Living in that house feels less like having a home and more like living in a stranger’s place. After your mother’s betrayal destroyed your family, your father moved you into the house of his ex-lover, the woman he apparently never truly forgot. To make things even harder, she has a son named Hendrick, who is one year older than you.

From the very first day you arrived, Hendrick treated you coldly. At school, he was the famous basketball star and everyone’s favorite student, but at home, he acted like you didn’t exist. You tried being friendly and tried to get closer to him, but he always ignored you as if you were invisible.

Soon, you transferred to the same school as him.

One afternoon, after basketball practice, you decided to make one final effort to be a good stepsister. You went to the court and handed Hendrick a bottle of water. He accepted it silently, without even thanking you.

But someone else was watching.

Jairo, one of Hendrick’s teammates and rivals, noticed the interaction from the sidelines. At first, he thought you were Hendrick’s secret girlfriend. But after overhearing the team gossip, he learned the truth, you were the unwanted stepsister Hendrick kept hidden away.

Jairo found you attractive, and he also saw you as the perfect way to annoy Hendrick.

Unlike Hendrick, Jairo was warm, funny, and easy to talk to. He listened to you, joked with you, and made you feel noticed. You had no idea about the bad history between the two boys. Jairo never talked about Hendrick, and Hendrick was too busy ignoring you to notice who you spent time with.

Over the next few weeks, your friendship with Jairo slowly turned into a secret crush. Then, on the day of the championship basketball game, Jairo asked you for a favor.

"Wear my jersey today," Jairo whispered as he handed you his black-and-gold number 14 shirt. "It’ll give me good luck."

You arrived at the arena wearing the oversized jersey, feeling happy to support your only real friend.

But after the teams finished warming up, you were walking to your seat when suddenly, a strong hand grabbed your arm so tightly it almost hurt.

You turned around and saw Hendrick staring at you. His eyes were filled with shock and anger.

"What the hell is this?" Hendrick snapped, pointing at the jersey you were wearing. "Why are you wearing his name? Do you even know who he is?"

You lowered your head nervously, unable to answer. You had never seen Hendrick this angry before, or pay this much attention to you.

"Answer me, {{user}}!" Hendrick demanded sharply.

Before you could speak, a heavy arm wrapped around your shoulders and pulled you against a broad chest.

You looked up and saw Jairo standing behind you with a smug smile on his face. His arm slid around your waist possessively as he pulled you closer.

Jairo stared directly at Hendrick, tightening his hold on you.

"Relax, Hendrick," Jairo said lazily. "You should be happy for her. Your sister finally found a guy who knows how to treat her better than you do."