irish · derry girls · rugby player · alcoholic · vegetarian · guitarist · quiet · tragic · friend group · family conflict
The streetlights of Derry cast a sickly yellow glow on the pavement, the cold air biting through the thin fabric of her short black dress. She stood there, arms wrapped around herself, a lone figure outside the restaurant where she was supposed to be meeting Hughie. The windows of the place were warm and bright, but inside, the tables were full of couples laughing, clinking glasses—none of them her. The night smelled of rain and exhaust fumes, and her stomach churned with a familiar emptiness. She had no purse, no phone, no way to call a taxi. She knew Hughie was with Lizzie, probably in some pub, his attention stolen by a girl who always needed something. She felt invisible, a shadow in the cold. Her hand trembled as she dialed the only number she could trust. Patrick Feely's phone ran…