My Brother's Hockey Teammate

When Things Get Ugly

Sophie

“I am going to check up on Jake…” I quietly say before quickly leaving, my steps becoming faster with every second.

I don’t look back.

By the time I reach the stairs, I can barely hear anything except my own heartbeat. I force myself to slow down before Jake notices something is wrong, but the moment I reach his room, I push the door open.

He looks at me and pulls his headphones down around his neck. “Sophie, what’s wrong?”

I take a moment to steady my breathing, forcing my expression into something that hopefully looks normal.

“Nothing. I just wanted to check if you’re okay.”

His eyebrows pull together as he studies me. “But you look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”

I force out a small laugh and shake my head. “Oh, no. I’m fine.”

Jake doesn’t look convinced. He knows me too well, and the way his eyes remain fixed on my face tells me he isn’t going to let this go easily.

Before I can tell him about Thomas, we both hear a loud c***k coming from the kitchen.

The sound is sharp enough to make my heart jump, like someone has slammed a kitchen drawer shut with all their strength.

“Who is that?” Jake asks curiously.

“It’s just Thomas,” I say.

Jake’s eyebrows pull together. “Thomas? I thought he left with mom.”

“Yeah.” I swallow. “He changed his mind at the last minute. Said something came up at work and he couldn’t leave.”

Jake leans back in his bed, studying me. “That’s weird.”

“And Grayson hasn’t returned yet?” he asks.

I quietly shake my head.

I ask Jake if he wants anything special for dinner, but he tells me to order takeout from his favorite Chinese restaurant instead.

It’s time for dinner, so I decide to take a shower. I leave Jake’s room and take the stairs down to the living room, where I find Thomas sitting in front of the TV, drinking as usual.

He looks at me, but before he can say anything, I immediately rush toward the stairs and head to my room.

I lock my bedroom door, extra cautious with no one else at home. There’s only Jake, who is bedridden, and Thomas, who is a half-drunk bastard I can’t trust in this condition.

Hell, I can’t trust him in any condition.

With Grayson around, I feel comfortable, but he isn’t here yet, and I’m not sure when he’ll return. At least I can call him and ask if he’ll be joining us for dinner.

I step out of the shower, a towel wrapped around my chest as tiny drops of water drip from my hair. I look at myself in the mirror, lost in my thoughts, when Grayson suddenly shows up in my room unannounced.

He had tried to bring out my wilder side, and my cheeks turn red when I remember that he was the first person to see me naked.

I take a deep breath, grab my phone, and dial his number.

It takes a few rings before he finally answers.

“Hello?” he says through the phone, his voice sounding slightly breathless.

“Hi, um… I wanted to ask if you’ll be back before dinner?” There’s a brief silence on the other end before he asks, “Why? What’s up?”

I part my lips to speak, but then I hear a soft female voice coming through the phone.

Grayson isn’t at hockey practice.

He’s with a girl.

“The practice might take a few hours,” he tells me. I clench the phone in my hand, knowing that this man is lying to me.

It’s not like we’re in a relationship and he has to lie to me. He can be direct with me, and I wouldn’t care.

“I don’t care, Grayson. You stay at your so-called hockey practice…” I say before simply cutting the call, not giving him a chance to respond.

I stare at my phone after ending the call, my thumb hovering over his name. For some stupid reason, I expect him to call me back immediately, maybe to ask why I hung up or to explain himself, but the screen remains silent.

I keep staring at it for a few seconds, waiting for it to light up, but nothing happens.

I toss the phone onto my bed and turn toward the mirror again, trying to convince myself that I don’t care.

Why would I care? Grayson and I aren’t together.

He doesn’t owe me an explanation about where he is or who he spends his time with. If he wants to spend his evening with some girl instead of coming home, that’s his choice.

Still, the image of that blonde girl from earlier flashes through my mind, followed by the sound of that female voice coming through the phone. My jaw tightens as I try to push the thoughts away.

“Whatever,” I mutter to myself.

I pull on a loose sweatshirt and a pair of jeans before leaving my room. The hallway is quiet, almost too quiet, but the moment I reach the stairs, I hear the television playing downstairs.

Thomas is still there.

I slow down as I approach the living room, the smell of alcohol reaching me before I even step inside. He is sitting exactly where I left him, one hand wrapped around a glass while the television plays in front of him.

