Binding 13

Johnny drives Shannon to her house. On the way, she goes through his iPod and comments on how much of his music she also likes. She mentions a song he should listen to—the same one he heard and liked in the pub a few weeks before.

Shannon invites him inside, and then up to her room. He awkwardly tries to make conversation, eventually mentioning all her books. She admits that she struggles with math in school, so Johnny offers to help her study.

For the next four hours, Johnny helps Shannon with her homework. He repeatedly tells himself that it is a bad idea to be there and that he is making their situation worse, but he can’t bring himself to go. At one point, he stares at her breasts in her shirt and Shannon catches him. Uncomfortable and realizing how late it is, he insists that he should go home. Shannon hugs him, and Johnny is overwhelmed by his desire for her but forces himself to go.

That night, Shannon goes downstairs to get her phone. Her dad stops her and tells her that the neighbor saw Johnny bringing her home from school the other day. Shannon insists that nothing is going on between them, but her dad hits her in the face. She thinks of Joey telling her to fight back but can’t bring up the courage to do so. Her dad drags her into the kitchen and drops her phone into a glass of water, then tells her that he will drown her next if he finds out she is lying to him.

At home on Tuesday night, Johnny is thinking about Shannon. He knows that he has an “addictive” personality and has spent his life focusing that personality on rugby. He thinks of how, if he pursues Shannon, he won’t be able to stop himself from committing to her completely.

At school, Claire helps Shannon apply concealer to cover the bruise from her father. She initially resists, telling Shannon that she can’t keep helping her cover her injuries, but relents when Shannon begs her for help.

At lunch, Lizzie informs them that Bella has been telling everyone that Shannon is sleeping with Johnny. Shannon thinks of how happy she was not being known and not being bullied, but now between Bella, her feelings for Johnny, and her situation at home, she is overwhelmed by anxiety and stress.

Lizzie goes over to Johnny’s table with Shannon and insists that Johnny do something about it. Johnny is not aware of the situation and tells Shannon they are going to Bella’s table to make her apologize. With Gibsie’s help, Shannon convinces him that they should just leave instead. As they start to go, however, Bella loudly talks about Shannon, causing Johnny to go over to her table.

As Bella tells him she is just telling the truth, Johnny reacts by punching Cormac in the face. Shannon quickly leaves the lunchroom, comparing the situation to Joey defending her from her father, and thinks how—no matter what the outcome of a fight is—she “always lost” (491).

Gibsie and his other teammates drag Johnny from the lunchroom after he punches Cormac. They try to calm him down, but he is angry and concerned because Shannon has left. Gibsie makes the other kids leave and then talks privately with Johnny.

He tries to explain to him that Shannon does not want him to fight for her, but Johnny does not understand. He feels confused and upset by the realization that he would rather get in trouble with the academy for hitting Cormac than allow Shannon to be disrespected.

Shannon does not come back to school the next day. Johnny is concerned but doesn’t know whether he should go to her house or just let it go. He has a rugby playoffs match in Dublin the next day, then school is out for two weeks after that, and he worries about not seeing her before the break.

When Shannon returns to school on Friday, she does not realize that they are going to Dublin for the playoff game. She gets on the bus late and the rugby coach yells at her to find a seat; the only one available is next to Johnny.

Johnny asks Shannon if she is mad at him for what happened in the lunchroom. She says she isn’t—inwardly, she thinks that she is embarrassed and anxious but not mad. Their conversation is awkward, causing Johnny to put his headphones in.

On the three-and-a-half-hour bus ride, the chaperones make them play games and give out prizes. This usually annoys Johnny and he does not participate; this time, however, because of how it makes Shannon talk and get involved and excited to win, Johnny enjoys playing.

When everyone gets off the bus for a food stop, Shannon stays behind with Johnny on the bus. She asks him to teach her about rugby, and he does his best to explain the rules to her. Although she understands little, she is excited by how much Johnny enjoys it. However, near the end of the break, she makes a joke about Johnny’s injury, which makes him turn cold. As the other students file back onto the bus, Johnny ignores her, and Shannon becomes angry at the way that he switches moods so quickly.

The chaperones tell the students to engage in silent reflection. As Shannon thinks about Johnny, he suddenly leans over and whispers in her ear. He tells her that he made himself vulnerable to her by telling her about his injury—something that he never does with anyone. He tells her he is truly scared about his injury and is in pain all the time, so he is unsure about his future for the first time in his life.

In return, Shannon then leans over and whispers to Johnny. She tells him that she was bullied very badly at her previous schools. When the last school got so bad that it was affecting Joey and her family, they finally decided to let her go to Tommen—but now her mother works constantly to pay for it.

After their confessions, Johnny asks Shannon why she told him, and she says it’s because she feels so safe with him. Johnny assures her that she is safe, then tells her not to worry about Bella—that she is just jealous of how Shannon is beautiful “inside and out” (535). As she sits and looks at Johnny with his hand on her face, Gibsie interrupts them and talks privately to Johnny.

As they get closer to Royce for the game, Johnny becomes distant again, leaving Shannon to look through his iPod. She finds a playlist called “Songs for Shannon,” which is full of love songs, causing her to wonder if he has feelings for her too (538).

As the students get off the bus, the rugby coach angrily meets with some of the players. Shannon learns that the other team is trying to stop Johnny from playing, but Johnny is not worried about it. As he leaves to change, she tells him to be safe and he kisses her on the forehead.