Rhys

Part of me had hoped they would stay away, but another part knew my grandfather would never miss a moment like this if he could use it.

My grandfather sat like a king on his throne, his posture rigid and his expression stoic, as if he was plotting something against the game itself. My father sat beside him, his face unreadable, followed by my brother Raymond, whose eyes met mine, and he did a mocking wave at me.

And then Linda. What the hell was she doing here? I had thought that after discovering her secret that my father would let her go, but he didn’t, and there she was, seated, holding her precious son’s hand, pretending everything was alright. Her smile looked painted on, perfect for the cameras that no doubt lingered on the family box.

My chest tightened, and I immediately looked away from them. Then I spotted Rhoda and Gabriella two rows back, and just then Kayden’s name was announced.

"The Rookie of the season, number 26, Kayden Vale!"

The scream erupted so loudly. Kayden’s fanboys and girls were practically kicking their feet on the ground, and it sent the whole arena trembling, something even I could feel under my skates.

The roar for him was something else. It was powerful and full of special energy reserved just for him.

Kayden skated around, waving to the fans, and then he saw Rhoda and Gabriella and waved excitedly at them. They, in return, waved back with the same enthusiasm, big smiles on their faces, signs held high with his name spelled out in glitter.

It warmed my heart to see their interactions because he had a family who genuinely cared about him. It was something that he deserved.

The announcers continued calling out our team names, and once we were complete on the ice, the national anthem began.

A powerhouse local singer stepped forward, singing with so much emotion that it made the entire arena rise, their hands over their hearts, hats removed, and thousands of fans singing the anthem out loud.

I stood tall on the blue line beside Kayden and gently brushed my shoulders against his. He smiled slowly but didn’t turn towards me. That small touch grounded me more than anything else could have in that moment.

When the final note faded, the referees blew their whistle and gathered at center ice. It was finally game time.

I skated up for the opening face-off, tightening my hold around my stick until my knuckles pressed white against the tape.

Damian skated forward, directly facing me, and I finally looked at him. Then I saw it—a fresh, ugly cut split across his cheekbone. It looked red and swollen, clearly visible under his visor, and painful, like it was recent. The skin around it was puffy. It was the kind of mark that would bruise deep by morning.

My eyes widened when I realized where he must have gotten it from. It was Kayden. There was no doubt about it, because why else would he stay too long in the washroom earlier? A quiet satisfaction settled in my chest.

I couldn’t help but grin, knowing that he was the one who had gotten hit and not Kayden.

"I hope we have a fair game tonight, Calder?"

I met his eyes without blinking and grinned under my helmet. "I don’t love playing fairly, Fernandez, especially when someone comes after what’s mine."

His smirk faltered for half a second before the whistle blew again and the puck dropped.

The game started immediately, fast and physical from the very first drop.

The first period was a grinding war. After pushing and passing, none of us had any goals.

The Southbridge Bears played with so much aggression, and I noticed that most of them circled me like they were targeting me, making sure I didn’t get to play. Their defenders rode me into the boards every chance they got.

I took so many hits, hidden slashes, cross-checks that knocked the wind out of me, but I made sure I battled back, won every puck battle, even though my body was aching from the constant punishment.

My shoulders burned from absorbing impacts, and a sharp pain flared along my ribs where a stick had found a gap in my pads. Sweat poured down my face behind the visor, mixing with the metallic taste of blood from a split lip I hadn’t even noticed until now. Still, I kept skating hard, kept my stick active, kept pushing back because we had to win this cup.

I knew it was Damian Fernandez’s idea. If there was something that he hated the most, it was rejection, and because I had rejected him, this was his way to deal with me.

He talked about playing fair, yet already had the plan to take me out at the start of the game. His linemates fed off it, pinching in tight on me whenever I touched the puck, trying to wear me down early so I would be useless by the third period.

Once the first period ended, we headed to the locker room. Coach Reddick made some adjustments, drawing quick diagrams on the whiteboard while barking out changes to our forecheck and defensive coverage.

I had Leo and his assistants massage my aching back and shoulders.

Kayden stood in front of me while the coach spoke and placed a hand to my forehead. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice low but full of concern that only I could hear clearly.

I nodded, forcing a small smile even as my ribs protested in response.

"I saw them coming at you every minute."

"Those bastards," Miller cursed angrily from a few spots down the bench. "They know what they are doing. They did the same to me!"

I groaned and clenched my fists tightly. It was all Damian’s plan to take either of us out to make the team weaker. He wanted to isolate us, to turn this into a personal war instead of a team battle. But we weren’t going to let that happen.

"Let’s fight harder in the second period!" I said to them. "No matter what happens, if any one of us falls, the other ones left should continue fighting."