Gerard Gibson

Was I excited to see Queen Bitch herself? No. Not particularly.

Was I excited to see my girl? Yes. Fucking obviously. The way my heart was pounding confirmed it.

I don’t know why I got nervous every time I saw her but it felt like a first date every time she was with me. The butterflies, the nervousness, the potential. That’s why I loved her. I never got tired of her. I knew every single inch of her, every single quirk and inside joke, and no matter how long I was around her, I never got bored.

Were we dating? No, her brother would kill me and I didn’t want to wreck her. I was older, dirty, and so fucking broken and damaged I was surprised I still worked. She was younger, soft, with kind eyes and gentle hands. But she was my girl. I’d fucking die to keep her safe and rather chuck myself from a bridge than do anything to hurt her. We were friends. A special type of friend where she made my pants tight and my heart pound but what was important was that she was in my life.

I pushed open the door and turned to see the booth packed with people. Feely, who’d walked in five minutes ahead of me, the fucking Viper ugh-, Little Shannon, and my girl. She was smiling at me like I hung the stars and all of a sudden, I wasn’t nervous anymore because I was safe and I was with her.

“Pat,” I nodded at him. “Viper. Little Shan.”

I dropped into the booth and pressed my mouth to the apple of Cleo’s cheek. “Hi baby,” I greeted, my voice going stupid soft as I cupped her face. “Good to see you.”

Everything was fine for all of five minutes before something I said, nothing bad may I add, set a fire in Lizzie’s knickers.

I was just talking to Cleo and Liz lost it, she went off yelling like a crazy person so that's what I called her, crazy. Heaven forbid a lad calls a spade a spade, apparently.

“I’m not trying to make you out to be crazy, Lizzie,” I started, that ugly fury burning behind my sternum like it often did when she tried to make it seem like I was trying to hurt Cleo. “I don’t need to, because the whole feckin’ world can see it clear as day!”

“Gibs!” Patrick snapped, “That’s too far, lad.”

“No,” Lizzie objected, her palms flat on the table as she rose up, hackles risen. “What would be going too far is telling him that Peter Biggs saved the wrong child from the wat-”

Shannon immediately spoke up to distract Lizzie but I couldn’t decipher the words anymore, all I could hear was a faint, dull ringing and a pressure between my ears like my skull was being crushed.

One second I was in my seat and then next, I was shoving away like the surface had burned me, storming towards the door.

I knew she was right, I’d spent nearly every night for the past ten years reliving those final moments in my nightmares and wishing Mr. Biggs had gone for my baby sister. She was a cute little thing with these blonde curls, my ma always wanted to raise a daughter. And my da went under trying to keep me up and lost my sister in the process.