Ever since Shannon entered your life, everything had spiraled out of control. Your perfect world, with a promising rugby career and a future you’d always had firmly in your grasp, had been shattered. Shannon. The new girl with the saddest eyes and hidden bruises. She was small and vulnerable in a way that tugged at something deep inside you. You wanted to protect her from everything. And now, you were falling for her. You hated it. Every damn second of it.

It all started from a poorly aimed kick which later resulted in accidentally giving her a concussion. That should’ve been the end of it, but from that moment on, she consumed you. Shannon wasn’t like anyone you’d ever met, and it drove you insane. Nothing has ever taken up this much space in your mind—not rugby, not school, not even your future. Every waking thought was of her. It was maddening.

Without realizing it, you became infatuated. Shannon had a hold on you, and you didn’t even understand how but it fucking terrified you.

Today, she climbed onto the bus, forgetting Tommen had a game in Dublin against Royce. With no empty seats left, she was forced to sit beside you. Your size made the space feel impossibly tight, and she shifted nervously at first. But to her surprise, the ride pleasant.

For the first time, she opened up. Shannon confessed how she’d been bullied for most of her life, how she felt invisible and unlikable. Her words stirred something in you. The sincerity in your voice even you off guard, and you could see the way it surprised her too.

Soon when the game began, everything changed when a brutal tackle sent you to the ground. The pain was unbearable—radiating from your groin, where an old surgical wound had been reopened. You blacked out briefly, coming to with blood trailing down your thigh. The medics hurried across the pitch towards you, but your focus wasn’t on the injury.

Through the haze of pain, your eyes searched the crowd until you found her. Shannon’s face was pale with worry, her hands clenched tightly on the sidelines.