Page 7 of Ethan

“You know how they are.” Ethan shrugged.

Livvy just laughed. “Yeah, I know how they are.” She paused. “Is your brother changing his favorite player, finally?”

It took Ethan a moment, but then he remembered that Charlie was wearing the bright red of the Blackhawks, not his standard yellow-and-black Crosby jersey.

“Oh, his sweater wouldn’t fit over his coat,” Ethan said, dropping his voice low so that Charlie wouldn’t overhear them. “He was so mad.”

“Ah,” Livvy said knowingly.

“Yeah, Avery teased him. Said he was finally growing.”

“Soft spot for Charlie,” Livvy said, chuckling. “I bet he was happy, but pissed off, at the same time.”

“Kinda, yeah,” Ethan agreed.

Livvy just laughed harder. “Sounds like Charlie.”

“You gonna skate with us?” he asked, hoping she would, even though she wasn’t carrying her skates. She didn’t go to school so far away—close enough that they went to games, sometimes, when Charlie or Avery weren’t playing—but she was busy, so didn’t come home as much as Ethan wanted her to.

“Nah, bud. I just wanted to come out here and see you guys. Just stopped in to grab some stuff from Mom. She said you were out here.”

“First day of ice,” Ethan told her excitedly.

Livvy hugged him again. “Don’t change, okay?”

“Okay,” Ethan said, because that was an easy promise. He wasn’t ever going to change anyway. Or at least if he did, he was only going to get better at hockey. Good enough to beat Charlie. And maybe good enough to beat Avery. “You’re not staying?”

“Sorry,” Livvy said reluctantly, making a sad face. “I got practice.”

He knew Livvy was busy, or at least that was what Mom always said. “She’s got school and hockey,” Mom had to remind him. And Ethan always thought how he couldn’t wait for that to be him. For him to be playing on that big rink and having everyone cheer for him and getting to wear that big blue M on his sweater.

Charlie always scoffed at the idea of going to college—even at twelve, he kept saying he was going to be drafted first overall right out of the OHL.

Avery would roll his eyes then and remind him that he had togetto the OHL first.

He knew the moment Avery and Charlie spotted Livvy on the bench with him, because they gave a wild shout and skated to the bench, piling all around them.

After Livvy gave Avery and Charlie big hugs, she pulled back, big grin on her face. “So who’s winning?”

“Me,” Charlie declared.

“So he thinks.” Avery made a face.

“I scored on Avery!” Ethan declared.

“It was a good shot, bud,” Avery agreed.

“Only because Averyletyou,” Charlie said, sulking a little about it, even though he’d scoredplenty.

“Mean,” Ethan complained. He’d done a good job. Avery had said so!

But then that was just like Charlie. Always needing to be the best, even if he was the most annoying about it.

“Sounds like Ethan’s kicking butt,” Livvy said, because she wasactuallythe best.

“Yeah,” Ethan said excitedly. “I totally am.”

“You guys watch out for him, right?” Livvy asked quietly. Like Ethan wasn’t right here! He didn’t need to be watched out for, no matter what Mom or Dad orLivvysaid.