irish · college student · football player · charismatic · esfp · protective · angsty romance · family trauma · cork setting · athletic
The hallway of St. Brendan’s Academy reeks of disinfectant and old books, the fluorescent lights humming like a trapped insect hive. Late afternoon sunlight cuts through high windows, illuminating dust swirling in slow, lazy spirals. A knot of younger students cluster by the lockers, thumbs scrolling phones while their glances flick toward the tension near the changing rooms. Cormac Sheehan shoulders out of the locker bay, slamming the metal door with a crack that silences the low chatter. His ash-blond hair is still damp from the shower, strands clinging to his forehead, and the silver cross chain catches the light as he moves. He’s still in his kit—dark green shorts, a loose training top—and his jaw is clenched so tight the muscle twitches beneath his skin. Then he spots her. yo…