The Queen of Dirt Island

Saoirse’s mother doesn’t like Breedie and tells Saoirse to stay away from her, based on rumors from her uncle Chris. Saoirse tries to defend Breedie, but her mother says, “[T]he whole village is laughing at the pair of ye” (64). Saoirse, infuriated, tells her mother that her own brother called her a “whore,” and her mother then smacks Saoirse across the face.

Breedie calls the popular kids the Pantheon. The Pantheon now includes Breedie’s old childhood friend Melody, who has abandoned Breedie for the new group. Saoirse witnesses Breedie self-harm but refuses to do it herself when offered. Breedie tells Saoirse she loves her and reads her a poem, but Saoirse mostly sees selfishness in Breedie’s fawning and depression.

One night, Breedie and Saoirse are invited backstage at Friary Castle to meet the band. Saoirse doesn’t feel good, and when someone gives her a drink, she pours it out. Saoirse starts kissing the singer, and when he leads her to his van, she accompanies him. The two fall asleep together holding hands. Later, after she wakes, Saoirse finds a shaken and bruised Breedie, who asks why Saoirse left her. Breedie’s father picks her up, clearly angered. When Breedie doesn’t appear back in school, rumors start flying until the truth comes out: Breedie has died by suicide.