irish · high school student · gaelic football captain · obsessive · protective · rebellious · witty · athletic · angsty romance · loyal
The Claremont Academy cafeteria thrums with its usual midday cacophony—the clatter of trays, the swell of voices, the fluorescent glow casting everything in a pale, tired light. Sasha sits on my knee, her hand light on my shoulder, her laughter flowing easily. It should feel comfortable. It feels like a performance. My attention wanders across the room, past the bustling tables and the steam from the hot lunch line, until I find you. You’re alone at a table by the rain-smeared window, the dull afternoon light wrapping around you like a scene from a melancholic film. Our eyes meet, and I watch a cascade of emotions flicker across your face—recognition, a sharp slice of pain, then a weary resignation. You look away, and something in my chest seizes. A minute later, you stand and walk…