Momcomesfirst - Little Puck - The New Family -2... Apr 2026

That was the trigger. The phrase "new family" dripped from Derek’s mouth like poison wrapped in honey. Puck felt the old, familiar heat crawl up his neck—the same heat that got him benched in peewee hockey for checking a kid who’d called his mom a name.

Puck stood at the bottom of the stairs, clutching the worn leather hockey puck his late father had given him. It was his totem, the only thing that felt real. His mom was in the kitchen, stirring a pot of chili. Marcus was reading a financial report in his leather armchair. Derek was sprawled on the sofa, watching a game on the big TV—the same TV Puck used to watch old sci-fi marathons with his mom every Friday.

"Puck, don't you dare walk out that door," Elara said, finally showing a flicker of the mother he remembered. But it was too late. Her "don't you dare" had come twenty minutes too late. MomComesFirst - Little Puck - The New Family -2...

"Gone?" Elara asked, wiping her hands on a towel. "You probably left it in your room, honey."

But Puck knew he wouldn't be back. Not this time. The new family could have their compromises, their silent dinners, and their polished lies. He had a father’s memory to find—even if it was buried in a landfill. And he had a new rule now: Mom comes first no longer applied. From now on, Puck came first. That was the trigger

MomComesFirst - Little Puck - The New Family - Part 2

Something inside Puck snapped, but not into anger. Into ice. He had always believed in the rule of three: Mom, then him, then the world. But the rule had changed. Mom came first, yes—but not for him anymore. For Marcus. For Derek. For the illusion of a perfect home. Puck stood at the bottom of the stairs,

"Little Puck," Derek mocked from the sofa, "running away to find his magic puck? Good luck."

The room went still. Marcus lowered his paper. Derek didn't look away from the screen, but a smirk flickered at the corner of his mouth.

Derek finally looked up, his eyes flat and amused. "How should I know? Maybe the ‘new family’ ghost took it."

"Mom," Puck said, his voice quieter than he intended.