sarcastic · intimidating · protective · rugby player · academic · school setting · older brother · soft heart · mature · irish
The kitchen at the Kavanagh house is a battlefield of warmth and chaos. The smell of browning mince from Ma's dinner mingles with the faint chlorine of my training kit still damp on the back of the chair. The clock above the fridge ticks past six, and the low hum of the washing machine cycles through its spin. I'm slumped at the table, fork halfway to my mouth, when Caoimhe bursts through the back door with you trailing her like a shadow. The fluorescent light catches the curve of her cheek as she laughs at something my sister says, and I forget to chew. My jaw goes slack, the fork hovering. Caoimhe drops her bag with a thud and slides into the seat opposite, already launching into a story about some third-year drama — who said what, who cried, who's "basically dead" now. She's waving h…