PUCK ME, STEPBROTHER
Bryson POV
Blackridge University was already a nightmare before I dumped hot coffee all over Julian Hayes.
He's tall, built, with this perfect smirk that makes me want to punch him. Captain of the hockey team and the biggest asshole I've ever met.
He destroyed me in front of everyone. Made sure I knew exactly where I stood.
But then I joined the hockey team to make my mom happy, and suddenly everything changed. I could actually play. And Julian? He started looking at me like he wanted to destroy me in a whole different way.
Now every practice feels like war. Every time we're alone in the locker room, I can barely breathe.
I hate him.
I want him.
And I'm pretty sure he knows it.
Julian's POV
I run Blackridge University. Team captain, golden boy, everyone wants to be me or be with me. Then some transfer kid crashes into me and ruins my shirt.
Bryson Miller.
Smart mouth, cheap clothes, and eyes that look at me like he's not impressed.
I should've crushed him and moved on. But the little shit joined my hockey team and turned out to be good. Really good.
Now I can't get him out of my head. Every practice, every fight we have feels like something else entirely. Something I don't want to think about.
I thought that was complicated enough.
Then I walk into my house tonight and find Bryson unpacking boxes in my living room..
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Chapter: Chapter 105SacrificesJulian POVI go down to dinner after Helen comes to get me, my jaw tight while my mind still echoes Bryson's voice.The dining room is bright and crowded. Investors fill the space along with extended relatives and polished strangers who all seem to know each other.I keep a polite smile plastered on my face while Dad guides me from group to group, introducing me with pride in his voice that makes my skin crawl."This is my son, Julian. He'll be joining the business soon."I shake hands and nod and say the right things while feeling nothing for their words.Helen stays close the entire time. Every few minutes she finds a reason to touch my arm or lean into my space. I keep stepping back gently, creating distance that she immediately closes again.Dad notices. His eyes flick between us and small looks of warning pass across his face when Helen's touches go ignored.I keep my phone off and hidden in my jacket pocket. My mind is heavy with guilt. I refuse to look at it because
Last Updated: 2025-12-03
Chapter: Chapter 104TrappedJulian POVI wake in the manor feeling like I haven't slept at all.The room is massive and unfamiliar. High ceilings, heavy curtains blocking most of the sunlight. Furniture that looks expensive but is uncomfortable.Everything about this place feels wrong.I'm exhausted from traveling. Dad insisted we leave immediately after he pulled me out of school. No time to pack properly. No time to explain anything to anyone.Just go.The manor belongs to one of Dad's business partners. We're staying here while negotiations happen for some deal I don't understand and don't care about.While the adults talk business, I'm supposed to be entertained. Like I'm a child who needs distraction instead of a person with his own life falling apart back home.All devices were turned off for the first two days. Dad's rule, apparently. Something about maintaining focus and showing respect to our hosts.But really it just forced me into isolation. Cut off from everything and everyone that matters.I
Last Updated: 2025-12-03
Chapter: Chapter 103Falling ApartBryson POVI wake up exhausted, my body heavy like I haven't slept at all. The dorm room is too quiet and empty. For a moment I just lie there staring at the ceiling, trying to find the energy to move.But I force myself up. Shower. Get dressed. Pack my bag like this is a normal day.I'm determined to pretend everything is normal. If I act like nothing is wrong, maybe eventually it will feel true.The moment I step into the campus hallway, the whispers start again.They're not even trying to be subtle anymore. People openly stare, whispering behind their hands, pointing when they think I'm not looking.Someone bumps my shoulder hard as they pass. Hard enough that it's clearly intentional.I keep walking, my jaw tight.A girl I don't know snickers to her friend loud enough for me to hear. "Think Julian dumped him already? Cuz I would."My ears burn but I don't react. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.I have a meeting with the university board this morning.
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: Chapter 102SuspendedBryson POVI follow Coach into his office, the air heavy like something waiting to drop. My heart pounds so hard I can hear it in my ears.Coach closes the door behind us with a soft click. He moves to sit behind his desk, his expression carefully neutral."Sit down, Bryson."I sink into the chair across from him, my hands gripping my knees to keep them from shaking.Coach leans back and studies me for a long moment. "Do you want to explain anything before we begin?"I blink, confused. "Explain what?"He sighs heavily, like he's disappointed. Then he picks up his phone, taps the screen a few times, and turns it around to face me.The locker room video plays.My stomach falls through the floor. I watch myself on that screen, Julian and I against the lockers, hands under clothes, mouths pressed together desperately.I can't breathe or look away, nothing body functions work, I just sit unable to do anything except watch this private moment displayed like evidence.Coach pauses
Last Updated: 2025-12-01
Chapter: Chapter 101CollapseBryson POVRowan arrives a couple of minutes later. Her facial expressions show she knew something was wrong, but she didn't ask.“Stop looking at me with those miserable eyes and get in” she simply says, even though I can see the sympathy in her eyes.I get in the back seat, and she tries convincing me to stay in front, but I don't budge. She gives up eventually.Rowan drives in tense silence, and I simply sit in the back, staring out the window while the rookie sits in the back, equally quiet.Every few seconds Rowan glances at me through the rearview mirror. "Breathe," she says softly. "Just breathe. And text me if you need anything, okay?""Okay," I manage to say. "Thank you."It's obvious she's dying to know what happened but doesn't want to pry too much.When we pull up to the house, I climb out quickly. The rookie lifts a hand in awkward sympathy before Rowan drives away, leaving me standing alone in the driveway.The house looks peaceful at first glance. Warm lights g
Last Updated: 2025-12-01
Chapter: Chapter 100ExposedBryson POVI arrive at campus feeling strangely calm. It's the first morning in days when I don't feel like I'm drowning. Mom is recovering, actually recovering, not just surviving. And Julian has been my anchor through all of it.I expect an ordinary day. Classes, maybe practice, visiting Mom at the hospital afterward.But the moment I step through the main entrance, I know something is off.Students look at me, then look away fast. Too fast. Like they were caught doing something they shouldn't have.Whispers trail behind me as I walk down the hall. I can't make out words, just the sound of hushed voices that cut off abruptly when I turn.A girl I barely know meets my eyes, flushes bright red, and hurries off in the opposite direction like she's embarrassed.What the hell?I'm confused by the strangeness, but I try to turn a blind eye to it. Maybe I'm imagining things, and I'm still too raw from everything that happened, and I'm giving meaning to normal things.I head toward
Last Updated: 2025-11-29
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