Taming 7

Gibsie goes to his father and sister’s grave. He talks to them about how much he loves Claire, but how afraid he is to hurt her. He is interrupted by Darren, who tells him that he is there to visit Caoimhe’s grave, as they were friends in high school.

They walk together to Caoimhe’s grave. Gibsie asks Darren if he believes the story Caoimhe’s family told about what happened to her. Darren is adamant that “something” happened, and that Mark was responsible for whatever it was.

Gibsie then asks Darren how he handled being sexually abused when he was in foster care. Darren admits that it was difficult, but he believes that telling his story made it easier to handle. Gibsie muses that no one would have believed Caoimhe’s story anyway, as they all loved Mark. Darren insists that it doesn’t matter—simply telling it helps, and the right people would have believed her.

Darren gives Gibsie a card with his phone number on it. He tells Gibsie to call him when he’s “ready.” Before Gibsie can ask what he means, Darren has already walked away.

Claire cries alone in her bedroom. Gibsie comes in, carrying an envelope and insisting that he needs to tell her something. He stops short when he sees her crying. Claire gives him her phone, showing him the picture of him and Dee together.

Gibsie insists that he didn’t do anything with her that night. Claire continues to sob, saying that she isn’t sure she believes him. She then asks who the woman is, but Gibsie refuses to tell her. She insists that she can’t be his “fallback,” then tells him that they can’t be together. She forces him to leave her room.

Gibsie comes back to Claire’s room in the middle of the night. He asks her to go for a walk.

Outside, Gibsie promises her that he has not been with Dee—or any other woman—in months. He promises her that she is the only person he has ever loved. He asks her to be his girlfriend.

At first, Claire pulls away. Gibsie takes her hand, then kisses her. She is still hesitant, so Gibsie assures her that she can take as much time as she needs to think about it. The response makes her feel “validated.”

The next morning, Gibsie goes to Claire’s house to talk with Hugh. However, Hugh is still in bed, now clearly sick. Gibsie tells him that he asked his sister to be his girlfriend. Hugh responds weakly but insists that he will hurt Gibsie if he breaks Claire’s heart. Gibsie promises not to.

When Gibsie gets back to his room, Mark is there waiting for him. Gibsie angrily tells him to leave, but Mark refuses. Gibsie tells him that he has no right to be in his house after what he did. Mark pretends not to know what he’s talking about, but Gibsie pulls the letter out from under his mattress. It is part of Caoimhe’s diary. Gibsie holds it up, showing Mark that he has proof that Mark raped him. He angrily tells him that he has had to live with the fact that Mark raped him for four years—from the age of 7 to 11—and Caoimhe knew and wrote about it. He promises Mark that, if he doesn’t leave his house and never return, he will go to the police.

After school, Claire and Shannon watch the rugby match. Claire admits that she is ready to be Gibsie’s girlfriend, despite her fear. Shannon assures her that Gibsie truly is a good person.

As Gibsie plays in his game, he is distracted by commotion on the side of the field. As the coach tries to stop her, Claire runs onto the field. She tells Gibsie that she wants to be his girlfriend. The two then kiss on the field.

Gibsie drives Claire home. As they kiss in the car, she points out that Mark is packing his things into the trunk of his car.

Claire admits to Gibsie that he was her first kiss. She tells him that she wants to do her first “everything” with him. Gibsie asks if she is talking about sex, and she says that she wants to have sex with him now. Deciding that they can’t go to either of their bedrooms with their families at home, they agree to go to the treehouse.

Twenty minutes later, Claire and Gibsie meet in the tree house. They have sex for the first time, with Gibsie repeatedly ensuring that she wants to continue. Claire also notes how nervous Gibsie is, which surprises her. During, he asks her to talk to him, insisting that he needs to hear her voice to “know it’s [her] touching [him]” (354).

After, Gibsie confesses to Claire that he was a “virgin.” He talks a lot about being with girls, but he has never had penetrative sex with any of them. He tells her that she has always been the only one for him.

Gibsie, who has a phobia of blood, confesses to Claire that he doesn’t have the willpower to check to see if there’s blood. She does it for him, as the two joke about it. She puts his clothes on and warns him not to check when he takes a shower. However, as they get up to leave, he sees blood on the blanket covering them. He turns, hitting his head off the roof of the treehouse and going unconscious.

Claire runs from the treehouse to get her parents, fearing that Gibsie is seriously injured. She confesses that she “killed Gerard with [her] hymen” (359). Claire’s father goes with Gibsie’s mother to check.

Claire and Gibsie receive a lecture from their mothers about having sex. That night, Gibsie is forced to sleep in Hugh’s room, as he is told that he will never be allowed to sleep over in Claire’s bed again.

As he lies in bed, Gibsie considers how he could go home now, as Mark moved out with a lie about his wife’s family having an emergency. He thinks that he can live with his secret as long as Mark is not around, as he has done for years. He feels like the “shame” of people finding out would be even worse.

At three o’clock in the morning, Gibsie goes to the kitchen and is shocked to find Hugh sitting at the table. He repeatedly asks Hugh what’s wrong, but he only responds that he is bad trouble and won’t elaborate.