Alexia Biggs is everything they say she is - brilliant, brutal, and built like armor. With perfect grades and a sharper mouth, she's feared more than she's liked at Tommen College. She doesn't care. She doesn't need anyone's approval. What no one knows - not her classmates, not even her closest friends - is that Alexia has bipolar disorder. The only people who know are her parents, and that's exactly how she wants it. What no one suspects is that the coldest girl in school spends her nights behind the wheel in Cork's underground racing scene, where she trades control for speed and silence for smoke. AJ Lynch has been the talk of Tommen for as long as anyone can remember. With a dangerous grin and a don't-care swagger, he's known for wild nights, bad decisions, and a magnetic charm that gets him out of almost anything. But behind the easy confidence is a boy raised under pressure - the son of a legacy family, the center of every room, the guy who's expected to have it all figured out when he barely knows who he is. The only place he feels real is behind the wheel. Racing is the one thing he doesn't fake - where it's just him, the road, and the roar in his chest that finally makes sense. Alexia and AJ have never gotten along. Not when they were kids, not now. They've spent their whole lives circling each other like fire and gasoline - sharp words, eye-rolls, tension so thick it chokes. At school, they pretend the other doesn't exist. On the streets, they race like their rivalry is life or death. But when two people are hiding everything and fighting everyone, sometimes the only person who truly sees you is the one you can't stand. And the more time they spend in the same lanes, the harder it becomes to deny the truth under all that tension: the looks linger too long. The fights hit too hard. And somewhere in all the chaos, hate stops being the loudest thing between them.

IN WHICH: TADHG LYNCH X LEAH DALY "You always were two steps ahead of everyone. We'd walk behind while you would run. And the years have proved to offer nothing since you moved. Now you're long gone, and I can't move on, and I miss you." - Missing, No Mercy "Shut up, Lynch." "Shutting up, Daly." Started: June 5th, 2025 Finished: March 25th, 2026 word count: ≈150k words ‼️ I'VE WRITTEN "TADGH" INSTEAD OF "TADHG" THROUGHOUT ACT 1 AND ACT 2 I'M SORRY

𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐒, rich, unreal, always looking like she's just stepped out of somewhere better than here. The kind of girl people turn to look at twice, even when they don't mean to. I might've fancied her once. Alright-more than once. But that was before I got any sense. Before I remembered she's his sister. My best mate's sister. And that's a line you don't cross unless you've a death wish. Still... it's hard not to look. Not when she laughs like that, head tipped back, like the whole world's in on the joke. Not when she walks past and smells like something expensive I can't even name. I don't stare. I'm not that stupid. Just the odd glance. That's all. -ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ 𝐀𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐘, brooding, mysterious, keeps to himself. He doesn't stare too long at anyone. He's too busy focusing on that guitar of his. And I know lassies find it endearing. But I don't care. I see him around the house, the group hangs out a lot there so it's hard to miss a friend like him. I can't be interested- and it's not as if I am. Hell, he's a player from hell. And I'm heaven.

Tadgh Lynch doesn't lose focus. He's sharp, volatile, and not here to play nice. First year at Tommen, he's already collecting enemies-and Leah Daly's at the top of the list. Leah Daly's fierce, stubborn, and hiding the kind of damage you don't talk about. She's built for survival, and Tadgh's the last person she wants anywhere near her. She hates him. He hates her. That should've been the end of it. But the more he sees, the more it looks like his history repeating itself. And once he recognises it, walking away isn't an option. Even if saving her burns him all over again.

Mike Biggs-the most handsome boy in Tommen. Bit of a gentleman, but he knows how to shut people up when needed. Never thought we'd be close, but after what happened with Sinead-his little sister and my best friend-things shifted. Do I like it? Can't say for sure. He's different when it's just the two of us. Softer. Kinder. But right now, I don't have time for love. I need to focus on becoming like my ma, playing in the orchestra. That's what matters. Not Mike Biggs and whatever this is between us... right? Bridget Feely-shy, sweet, and has this quiet kind of beauty that sneaks up on you. We've been friends for a while, and maybe-just maybe-I've thought about her as more than that. But I never let myself dwell on it. Until I heard her play the violin. Christ, I had no idea she could play like that. Now? Now I can't stop thinking about her. The way she looks when she plays, the way the music seems to carry her somewhere else. And just like that, I'm completely gone for the girl.

