Chapter 98

The weekend had finally arrived, and our plan to surprise Lucas was set in motion.

It had been a difficult few weeks for Lucas, and James, Victoria, and I were all on board to help him forget about the recent drama that went down with his father.

Lucas needed to enjoy the more carefree moments of life, and Kendrick had only been weighing him down.

I remembered that there was a local bowling alley and arcade that Lucas, James, and I had gone to a lot when we were younger. We'd spend hours playing laser tag and arcade games to win the prizes.

So that was our destination for today, the local arcade. There was no way we wouldn't have a great time. It always built the best memories full of laughter, and maybe a bit of friendly competition.

But the real kicker here was that Lucas had absolutely no idea where we were going.

"Guys," Lucas said, his mouth turning downward into a frown. "When can I take this blindfold off?"

The blindfold was a bit excessive, but it was James's idea, so Lucas had no idea where we were taking him. He thought it would be better if it were a real surprise.

"We're almost there," I encouraged, pulling Lucas toward the front doors of the arcade. "Just a bit further."

"Dude, I'm so excited!" James exclaimed while rubbing his hands together.

Victoria rolled her eyes at his childishness.

"Ugh, I hate not knowing things," Lucas groaned.

We all chuckled at him as we entered the arcade. The anticipation of having a fun afternoon was almost too much to contain.

Lights danced around us as the sound of laughter and game machines filled the air.

"Can I take it off now?" Lucas asked.

Figuring that he'd had enough torture, I helped Lucas with his blindfold and untied it.

When his vision was clear again, he blinked a few times before taking in our surroundings.

Lucas's eyes widened in surprise as he took in the colorful chaos around us.

"Surprise!" We all chorused, throwing our hands up in the air with excitement.

"We thought this would help you take your mind off life for a little bit," I smiled.

"And, we have a six-year-long tie in air hockey that we still haven't been able to complete," James added.

"You guys are something else, you know that?" Lucas's grin was infectious as he shook his head.

"Oh, it was all those two. And we're just here to ensure you have a good time." Victoria chimed in, her playful smirk on full display.

"It's kind of impossible not to have a good time here," Lucas said.

As we wandered deeper into the arcade, the scent of popcorn and the clinking of tokens surrounded us.

We settled on a game of bowling to kick things off for the day.

Victoria, always one to bring her competitive spirit, declared herself a bowling professional, and basically claimed her champion status before we even started playing.

"Prepare to be amazed," she declared, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I've been bowling since I was five."

"Yeah," James rolled his eyes with a grin, "I'm amazed how someone can be so confident and so wrong at the same time."

Lucas chuckled, nudging me with his elbow. "Careful, Shana. I think we're both about to witness the rare, but not rare, Victoria-James showdown."

"I hope you enjoy eating your words," Victoria snapped back at James. "I sure know I'll enjoy watching the look on your face when I beat you."

The four of us put on our bowling shoes, and the banter continued as Victoria stepped up for her first throw.

She pulled her arm back and dropped the ball with perfect precision.

The pins wobbled and fell over, giving Victoria a strike. She turned to James to flash a triumphant grin.

"You were saying?" she asked, slowly walking toward him with her hands on her hips.

"We just started," James scoffed. "Don't get too confident too quickly."

"Who do you have your money on?" Lucas whispered in my ear as the two of us sat, watching the two of them argue.

A small smile crept over my face as I turned toward Lucas, looking into his blue eyes. "I'm going to have to go with Victoria."

Lucas gasped, "Really? I was going to say, James. He's always been really good."

"Well, this sounds like the classic case of boys versus girls," I teased. "But I'm sure you've heard the saying, 'Girls rule, boys drool.'"

Lucas's laughter was warm and genuine, and it felt good to see him in such high spirits. "Oh, I'm all in for this! Let's see which one will take the crown."

As the game progressed, Victoria and James's friendly rivalry escalated so much that their playful taunts and exaggerated gestures had everyone in the bowling alley glancing their way.

It wasn't even about the game anymore, now it was an entire performance, and Lucas and I loved every minute of it.

Lucas and I exchanged amused glances, both of us clearly entertained by the whole spectacle.

"Who would've thought bowling could be this intense?" I mused.

"I'm not even surprised with these two involved." Lucas chuckled, his eyes never leaving the ongoing battle.

"I can't believe Victoria almost threw a bowling ball at his head when he told her that her form was wrong." I let out a giggle, thinking about the second fear in James's eyes.

"He taunts her just to get a reaction." Lucas smiled. "It's actually pretty funny."

With each throw, the tension grew, and the crowd of onlookers seemed to multiply. Victoria's triumphant yell after knocking down all the pins was met with an even louder groan from James.

"Beginner's luck!" he accused, earning a triumphant smirk from Victoria.

"Too bad I'm not a beginner!" she shouted back.

"Well, then... I let you win!" James said finally.

"Yeah, that's exactly what you did." Victoria rolled her eyes. "More like I absolutely crushed you, and you just won't admit it."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving," I said, trying to stop this next argument from happening. "Who's with me?"

Luckily, the arcade had a restaurant selling pizza inside of it, and we headed for some well-deserved pizza.

The smell of melted cheese made my mouth water, and it didn't take long for all of us to dive into the cheesy goodness.

As I savored each bite, the arguing between Victoria and James continued.

This time, it was over the last slice of pizza.

I held back a smile because I couldn't help but notice the spark in their eyes that hinted at clearly something more—even though they were both cursing at each other.

"Think they'll ever admit they're into each other?" Lucas asked me quietly.

"Who knows?" I chuckled, taking a sip of my drink. "Maybe they're just enjoying the drama."

"Or maybe they're just too stubborn to admit they're head over heels." Lucas leaned in, his voice a conspiratorial whisper.

We both laughed, our eyes twinkling with shared amusement.

As Victoria and James's bickering played in the background, I regarded Lucas with a comforting gaze.

This is exactly what I wanted from today, and it seemed like Lucas was back to being relaxed again.

"What?" he asked when he saw me looking at him funny. "What is it? Is something on my face?"

I shook my head with a smile, knowing the real reason why I was so happy. "No, it's nothing."