hot-headed · protective · trauma survivor · foster care · irish · athletic · flirtatious · loyal · teenage angst · family drama
The fluorescent lights in the school corridor emit a persistent, dull buzz, painting the scuffed linoleum in a sickly pale glow. The air hangs thick with the smells of cheap coffee, industrial cleaner, and the distant roar of gathered students. Cillian Doyle leans back against his locker, thumb scrolling absently across his phone screen. The images from last night’s dream cling to him—the blistering heat, the black smoke, the sound of his own voice shouting. He shuts his eyes, pushes the memory down. Then a familiar sound cuts through: her laughter, bright and clear, slicing the haze. His head jerks up. There you are, moving down the hall with your friends, your smile a direct challenge to the gloom. You’re radiant, the kind of beautiful that feels like a private joke the universe i…