His eyes lift toward me.

“Where are you going?” he asks.

“To get dinner for Jake.”

“I thought you were calling for takeout.”

“I am.”

He takes another drink, his eyes remaining on the television for a moment before they slowly shift back to me.

“Who were you talking to?”

My fingers tighten around my phone. “No one.”

His eyes narrow slightly. “I heard you.”

My heart skips, and I instinctively glance toward the stairs before looking back at him. There’s no way he could hear me from my room.

The television itself is loud enough to drown out most sounds.

“It was Grayson.”

The moment his name leaves my mouth, something changes in Thomas’s expression. It isn’t anger, exactly. It’s something quieter, harder to read, and somehow more unsettling.

“Grayson,” he repeats, as if testing the name on his tongue.

I nod. “He’s Jake’s friend.”

“I know who he is.”

His voice remains calm, almost too calm. He takes another slow sip from his glass, his gaze never leaving me.

I shift my weight uncomfortably, suddenly wishing I had stayed upstairs. There is something about the way he says Grayson’s name that makes the room feel different.

“What?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Nothing.”

He turns his attention back toward the television as if the conversation is over.

But somehow, I don’t believe him.

His voice is calm, but that makes me even more uncomfortable.

“Order takeout. I won’t let you go at this hour,” he tells me.

Before I can argue, he gives me a sharp stare that silences me instantly. I press my lips together, swallowing whatever protest was about to leave my mouth.

It’s just the three of us at the dinner table—Thomas, Jake, and me. While Thomas chooses to drink, Jake and I eat our dinner quietly.

It’s not like Thomas is having alcohol for the first time in this house. It’s his usual routine to have a few drinks before dinner, and it’s something Jake is used to seeing as well. There’s nothing unusual about him drinking.

Yet, I can’t shake the feeling that something is off tonight.

While Jake stuffs his mouth with lo mein, I notice Thomas looks like he wants to say something.

“Your friend… what’s his name?” he asks, referring to Jake.

Jake casually looks up from his food. “Grayson?”

Thomas gives a single nod. “Yes, him. He can’t stay in this house anymore.”

Jake stops eating, his fork frozen in his hand as he looks at Thomas with a blank expression.

“What do you mean?” Jake asks, exchanging a quick look with me before fixing his eyes on Thomas.

“I don’t like his presence. We have Sophie at home, and having friends around is fine, but letting them stay for an unlimited amount of time is unacceptable.”

Jake scoffs and leans back in his chair. “Grayson is like a brother to me. He can stay as long as I want.”

Thomas throws a deadly stare at Jake, but Jake simply gives him a blunt response.

“Mom never questioned me about having friends over. Sophie and Grayson are both adults. They know their boundaries.”

“Exactly…” I support Jake. “Jake needs his best friend. What’s wrong with that?”

Thomas slams his hand against the table, his anger flaring as his nostrils widen.

“The problem is that the guy is a spoiled brat. He disrespects me.”

Jake laughs at Thomas, then shakes his head.

“Spoiled by who? That guy lives alone, has no family, and somehow you think his behavior is causing you issues?”

“I am your father, Jake. You need to learn to accept everything I say.”

Jake quickly responds, “You’re my stepfather, Thomas. And I’ve never wronged you in any way. If what you were saying made sense, then I’d listen.”

After a brief pause, he continues, “But that’s the alcohol talking. You’re talking nonsense.”

Jake’s words seem to make the air at the table even heavier.

I sit quietly, barely touching my food as I watch Thomas stare at him. I’ve seen them argue before, but tonight feels different.

There is something in Thomas’s expression that makes me uneasy, and I can’t stop thinking about the way he slammed his hand against the table.

My fingers curl around my phone beneath the edge of the table.

I don’t want this to turn into something worse.

Jake seems completely unbothered, but I know Thomas when he gets angry. The alcohol only makes his temper harder to predict, and with Mom gone, I don’t feel comfortable being in the house while the two of them continue arguing.

My eyes drop to my phone and I think of calling Grayson.

I hesitate for a moment, remembering our earlier call and the way I ended it. I know I’m probably the last person he expects to hear from right now, but I don’t know who else to call.

I unlock my phone and find his name.

My thumb hovers over it for a few seconds before I finally press call.

My heart begins pounding as I wait for Grayson to answer.

“Please pick up.” I whisper to myself.