“It was in Ms. Hannigan’s desk,” Cassandra said with a shrug. “I just wanted to try it. I see my brother doing it all the time. What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal is it’s illegal and you’re too young to ever try something like this. Do you understand me?” He was yelling now, inches from her face. The young girl looked terrified, and Shea had shrunk against the wall, staring wide-eyed at him.
“I’m sorry.” Cassandra sniffed, pushing the back of her hand to her nose and trying not to cry.
“Get out of here—go. I’ll have to tell Ms. Hannigan, and she’ll probably have to tell your parents.”
He didn’t want to frighten them, but he also kind of did want to. He had zero tolerance for children using drugs, and that’s what they were—children. Despite his own past, and the possible hypocrisy, this wasn’t something he would ever let slide.
“Shea, what were you thinking?” he asked after Cassandra left, still holding the joint up between them for her to see. The air was clearer now, but Shea looked just as nervous.
She didn’t say anything, only shook her head. Tears streaked down her cheeks.
“Did you know what this was?” he asked her again.
She shook her head no, eyes on the ground.
Sighing with frustration, he shoved the joint in his pocket for safekeeping until he could talk to Nora. He knew Shea was easily lured, and it wouldn’t have taken much for the other girl to convince her to participate.
He also knew that they’d need to have a very serious conversation about this, but Fiona would have to be there and emotions needed to calm down first. Especially his. “Let’s go home. Fiona and I will talk to you about this later, okay?”
Shea nodded and wiped at her face. He gave her a moment to compose herself, handing over her backpack when she was done. He knelt down and gave her a hug, despite her reluctance. She froze in his arms for a moment before relaxing and gingerly hugging him back. Yelling at her had been risky, Fiona had warned him about that not long after they first met. Shea struggled with criticism like that, because she tended to close off and retreat back into her shell.
He sighed as they pulled apart, but looked her seriously in the eye. “I’m sorry I yelled, Shea. It’s just that this is very serious stuff here, and you can’t do things like this. It’s not good for you, do you understand?”
Shea nodded that she understood, but she still looked confused. He knew once they got home he’d need to seek advice from his mom about how to best explain drugs to a child, particularly a child with Shea’s limitations. Exhaling loudly, he stood up again and took her hand; then they walked out together to find Fiona and Nora.
They exited the back door, and while Shea continued walking toward Fiona, Kieran came to a dead stop. Shit!
Nora, his mother, and Fiona were still standing right where he’d left them, but they had been joined by the short, balding man he knew as Officer Kirk Huppert. They glanced over at him, and their expressions were something he would never forget. Nora looked uncomfortable, a hand on Fiona’s arm like she was trying to calm her. His mother looked embarrassed—no surprise there, as he’d always been the embarrassment of the family. Officer Huppert looked annoyed, his face bunching up more and more by the moment.
But Fiona…that’s who he was really staring at.
Fiona looked shocked, her eyes wide and her mouth open. Her hands were on her chest, overlapping her heart like she was trying to stop it from jumping right out of her chest.
“Kavanagh. There you are.” Officer Huppert approached him quickly.
Kieran couldn’t move. His feet planted into the ground were as imprisoning as any cell he’d ever been in. Fiona pushed Shea toward Dee and Nora, then followed him over. Every step she took toward him was unbearable, watching her face rotate from confused to angry to devastated.
“Fiona, maybe wait here,” Dee called after her, looking as nervous as he felt. Fiona didn’t listen, just kept heading straight for him, pure agony in her eyes.
He’d done that to her. He was the one causing her pain right now because he’d kept a part of his past hidden. All his reasons for waiting fizzled, and he’d have done anything to take the hurt from her eyes.
“Officer, what are you doing here?” Kieran asked, trying to force the words out as the man stopped before him.
“I came here to do an occupational check, make sure you were doing the community service and all that. I just spoke to your boss, though, and she says you’ve been doing excellent work,” Huppert said, his arms over his chest, looking angrier than his words implied.