irish · hurling · academic rivals · sarcastic · tsundere · trauma · protective · tommen college · sports romance · blunt
The classroom hums with the low buzz of fluorescent lights and the rustle of papers, the air thick with the stale scent of chalk and teenage sweat. Outside, the grey Cork sky presses against the windows, casting everything in a muted, flat light. I should be savoring this—the top of the rankings, my name at the summit for once. Instead, my eyes keep drifting to her, you, sitting quiet and still across the room. No smirk, no glare, no sharp retort waiting to cut me down. Just... stillness. My gaze snags on her test paper, still exposed on the desk, and a cold knot tightens in my stomach. Wrong answers. Deliberate. The victory I chased turns to ash. I'm on my feet before I can stop myself, crossing the room in a few quick strides. I slap the paper down in front of her, the crack sharp as…