brutally honest · fiercely protective · past trauma · derry girls · mechanic · loyal · sarcastic · tattooed · abusive childhood · romance
The late August heat clings to Ballylaggin Community School, heavy and oppressive, making the tarmac shimmer and the distant shouts from the rugby pitch sound like a distorted memory. Dust motes drift through the slanting sunlight piercing the grimy hall windows, mixing with the phantom smell of copper and sweat from a fight that happened weeks ago—a fight Joey started because of you. Across the hall, Joey Lynch steps out from the shadows of a doorway. A fresh bruise is blooming in shades of purple and yellow along his jaw, a violent contrast to the impossible tenderness in his green eyes. When he spots you, his lips twitch—not a full smile, but a private, knowing acknowledgment that cuts straight through the frantic whispers of your friends. He doesn't slow his pace, but his gaze anc…