The Player

The ice at NRU Wolves creaked under our blades. The sound of sticks slapping the puck echoed through the empty rink, and the freezing air bit into our lungs—it was a brutal practice, Coach Hayes had ordered everyone to skate until we tasted copper.

I finished a speed drill and stopped by the boards, gasping for air, jersey clinging to my skin and sweat dripping down my neck. Across the rink, Tyler had just stopped a slapshot from Logan and yelled:

“Attaboy, Logan! Almost scored! Almost!”

“Almost only counts if it goes in, dumbass,” Logan shot back, ripping his helmet off and shaking his wet hair out of his face. “If I wanted to be second best, I’d be in net with you.”

“Second best?” Tyler’s eyes widened. “I’m the only one holding you two together. If I slip up, we lose the championship.”

Ryan, leaning against the bench with his water bottle, laughed.

“Someone tell him we’re coming off a near-perfect season because of Justin.” He pointed his stick in my direction. “Yo, Parker. How many goals did you score last year again?”

“Doesn’t count, Ryan. You need a calculator to get to that number,” I fired back, wiping my face with a towel. The guys laughed; Noah just shook his head calmly, adjusting his gloves, while Danny just watched, like always, taking mental notes of everything. It was just this—chirping, a punch to the shoulder, stupid competition. Routine. Until Evan skated to center ice and slammed his stick three times against the ice.

THAK. THAK. THAK.

The sound cut through the banter instantly. Everyone stopped. Even Coach, way up in the booth, raised an eyebrow. Evan pulled off his helmet, his dark hair plastered to his forehead, a dead-serious look on his face. The guy who always throws himself in front of the puck and in front of any trouble.

“Listen up, boys,” he started, his voice deep and direct. “Quick team business.”

Ryan already threw his hands up. “If this is about Coach’s diet, I’m letting you know right now I’m not giving up pizza.”

“It’s not about the diet,” Evan cut him off. “It’s about Julie.”

Total silence fell over the room.

I froze for half a second longer than the rest. Just half a second. Enough to feel the weight of that name heavy in my chest.

Julie.

Evan continued, his eyes scanning the group. “My sister, Julie, is starting at NRU this semester. Freshman.”

“A freshman?” Tyler whistled softly. “Man, congrats. Now you gotta share the parking lot with your little sister.”

“And the parking lot isn’t the only place,” Evan said, his voice dropping to a colder, harder edge. “So listen closely.”

He looked at every single guy, landing on me last. I felt his gaze like a body check on the ice.

“She is off-limits.”

Ryan blinked. “...Off-limits for what?”

“For everything,” Evan replied. “For hanging out, for parties, for ‘studying together’—nothing that involves any of you.”

Logan muttered a “come on, man” and tossed his glove onto the bench. “She hasn’t even gotten here yet and she’s already banned? That’s rough.”

“She’s my sister,” Evan said simply. “And I’m not repeating myself.”

Noah nodded slowly, rational as always. “Understood.”

Tyler opened his mouth, probably to make a joke, but shut it real quick when he saw Evan’s expression. Even he knew when to back off. And me? I just stood there, leaning against the boards with the towel in my hand, keeping my face completely blank and my breathing controlled. On the outside, I was cool. On the inside, my brain had already traced the red line Evan just drew on the ice, and I was already craving to be on the wrong side of it.

“Alright, Captain Protector,” Ryan broke the silence, raising his water bottle in a sarcastic toast. “No Julie. Noted. Now someone pass me the puck before I freeze to death out here.”

Practice spun back to life—sticks clashing, shouting. The usual Wolves noise. Evan skated back to his defensive position, but I felt him glance at me one last time before moving.

And me? I skated back into the drill, my head full of his sister and my phone sitting in my locker with Sophie’s last text still unanswered.

The rink spat us back into the Wolves’ locker room like it always did: smelling of sweat, melted ice, and burned rubber. The blast of warm air hit my face as I pulled off my helmet, the heavy door slamming shut behind me and drowning out the echo of skates in the hallway. Practice was done, but Evan’s bombshell was still hanging in the air.

“She is off-limits.”

As if saying it out loud would somehow shield her from the rest of the world. I hung my helmet on the hook and started unlacing my gloves. My fingers were numb, my shoulders felt heavy, and cold sweat was already sticking to the under-armor shirt beneath my pads.

“Holy shit, man,” Ryan said from the other side of the bench, a towel already wrapped around his waist. “Your brother takes the whole big brother thing seriously, doesn’t he, Collins?”

Evan was already ripping off his shoulder pads, his movements sharp and controlled. He didn’t look at anyone.

“I meant what I said.”

“Yeah, we got that,” Noah replied calmly, hanging up his gear. “Relax, Evan. She’s a freshman, she probably won’t even step foot near the rink.”

“She will,” Evan said. “She’s gonna want to see a game, she’s gonna want to check out the campus, she’s gonna want to...” He paused, his jaw tightening. “She’s gonna want to live her life, and I’ll let her. Just not with you guys.”

Tyler let out a muffled laugh as he unzipped his duffel bag. “Dude, chill. We don’t even know the girl. Why would we even want to hook up with her?”

Ryan shot a look in my direction, leaving the question hanging. I didn’t bite.

I just dropped my gloves on the bench and grabbed my water bottle, taking a long gulp, the ice-cold water burning my throat. On the outside, I looked the same as always: shoulder leaning against the locker, expression neutral, head in the game, the Wolves’ star player. But on the inside, I was putting the pieces together... Julie. Nineteen, psychology major, I think. Evan had mentioned it at a party last year while wasted. And now she was going to be here. On the same campus. In the same hallways as us. If Evan and her lived close by...

Damn it.

“You should stop treating her like she’s made of glass, Collins,” Logan chimed in, tossing his bag over his shoulder. He always felt the need to poke the bear. “She’s nineteen, not twelve.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m saying this,” Evan snapped back, finally looking at him. “I know you guys.”

That quieted the whole locker room for a second. Because he did. He knew Tyler, who threw parties every Thursday. He knew Ryan, who couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He knew Logan, who used any weakness he could find against people.

And he knew me.

Damn it.

I turned to my locker and yanked it open with a bit too much force, the metallic clang echoing. Inside, my phone screen was blinking.

1 unread message. Sophie Bennett.

“Missed you last night 😏 Practice early today? Want to come over later? I promise pizza.”

My jaw clenched.

Last night I was at her place because it was easier. Because the apartment was empty, because hooking up with Sophie was good, because she wanted something serious and I let her believe we were heading there. Convenience.

And now the name “Julie” was stuck in my head like ice on skin.

I unlocked my phone and typed a quick reply:

“Just finished practice. Exhausted. Tomorrow?”

I sent it before I could overthink it, before I could feel too guilty. Ryan walked past me on his way to the showers and nudged my shoulder.

“You’re too quiet, Parker. Normally you’d have cracked a joke by now. You thinking about what Collins said or just wiped out?”

“Wiped out,” my voice came out rougher than I intended. “Big game next week. Need to sleep.”

Ryan laughed. “Right, sleep. Sure.”

I slammed my locker shut. Evan was still there, a towel draped around his neck, watching me out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t need to say a word. We were brothers by choice; he knew how to read my silence.

And I knew that if I messed up, I’d lose him.

So I was going to be a responsible son of a bitch. I was going to text Sophie back, go see her tomorrow, and bury this text about his sister deep down. Because I can handle taking hits on the ice, but this? This will ruin me.

I turned off my phone and headed for the showers.