I couldn't believe it.The mountain hike seemed like a fantastic idea at first with the promise of breathtaking ocean views, but now, as Lucas and I stared at each other with equal signs of worry, I was beginning to think that maybe we had underestimated its challenges."Lucas..." I started then glanced around at the seemingly endless trees.I couldn't hear any sounds or see any signs of which way was the right way to go.We were completely lost."It's okay, Shana." Lucas immediately denied our predicament, trying to comfort me instead. "We'll find our way, we just need to head back to the trail.""Which is... where exactly?" I swallowed hard, looking up at him. "I don't know where we are right now, Lucas."Lucas frowned, studying the surroundings. "I know, Shana. It's hard to tell... The trail was clear before, but now everything looks the same."I hoped James was happy, wherever he was. He had successfully managed to split us up, leaving Lucas and me alone. And now here we were... L
When Lucas said those eight words, my stomach twisted in knots. The last thing I wanted to do was spend the night in these unknown woods, but it appeared as if we had no choice.We couldn't find the trail, and even if we could, we had no idea where the others were. It would take us forever to find them in the darkness.Spending the night in the woods seemed to be the only option.Lucas and I tried searching for the trail for a few hours with no success. It felt as if we were walking in circles, or deeper and deeper into the woods.Slowly, the night crept over the woods, leaving Lucas and me in a state of growing unease. As the light dimmed, so did our hopes of finding our way back to safety.My stomach growled loudly, showing me just how dire this situation was.Lucas sighed, his expression full of frustration and worry. "Shana, we can't go on like this. We need to have some water, at least."I leaned against a nearby tree, rubbing my arms to ward off the chill that was slowly creepin
As the paramedics sat us in the back of their vehicle to assess our condition, I tried to get Lucas's attention."Lucas," I called softly. When his eyes met mine, I gestured toward Kendrick with wide eyes, hoping that he'd see him.Lucas's eyes followed my directions, and I knew the moment his eyes locked with Kendrick because his entire demeanor went stiff and rigid.His eyes flashed back to mine, fear and panic taking over. I couldn't even blame him.What was Kendrick doing here? And how did he know what had happened?I looked back over at him standing around the police officers he was currently talking to. He kept gesturing toward Lucas with his fingers as if he was letting them know that Lucas was his son.Surprisingly, his usually stern expression was replaced with... worry? I almost rubbed my eyes to make sure I was seeing things correctly. Maybe the lack of water and exhaustion had me hallucinating things.But no, I wasn't seeing things. Genuine concern was on Kendrick's face,
Relief washed over me at the sight of our friends, and I felt tears beginning to prick my eyes.I started to stand, but one of the paramedics next to me pulled me right back down. "You need to stay seated while we're still checking your vitals and for further signs of injuries."Lucas noticed that something was capturing my attention, so he looked toward the woods where the police were helping James, Victoria, and Emily. Victoria's parents were already running to them, and I could hear her mother's screams of terror."They're okay," Lucas said in a quiet voice as if he was reassuring himself. "They're okay."I couldn't blame his fear... When we got back down the mountain and I realized the rest of us weren't down there, I began to worry about their safety.Paramedics rushed over, signaling everyone to clear out and give them space. They all looked worn out and broken down. James's usual smile and carefree face morphed into a tough stone. Even Emily, who had been bubbly and cheerful th
Lucas POVVictoria was awake.Endless amounts of relief flooded through me, and I let myself finally release a breath I didn't even know I was holding.Victoria's awakening brought a mixture of emotions to all of us, and we couldn't stop ourselves from rushing over to where she was.Inside one of the ambulances, Victoria lay on a gurney. The blood that had dried on her face had been cleaned off, and there was an oxygen mask around her mouth.Her eyes blinked slowly as she took in her surroundings."Victoria! Oh, my baby!" Victoria's mother shouted, fighting her way into the ambulance to sit next to her daughter.Victoria took the mask off her face, and her eyes went from her mother to the rest of us.An equal share of relief passed over her features."You're all okay," she said quietly."The question is, are you okay, Vic?" James asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You took quite the big hit to your head."Victoria gave him a wry smile and sarcastically mumbled, "Thank you, Jame
My fists were clenched into balls as I watched Kendrick walk away from Lucas for a second time.I couldn't believe what I had just heard.Lucas had just told his father that he would rather focus on hockey than have a friendship with me as a distraction...I wanted to hit something so badly, preferably Lucas's head for being so cruel to me.How could he make that decision so easily? He hardly fought his father on it, and it only made me wonder if he truly cared for me or not.I was so confused, I didn't know what to believe anymore.Lucas spun on his heel but stopped dead in his tracks when he realized that I was standing a mere three feet away.My face probably gave everything away, and I could tell that he realized he messed up when guilt took over his features."Why, Lucas?" I demanded, my frustration evident in my voice. "Why did you say that to your father?"Lucas sighed, clearly unsure of how to navigate this conversation. "What was I supposed to say, Shana? I needed to give him
Our vacation was cut short and all of us traveled back home after the accident for the rest of our winter break.When he saw me, my father gave me a tight hug and wouldn't let me leave his sight. He insisted on making sure I was perfectly fine and even took time off work for a few days just to keep me company."Dad, I'm feeling much better already, you don't have to miss work just to watch me lay on my bed," I told him as I sat under my warm covers, and he brought my dinner to me on a plate.My leg still slightly hurt from my fall, but I was able to walk on it and apply pressure without needing anyone's help.In order to heal it, I'd been staying off my feet and icing my left ankle.It had already been a week since the accident and the winter holidays had passed by slowly.It was a new year, and the last day of the weekend, meaning that school was tomorrow.I knew that thanks to the rest I'd had in the past week, I wouldn't feel any discomfort walking from class to class tomorrow. But
Shana, I know you've been avoiding all of my texts, but I hope that you'll actually take the time to read this letter.I feel terrible about what I said to my father when he asked me to choose a distraction. First of all, I want you to know that I don't think you're a distraction, and that should've been the first thing I made clear to him. I shouldn't have let him speak about you that way.Second, if these past few days of your silence have shown me anything, it's that I don't know how to go around acting like everything is fine — because everything is not fine.I keep checking my phone, hoping that you've texted or called me. I keep looking for you in the hallways, only to be met with disappointment.I just want to make things right between us again because I can't take this anymore. I hate not seeing you or hearing your voice.I don't think I know who I am without you around.The Dragons have a hockey game tomorrow night at Crystal Falls against the Warriors. They're one of our big