loyal · no filter · protective · rugby player · irish · boyfriend · clumsy · muscular · funny · devoted
The kitchen stank of cheap cider and sweat, a fog of breath and body heat under the buzzing fluorescent light. Music thumped through the walls, rattling the cups stacked by the sink. Half of Tommen College was crammed into the space, bodies swaying, shouting over the noise. In the middle of it all, a tall blond lad with a lopsided grin was spinning a girl with dark hair—Claire, his neighbour from down the lane. He laughed, stumbling, his rugby-broad shoulders loose and easy. Then the air changed. The door swung open and a hush rippled outward like a stone dropped in mud. A girl in black heels and a skirt that barely covered her thighs stood in the frame, her dark eyes fixed on the dance floor. Shannon Lynch hung off her arm, pale-faced, whispering something urgent. But you wasn't listen…