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Monday Rink

Author: Skygirl
last update publish date: 2026-06-13 22:36:55

The ice was cold beneath Liam's blades.

He stepped out of the tunnel at 3:47, three minutes before practice officially started. The stands were empty. The clock above the scoreboard was dark. The only sound was the hum of the cooling system and the distant echo of his own edges cutting into the surface.

He did one slow lap. Testing.

His shoulder felt different today. Not healed exactly. Just... ready. The way a key felt when it finally turned in a lock.

The door to the locker room banged open b
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  • Boys Don’t Play Fair   Hold My Hand

    The world outside was winding down. The street seemed softer, muted by winter the sky turning a deeper gray and the cold biting at any skin left uncovered. Cars slid past; people hustled home, scarves wrapped over mouths and noses, faces hidden. Joe heard the buzz of traffic and felt the crunch of salt under his shoes with every step. He walked close enough to Liam that their coats nearly brushed. The warmth coming off Liam felt startling. “How was your day?” Liam asked, breathing out white in the air. “Fine.” Joe’s voice was rough. “Just fine.” “Just fine?” Liam tried again. “Yeah. It was fine.” Liam nodded, letting the question drop. They didn’t need words for a while. They rounded a corner. Here, the houses leaned in with chipped paint and old mailboxes. Branches tangled overhead; a jay called out sharp and lonely somewhere above. Liam spoke again, hesitantly. “Can I ask you something?” “Yeah.” “Why did you kiss me? At the movie.” Joe’s breath caught. He stared at the cr

  • Boys Don’t Play Fair   Day By Day

    Joe slipped back into school at 9:20, shoes squeaking a little too loud on the waxed linoleum. The air inside was heavy, still like the building was holding its breath. He could hear his own footsteps echoing down the empty hallway, bouncing sharply off metal lockers. Behind closed doors, teachers’ voices blurred together into a low hum, punctuated now and then by the drag of a chair or a burst of laughter drifting from deep inside a classroom.He should’ve gone to calc. Henderson would be annoyed, maybe he’d just let it go. Joe didn’t care enough to check. He kept walking past the math room, past the science wing where the chemical tang from the last experiment still hung in the air, past the stairs that wound up to the second floor.He needed out. He needed air.When he pushed open the door to the courtyard, the bite of cold hit him right in the face. The benches were rimmed with frost, leaves frozen to the metal in glassy little patterns. The trees stood totally bare, their thin

  • Boys Don’t Play Fair   Learning How To Stay

    The hallway let them out into the cold again through the courtyard, then onto the little path circling the school. The grass looked frozen stiff, the trees skeleton thin. They walked in quiet not exactly comfortable, but not hostile, either. Just... waiting. Liam finally spoke up. "I meant it, you know," he said. "What I said at the movie. About missing you." Joe didn’t say anything, just waited. "I miss the way you used to look at me," Liam said. "Like I mattered." Joe felt his throat get tight. "You did matter," Joe said. "You just couldn’t see it." Liam went quiet, absorbing that. "I see it now," he said, almost whispering. Joe stopped walking, so Liam did too. "Liam," Joe said. "Yeah?" "I’m scared." He said it so quietly, it almost got lost on the wind. Liam waited. "I’m scared to trust you. To let you in,” Joe went on. "Because every time, you shoved me away." Liam looked away. "I know. I don’t have a good answer. I was mad at myself, at everyone. But you were the

  • Boys Don’t Play Fair   The Thing We Don't Say

    Monday rolled in cold and gray.The city felt hungover, still groggy from the weekend. Streets sat quiet, sidewalks glazed with leftover frost. Joe moved through it, hands shoved deep in his pockets, his breath slipping out in little clouds. His body walked, but his mind was somewhere else.He hadn't really slept. The whole weekend was just a mess of thoughts Liam's voice, Liam's hand around his wrist, the taste of his mouth. The way he said “I missed you,” like it hurt him to admit. And how Joe kissed him back without even thinking.He shook his head, kept his feet moving.At the corner, Noah waited. Always did. Bike chained to the rack, bag slung over one shoulder, two coffees in hand."You look like hell," Noah said, passing one over."I’m aware," Joe said, taking the cup."You sleep?"Joe hesitated. "Sort of.""How much is sort of?"He sipped the coffee. Hot. Bitter. Perfect."Enough."Noah didn’t press. He never did. Just fell in step with him, and together they headed toward sch

  • Boys Don’t Play Fair   WHAT COMES NEXT

    Saturday morning slid in, quiet and gray. The kind of dull light that makes everything softer, a little blurry around the edges.Noah woke with Jay’s arm still draped over him, the heat of Jay’s body pressed against his back. Their legs tangled under the old comforter. The rhythm of Jay’s slow, even breaths brushed against Noah’s neck warm air hitting cool skin. The curtains kept the room dim, but just enough light leaked in from under the door to paint a pale line on the carpet by the closet.Noah stayed perfectly still. He didn’t want to mess up the moment, didn’t want to lose even a second of how safe and good it felt. He listened to Jay breathe, felt the weight and movement of his chest, the gentle squeeze of his arm tightening and loosening with each exhale. Memories from last night flooded back neon lights in the arcade, their faces smashed together inside a photo booth, Jay’s soft laugh in the dark. Little flashes and feelings that made Noah’s heart kick up and his cheeks g

  • Boys Don’t Play Fair   Tonight, We Had Everything

    The car was a little oasis of heat, humming quietly against the ugly slap of February cold. When Noah slid into the passenger seat, he could almost melt into the upholstery fingers tingling as the vents blasted his face and hands. His bag slumped against the floor, sneakers kicked halfway off. He unzipped his jacket, trying to let the warmth soak straight into his bones. For once, his brain wasn’t racing it was like someone had pressed pause on all the noise inside his head."I don’t want to think," Noah mumbled, barely moving his lips.Jay shot him a sidelong look. "About what?""Anything. Seriously—everything. Exams. The future. Figuring out what I’m supposed to do with my life." He tipped his head back, eyelids drifting shut. "I just want to exist for a bit.""That’s pretty philosophical," Jay said, even though he was grinning.Noah cracked an eye open, unamused. "I’m very philosophical. And also very tired."Jay just snorted, shifting the car into drive. "At least you know yoursel

  • Boys Don’t Play Fair   FAULT LINES

    The locker room feels heavy, like the air itself is pressing in.Jay sits on the bench, still in his gear, hunched over, breathing like he just climbed a mountain.Liam leans against the lockers, arms crossed, face unreadable. He waits.Jay finally breaks the silence ag

  • Boys Don’t Play Fair   What Did You Say to Him?

    At Lunch. Noah sat alone at the cafeteria table. Joe hadn’t shown up maybe hiding somewhere else. Jay was across the room, hanging with Mark and other seniors.Jay didn’t look his way. Didn’t text. Just kept to himself.Noah pushed food around and tried not to think ab

  • Boys Don’t Play Fair   The Distance Between Us

    Noah’s Apartment. at 4:17pm.Noah dropped his backpack and flopped onto his bed, exhausted. His phone was already in his hand, though he couldn’t remember grabbing it.Three new texts.Jay: carter please just talk to me Jay: i don’t understand what’s happening

  • Boys Don’t Play Fair   I Can’t Tell You Why

    The Library. 12:23pm.Noah sat there, staring at a blank laptop screen. He’d made up his mind. He wasn’t backing down now. He had to go through with it for Jay, for Jay’s future. Even if it wrecked him in the process.He closed the laptop and stood. He already knew where Liam wo

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