Rory Kavanagh. The best rugby player Tommen has ever seen-well, besides his da, obviously. Johnny Kavanagh. The Johnny Kavanagh. Our parents are basically joint at the hip, best mates since they were kids. And naturally, me and Rory just... became mates too. That's the deal. That's what we said we'd be. Friends. Right? Friends. But like-come on. Have you seen him? His abs? That man has a six-pack like he's sculpted from marble. His hair? Brown and silky, like-like a shampoo ad or somethin'. And those eyes? The kind of blue that makes you forget your own name. I swear to God, I'm not even being dramatic. So yeah... maybe I've a teeny, tiny, miniscule crush on him. Can you blame me? No. No, you can't. I won't hear it. But I'm not saying a thing. No way. What if he just laughs? That'd kill me. So for now, I'll just pretend I don't stare at him for longer than is normal when he talks. For now, it's just friendship. Grand. ...But what if he does feel the same? *** Bethany Gibson. Jaysus. She's been my best friend since we were in playschool, like actually since nappies. She's pure chaos-loud, mad, always in trouble for something-but I wouldn't change a thing about her. Not one thing. She's class. Gorgeous too. Not just like "oh she's grand," no-proper gorgeous. Her blonde curls bounce when she laughs, and I swear it's like the sun's just following her around. Her eyes? Silver. Like not even grey-silver, like a flipping fairy or something. Every time she looks at me, I forget what I was saying. Which is not ideal when you're trying to seem normal, right? I've fancied her since I was about seven. Maybe six. But what am I supposed to do? Tell her? What if she just laughs and goes, "Ah you're gas," and then pats me on the head like I'm some lost puppy? I'd actually evaporate from shame. But then again... what if she does like me back? What if all this time I was too scared to see it?

𝙱𝚘𝚢𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚃𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝙽𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝙶𝚎𝚗 ⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱ 𝒜𝓃𝒶𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓈𝒾𝒶 𝒴ℴ𝓊𝓃ℊ 𝙰𝚣𝚣𝚢 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝙰 𝚙𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛. 𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚒𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚛, 𝙰𝚣𝚣𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚞𝚙 𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚜. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝. 𝚄𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗. ⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱ ℛℴ𝓇𝓎 𝒦𝒶𝓋𝒶𝓃𝒶ℊ𝒽 𝚁𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜. 𝙿𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚊 𝚗𝚎𝚙𝚘-𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢, 𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝. 𝙴𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚝.

Callum Biggs has never stayed long enough to be anyone's mistake twice. Seventeen and already infamous, he's all charm, sharp smiles, and disappearing acts. A boy who knows exactly how easy it is to be wanted - and how dangerous it is to want back. He doesn't do feelings. Doesn't do promises. And definitely doesn't do the kind of girl who could make him stop running. Maeve Feely has been watching him for years. Quiet where he's loud, guarded where he's reckless, she keeps her heart locked behind cigarette smoke and late nights with her friends. She doesn't compete. She doesn't chase. She just stands there, steady and unreadable, pretending it doesn't hurt every time Callum Biggs chooses someone else. They move in the same circles. Share the same air. Carry the weight of a past that never belonged to them - but refuses to stay buried. A slow burn built on tension, restraint, and everything left unsaid. Because some feelings don't fade. They wait

Hughie Biggs. The love of my bloody life. The fella I swore I'd grow old with, get a ring on my finger from, have the big church wedding, the lot. I used to lie awake at night and picture his hand in mine, picture his laugh bouncing off the walls of our kitchen. Back then, I didn't have the faintest clue about the way the world could chew you up and spit you out. I remember us when we were younger, before everything went sour. When Caoimhe was still alive, when her laugh could still fill a room. When I still had friends-real ones, the kind you'd sit on the green with till it got dark, passing a bag of crisps around, talking rubbish and thinking it meant the world. Back then, we were untouchable, or so we thought. But nothing lasts, does it? Not love, not family, not even friendship. Everything rots eventually, like fruit left out too long. Secrets crawl their way to the surface no matter how deep you bury them, and when they do, they choke you. That's what happened to me. That's what happened to Hughie. The truth came crawling, and it ruined everything. So I've made up my mind. I can't stay here, not in this cursed town, not walking the same streets where his hand used to brush mine, where Caoimhe used to skip beside me, where I laughed like I actually believed in tomorrow. It's all poisoned now. Every corner, every memory, every face that looks at me like they know more than they should. I'm leaving. For good this time. I'll pack a bag, take nothing but what I can carry, and I'll vanish before anyone can stop me. No goodbyes, no explanations. Just gone. Because the truth is, there's nothing left here for me anymore-only ghosts, and I've had enough of them to last me a lifetime.

Max is what someone would call a "bad girl". She was that girl in high school that could make or break your reputation and a party wasn't a party unless she was there. Fang was more of a wallflower. He kept to himself and even if he did attend the odd party no one would ever notice he was there. Now, at the age of 27, these two couldn't be any more different. Max was a bartender with a drug addiction and Fang was a young FBI agent following in his daddy's footsteps. What happens when Fang goes undercover to sniff out a drug lord and comes across Max, a bartender that knows a little more than she should?