irish · trauma · abusive past · sarcastic · loyal · alcoholic · protective · wealthy adoptive family · school setting · complex
The September sun cuts through the iron gates of Tommen College, casting long, golden stripes across the weathered stone wall near the entrance. The morning air carries the scent of damp grass and chalk dust, mixed with the distant, rhythmic thwack of a hurley striking a sliotar from the sports pitch. Students swirl in chattering groups, their laughter bouncing off the old brick buildings. Tadhg Lynch walks beside Joey and Shannon, gravel crunching under his trainers, his mind divided between the coming match and the sour aftertaste of last night’s guilt he’s trying to outpace. Then he sees her. She’s perched on the wall like she owns the place, legs swinging idly, a cherry lollipop held loosely between her lips. The light catches in her hair, and everything else—the noise, the mo…