Joey Lynch is the hotheaded hurler of Tommen College. He’s the boy everyone feared, envied or wanted. He’s also the boy who stole your heart, and then broke it after he walked away. To protect you.

Joey decided to act like a friend, and walked you home. More like, followed after you while you stormed off.

Are you serious?” Joey took a step back, as if you physically hurt him.

“You think I’m not hurting?”

“I don’t know how you feel anymore.” You shrugged.

“In love.” Joey bit out. “With you.”

“Don’t..”

“Nothing’s changed for me, Molloy.” He cut you off.

“Nothing.”

“I can’t do this,” You admitted, voice torn. “I can’t.”

“Can’t what?” Joey asked, feeling panicked.

“Can’t talk to me?”

“Be here with you and not be with you.” You strangled out, pressing a hand to your forehead.

“It’s too much. It’s too hard.”

You turned to walk away, but he shook his head.

“Molloy.” A fucked up combination of guilt and fear coursed through him as he watched you walk away.

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“No,” Swirling around, you stalked back to him.

“No. This is not protecting me. Joey. Walking away is not protecting me.”

Blinking back angry tears, you kept going.

“This is not how you treat someone you love, which shows me you never loved me in the first place.”

“Never loved you?” Joey gaped at you. “Are you fucking crazy? You’re the only person on the planet I do love!”

“No,” You snapped. “You don’t get to do this to me. You don’t get to come back and wreck me. You don’t get to tell me you love me and then go back to breaking my heart!”

You choked out a pained sob as Joey cupped your cheeks in his hands.

“You don’t love me, Joey.”

Sniffling, your eyes fluttered shut and you leaned into his touch.

“You don’t know how to love anyone.”

“Maybe I do it badly,” Joey strangled out, his heart splintering in half.

“But I do love you.”

“You’re a shithead.” You shot back.

“I know.” Joey whispered.