Until Fountain Bridge (On Dublin Street 1.5)

“Not when you’re a fifteen year old girl. Not when you’re you. ” I flinched back, taking that as an insult and Adam immediately grimaced. “Els, I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean… you’re not just some girl. ”

“Look, Braden gave me this speech three hours ago on the phone. ”

“Ellie,” Adam gave me a look that clearly said “shut up”. “You’re special. You deserve a boy who understands that, and a boy who understands that won’t try any funny business tonight, okay?”

“Funny business?” I raised my eyebrows at him. “I’m pretty sure Sam won’t try any funny business. ”

“Els, you’re a romantic, and you’re young. Boys his age… they’re not romantic. They have one thing on their mind and one thing only. And the little swine isn’t getting it from you. ”

Annoyed at his suggestion I was some naïve little girl, I brushed past him. “Don’t you have a comatose date waiting somewhere for you?”

“You cheeky little bugger,” he grumbled behind me as I walked out of my room and started heading down the stairs. “I preferred you when you were wee and cute and didn’t talk back. ”

I grunted at that and then inhaled on said grunt, choking, at the sound of the doorbell.

“I’ll get that,” Adam announced determinedly, but I flung out my arms and legs in a star- shape, blocking his passage.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough limbs to stop Clark, who hurried out of the living room wearing a glower the likes I’d never seen before.

Uh oh.

So perhaps Clark wasn’t as cool about my whole first date thing after all.

“Dammit,” I breathed, hurrying down the last few steps as Braden came out of the living room with a bottle of beer in hand. Eyes wide at his sudden appearance and the darkening of his expression when he saw my dress, I raced by him and collided against Clark’s back as he finished greeting my date at the door.

“She’s right here,” Clark said as I stumbled around him, giving him a questioning look. He was all glaring and intimidating. It was weird.

“Sam,” I breathed, feeling my butterflies explode into a flurry again at the sight of him.

Sam was as tall as Braden, although lanky and slim, and he had messy light brown hair that seemed to have a life of its own. He was famous at school for that hair. All the girls wanted to be the girl who got to run her fingers through that hair. I was hoping after tonight that girl would be me.

Sam finished eyeing Clark warily and then threw a dimpled smile my way. “Hey, Ellie.

You look great. ”

“She does not. ” Braden suddenly appeared behind me and Clark, and I closed my eyes in actual pain after watching Adam squeeze in beside him. They were both trying to fry Sam’s arse with the power of their eyeballs. “She looks fifteen. You remember that. ”

Oh God. Kill me. Kill me now.

“If you touch her, I’ll make sure you lose all sense of feeling. Permanently,” Adam warned darkly.

“What he said

,” Braden growled.

When I dared to open my eyes, my heart in my throat, it was to find Sam’s face was ashen as he stared at Braden and Adam as though they were Viking marauders come to cut off his head.

“What is all this?” Mum’s voice sent a rush of relief through me. “Get away from the door. ” Adam and Braden were jerked backwards, followed by Clark, until my mum, Elodie Nichols, was left standing alone. Tall and willowy, my mum was still gorgeous, and right now she was an angel.

“Thank you,” I breathed gratefully.

She took one look at my expression and threw a dirty look over her shoulder at the retreating men. It appeased me somewhat to know that when I left on my date with Sam, the three of them would get a verbal tongue-lashing that would make their threats to Sam seem like child’s play.

When she turned back she held a hand out to my date. “Elodie Nichols, it’s lovely to meet you, Sam. ”

“You too, Mrs. Nichols,” Sam replied quietly, clearly not recovered.

“Well, I’ll let you two get on. ” Her eyes glistened as she tucked my hair behind my ear and leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek. “Have a great time, darling. Be back before eleven. ”

“Thanks Mum. ”

“You’ve got your phone?”

I nodded and quickly stepped out onto the front stoop, gently pressing Sam toward the street. He didn’t say a word as we walked away, heading for the bus stop.

“Just ignore them,” I finally advised. “They’re just messing with you. ”

He gave me a weak smile and then checked his watch. “Film’s starting soon. We better hurry. ”

*** I slammed the door shut behind me, trying to mentally decimate the angry tears that were determined to spring to my eyes.

“Is that you, darling?” Mum called from the living room.

Miserable and needing a mum-hug, I moped down the hall and entered the room only to draw to a surprised halt.

It was ten-thirty and Braden and Adam were still here.

Mum and Clark were in their armchairs, Braden and Adam on the couch, and all four of them were no longer looking at the television but at me.