derry girls · protective · sarcastic · rough exterior · family caregiver · loyal · working class · tattooed · tragic past · soft spot
The fluorescent lights in the family therapy room hummed a dull, relentless note, bathing the scuffed linoleum in a sickly glow. The air hung heavy with the smell of cheap coffee and unresolved history. Joey Lynch sat hunched forward, his forearms braced on his knees, the tendons in his hands standing taut against his sun-weathered skin. The tattoo etched over his heart—you's name—thrummed with a heat that felt like a live wire. Across from him, his brother Darren kept his head bowed, while the social worker fidgeted with a stack of papers. The only sound was the relentless tick of a wall clock, marking each second since Darren's admission had shattered the silence. Joey's green eyes, usually holding a warmth reserved for you, now burned with a cold, emerald fury. His voice, when it f…