CHAPTER THREE: AN UNWANTED WELCOME

“Before we begin, we have a new addition to the team.”

Ethan wished the ground would open up and swallow him.

He stood beside Coach Miller in the middle of the hockey rink, feeling the weight of several curious stares. A few players exchanged amused glances, while others didn’t bother hiding their laughter.

He recognized almost every face.

“This is Ethan,” Coach Miller continued, completely unaware of the internal funeral Ethan was holding for himself. “He’ll be joining us from today. I expect everyone to make him feel welcome.”

A snort came from somewhere behind him.

Ethan closed his eyes briefly.

Welcome, what an interesting choice of word.

He looked around the rink. The players were already geared, hockey sticks scattered beside the benches.

Ethan looked like someone who had accidentally walked into the wrong building.

He had never been interested in sports. He preferred books, pencils, and the quiet satisfaction of creating something with his hands. Give him a sketchpad and a few hours, and he could forget the world existed. And with a hockey stick, he wasn’t entirely sure which end was supposed to touch the puck.

But none of that had mattered to Principal Maris.

A week earlier, she had informed him, his college applications needed more extracurriculars , she simply volunteered him for the school's hockey team, before he could protest. They needed players, and she believed he could “fit in.”

Now he needed the scholarship more than ever. The money he had saved for College was gone, swallowed by his Mum's hospital bills and hid drawings brought in a little, but not enough.

First, he had to survive hockey.

“Captain?”

Ethan’s stomach tightened.

He didn’t need to turn around to know who Coach Miller was addressing.

Cole stood near the benches, hockey stick resting against his shoulder. His dark hair fell casually over his forehead, and his expression was as unreadable as ever. Beside him stood Draken and Luke, both looking far too entertained.

On the ice, his word carried almost as much weight as Coach Miller’s.

And, unfortunately, he was also the biggest problem Ethan had on this team.

“What?” Cole asked.

“Show Ethan around. Help him get familiar with the basics.”

Cole’s eyes shifted toward Ethan.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Cole gave a short, humourless laugh.

“You’re joking.

Ethan’s eyebrows rose.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Coach Miller asked.

“Coach, with all due respect, I don’t have time to babysit.”

A few players laughed.

Ethan felt his cheeks grow warm, but he refused to look away.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I don’t need a babysitter. I just need someone to explain why everyone here seems to have forgotten how to welcome a new teammate.”

The laughter stopped.

Luke let out a low whistle.

Draken’s mouth twitched, as though he were trying not to smile.

Cole stared at Ethan.

“Watch your mouth, new boy,” Cole said.

“I’m watching it. It’s attached to my face.”

Luke laughed openly this time.

“Enough,” Coach Miller interrupted, though he looked suspiciously close to smiling. “Cole, you’re responsible for getting him started. That’s final.”

Cole’s jaw tightened.

“Fine.”

He picked up a spare hockey stick and tossed it toward Ethan.

Ethan fumbled, barely managing to catch it before it hit the floor.

Another round of laughter followed.

“Hold it properly,” Cole instructed.

Ethan looked down at the stick, then back at him.

“I’m trying.”

“Try harder.”

“I’m sure that was the professional coaching advice I needed.”

Draken finally stepped forward.

“Maybe we should let him get used to the equipment first,” he suggested. His voice was calmer than Cole’s, and unlike the others, he didn’t seem particularly interested in humiliating Ethan.

“That’s what I’m doing,” Cole replied.

“By throwing sticks at him?”

Luke grinned. “At least he caught it. That’s a promising start.”

Before Ethan could decide whether to thank him, Mason stepped away from the group.

“Are we seriously keeping him?” he asked, looking Ethan up and down. “He doesn’t look like he could survive five minutes on the ice.”

Ethan tightened his grip on the stick.

“Good thing nobody asked you to judge my survival skills.”

Mason’s expression darkened.

Cole’s gaze moved between them.

“Enough, Mason.”

The command was quiet, but it carried authority.

Mason raised both hands and stepped back.

Ethan frowned.

That was strange. Cole had never been particularly concerned about what happened to him before.

Coach Miller clapped his hands.

“Training starts in five minutes. Ethan, get changed and meet us on the ice.”

Ethan nodded, though his stomach was already twisting.

As he turned toward the changing room, he heard Cole speak behind him.

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

Ethan stopped and glanced over his shoulder.

“Trust me, Captain. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

He continued walking, trying to ignore the laughter that followed him.

He had wanted a chance at a better future.

Somehow, Principal Maris had handed him a hockey stick and sent him straight into a nightmare.

And the boy waiting to make that nightmare worse was Cole Blackwood.

He walked away, determined not to let Cole Blackwood ruin his first day.

But Cole remained where he was, his eyes following Ethan until he disappeared through the changing room doors.

Draken noticed.

“You seem particularly interested in the new boy,” he remarked.

Cole tore his gaze away. “Don't start.”

Luke chuckled. “We haven't said anything.”

“Then keep it that way.”

Cole picked up his hockey stick, but his attention had already drifted.

He was still trying to understand why a stranger he'd spotted a month ago had occupied his thoughts so completely. He had even gone as far as finding the boy's school and enrolling himself.

Now that Ethan was finally within reach, He had no idea what to do with him.