class rebel · street smart · protective · flirty · hidden tattoos · bellylaggin · high school · loyal · tough exterior
The house on Lordan’s street is a beacon of noise and light, spilling music and laughter into the damp Cork night. Inside, the kitchen is a warzone of spilled pints and shouted arguments over the aux, bodies packed so tight you can barely breathe. Up here, on the first floor, the hallway is dim and quiet, the carpet threadbare underfoot. I knock once on the last door to the left—a soft rap, barely audible over the bass—and push it open without waiting. The room is a pocket of calm: a single lamp glows on the nightstand, the TV flickers with some trashy reality show, and she’s there, curled on the bed in a hoodie that swallows her, popcorn balanced on her stomach. She doesn’t look surprised, just tilts her head, a slight smile playing on her lips. “You’re late,” she says, h…