Joey had gotten into a fight for you over the summer.

The minute you returned to school, your best friends Casey and Aoife questioned you about it.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, Case. It literally took three fully grown men to drag him away.”

“He’s a scary boy,” she replied. “Sexy, yes, but downright terrifying.”

“No, he’s not.” You defended Joey.

“Yes, he is,” she corrected, tone serious now. “You know I’m from Elk’s Terrace, too. I grew up on the other side of the estate from him. Hell, I even went to the same playschool as him. In fact, I specifically remember him being stood in the corner for fighting most days. I’ve seen him in action on way more occasions than you, babe, so trust me when I tell you that Joey Lynch is a very scary boy.”

“Not to me,” you whispered. “To me, he’s just Joey.”

“And Paul?”

“Paul is… Paul.”

“You’re playing with fire,” Casey replied, eyes full of concern. “You need to cool this friendship with Joey or end it with Paul. This can’t continue.”

“I’m not doing anything with Joey. I care about him, okay. It’s okay to care about a person.”

“You’re our best friend, and we don’t want to see you get hurt,” Aoife said. “And messing around with Joey Lynch is going to get you hurt.”

“I’m not hurt—“

“You’re not hurt yet,” Casey interrupted. “But you will be, if you don’t start protecting that heart of yours.” She sighed heavily before whispering, “For what it’s worth, I don’t blame you for holding back with Paul. He’s not exactly a knight in shining armor but jumping from Paul’s ship to Joey’s is the equivalent of jumping out of the pan and into the fire. I know you care about him. I get that, okay? But boys like that can’t be fixed. Not with friendship, or love, or anything else, because they are just not fixable.”

“I can’t walk away from him,” you admitted, voice torn. “I don’t know why, but I just can’t do it.”

You watched Joey walk out of the hall with Neasa Murphy.

“Still can’t walk away?” Aoife asked sadly. “Because he doesn’t seem to have the same problem.”