The early morning chill had yet to dissipate when I jolted awake, anticipating the usual rush to class because I had overslept. Still half-asleep, I shuffled out of bed, reaching for my jersey to throw on over my dark-colored undershirt from last night. That's when Alec, already more alert and upright as usual, threw me a curveball. "No dude, it's Wednesday. You gotta wear the uniform today." Another rule I had yet to catch. The constant onslaught of Ironcrest's regulations seemed endless, and I still fumbled through most of them. And there I was, unprepared to change into my uniform shirt in front of Alec. Alec, noticing my hesitation, nonchalantly added, "I'll tie your tie, don't worry," before returning his gaze to his book. It seemed he was back to his usual self. Very observant and precise. Though it was odd he had waited around for me to wake up. Usually, when I woke up this late, he was already long gone. Our conversations and bonding over yesterday's issue over practic

After the exhilarating class with Mr. Sherman, we all trudged back to the dorm through the thick blanket of snow that had started to settle more deeply around the campus pathways. Jules wrapped his arm around me, joking as he pulled me close, "You did awesome today, shorty. Are you sure you're not from some super secret southern monster-hunting family or something?" He meant it in jest, but it struck a nerve closer to home than he could have realized. He kept his arm around me the rest of the way, guiding me in and around the snowy paths as the other guys tossed snowballs at one another and played like little kids in front of us. As we approached the dormitory entrance, I awkwardly shrugged off his arm. "Hey, look... I didn't get lost in the snow... that's like snow 0, me 10 now." I caught Kris giving us a strange look from a few steps away. It reminded me that he had tried to put his arm around me earlier. What was that about? One thing I didn't realize about male camaraderie

Cam laughed, realizing who he had just saved from face-planting into the frigid snow. With a smirk, he blocked my only path back to the dorm. Trapped, my options dwindled to scaling snow banks or retreating back to the infirmary in the dark. "Well, well, out past curfew? In this snow? That's bold for a newbie from the South," he taunted. "Bet you were counting on your height to hide you, eh?" Jules's warning echoed in my head, loud and clear. Give him an inch, and he'll take a mile. I had to shut this down. "Move," I snapped. "Not in the mood, Cam." His laughter rumbled through the cold air. "Funny you think I'd listen to you." I glanced past him, plotting my escape, and shot back, "Funny seeing you alone... Don't you need your minions flanking you to feel big?" That hit a nerve. In an instant, he shoved me against a snow wall, lifting me off my feet. His eyes locked onto mine. "I don't need anything but a reason, little man...and those pretty green eyes are reason enough." Hi

We made our way to the dining hall, and just as the building came into view, my foot caught on a curb still hidden under the snow, sending me staggering forward. Adrien was quick, his arm shooting out to steady me. He wrapped his arm around me and didn't let go after that. Adrien was now doing it, too. This strange, protective closeness that was becoming all too familiar. His grip remained firm around my shoulders as we walked the rest of the way to the dining hall, despite my weak attempts to shrug him off a couple times. The dining hall was busy...too busy. The smell of boys, some freshly showered, others seemingly forgotten what a shower even is, hit me in the face. It seemed like the entire school was there, making it feel like we had walked into a chaotic storm about to explode. Students flocked around Adrien as if he was the gravitational center of the room. I tried to slip away, preferring the outskirts instead of being in the eye of the storm, but Adrien caught my arm.

The coach had devised a mock game for tomorrow's lineup against the main practice team, turning today's session into a real-time simulation. It was a test of our skills and our ability to adapt on the fly. He kept Alec on the ice with me, assigning him to give me constant pointers. As we started, I noticed a change in Alec. He seemed to genuinely enjoy coaching me, and his demeanor was a far cry from the tension at the beginning of this. Maybe he wasn't as bothered as I had thought, or perhaps this was just his way of asserting control in a different way. Peter caught my eye from across the ice as we lined up for the mock opening face-off. He was grinning broadly, clearly thrilled to be out here playing, even if it was only on the practice team. However, that joy was overshadowed by the fresh bruise marring his face, dark and severe. It looked recent and painful. The mock game started, and I held my own for the first few minutes. Alec skated close by, offering tips and correctio