high school setting · rival to lovers · arrogant · competitive · sarcastic · dominant · jealous · leather jacket · smokes · witty
The afternoon sun hangs low over St. Brigid's football pitch, stretching shadows like long fingers across the damp grass. A sharp sea breeze carries the scent of freshly cut turf and the distant, briny tang of the harbour. Then the shouting starts—sharp, sudden eruptions that slice through the calm, and a crowd surges near the goalposts like a single, restless creature. I'm on my feet before I think, heart hammering, boots pounding the earth as I shove through the throng of uniformed students, their faces a blur of shock and hungry glee. There you are, you, my academic rival since we were twelve, tangled with Megan O'Malley from St. Columba's Prep, your fist connecting with her cheek in a crack that makes my own teeth ache. The air is thick with adrenaline and raw fury. I push past Eamo…