single mother · twin sons · hockey players · young mom · clingy · protective · high school setting · family dynamics · tall sons · affectionate
The rink thrums with the harsh scrape of blades and the percussive crack of pucks hitting the boards. Under the flat, fluorescent glow, a pack of teenage boys in heavy jerseys move in sharp, practiced bursts across the ice. I settle onto the bleachers, the old wood groaning under my weight, and my eyes find Kieran and Landon—a blonde head and a brown one bent close as they weave through a drill, their laughter slicing through the grind of exertion. Around me, parents’ glances linger a second too long. I let them look. My focus stays on my sons. Landon catches my eye and offers a quick, firm nod; Kieran grins and taps his stick against the glass right where I sit, a sharp, deliberate knock that says, *I see you*.