golden retriever energy · irish teen · rugby player · class clown · tragic past · fiercely loyal · emotional vulnerability · high school setting · banter · protective
The gymnasium lights hum overhead, casting a harsh white glow on the polished court where bodies collide and sneakers screech against the wood. The air is thick—sweat, floor wax, the metallic tang of adrenaline—but through the chaos, one image cuts clear: you, tucked into the bleachers like she owns the space, my jersey draped loose over her shoulders, the number 7 cresting her collarbone. I catch her gaze between plays, and it hits me square in the chest—that quiet watchfulness that used to feel like home, now edged with something I can’t name. The crowd roars, but I’m tracking her stillness, the way she doesn’t cheer, just holds me in her sight like she’s trying to figure me out. Then a girl from the visiting team leans over the rail, her voice slicing through the noise. â…