Chapter 8

Lucas playfully jiggled the finger dolls, eliciting a smile from me.

A flood of childhood memories with Lucas rushed into my mind.

Lucas took charge of crafting the boy finger dolls, while I took care of the girls.

He used to tease mine for their oversized eyes, almost comically disproportionate to their heads.

I, on the other hand, would poke fun at his mischievous-looking boys, forever sporting half-smiles.

"I apologize, Shana," Lucas said in a high-pitched voice, raising his index finger and wiggling one of the girl dolls.

Then he lifted another finger, showcasing one of his boys. "We're sorry we disrupted the reunion."

"Apologize to Grandma Jo," I addressed the finger doll, without turning to face Lucas.

I rose from my seat and headed to the sink to tidy up the dishes.

A few moments later, Grandma Jo followed me into the kitchen while I was washing the dishes.

"What are you doing, dear?" She gently swatted me away from the sink, taking the plate from my hands. "You're my guest here."

"I just wanted to help," a smile tugged at my lips as she muttered something under her breath. I missed her affectionate scolding. "It's the least I can do since you prepared all the desserts for us."

"Psh," Grandma Jo scoffed. "You've always been incredibly kind, just like your mother."

Her confession pierced my heart.

"By the way, Lucas apologized to me," Grandma Jo said. "I know his outburst may seem strange to you, but life hasn't been easy for him since he moved in with his father."

"Why is that?" I inquired.

"Kendrick is very strict," Grandma Jo explained. "Not only with his rigorous training regimen and strict dietary requirements but also in business matters. Lucas has already been exposed to a lot of it... It has changed his perspective on things. He's not the same person he used to be."

I could see that Lucas was almost afraid to indulge in the cookies and cake Grandma Jo had offered earlier.

And his physical transformation was evident.

He had worked hard to become who he was now.

Yet, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for Lucas, having to grow up so quickly in such a demanding environment.

Leaving the kitchen, I returned to the dining room where Lucas sat at the table.

When his blue eyes met mine, an apologetic smile graced his face.

It reminded me so much of Bear.

"I'm sorry—" he started, but I cut him off.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Lucas," I spoke. "But Grandma Jo is right—a little sweetness won't harm you every now and then."

Lucas shyly smiled but didn't delve further into the subject. "School should be over by now. I need to get to practice soon for training. Team captain duties, you know."

"Of course," I playfully rolled my eyes. "How could I forget?"

"We have a match against Moon Crest High School in a couple of days." Moon Crest High was one of Shadow High's biggest rivals. "Do you want to come and watch our practice?"

"Can I?" I asked. "Won't your teammates mind my presence?"

"If anyone has a problem with you being there, they can take it up with me," Lucas stated firmly, and a warm feeling settled in my chest at his protectiveness.

We bid Grandma Jo a quick goodbye, and she waved us off as we made our way back to Shadow High.

Once inside, Lucas and I headed to the hockey rink.

"I need to go to the locker rooms," he paused to look down at me, "but you can find a seat in the bleachers."

"Are you sure I can watch?" I asked once more.

He gave me a pointed look. "Yes, Shana. Don't worry about anyone else. I want you here."

When the hockey team emerged for practice, I half-expected them to glare at me with animosity as they had done before.

I was about to ascend to the top row of the bleachers, as I used to, but one of the hockey players dashed toward me, embracing me in a tight hug.

Perplexed, I pulled away from the hug, trying to figure out who had just greeted me.

"Hey, Shana," the boy said. He had long, curly light brown hair and deep brown eyes. "Remember me?"

I didn’t notice him this morning because he wasn’t one of the players that picked on me.

Frowning, I now struggled to place his face. And then it clicked.

"James?"

James beamed, pulling me in for another hug.

I hadn't seen James since I moved away. He moved to the same neighborhood as Lucas and me when we were about 8 years old— He even transferred to the same school.

He turned out to be one of the few kind kids to Lucas, instantly earning my admiration.

The three of us would hang out occasionally.

But, as I mentioned, I hadn't seen or heard from him since.

Unlike Lucas, who believed he belonged to an Omega family, James hailed from a long line of Alphas.

But James wasn’t one of those typical Alpha kids that were hard to approach. He was always talkative, full of quirks, and constantly cracked terrible jokes.

None of the other kids wanted to befriend him due to his hyperactivity, but Lucas found him hilarious, and so did I.

We started spending more and more time together, the three of us, but my bond with Lucas remained significantly stronger.

"I had no idea you were on the hockey team," I remarked, stepping back from our hug.

"Yeah, Lucas got me into it," James confessed. "I didn’t realize it was you until I saw the pictures posted in the school group chat. Oh, shit! What happened to your head?" James pointed at my bandage.

"I got into a bit of a scuffle with Jessica," I explained, pointing to my forehead. "This is the aftermath."

"Dang, Shana. You've always been a feisty one," James smiled. "It's great to see you again. Honestly, I almost forgot what you looked like. You've changed so much. I wish we could've taken a photo together before you moved away, as a memento."

"I guess time really does change things," I said.

"It sure does," he nodded. "But you should really try to get your diary back from Jessica. It's in the wrong hands now. She'll just keep tormenting you with it."

The thought of Jessica still having control over my diary stressed me out.

"So, where were you guys?" James asked. "Lucas didn't show up for any of his classes."

"We went to visit Grandma Jo," I smiled.

"No way!" James beamed. "Did she make her famous sugar cookies for you?"

"Do you know Grandma Jo?" I teased. "She went above and beyond."

James made a sound through his teeth. "Next time you guys go, take me along. I've been missing her baking."

"I'm sure she'd love to have another mouth to feed," I jested.

James left me to join practice. And as I watched them, I noticed that none of the players gave me any strange looks, probably because they realized that I was a friend of James and Lucas—

except for one of the Dragon hockey players, Sam.

Earlier that morning, he was the only one making constant mistakes, and Lucas had to correct him repeatedly.

"Why is she here again?" I overheard Sam ask Lucas as the players circled the rink. "Aren't you worried that her wolfless will bring us bad luck?"

The other Dragon team players fell silent instantly.

I wasn’t surprised. I knew my difference couldn’t be easily ignored. Anywhere.

"The notion of wolfless causing bad luck is just a superstition," Lucas replied calmly. "It's an unfounded myth with no basis."

"But this morning, you let her watch us too! What if we lose our game? Who will take responsibility for that?" Sam argued. "You're our captain. You should be looking out for us."

"If we lose, the only person to blame will be you," Lucas pointed an accusing finger at Sam's chest. "You've been slacking in practice for weeks now. Blaming your unpreparedness on the 'wolfless' won't fly with me."

"You're wrong! If we lose, it's Shana's fault! She brings bad luck wherever she goes. And it'll also be your fault for neglecting your duty as our captain. Why is she even here? Are you two together? I know you have a reputation for chasing girls but keep us out of it. I don't want your bad luck charm ruining our team."

Lucas seemed to reach his breaking point, grabbing Sam's jersey collar.

The difference in size between Lucas and Sam was striking, with Lucas almost lifting him off the ground.

"Care to repeat that?" Lucas growled, his face inches away from Sam's.