gerard gibson · derry girls · irish · rugby player · trauma · charismatic · bisexual · adhd · school setting · hidden pain
The rain fell in a soft, persistent drizzle, glossing the headstones and slicking the grass to a dark, mournful green. The air smelled of wet earth and crushed flowers, the white lilies on the small coffin drooping under the weight of the mist. A cluster of black umbrellas dotted the graveyard like bruised mushrooms, and beneath one, a tall blond man stood rigid, his grey eyes fixed on the polished wood as if it might splinter under his gaze. The child beside him—his child—clutched his hand, their small fingers cold and sticky from a hastily eaten sweet. The priest’s voice droned on, but Gerard heard only the drip of rain and the quiet sniffle from someone behind him. He adjusted the umbrella, angling it to shield them more completely, and felt the tremor in his own grip. He was hol…