Noah Pov

We won.

For the first time in six years, our team had actually beaten the Silverpine wolves.

The loud cheers from the stadium were still humming under my skin as I pulled out of the parking lot, headlights cutting through the dark, forestry roads that ran between our towns.

I was really regretting taking that extra shift at the coffee shop tomorrow morning, having to leave the celebration early felt wrong, because this wasn't just a win. It was a fucking statement.

Silverpine had everything: the funding, the prestige, the insane roster of top players. We had worn-out jerseys and a lineup so fragile, flu season was basically a disaster drill.

Still, our schools insisted on holding this pre-season match every year, even though the outcome was basically pre-decided.

And, tonight? We played well, we played together - and they didn't. Far from it. Sure, it would have felt better to have beat them at their best. But all in all the win still counted.

I was going over the game, trying to figure out why the team from Silverpine had been so off their game when I suddenly saw a flash of movement ahead. Someone was walking alone on the side of the empty road.

I slowed, frowning.

No way. That could not be right.

As my headlights swept over the figure I recognized it straight away.

Ethan Brooks.

Silverpine's quarterback. Their star player. The guy I'd been dreaming of beating since seventh grade. Walking alone on the side of the road in the middleof absolutely nowhere.

What the actual fuck? Was I seeing things? The game had finished a little more than two hours ago, their home game, so why would he be here?

It made no sense, but as I passed the figure there was no denying it, it was definitely him.

Part of me wanted to keep driving. Not my business how he handled a loss.

But, I couldn't - I shouldn't. Guys like Ethan Brooks didn't just wander around like stray dogs. Something had to be wrong.

So I eased off the gas, reversing back toward him and rolled down the window.

"Ethan! What the hell are you doing out here?"

He didn't react at first.

But when he finally turned toward the car, he looked.. off.

Defeated and tired, like even standing upright was an act of stubbornness. No jacket, just a rumpled shirt which wasn't exactly a match for the cold night.

His eyes caught mine for half a second.

"Noah?" he said, voice rough like he hadn't spoken in a while.

"Yeah, genius." I leaned over a little, trying to get a better look at him. "What the hell are you doing walking here? This is nowhere near anything!"

He blinked, like he was trying to catch up.

"...Right."

I frowned, concerned, this was all very weird. "You need a ride?"

There was a beat where I was sure he'd say no, that he would pull the usual Brooks move, deflect, keep up that whole wall of ice he always insisted on putting between us, like talking to me might be some sort of offense.

But no. Instead, after a short break, he just muttered, "Yeah. Thanks," and tuggedthe door open.

As he slid into the passenger seat, pulling the door shut with a click, the cabin light flickered on, and for a second, I could see him clearly.

Still Ethan.

Even like this he looked good. Annoyingly good.

Stupidly tall, sharp jaw, blond hair shoved back like he'd run his hands through it too many times. Those same unreadable blue-gray eyes that made him very difficult to figure out.

I bit the inside of my cheek without thinking. Everything about this was so weird that I didn't really know what to do other than pull back onto road.

Neither of us spoke for a little while.

The silence felt heavy and uncomfortable. I normally didn't mind quiet, but this felt like holding your breath and not knowing why.After a short while, I needed to break the tension.

"Taking the loss hard, huh?"

Ethan didn't look at me. Just kept his eyes fixed on the dark stretch of highway ahead.

"Not as hard as I should,"

I blinked, slightly thrown by his response.

"That's... a weird thing to say."

He didn't elaborate.

Of course he didn't.

"Sooo," I pushed lightly, aiming for humor, "you're upset because you're not upset enough? You know that makes zero sense, right?"

He huffed out something that might've been a laugh, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Apparently that was his reply.

I drummed my fingers on the wheel.

Feeling a strong urge to fight the uncomfortable silence taking over the car

again. "Ehm.. where are you going?"

"Not far."

Well that was completely useless.

"You just enjoy walking in the dark at night or what?" I honestly had no clue why I was still trying.

"Noah?" he said after a second.

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever shut up?"

I forced a laugh, starting to feel slightly annoyed. "Rarely. But hey, I'll make an exception for your dramatic ass tonight."

Something flickered across his face - his lips just barely started to curve up before he forced them back into a straight line.

I gripped the wheel tighter. Focused on driving. Or tried to, it was pretty hard to ignore the big looming presence of Ethan Brooks sitting next to me.

Once or twice, I caught him glancing sideways at me. Like he wanted to say something.

Or maybe we just missed his exit, as I had no clue where he was going.

