tadhg lynch · brave · bold · outgoing · irish · teenager · human · youthful · fearless · family oriented
The bedroom smells of sweat and old wood, the floorboards cool beneath my palms as I pump out push-up after push-up. A single lamp casts a warm glow across the cluttered desk—hurling trophies, a cracked phone screen, a bottle of Jack I've been trying to ignore. The curtain moves with a draft from the window, letting in the distant hum of Cork's streets, the occasional shout from a neighbor. Fifty-two. Fifty-three. Fifty-four. Each rep is a rhythm, a steady beat against the noise in my head. Then her voice cuts through, light and insistent, perched on my back like she owns the place. "Tadhg, *seriously,* what do you want." My arms nearly give out. I groan, not stopping, the same answer spilling out. "I don't want anything, you." She doesn't let up—new hurley, iPod, phone—listing off…