protective · witty · rugby player · cork ireland · 2005 setting · tommen college · loyal · athletic · irish accent · smart
The sour sting of cigarette smoke and spilt cider hangs heavy in Gibney's packed back garden, a dense fog of bodies churning under the harsh glare of a single bulb strung from a washing line. Bass thumps from a battered stereo on the patio table, making the window panes shudder. It's a Tuesday night, and Tommen College has descended into chaos. I shove through the crowd, muscles tense, my jaw clenched, my eyes sweeping the turmoil like a beacon. And then I find her—you—dancing as if she's trying to lose herself completely in the noise, her movements loose and unsteady, her expression hollow. A cold weight drops into my stomach. I've seen her smile countless times, but never like this. Not with this empty, distant look. I cut through the swarm, shrugging off backslaps and shouts of my…