Twenty-two minutes of awful awkward tension filled silence later, we rolled past the empty train station in Oakridge.

"You can drop me here," Ethan said, already looking ready to leave the car.

I slowed. "Pretty sure the last train's already gone."

"That sounds like my problem,"

I shot him a look. "Yeah, well, right now you're kinda my problem too."

He didn't answer.

Just reached for the door.

As he opened the door I noticed him shivering slightly and cursed under my breath. Already annoyed with myself for what I was about to do, I grabbed the jacket crumpled in the backseat and held it out toward him."Take this."

Ethan gave it a glance, then raised a brow. "Pretty sure that's too small for me, Miller."

Asshole.

I didn't even think. Just threw it at his face.

"Just take the damn jacket, Brooks."

He caught it one-handed, clearly despite himself, and shot me a sideways look that could've meant anything.

I didn't stick around for another weird standoff. Just pulled away, checking the rearview mirror once to make sure he wasn't about to wander off again.

It looked like he had pulled out his phone and was talking with someone.

Which was good I guess.

This whole ride had been so weird I almost started questioning if it had been real as I drove away.

But whatever. It was late and I had work in the morning. And I really needed the money now that I was going to save up for a new jacket.

Ethan Brooks - not my problem.

Or so I thought.

But when I showed up for practice Monday that illusion got shattered pretty quickly.

I hadn't even made it to my locker before Coach Anderson's voice cut through the noise.

"Miller. My office. Now."

A few of my teammates looked up, eyebrows raised.

I swung my bag over my shoulder, heart thudding a little harder than necessary.

Being called in privately wasn't automatically a bad thing, it could even be good given how the game had went, but something felt off.Coach sat behind his desk, arms crossed, his usual stern expression giving absolutely nothing away.

"Close the door."

I obeyed and sank into the chair across from him.

"I'm gonna keep this short," he said. "We've got a transfer joining us Wednesday."

I frowned. "Okay?"

Transfers happened sometimes. Usually not big deals. Definitely not one-on-one meeting worthy.

Then he said it.

"It's Ethan Brooks."

I blinked.

And then, because my brain refused to compute, I laughed. A nervous, confused and completely baffled laughter."You're joking."

Coach didn't smile.

I felt a pit forming in my stomach. "You're not joking."

"Nope. Family moved to Oakridge. He will be officially transferring on Wednesday. Final paperwork just came in today."

I stared at him. He had got to fucking kidding me.

"But.. we just played him," I said, still not understanding it. "Like, two days ago."

Coach just shrugged, "Yeah. That's simply how it worked out. It wasn't an ideal situation for Silverpine, or for Brooks for that matter."

I felt a bit bad, Ethan's behavior on Friday suddenly made a bit more sense, that couldn't have been an easy game for him.

Still, it didn't undo the fact that being on the same team as him was going to be weird as hell.

And that's when it really clicked, Ethan coming here could only mean one thing.

"What position is he—?"

He didn't even let me finish.

"He will take over as Quarterback. You're moving back to Running Back where you belong. Damon drops to second string."

I sat there, utterly stunned by it all. This had not been on my bingo card for today, or you know, ever.

"It is better this way. You know how strong a player he is." Coached voice was a tad softer than before.

I knew. Ethan was the quarterback archetype, a much better player than me for that position. The only reason I was even playing was due to the lack of a better option. Now we had one.

And I liked being a running back. Preferred it, actually. So this should have felt like a relief, but there was something about how easily it got taken away - by him of all people, that left a sour aftertaste in my mouth.After I didn't say anything, Coach leaned forward, fixing me with a stare.

"You're still the captain, Miller. You're still a leader. And right now, that means you're gonna help make this transition smooth."

I opened my mouth. No idea what I was even about to say - but Coach cut me off, tilting his head as he spoke.

"I need you to smile when I announce it today after practice. I need you to act like it's Christmas."

I forced a smile so fake it for sure gave away exactly how I felt.

Coach just arched an eyebrow in response.

"Two hours, Miller," he said. "Plenty of time to find your game face."

I grabbed my bag, muttered something like "Sure. Got it, Coach," and stumbled back into the hallway.

Because sure. Totally fine.away exactly how I felt.

Coach just arched an eyebrow in response.

"Two hours, Miller," he said. "Plenty of time to find your game face."

I grabbed my bag, muttered something like "Sure. Got it, Coach," and stumbled back into the hallway.

Because sure. Totally fine.

Just Ethan Brooks. On my team. At my school. In my life.

Being officially my problem.