“I’m so not an introvert. You are.”
“Me?” Bronagh gleefully laughed. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “Which one of us kept to ’erself for years?”
“I was purposely blockin’ everyone out, though; you weren’t.”
I didn’t reply, so Bronagh raised her brow once more and stared at me, a knowing grin on her rose-coloured lips.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “I’m a little bit of an introvert, but it suits me fine. When I try to be outgoin’, it fails, so keepin’ to one’s self is a safe bet.”
“When did it ever fail?”
When hadn’t it failed was the real question she should have asked.
I rolled my eyes. “With Damien.”
My friend frowned. “You’re his friend, his only female friend apart from me, and that’s only because I’m with his brother. If I wasn’t, he’d probably try to pull me, then never talk to me again when he realised I wasn’t interested.”
“It’s not like we’re even real friends, though. I only see ’im outside of school because I’m with you all the time now, and that means I’m also with Nico. And where Nico is, Damien is.”
“Alannah—”
“I don’t like it when he flirts with me because I know what he wants,” I cut Bronagh off, swallowing. “He is so open about not wantin’ a relationship longer than a rumble under the bed sheets, but I don’t want to just have sex with ’im. I don’t want to be on his hit list. I really like ’im, and it sucks that he doesn’t like me in the same way.”
Bronagh reached over and placed her hand on my knee.
“Sorry, Lana. I wish he was different.”
“He is great the way he is,” I stressed. “But I want ’im to like me. I don’t wanna be like Destiny or Lexi; they go through lads like it’s no one’s business, and I can’t be like that. I can’t be like them just to have his attention. I just ... I just wish I was worth more to ’im than a quick shag ... ye’know?”
Bronagh nodded. “Yeah, I know.”
The mood had quickly turned melancholy, and I felt bad.
“I’m sorry, Bee. I’m bummin’ you out on your big night.”
She tilted her head. “Me big night?”
“Your hoo-ha has been deflowered.” I deadpanned. “That means it’s a big night.”
Bronagh widened her eyes before she grabbed a pillow and hit me with it, causing me to sputter with laughter. She hit me with it again, so I squealed and laughed harder.
“You’re a bitch.”
I smiled wide. “You love me, though.”
“Yeah,” Bronagh said, sounding like she had just come to some sort of revelation. “I do.”
I knew that her accepting me as a friend was a big deal for her, but I knew caring for me was an even bigger deal.
“Hey,” I said, gaining her full attention. “I love you too, and that means you’re stuck with me for life. Nico will have to get used to me as a third wheel.”
My friend snorted. “He thinks you’re gorgeous, so he won’t mind.”
I practically choked on air. “He does not!”
“He does,” Bronagh tittered. “We randomly talked about it. I’m totally cool with you knowin’ it too because I know you’re the only girl at school who prefers Damien over ’im.”
That was the truth.
“Mate,” I cringed. “Nico is ... ew.”
Bronagh cracked up with laughter. “Damien is his identical twin. They literally have the same everythin’. Well, not the same hair colour, but everythin’ else is the same.”
I disagreed.
“When I look at them, I see two completely different people. It’s hard to explain, but they’re nothin’ alike to me even though they have the same everythin’. D’ye see Damien in Nico?”
Bronagh shook her head. “At first, I did, but now, I don’t. Dominic has so much personality that his body can’t contain it.”
“Speakin’ of loverboy.” My lips curved upwards. “Did it, ye’know, hurt?”
Bronagh’s cheeks tinged with redness as she nodded, shyly.
“At first, it pinched, then it was uncomfortable, and then everythin’ changed, and it was amazin’. The pain honestly wasn’t as bad as I always thought it would be, but if Dominic wasn’t so focused on makin’ me feel good, I think it just would have just been basic like most people’s first time.”
“That’s good to know.” I exhaled. “Maybe I won’t be so wound up when I finally lose me own V-card.”
“I’m a little sore now, but Dominic says that’s normal because it was me first time. Eventually, it won’t feel uncomfortable at all afterwards. That’s what he says anyway, but he doesn’t have a fanny so I don’t even know why I listen to ’im.”
I snickered then roamed my eyes over Bronagh as I thought about the new change in her life. She was a young woman whose life had just become very adult with her and Nico’s new physical intimacy.
“You’d better go on the pill. Ye’know, just to be safe.”
“I know, Branna said she’d take me to the doctor to get a monthly prescription.”