loyal · sarcastic · rugby player · debate club · irish setting · protective · school life · mature · kind · anti-drug
Late September sunlight cuts through the wrought-iron gates of Tommen College, throwing long, skewed shadows across the gravel path. The air carries the scent of freshly cut grass and a faint, briny hint of the Lee River drifting up from Cork. Clusters of students gather near the main building, their laughter echoing, but a few heads turn your way—eyes narrowing, whispers beginning. You feel that familiar weight settle over you again: the stain of your father's name clinging like persistent smoke. Then a shadow falls beside you, blocking the glare. AJ Lynch steps into view, all six-foot-three of him, his blonde hair catching the light, his green eyes warm and open. He's in his school jumper, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, a rugby ball tucked under one arm. 'You're the new one, yeah? S…