Warning: language, mention of alcohol and drugs

Ronan's POV

I was parked outside Adam's house, wondering why luck hasn't been on my side this past week as I got out. The house wasn't a huge mansion that screamed extravagance, much like Adam's friends' houses, but it was large and intricately designed in a way that made it look expensive in an elegant, indifferent way. Everything from the gravel in the front yard to the panelling on the walls was handpicked by Adam and his wife, Talia.

I didn't bother knocking on the door and let myself in, knowing that they were expecting me and left it unlocked. It was Friday afternoon. I'd woken up for my single class of the day and found that it had been cancelled, and just as I was about to go back to sleep, Adam's call cut through my bleariness, my phone's ringtone replacing the alarm that had previously been going off.

When he told me that he wanted me to babysit my sister because he needed to go for a 2 day business trip, I'd happily agreed in my half asleep state and promised to pick her up in the afternoon. It was when I woke up that I remembered we were having one of the biggest parties of the year in a couple hours and, sadly, 6 year olds weren't on the guest list.

I knew, however, that it was too late to back out. I'd already agreed and Adam had probably booked his tickets and hotels the moment he ended that call. I won't lie, I had absolutely no idea about how I was going to manage having Isabelle at the house during the party. The boys could probably help me out. Maybe we could take turns watching her or something?

When I walked through the door and kicked my shoes off, Izzy was running at me full speed for a hug. "Ronan!" Izzy screamed as she ploughed into me and I couldn't help but chuckle as I caught her. "Hey Izzy, how's my favourite girl doing?" I asked her, kissing the top of her head.

Mason and Hunter always made fun of me for how I acted with Izzy. They laughed at how I was apparently a completely different person with her, 'a total softie' they liked to say, and I didn't mind because, deep down, I knew they were right. Izzy was like a small bundle of beauty and sunshine, and I'd do absolutely anything for her. She had me wrapped around her finger.

I ruffled her soft brown hair as I put her down. "Ronaaann stopppp," she whined as she always did when I did that. It only made me laugh more. She gave me a pouty look but proceeded to grab my hand with her tiny one and lead me further into the house. She rambled none stop about everything related to being in her first grade class as she went.

Izzy led me to Adam's office, where he was looking through and organising a stack of files. Everyone told me that Adam and I looked almost identical. We had the same dark brown hair and golden skin, the same square jaw and straight nose. We were both freakishly tall, though he was half an inch taller, and, while I was more built because of hockey, Adam was naturally lean and broad. The only difference was our eyes. While Adam's, and Izzy's, were hazel, mine were grey.

Adam looked up from his files when we walked in and smiled, happy to see me. I put my arm around his shoulders and squeezed him in form of greeting as he sent Isabelle up to her room to get her things. I asked him about work and Talia as we sat down, waiting for our sister. "You know how the business can be, Ron, it has its ups and downs. And Talia's great, she's in back to back meetings today. She said to drop Izzy off tomorrow whenever, or to call if you want her to pick her up."

When our parents died, Adam was 19. Since he was legally an adult, their shares in their accounting company were transferred to him as per their will, and he's been running it ever since. He took care of Isabelle and me and when I turned 18, he promised to give me my share in the form of tuition, housing and anything hockey related that I needed. He also agreed to pay me, quite generously might I add, whenever I completed any of the tasks he asked me to do. His wife, Talia, was a corporate lawyer. She worked in some fancy law firm, but she also handled any legal issues the company had, though there weren't many thanks to Adam.

Since I stayed near campus with the hockey boys, Adam and Talia took care of Izzy. "Do I need to go over the rules, Ron?" Adam asked me when Izzy returned with her bags. "No sweets before dinner or before bed, don't let her watch too much TV, help her get ready for bed, sleep at 9, don't leave her with Mason because he'll try to play football with her," I listed everything on my fingers.

"Atta boy," Adam turned to Izzy, "you can do your homework when you get back sweetie, and if Ronan loses you, take his phone and call me," Adam told her, giving me a look that said, you better fucking not. I shook my head. "It was one time," I said, exasperated. I'd once taken Izzy with me to hockey practice and lost her in the stands. To be fair, it wasn't my fault. She was the one that thought it would be funny to hide, and then she realised she'd hidden so well that she didn't even know where she was.

"One time too many, mate," Adam laughed at me. I picked Isabelle up in one arm and held her small pink duffle bag in the other. "You trust me, right Izzy?" I asked her. "Nooo," she replied immediately, "but you're fun," she added and gave me a toothy smile, as if that would ease her rejection. Adam's pointed look screamed I told you so, and I feigned hurt as I turned to leave. "Give my love to Talia, I like her more than you man," I yelled over my shoulder as we left. I closed the front door before Adam could respond.

