GIBSIE
OCTOBER 11TH, 2004

WHAT HAS KATIE DONE? I've offered Michelle a spot at our table almost every day since week two of us knowing each other. She always said no and that she 'would rather eat alone so she doesn't get distracted and forget to eat then starve for the rest of the day'.

And I was perfectly okay with that.

But for the first time since I started asking, she actually said yes.

Well she didn't say anything. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. I actually think she stopped breathing for a moment. It was her sister who said yes.

Michelle had looked back at her, probably for help, but instead of helping, Maeve nodded—very enthusiastically—and practically pushed her sister into the chair beside me. Then Maeve dropped down in the empty chair beside Michelle.

"Hey! I'm Maeve." She held her hand out for Katie, who gladly shook it.

"Katie." Then the girl turned to her boyfriend "this is Hughie" then to his best friend "and Patrick."

"Nice to meet you." Both Maeve and Michelle said in sync, only Maeve send a lot happier than Michelle.

"So." Hughie leaned forwards as if he was about ready to interrogate the poor girl "you're new here, right?"

Lightly biting on her lower lip, Michelle nodded.

"Where did you move here from?" I'm guessing he already knew the answer to that. Everyone knew, her accent gave it away.

"Maine." She began to fidget with her fingers, pulling at her nails.

Maeve must have noticed her sisters nervousness because she began to speak. "Mickey lived in The States her whole life with her dad. Just before the school year started she moved in with us because she needed a change or something like that." She waved her hand through the air "I never really asked about the details."

Maeve was sitting two seats away from me, her legs folded under her and the top half of her body leaning against her elbows, which were resting on the table.

Basically, she was sitting like a ten year old.

She seemed to have the personality of one too.

"So you're living with your mom now?" Hughie asked, narrowing his eyes.

I didn't like that.

The way he looked at her.

Like she was an axe murderer lying about where she was Friday night.

Michelle nodded, her eyes falling to her hands. Clearly not enjoying the boys glare.

"And is Maeve your only sibling?"

Maeve popped up again "no." She leaned further on the table while looking in the other direction. "Finn over there is my twin brother." She pointed at Baby Buckley, who was sitting at the other end of the table with his friends, laughing.

It felt so odd to see him being a real life person. During practice he goes mute and sometimes I'm not even sure he blinks.

As if sensing us talk about him, he turned his head to look over at us, his smile immediately dropping when they landed on his sisters.

"No way!" Hughie laughed "Baby Buckley's your brother?"

Baby Buckley stood up from his spot beside his friends, mumbling something that earned a few nods, before walking over to us.

"Why do you call him Baby Buckley?" Michelle asked, her eyebrows furrowed together. It was cute.

"Because he's new and his last name is Buckley." I answered.

"Hey Mikey, Maeve. Why are you two doing here." Hughie looked completely taken aback by the fact that he just spoke.

"Sitting with Michelle's new friends." Maeve smiled, glancing back at us. "Join us." She patted the empty spot beside her.

Suspiciously, Baby Buckley sat in the spot. He glanced over at the older boy he sat across from, mumbling "Feely."

Patrick nodded to the younger boy "Buckley."

Hold up.

Were they friends?

I glanced over at Johnny, who was looking over at me like he was thinking the same thing.

"So what are you talking about?" Baby Buckley asked.

"You." Maeve answered without skipping a heartbeat.

Baby Buck glanced around at the people looking at him "umm, why?" I noticed his shoulders tense.

"We weren't really." Michelle sent her younger brother a tight-lipped smile. "That one was just asking me where I came from, why I moved here, and other personal information about my life."

I felt a laugh slip through my lips.

She seemed to get a lot less nervous with Baby Buck around.

"Oh." Baby Buck nodded "Planning on stealing her identity, Biggs."

"Uhh" Hughie froze, a little confused on where all the confidence was suddenly coming from.

Everyone else laughed.

Michelle waved it off with a smile "it's alright. I have a boring life, it would be better if I got some action."

"Damn straight." Maeve nodded, her eyes trailing on Hughie's plate of food. "Your life is so boring it makes me bored just sitting next to you."

"Then go sit with your friends, Maeve." Michelle sneered.

"She can't, Michelle. She needs your popularity." Baby Buckley smiled, mocking his sister.

"I do not." Maeve looked about ready to jump up and slap her brother.

"That's not what you said ten minutes ago." Michelle mumbled.

Maeve's head snapped towards her older sister with an offended glare "Michelle!" She squeaked "that was a private conversation."

Michelle folded her hands together "you probably should have thought about that before you decided to be a bitch."

Maeve gasped. "This is why I don't like you." She shoved her fingers in Michelle's face.

"Yeah, well, the feelings mutual."

"You two, stop arguing when we have spectators." Both girls rolled their eyes at their brother's words, but still listened.

Michelle turned back to the group, her cheeks pink.

"So." She cleared her throat. "You guys play rugby too?" She asked, more directed towards Hughie and Feely.

Both the boys nodded instead of using words.

"That's cool." She hummed, lightly nodded.

I almost laughed. One thing I've noticed about her within this past month is that she wasn't the best at starting conversation, especially with new people. She always got awkward and anytime she asked a question she got worried it might be too personal and would immediately apologize.

I leaned towards the girl, whispering "They aren't very good at it though." Into her ear.

She snorted then immediately covered her mouth with her hand hoping to stop the laugh that she was clearly about to let out.

"Do you guys do anything else or just play rugby like a bunch or basic assholes?" Maeve asked, her eyes flickering down the plate in front of Hugh, again.

I was starting to get the feeling that she might be a little hungry.

"They're pretty basic." I sighed, leaning on Michelle's shoulder. "And assholes."

"You're the asshole." Hugh grumbled, throwing a chip at my face.

I grabbed the chip off the table where it had landed, but before I could throw it back Michelle's hand had grabbed mine. "Please don't start throwing things back and forth. I don't want to be caught in the crossfire."

I kept my glare on Hugh, but ultimately dropped the chip. I hope he knew that the second Michelle was gone he was getting payback for that.

She didn't take her hand off of mine after that. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it was because she wasn't sure if I would actually listen or maybe she just didn't want to.

After watching Maeve glare down at Hugh's plate for the tenth time, I slid my plate towards the girl. The only thing left on it was my chips, but I figured it was better than nothing.

She looked a little confused on why I was being nice and giving her my food, instead of giving her a solid answer I just shrugged. I had already ate like twenty snacks thought-out the day (which Johnny was definitely gonna yell at me for later), and I didn't really want them.

"So, Mikey." Johnny crossed his hands on the table. "What do you like to do?"

Michelle let out a sigh "Uhh. . .not much anymore." She laughed while nervously scratched the back of her head with her free hand. "I used to do a lot of things. For a while I liked photography and stuff, but I—" she cut herself off with another awkward laugh "I broke my camera and never got the courage to buy a new one so."

"Why?"

Michelle's eyes flickered over to mine and she shrugged "I don't know."

Ten minutes later the bell rang.

AUTHOR TALKS!!
Just came across a tiktok of someone hating on Feely. Dude has five lines how tf can you hate him?

Also I decided to reread the book to figure out wtf happened to johnnys leg and this is what I found out.

EIGHTEEN MONTHS before he decided to get help. I think he has a problem