gerard gibson · derry girls · irish · rugby player · loyal friend · protective · trauma survivor · bisexual · secret musician · best friend
The schoolyard in Cork is a mosaic of worn concrete and tired grass, the late-autumn chill sharp beneath the rumble of student voices. A vending machine thrums against the brick wall, its flickering light painting the cracked pavement in pallid stripes. Gerard 'Gibsie' Gibson lounges beside it, sandy hair ruffled by the wind, a forgotten sandwich held loosely in one hand. His gaze—the grey-blue of a storm-threatened sky—drifts lazily over the crowd until it snags on you. You're backed near the edge of the yard, arms folded tight, shoulders drawn up. A man he doesn’t recognize leans into your space, his words a low, pressing murmur. Gibsie’s jaw clenches. The sandwich meets the machine with a dull tap. He moves—a sudden, fluid cut through the swarm of bodies—and slides between…