of this gets to you." He took a step closer, his gaze steady, searching. "But it does. I know it does."

My teeth clenched.
Because he was right.
Because it did and I hated that.

I swallowed the sharp lump in my throat, rolling my shoulders like I could physically shake this feeling off. "I've heard worse."

Johnny exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his hair. "Jesus, Maeve."

"What?" I snapped. "What do you want me to say? That it hurts? That it fucking sucks having my name passed around like a joke? That I want to grab every one of those pathetic, whispering little shits by the throat and tell them to choke on their own words?"

Johnny didn't even blink. "That would be a start."

I shook my head, scoffing. "We're not doing this."

"Doing what?"

"This." I gestured between us. "You playing the protective boyfriend when you're not my boyfriend. You acting like you're the only person in the world who can handle me, when we both know that's not true."

Johnny's jaw tightened. "You think I'm playing?"

"I think you're wasting your time." I held his stare, daring him to argue. "I can fight my own battles. I don't need you to swoop in like some fucking saviour every time someone says something nasty about me."
I continued. "You should get to class, Kavanagh."

Something flickered across his face. "I'm talking to Bella."

"I don't care."

Johnny's lips pressed into a thin line.
I didn't wait for him to say anything else.
I just turned on my heel and tried to walk away.

"So we're just not going to mention what happened on Saturday?"

My stomach dropped. "No."

"Right." He tilted his head, voice measured. "And why is that, exactly?"

I didn't hesitate. "Because it was a mistake."

Something flickered in his eyes.
A flash of something – anger, maybe.
Frustration.
Something else.

His jaw tensed. "A mistake."

I nodded, ignoring the way my throat felt tight. "Yeah."

"Right."

The sharp, bitter edge to his voice made my stomach twist.

"Tell me something, Maeve." His voice was low. "Was it a mistake when you kissed me, or was it a mistake when you ran?"

I went still.
Then I forced myself to roll my shoulders, keeping my back to him. "Look, Kavanagh, I don't know what you want me to say, but I'm not doing this."

"Jesus Christ, Maeve."

"What?" I snapped.

"You don't get to pretend like that kiss didn't happen."

I lifted a brow. "Oh, I don't?"

"No." His voice was flat. "You don't."

I let out a short, bitter laugh. "Wow. That's rich, coming from you."

His eyes flashed. "The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"You think you get to stand here and act like you're some poor, wounded victim in all this?" I scoffed. "You're the one who's going to leave, Johnny. You're the one who's going to walk away in a few months and never look back. So don't stand here and act like you're all in, because we both know you're not."

Johnny took a step closer, his face unreadable. "You think I don't care?"

I swallowed. "I think it doesn't matter."

His jaw tightened. "You think I'm just going to forget about you?"

I forced a smirk. "Aren't you?"

Something in his face shifted.
Like I'd just said something incredibly stupid.
Like I'd just hurt him.
Good.

"You really think that, don't you?" His voice was low, rough. "Like you're some fucking phase I'm going through. Like I'm going to wake up one morning and just – what? Decide I don't care anymore?"

I held his stare, forcing myself to look bored.
Unaffected.

Johnny scoffed. "I don't get you. One second, you're kissing me like you mean it. The next, you're acting like it never happened. What the fuck do you want from me?"

"Nothing. I don't want anything from you."

"Right." His tongue ran over his teeth, and when he spoke again, his voice was lower. Angrier. "You know, you can be a real piece of work, Connor."

That stung.
More than I wanted to admit.

But I refused to let him see it.

Instead, I forced a smirk, tilting my head. "Are you angry, Kavanagh?"

Johnny took another step forward, his presence heavy, overwhelming. "I'm angry because you keep pulling this bullshit – pushing me away, shutting me out, pretending like nothing fucking matters to you."

I swallowed. "Maybe it doesn't."

He took another step forward, close enough now that I could feel the heat radiating off him. "You don't care? Fine. Say it."

I swallowed. "Say what?"

"Say you don't feel anything for me."

I forced myself to breathe evenly, "I don't."

Johnny studied me, his expression unreadable.
Then, very softly, he said, "Liar."

I needed to get out of here.
I needed space.
Distance.

Before I did something fucking stupid.
Like kissing him.
Again.

So I stepped back and walked away.

"I'm still talking to Bella." He spoke from behind me. "She's not going to bother you again."