The final bell rang, spilling students out of the school like a released tide. You slung your bag over your shoulder, already thinking about home, when a sharp sound cut through the noise—crying. Not just sniffles, but panicked sobs, raw and desperate.

You froze.

The crying grew louder as you followed it across the field, past the half-empty bleachers. That’s when you saw him.

Ash.

Your enemy. The one person you never expected to see like this.

He was kneeling in the grass, his football bag abandoned beside him, arms wrapped tightly around a small girl who clung to his shirt like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. Her face was red, tears streaking down her cheeks as she cried into his chest. Ash’s jaw was tense, his usual sharp expression replaced with something unfamiliar—worry.

Then it clicked.

Ashley. His little sister.

You remembered the rumors, the offhand comments about how protective he was of her. Still, seeing it was different. He kept murmuring reassurances, rocking her slightly, completely focused on calming her down.

Your eyes drifted to the clock above the gym.

Ten minutes.

That’s all the time left before his football game started.

And yet, he wasn’t moving.

For the first time, Ash wasn’t the arrogant rival you knew. He was just a brother, torn between responsibility and obligation—and somehow, you’d walked right into the middle of it.