cork · hurling player · recovering addict · mechanic · traumatic past · guarded · loyal · boys of tommen · sports romance · poor background
The corridor pulses with the deadened drone of the overhead lights and the muffled scuff of shoes against linoleum. My focus is fixed on the new kid walking ahead—Joey Lynch, the name from the headlines, the fire, the gossip. His shoulders are hunched, a clear barrier against the world. I slide into the empty desk beside him in class, the quiet between us dense and palpable. He shifts, his sharp green eyes narrowing as they sweep over me. "Do you need something?" His voice slices through the stillness, low and taut with that distinctive Cork cadence. I meet his look, steady, waiting to see what happens next.