A Growing Feeling 

Grayson 

The past two weeks at the Anderson house have gone by quickly, but everything still feels strangely awkward. The dinners, the lunches, the conversations in the lounge… and especially seeing Jake in this condition.

He’s my best friend, my ride or die, and more like a brother to me. It hurts like hell seeing him like this. I know how important hockey is to him. It’s in his blood, and for as long as I’ve known him, hockey has been his whole life.

He was the one who got me into hockey, and ever since then, we’ve been inseparable. We work well together on the ice, know how to read each other, and always have each other’s backs.

But his sister is a pain in my ass.

Ever since I moved here, I’ve tried my best to keep my distance from her. She’s off-limits, and I have a bro code to follow.

I remind myself that there are plenty of fish in the sea, and no matter how high my testosterone gets, I’m not going anywhere near her.

Ever.

Still, the way she looks at me bothers me at least twice a day. Sometimes, it feels like she knows that I’ve noticed her secret and is silently begging me not to tell anyone.

And the more I notice it, the more curious I become.

Thomas is a suspicious fucker. The way he treats Sophie isn’t normal, and I’m not sure if Jake or Melissa even notices it. Sophie certainly notices, but she never tells him to back off.

And what I saw today fucking boiled my blood.

That fucker grabbed her arm and squeezed it like he had every right to hurt her. I could see the pain on her face, and somehow she still stood there like nothing had happened.

If I were her, I’d have slapped him twice and knocked him out.

When I ask her about it, she casually tells me that he’s just being a caring parent.

Hell, I know the difference between someone who cares and someone who wants control. Thomas is a controlling freak.

No one seems to notice the mask he wears so perfectly, but I can see right through it. I can recognize a fucker like him from a mile away.

I tell Sophie to sit in the car before turning back toward him and closing the distance between us.

“If I ever see you treat her like that again, be prepared to face the consequences, Thomas.”

The color slowly drains from his face, but he quickly masks it with a confident expression. He keeps talking as if nothing happened, as if I didn’t just witness the way he had his fingers digging into her arm.

And when he brought her the taser, it almost made me laugh. Part of me hopes she uses it on him one day—right where it hurts the most.

I don’t question her any further. I know she won’t tell me the truth, at least not yet. So instead of pushing her, I start the car and drive us to school.

The fifteen-minute drive passes in complete silence, neither of us saying a word.

I head toward my class while Sophie disappears into the crowd.

But even during my lessons, my mind keeps drifting back to what happened with Thomas. I can still picture the way he grabbed her arm, and it bothers me more than I want to admit.

Maybe I should talk to Jake about it… or Melissa.

I’m not sure.

If I try to handle this on my own, things could get messy fast.

As I head toward hockey practice, I spot her with her friends, laughing and talking like she doesn’t have a single worry in the world. It’s hard to believe she’s the same girl I drove to school with this morning.

One of her friends notices me and gestures in my direction. Sophie turns to look.

The moment our eyes meet, everything around me seems to fade for a second.

There’s only her, standing there in that cute little sunshine dress, looking completely carefree.

And somehow, I can’t seem to look away.

With her books clutched against her chest, she walks toward me. “Are you staying late?”

I nod. “I have hockey practice.”

“I have an hour.” I glance at her. “I can drop you home afterward.”

She shakes her head, and her eyes light up with excitement. “Can I watch?”

I let out a quiet sigh. Of course she wants to watch.

“Fine. Just let your mom know you’re staying.”

Her face immediately brightens. “I will.”

I skate off the rink after practice, grabbing my water bottle as I head toward the benches.

Sophie is still standing near the stands with her friends.

One of my teammates, Mason, notices her before I do.

He nudges me with his elbow. “Is that your girl?”

I immediately scoff. “No.”

Mason looks at her again. “She’s cute.”

“She’s Jake’s sister.”

He gives me a confused look. “And?”

“And stay away.”

He laughs. “I didn’t say anything.”

I shake my head and start walking toward the locker room, but Mason follows me.

A few minutes later, when we come back out, he walks straight toward Sophie.

I stop without meaning to.

“Hey,” Mason says with a grin. “You’re Sophie, right?”

She smiles politely. “Yeah.”

“I’m Mason.”

“I know. Jake has mentioned you.”

Mason’s grin widens. “Hopefully good things.”

She laughs. “Mostly.”

He glances at her books. “You come here often?”

She shakes her head. “Not really. I just wanted to watch Grayson practice.”

My eyes immediately shift toward her.

Mason notices. “Grayson, huh?”

Sophie looks at me and smiles. “He invited me.”

“I didn’t exactly invite you.”

She raises an eyebrow. “You said I could stay.”

“That counts.”

Mason chuckles. “Well, if you ever get bored watching him, you can watch me instead.”

Sophie laughs awkwardly.

I feel my jaw tighten. “She’s probably got better things to do.”

Mason looks at me with a knowing grin.

“Relax, man. I’m just talking to her.”

“I know.”

“Then why do you look like you’re about to kill me?”

“I don’t.”

Sophie looks between us, clearly amused.

Practice continues for another twenty minutes, and I try to focus on the game instead of the girl sitting in the stands.

It doesn’t work.

Every time I look up, Sophie is there.

She’s watching every move, cheering whenever I score, and somehow making the entire rink feel less boring than usual.

I shake the thought away and skate back into position.

A few minutes later, I go for the puck at the same time as another player.

Our shoulders collide hard.

My skate loses balance, and before I can catch myself, I hit the ice.

The impact sends a sharp pain through my shoulder.

“Grayson!” I hear Sophie’s voice before I even look up.

She’s already running down from the stands.

I push myself up onto one knee, trying to ignore the pain.

“I’m fine,” I call out.

She doesn’t listen.

She hurries toward me, stopping right beside the rink as I slowly get back on my feet.

“What happened?” Her voice is filled with worry.

“I took a hit.”

“You fell really hard.”

“I’ve taken worse.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re fine.”

I almost smile.

She’s looking at me like I’m the one who needs to be protected.

“I said I’m okay.”

She narrows her eyes. 

She looks at my shoulder, then back at my face. “Does it hurt?”

“A little.”

“A little?” She sounds genuinely annoyed now.

I chuckle. “Relax, Sunshine.”

“Don’t call me that right now.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m worried about you.”

The words catch me off guard.

For a second, I just stare at her.

She’s standing in front of me with her eyebrows pulled together, her eyes full of concern.

And something about it feels different.

She actually cares.

“I’m fine,” I say again, but this time my voice is softer.

She doesn’t move. “Promise?”

I look at her for a moment before nodding.

“Promise.”

She finally relaxes, letting out a quiet breath.

“Good.”

Then she notices my teammates watching us and immediately steps back.

Then a quiet laugh escapes my mouth. 

“What?”

“Nothing.”

She frowns. “Why are you laughing?”

“Because you ran across the entire rink like I was dying.”

“You fell!”

“I’ve fallen before.”

“Not in front of me.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“Are you saying you would’ve ignored me if you weren’t here?”

She opens her mouth, then closes it.

“I don’t know.”

I laugh.

She rolls her eyes and turns away.

“Come on. You should get some ice on that.”

I follow her toward the locker room, still watching the small smile she tries to hide.

Maybe Jake’s little sister isn’t as annoying as I thought.

Or maybe I’m just starting to notice her differently.

Then her phone rings.

She pulls it out of her pocket, and I glance at the screen.

Its Thomas.

My jaw tightens.

The playful expression on Sophie’s face disappears instantly, replaced by something I recognize all too well.

Fear.