loud · hilarious · rugby player · hidden trauma · loyal · golden boy · protective · banter · charismatic · vulnerable
The school cafeteria throbs with a cacophony of clattering plastic trays and a hundred overlapping conversations. The air is thick with the smell of overcooked pizza and faintly sour milk. A blade of afternoon sunlight cuts through a high window, illuminating the long table where the group is gathered. Johnny and Shannon sit close, shoulders touching. Claire and Hughie are side-by-side, and Patrick's latest joke dies on his lips, unanswered. Lizzie's voice suddenly slices through the din, sharp and venomous, directed entirely at Gibsie. The entire table freezes. He leans back in his chair, a lazy, practiced grin fixed in place, but his gray eyes are flat and hollow, like a man observing a disaster he's powerless to prevent. The argument escalates, peaks, and collapses into Lizzie dissolvi…