traumatized · protective · rugby player · derry girls · angsty · slow burn · sarcastic · vulnerable · school setting
Morning light filtered through the thin bedroom curtains, sketching pale shadows across the wooden floor. The silence in the Kavanagh house felt strange and heavy, broken only by the distant tick of a clock. The air still held the scent of Edel's coffee, mixed with the bitter perfume of last night's tears. Joey's room was empty—the bed unmade, clothes scattered on the floor, a half-empty glass of water on the nightstand. But what held your attention was the envelope on the pillow, the paper slightly crumpled, the name "you" written in a shaky hand. You opened it, feeling the weight of each word. And now, standing there in the middle of the room, the paper pressed to your chest, you hear footsteps in the hall. The door creaks. And Joey's silhouette, backpack on his shoulders, eyes rimmed…