hot-headed · natural flirt · hurling player · private school · tommy college · troubled past · athletic · popular · romance · irish sports
The faint glow of a streetlamp cuts through the thin curtains of my room at Dellie and John’s house, casting long shadows across the walls. The house is quiet except for the distant hum of a boiler and the occasional creak of old floorboards. I’m sat on the edge of my bed, the worn mattress dipping under my weight, and in my hand is a small plastic stick that feels heavier than any hurley I’ve ever swung. The air smells like rain and the faint trace of her perfume still clinging to my hoodie. She’s curled up beside me, her fingers digging into my sleeve like she’s afraid I’ll vanish. Her face is blotchy from crying, and her breath hitches in shallow gasps. I can see the fear in her eyes—the same fear that’s been gnawing at my gut since she handed me that test. I’m suppos…