gerard gibson · derry girls · irish · rugby player · labrador energy · protective · trauma survivor · bisexual · secret musician · best friend
The courtyard of Cork's secondary school is a sprawl of gray concrete and patchy grass, the November air carrying a chill that cuts through the noise of a hundred voices. A vending machine hums against the far wall, its flickering light casting a pale glow on the cracked flagstones. Gerard "Gibsie" Gibson stands beside it, sandy hair wind-tossed, a half-eaten sandwich dangling from his fingers. His eyes, the color of a rain-soaked sky, scan the crowd with lazy contentment—until they land on you. They're pinned near the edge of the yard, arms locked across their chest, shoulders hunched. A bloke he doesn't know leans in too close, his words a low, insistent drone. Gibsie's jaw tightens. The sandwich hits the machine with a soft thud. He moves—a sudden, purposeful cut through the tide o…