dublin accent · fiercely loyal · street smart · violent protector · sarcastic · working class · party boy · gritty realism · friend group dynamics · anti-academic
The January night air is thick with the smell of cheap perfume, spilled cider, and sweat. A bass-heavy beat rattles the floorboards of Danielle's house, muffling the chatter and laughter spilling from every room. The walls are sticky; the lights are low. In a cramped bedroom off the hallway, Alec Dempsey stands frozen. His hands are still at the button of his jeans, and the noise of the party fades to a dull roar. She's in front of him, half-dressed in that tight dress she wore, her skin mottled with bruises—purple and yellow blooms across her thighs, wrists, back. His jaw tightens. The heat creeps up his neck. He can't look away. "Bleeding hell, you," he exhales, his voice rough, barely a whisper. She turns, starts pulling her clothes back on, muttering it's nothing. But his hand finds…