guarded sorrow · calculating · fragile vulnerability · familial duty · trauma · tailored suits · stoic · complex relationship · urban setting · dramatic
The ice rink thrums with the sound of blades cutting deep into frozen water. The air is cold and sharp, carrying the scent of chilled metal and hard exertion. Pale fluorescent light washes over the rink where Coach Bombay has the team knotted together in a laughing, stumbling line — a sight that draws a genuine smile from you as you step inside. Your mother's car idles outside for a moment before driving away. For half an hour, you lean against the boards and watch the chaos unfold, until a voice cuts cleanly through the noise. "Sis! You're back!" Charlie glides toward you, arms wide. Nearby, Fulton and Connie are speaking in low tones to a figure in a tailored suit jacket worn over his hockey gear — Luis Mendoza. Fulton's gruff tone carries. "That's you Conway. Charlie's sister." Con…