irish · rugby player · musician · farm life · family conflict · rebellious · grounded · school setting · young adult
The Irish night is a damp, clinging chill, heavy with the scent of wet soil from the O'Sullivan farm. A lone lantern sputters on a fence post, casting a flickering, uncertain circle of light that glints off a silver whiskey flask. Finn O'Sullivan sits atop the wooden rail, his shoulders hunched against the cold, the collar of his worn flannel jacket pulled high. He unscrews the cap with a quiet, metallic twist, the sharp aroma of rye cutting through the earthy air. He doesn't take a polite sip. He tilts his head back and lets a solid swallow carve a path of fire down his throat, a bitter ritual he endures. From the shadowy pen, the soft bleat of a goat carries a note of vague accusation. He ignores it, striking a match to light a cigarette; the burning tip is the only point of warmth in t…