It isn’t.
Wren whistles. “Girl, that boy is going to lose his damn mind when he sees you in his jersey.”
I glare at her. “Don’t make it weird.”
She beams. “Oh, baby, it’s already weird. It’s romance. Romance is weird.”
I pull the jersey on over my tank, and the second it settles on my shoulders, something in my body shifts. I wouldn’t say that the nerves are fully gone, but I do feel a bit more confident.
Wren’s eyes soften when she sees my face change.
“Okay,” she says quietly. “Now that looks good on you.”
I swallow. “It’s huge.”
“It’s hockey,” she says, deadpan. “Everything is huge.”
I tug at the sleeves once, then stop, because if I keep adjusting it, I’ll start spiraling.
Wren grabs my wrist gently. “Hey.”
I look at her.
Her expression is steady in that way that makes me remember she’s not just sunshine. She’s steel under it.
“You don’t have to prove anything today,” she says. “Not to your brother. Not to Grayson. Not even to yourself.”
My throat tightens.
“I know,” I whisper.
Wren’s mouth twitches. “Also, if Tyler Rushton even breathes in your direction, I will need help burying the body.”
I tip my head back, laughing, but also knowing she’s only partly joking.
Wren points at me like she’s won. “There. That’s the face. We’re keeping that.”
Kai texts twice while we’re walking across campus.
Kai: u good?
Kai: text me when you’re inside.
I don’t respond immediately because if I do, it becomes a thing.
Wren reads my expression anyway.
“Kai being Kai?” she asks.
I nod.
Wren’s gaze goes distant for half a second, like she’s remembering her own history with my brother and deciding not to poke it today. Then she bumps my shoulder lightly. “Okay. We’re not letting Captain Control ruin your game day.”
“You’ve been back for five minutes, and you’re already making enemies,” I mutter.
Wren grins. “That’s my brand.”
The rink is loud before we even get inside. Not deafening yet. But alive. A low roar of people, music, the smell of popcorn and cold air mixing together until it feels like an entire world has been built just to hold a hockey game.
