A Long Way Back (Unfinished Business #2) - Barbara Elsborg Page 0,87

had to try to catch it. If he did, he got rid of it as fast as he could. At least the mud he was covered in from his fall made it look as if he was taking an active part in the game. He was freezing. Even the extra layer offered by his T-shirt wasn’t making a difference.

Killian half-heartedly trundled after a guy running with the ball, then stopped when he realised he wasn’t going to catch him. His attention was drawn to the sycamore trees at the side of the pitch. The wind had picked up and hundreds of helicopter seeds swirled in the air like crazy Russian dancers.

“Byrne! Stop staring into space and help your teammates.”

He gasped as he tripped over the ball and what felt like an army of hippos landed on top of him. Served him right for not paying attention. He struggled to get free of the tangle of limbs and Mr Jones blew his whistle. The others rolled off and Killian lay there winded with his eyes closed, registering it had stopped raining. I hate my life.

“Pretending to be dead’s not going to work,” Iron Balls snapped.

Killian pushed to his feet, caked with mud, and the game continued.

He scored a try. He hadn’t meant to. It was a complete accident, but someone threw the ball straight at him and somehow, he caught it close to the line. When he saw Wes heading for him, he threw himself in the right direction, slammed the ball on the ground and rolled away before he was tackled. Wes still managed to step on his arm before Killian could move out of reach.

Killian’s team won and Wes was incandescent with rage because Killian had made him look a fool. Killian was six inches shorter and skinny. Wes was built like a tank. Baz and Mick dug their elbows into Killian’s sides when Iron Balls wasn’t watching and he had to fight not to cry out. His arm was killing him. Killian’s plans to be first back to the changing room dissolved when he and Wes were told to gather up all the equipment and return it to the storage shed.

If Killian couldn’t be first back, now he had to be last and figure out a way to delay his shower until everyone had gone home. They were all supposed to shower, though not everyone did, especially when it was the final lesson of the day. But the rain had turned the field into a mud bath and he’d get into trouble if he went home dirty, especially if he made a mess of his uniform.

The moment the two of them were in the shed, Wes thumped him in the stomach, then the face.

“That’s for fucking winning,” Wes snapped.

Killian’s mouth filled with blood and when Wes hit him again, the blood sprayed from his mouth over Wes. Enough for Wes to shove him over and kick him. When Wes pulled down his shorts and exposed his cock, Killian gasped in shock and skittered away.

“You’ve been dying to see this. Come and suck it.”

“Fuck off.”

Wes grabbed his hair, yanked him closer and when Killian’s fingers settled around a cricket bat, he grabbed it and hit Wes on the thigh. Wes wrenched it out of his hold, and Killian regretted having touched it. It turned into a scrappy battle where they both clung onto the bat and both ended up bleeding. When Killian managed to thump him in the nuts, Wes backed off, groaning.

“Leave me alone or I’ll tell on you,” Killian snapped.

Wes pulled up his shorts and stumbled off. All the equipment was in a mess, blood was smeared in several places and Killian couldn’t leave it like that. He took off his rugby top and used his T-shirt to clean up. He had to be quick because his mother would freak out if he and his brother didn’t get home by four thirty.

Killian was filthy, his legs and arms, and probably his face, were covered in mud and grass stains and blood. He wrapped his T-shirt in a ball, closed up the shed, and ran out of his school to the one next door where his eight-year-old brother Ruari was waiting with a teacher.

“Sorry,” Killian said and Ru ran to him.

““Have you been rolling in mud? It’s even in your hair. And what have you done to your face? Where’s all that blood come from?” Ru reached out, rubbed Killian’s cheek and looked at his fingers. “Your cheek’s