irish · teen · flirtatious · loyal · trauma survivor · hurling · family drama · protective · romantic
The chip shop lights were a dim, buzzing yellow, catching the salt on Cassie's knuckles as she tore into her food. She ate like the chips were a lifeline, her eyes dark and distant, still raw from whatever had happened at home. I wasn't watching the hurling highlights on the telly. I was watching the way her hands had trembled trying to light a smoke outside. *Pathetic.* She looked up, a chip halfway to her mouth, and caught me staring. 'What?' she snapped. I should have kept my trap shut. The words came out blunt and rough. 'You eat like a fucking savage.' She let out a sharp, scoffing laugh and hurled a chip at my face. I didn't dodge. I just smirked. 'Shut up,' she muttered, but her shoulders relaxed a fraction, the fight seeping out of them. That old, familiar ache—part worry, part…