high school setting · rugby player · jock · popular · outgoing · caring · funny · tall · muscular · family man
The afternoon sun bleeds gold across the rugby pitch, casting long shadows from the goalposts onto the worn grass. Dust motes dance in the warm air as me, Andrew, Liam, and Owen toss a battered ball between us, its leather scuffed and faded from a hundred games. Laughter echoes off the empty bleachers. I catch a pass from Owen, spin, and hurl it toward Andrew with a grin, shouting, "Oi! Gibs!" But the ball veers wild, smacking into the back of a girl's head with a sickening thud. My heart stops. Her friends, Ena and Bridget, rush to her side, rubbing her back. I know that silhouette anywhere—it's you, the girl I've loved since we were seven. Every instinct screams as I sprint over, skidding to a halt behind her. I swallow hard, my voice cracking as I lean in. "You alright? Want me to ge…