My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 37: The Alphas’ Lose

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The bleachers were overflowing, the roar of the crowd rolling through the gym like a wave. The Wolves were warming up on the court, the squeak of sneakers against polished wood cutting through the blare of pop music. The air was electric...tense, hot, and heavy with competition.

I squeezed through a group of students until I found a spot near the middle row. My heart was hammering like I was the one about to play, not Ethan. I spotted him across the court, stretching with that focused, confident expression he always had before a game. Adrien stood a few feet away, rolling a basketball in his hands, ignoring Ethan completely.

Just great.

"Well, if it isn’t Little Miss Ethan’s Boyfriend."

I didn’t even have to turn to recognize that voice. My stomach dropped. Vanessa appeared beside me, flipping her perfect red hair over her shoulder, her cheer uniform fitting like it was made for her alone. Her lips curved into a smirk that didn’t reach her eyes.

"...Vanessa," I greeted, trying to sound polite. "Shouldn’t you be with your squad?"

"Oh, I’m on my way," she said breezily, glancing toward the court. "But I couldn’t resist saying hi to you. I heard about you and Ethan. Must be nice, right? Finally getting to date your stupid crush?"

I stiffened. "I...um, uh..."

She laughed, it was soft and cruel. "If I were you, I’d enjoy it all while it lasts." Then, leaning in just enough for me to smell her vanilla perfume, she added, "You really think he’ll stick around? Guys like Ethan don’t settle for people like you for long."

That phrase again, ’people like me’...what was I, an alien?

Before I could find a response, the cheer captain called her name. Vanessa flashed me a too-sweet smile and strutted off to join the others, her ponytail swaying like she’d just won some invisible game.

I exhaled shakily, gripping the edge of my seat. Her words stung more than I wanted to admit.

When the whistle blew, the teams lined up, and the crowd’s cheers nearly drowned out my thoughts. Ethan caught my eye for half a second, flashing me that easy grin of his — the one that usually made my worries disappear. But tonight, something about it felt forced.

From the very start, the Ravens were relentless and faster, moving like a single machine. The Wolves, on the other hand, were falling apart.

"Pass, Adrien!" Coach barked from the sidelines.

Adrien ignored him. He darted down the court, dribbling past two defenders, and went for the basket, only for the ball to bounce off the rim. A miss.

Ethan, already open and ready, clenched his fists but didn’t say anything.

The next play was worse. Ethan intercepted a pass, sprinted down the court, but Adrien refused to cover him. When the Ravens took the rebound and scored, the coach’s face turned crimson.

"WORK TOGETHER, DAMMIT!" he shouted.

The tension between the two of them was thick enough to feel in the air. Every time Ethan tried to communicate, Adrien acted like he didn’t exist. Every time Adrien had the ball, Ethan’s jaw tightened like he was holding back a thousand words.

The crowd started to notice too. Whispers rippled through the bleachers.

"Are they fighting or something?" someone behind me muttered.

"Looks like it," another replied. "Wolves are off tonight."

I tried to focus on the game, but the unease in my stomach kept twisting tighter. Something about the way they moved...all sharp edges and restrained fury, made me afraid that whatever was simmering between them wasn’t going to stay hidden for long.

I clasped my hands together, silently praying under my breath. "Please, just... don’t let this end in disaster."

The gym was electric, but not in a good way. The energy had shifted into tense and uneasy, like everyone could feel the Wolves slipping. The scoreboard didn’t lie, and every missed shot sent another wave of groans through the crowd.

Gigi appeared beside me halfway through the second quarter, balancing two hot dogs and a cup of soda. She plopped down dramatically, handing one to me before taking a huge bite of her own. "Boy," she said with her mouth full, "they are terrible tonight. I’ve seen middle schoolers play with better teamwork."

I groaned, taking the soda and forcing a small sip. "It’s Adrien," I muttered. "He won’t pass to Ethan. It’s like he’s trying to make them lose."

Gigi squinted toward the court. "Yup. I see it now. That man’s ego is bigger than his abs. And that’s saying something."

Despite the tension, I snorted. "Yeah sure, keep admiring my tormentor’s abs."

"Sorry...but, come on," she said lightly, but even she looked uneasy when Ethan slammed the ball into the floor after another failed play. The coach was shouting from the sidelines, voice echoing through the gym, but Adrien only rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.

Then it happened.

Ethan stormed toward Adrien, chest heaving, pointing a finger right at him. "You could’ve passed that ball! You think this is all about you, you son of a bitch?!" His voice echoed, cutting through the crowd’s noise.

Adrien smirked, a dangerous curve to his lips. "Maybe if you could shoot for shit, I would have passed the ball to you."

The tension was instant, sharp, and deadly. The crowd fell quiet, whispers starting to ripple like static. The coach tried to intervene, shouting their names, but neither listened. Ethan shoved Adrien’s shoulder, and Adrien shoved back harder, both of them glaring like they wanted to tear each other apart right there in front of everyone.

"Ethan, stop!" I whispered uselessly from the stands, my fingers clutching the soda cup so tight it bent in my hand.

The buzzer went off. Game over.

The Wolves had lost. Their first loss in six years.

Well, shit...

For a few seconds, the gym was silent — a stunned, heavy silence that weighed on everyone. Then the rival team erupted into cheers, their players in red and yellow jerseys piling onto one another in celebration. The Ravens had done what no one else could.

But I couldn’t look at the scoreboard or the celebrating crowd. My eyes were locked on Ethan and Adrien, both standing in the center of the court, faces inches apart, eyes dark with something that went far beyond basketball.

Gigi nudged me, whispering nervously, "Uh... Noah? I’m sensing some deadly aura down there—"

Too late. Adrien took a step forward, jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists. Ethan’s glare was just as fierce.

And right then, I knew, this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.