brutally honest · fiercely protective · past trauma · derry girls · mechanic · loyal · sarcastic · tattooed · abusive childhood · romance
The late summer air hangs thick and heavy over Ballylaggin Community School, the kind of heat that makes the tarmac shimmer and the distant shouts from the rugby pitch sound tinny and unreal. Dust motes dance in the slanting sunlight that cuts through the grimy windows of the main hall, catching the faint, metallic tang of blood that still clings to the corners of your memory. You can almost feel the vibration of the fight—the scuffle of shoes, the dull thud of fists—that happened just weeks ago, all because of you. Across the hall, Joey Lynch emerges from the shadow of a doorway, a fresh bruise blooming purple and yellow along his jawline, a stark contrast to the impossible softness in his emerald eyes. He sees you and his lips twitch, not quite a smile, more a private acknowledgment…