****

"Alright Izzy, get some sleep. Call me if you need anything, alright?" I said as I plugged the landline in next to the bedside table. My room was in the furthest corner of the house on the first floor, so the music and noise from downstairs was faint enough to let Isabelle sleep, hopefully.

I'd guess about half the guests had arrived by now, judging by the noise, so I locked my bedroom door from the inside as I let myself out. We'd asked people to not come upstairs, but that usually didn't stop them from doing what they wanted. The last thing I needed was Izzy being woken up by drunk people trying to bang.

I'd decided to stay with Isabelle, watching Disney movies and playing games, until it was time for her to go to bed, so that I didn't have to worry. Besides, being late to your own party wasn't really a big deal, right?

I was in sweats and a full sleeved dry fit, not in the mood of changing. It wasn't ideal party wear, but most people were going to be too drunk or high to notice, or care. I made my way down to the living room to find my friends, the place already full.

A few people greeted me with 'hey's and 'how ya doing's and nods of acknowledgements, but most saw me and chose to keep their distance, understandably so. I wasn't exactly known as the nice guy around university.

I scanned the sea of bodies as I went, an advantage that came with being 6'5, and my eyes eventually fell on Hunter. Making my way to him, I realised he was with Veronica. "Hunter!" I called, louder than I normally would, as I got to him, the music so deafening I wasn't even sure if he heard me.

He turned to me, as did Veronica, who was tucked under his arm. "She slept?" he asked me as he looked up at me. "Hey Ronan," Veronica slurred before I could reply, her unfocused eyes gazing at me from under her lashes. I felt my lip quirk up in amusement, "Hey Veronica, having fun?" I asked teasingly. "You fucking know it," She cheered, raising one of her arms. The movement left her unbalanced, and Hunter needed to bring her back to his side to stop her from falling.

Damn, she was wasted. I met Hunter's eyes, which mirrored my own humour, as I told him, "Yeah, she's out. I'll check on her every hour or so to make sure she's alright." Hunter nodded at me before asking, "You lock her door, Ron?"

"Yeah, you know how people can get," I said with a small smile. Hunter and Mason could make fun of me all they wanted, but they were just as fiercely protective of Isabelle as I was. It was a comfort knowing that if I ever needed them to help out with her, they would drop everything and do so in a heartbeat.

I decided it was time to leave the two love birds and let them have their fun. "Where's Mason?" I questioned. "Kitchen," he told me, distracted, his attention back on his very drunk girlfriend, who'd gotten onto her toes to whisper things in his ear. Judging by his smile, I knew I didn't want to know what they were.

I left wordlessly and headed to the kitchen to find Mason. I was almost there when I felt a firm hand come down on my shoulder, stopping me. Assuming it was just someone too high on weed or drunk on alcohol to know what they were doing, I tried to shrug it off.

When I felt it tighten, I turned, and came face to face with the one person I was hoping to avoid tonight. Conner Bryans looked up at me with a wicked look in his electric blue eyes and an arrogant smirk on his face. "Nice party, Captain. Where have you been?"

The way he said captain, with vicious sarcasm, almost made me roll my eyes at him. I had an idea on how this conversation would go. I just hoped I kept my fist out of his face by the end of it. A piece of shit he may be, but he was also one of our best defensive players.

I gave him a blank look. "Thanks Conner. That's none of your business," I told him as I made to leave. He wasn't worth it, I kept telling myself. When he pulled at the back of my shirt to stop me from going, I felt my none-existent patience wear thin as I turned around.

"It's everyone's business now, Captain." He spat at me. I could smell the alcohol in his breath. I think he was swaying slightly. "We can't have our leader prancing around pulling bullshit, now can we?" before I could say anything, he went on. "You're such a sly prick Ronan. I don't know what you did to get Jason to give it to you, but fuck, I'm impressed. I didn't see it coming."

I took a step towards him, with the intension to intimidate as I stood up taller. That, however, didn't stop him from continuing. His poked at my chest, "What'd you do, Harding? Kiss Kavinski's ass? Beg at his feet? Because there's no fucking way he chose you over me."

I grabbed the finger he was pointing at me, holding back the urge to snap it, and threw his hand to the side. "Get the hell out, Conner," I ordered him, my voice icy and calm. We have a game coming up. He can't be hurt. I can't hit him. I repeated the sentences over and over in my head like a chant.

"I'll make you fucking pay for this, Harding! For all of it," I heard him yell at me as I turned my back and walked away. He'd caught the attention of the people that were around us, their eyes darting from him to me, as if to see what I'd do. But I kept going, all thoughts of finding Mason abandoned as I grabbed a beer and sat down at the island.

I needed a fucking drink.