Chapter 85

Lucas POV

The rain pounded against me as I drove my motorcycle through the stormy night, my heart and mind racing with determination.

I needed to see Shana.

After James had barged into my locker room, trying to start a fight with me and Victoria, he told me that Shana had been looking for me.

I had no idea Shana was even there. A small part of me felt embarrassed that she witnessed me play so horribly in front of everyone.

Today was not my day.

When I asked James why she left, he couldn't give me a straight answer.

I wondered if she left because of the way I played, but I knew Shana wasn't like that.

Still, it made no sense. Why would she come to the game when she's supposed to be upset with me? I thought she hated me...

Hearing that she left so quickly made my chest ache. Did I do something wrong?

I couldn't think straight. I just needed to get to her house as soon as possible and see her, talk to her.

Finally, I pulled up in front of her house and hurried off my motorcycle. Upon inspecting myself, I realized I was completely soaked. My jacket hardly offered any protection from the pouring rain.

But I didn't even care.

The urgency in my steps as I walked up Shana's driveway mirrored the current turmoil inside of me. I had to make sure she was okay and that whatever had happened wasn't my fault.

I had to speak to her, once and for all.

My knuckles knocked against her front door, and I waited impatiently for her to answer.

I knew that her father wasn't home since his car was missing. He must've been at work.

However, Shana's car was here. She had to answer, right? She wouldn't just leave me standing out here in the rain...

When the door finally swung open, Shana's face was a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"Lucas?" She blinked, looking down at my wet clothes. "What—what are you doing here? In this weather?"

She looked at her driveway where my motorcycle was parked and her face fell. "Please don't tell me you drove that thing here in the rain. That's incredibly unsafe."

"I heard you left the game." I didn't waste any time answering any of her questions. I needed to get this off my chest. "I didn't even know you were coming."

"Well, I wasn't going to..." she trailed off, avoiding eye contact with me.

"Are you okay?" I asked carefully.

She blinked again, taken aback by my directness. "I... I'm fine. I just needed to take care of something."

Are you sure? James told me you left upset about something." I searched her eyes, looking for any sign of distress.

A sigh escaped her lips. "Damn James and his big mouth."

That made a wide smile crack on my lips. "He does have a pretty big mouth, doesn't he?"

Shana looked at me one more time before stepping aside, silently inviting me in. "Come in. It's horrible out there. I'll get you a towel or some clothes."

"A towel is fine," I said as I stepped into her warm house.

She closed the door behind me, and I turned to face her, suddenly aware of how close we were.

"I appreciate your concern, Lucas," she said softly, her gaze dropping to the floor as if searching for the right words to say. "But I'm really okay. Just had a lot on my mind."

"You know you can talk to me, right? About anything." I nodded, not entirely convinced.

She finally met my gaze, and her eyes held emotions that I couldn't quite decipher. "I know. Thank you."

There was a moment of silence between us, the rain tapping against the windows creating a calming rhythm. It felt like the storm outside was mirroring the way we were both feeling.

"So, you watched the whole game?" I asked, biting the bullet. "It wasn't my best."

"I noticed that," she said, not explaining any further.

I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling the need to fill the silence. "Shana, I miss you. I think I'm realizing how badly I've ruined things for us and I've just been so in my head lately."

"Is that why you were in a bad mood during the game?"

"That was part of the reason," I shared. "But I also thought you wouldn't be there, and you've made it to almost all of my games."

"I would've made all of your games if Jessica hadn't stopped me that one time," Shana said softly. "I wasn't going to miss this one just because I was upset with you."

I sighed. "I can't believe you watched me play so badly."

Shana gave me a small smile. "We can't always be perfect, Lucas. You were having an off day. That's totally normal."

"I don't really know what I was feeling..."

"Well, I'm sure Victoria comforting you was enough to make you feel better."

And there it was, the real reason why she left.

Because of Victoria? But why? She knew there was nothing between the two of us.

"Victoria is a good friend," I started to say, "but I want you to know that... you're irreplaceable."

"What do you mean?" Her brows furrowed as confusion began to cloud her features.

My heart sounded loud as it pounded in my chest. I wondered if Shana could hear it as I took a step closer to her.

The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I mean that you make everything better. When you're around, things feel... right. I appreciate you more than I can put into words."

Her eyes widened, surprise evident on her face. It was as if the confession had caught her off guard and she wasn't expecting it at all.

She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out.

Even though I was being sincere, her speechlessness made me grin.

"I know we've been through a lot, and it hasn't been easy. But I want you to know that I value our friendship. I value you," I continued.

Finally, she managed to find her voice. "Lucas, I feel that exact same way about you. Our friendship means too much for me to just throw away over your father. Us not talking for the past few weeks has been miserable, and I don't want us to do that ever again."

"Neither do I," I said, running a hand through my wet hair. "And I know my father is the cause of most of our disagreements, but I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate that situation."

"Thanks for being honest with me, Lucas." A smile curved her lips, and it felt like a small victory. "I just wish you'd be more honest with yourself."

I nodded, "I've come to the realization that I need to re-evaluate everything. I think that's why I was in such a mood today. Nothing feels like it's going right, and I don't know what to do. I don't want to feel trapped or lost anymore. It's draining all of my energy."

Shana watched me with a curious expression.

I wondered what was on her mind.