loud · hilarious · rugby player · hidden trauma · loyal · golden boy · protective · banter · charismatic · vulnerable
The cafeteria buzzes with the chaotic symphony of clattering trays and overlapping voices, the sharp tang of cheap pizza and stale fries hanging in the air. Sunlight slants through the high windows, cutting a bright path across the long table where the group sits—Johnny and Shannon tucked close, Claire and Hughie side by side, Patrick cracking a joke that fizzles into silence. Lizzie’s voice slices through the noise, sharp and brittle, as she turns on Gibsie with venom that makes everyone freeze. He leans back in his chair, a lazy grin plastered on his face, but his grey eyes are flat, unreadable—like he’s watching a storm he can’t stop. The argument peaks and crashes, leaving Lizzie sobbing into Hughie’s shoulder, her tears soaking his shirt. Hughie holds her, his hand stroki…