Chapter 101

Life at Grandma Jo's house settled into a comfortable routine. Lucas and I rode to school together every day on his motorcycle. The engine's roar and wind whipping through my hair became a familiar soundtrack to our mornings.

Lucas and I were closer than ever before.

It was a throwback to our childhood, and the ease with which we fell back into this comfortability warmed my heart. I was just Shana, and he was just Lucas.

It had only been a week, but with each passing day, Lucas seemed more like himself again.

The weight of his father's control had lifted, and his laughter had returned, brightening our shared moments. There was a renewed sense of familiarity between us, as if we had stepped back in time to when life was simpler.

When we didn't let others get in the way of anything. When we were too young to care.

It felt refreshing to finally feel free from the stress that had constantly hung over our heads.

But even even as our days found a comfortable, steady rhythm... There were concerns that still nagged at me.

I hadn't heard anything from my father since that fateful night, and that worried me. I didn't know if he was okay, if he was angry or hurt, or if he even cared about me.

He had made no effort to reach out to me to see if I was okay.

I knew that it would be really easy for him to slip back into his old ways, and now that I wasn't home to keep a watchful eye on him, I felt like the worst was possible.

It was a knot of uncertainty that tightened in my chest.

I tried to hide it from Lucas because I didn't want him to think I was constantly worrying about my father. Truthfully, it was hard for me to just forget all that happened.

In addition, ever since that day, I had been feeling oddly dizzy from time to time. It was an unsettling sensation, one that seemed to strike at random moments, leaving me disoriented.

I had no idea what was causing it. I hadn't felt this strange since I was in the hospital last time when Jessica locked me in the training room.

The unease it brought lingered in the background of my thoughts.

And while things between Lucas and I were better than ever, it meant that other students took notice. Whispers and rumors about us grew like a storm gathering in the sky.

People couldn't resist the temptation to speculate about our sudden closeness... Why did Lucas and Shana spend so much time together Why did they drive to school together Why are they always laughing

While part of me wanted to address all the rumors, another part urged me to ignore the drama. There were more important things to focus on, and only drawing attention to it would make it worse.

Plus, it didn't seem like any of it bothered Lucas. If anything, he acted oblivious to it all.

However, there was something to look forward to in all of this. My eighteenth birthday was coming up and Lucas hadn't been able to shut up about it.

It's not even that big of a deal, I had told him with an eye roll after he mentioned it for what felt like the hundredth time.

Turning 18 is a big deal, Lucas argued. It only happens once in your life.

His enthusiasm for me was sweet, I couldn't argue that... but the celebratory side of myself just wasn't processing it clearly.

Lucas and I had just gotten home from school when I saw the outside of Grandma Jo's house decorated with ribbons and balloons.

I took my helmet off, handing it to Lucas with a frown. A smile began to form on his face.

What is this I asked.

A little something I put together. He shrugged nonchalantly.

For who

For you. Lucas reached a hand out to ruffle my hair. Duh.

But why I asked dumbstruck. And when did you have time to do this when you had hockey practice

I had some help, he said simply. But your birthday is a week away. It's time for us to start celebrating now.

Just then, the front door opened and all the people who had become my newfound family appeared Lucas, Victoria, Emily, and of course, Grandma Jo.

It's about time you got here, Emily said throwing a hand on her hip. We've been decorating for hours.

And Grandma Jo has been baking cookies all day, Victoria added.

I'm going to have to keep baking more because James already ate a quarter of them. Grandma Jo gave James a scolding look, but I could see love behind her eyes.

I just came from practice! James shouted in defense. I'm sorry that I'm hungry.

As everyone walked back inside Grandma Jo's house, I turned to Lucas, wagging an accusatory finger in his face.

You're unbelievable, you know that

Unbelievably perfect he teases. I know.

Grandma Jo had outdone herself in the kitchen, preparing a feast that left us all stuffed and content. Seeing all of the treats she had made left me surprised... and to think James ate a quarter of these already.

There were enough cookies and cakes to feed three times the amount of people here.

As we sat around the dining table, Lucas raised his glass, a fond smile on his lips.

To Shana, he said, his voice filled with warmth. Even though your birthday is a week away, we all want you to know how special you are. We're all so happy that you're in our lives and we wouldn't want it any other way.

Well—Ow! James cried out when Victoria smacked a hand against his shoulder to silence him.

Don't ruin the moment, she chastised him.

He rubbed his shoulder to soothe the pain. You're so aggressive. I was only joking.

Thanks guys, I said with a smile, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. This means so much to me. I really don't know what I did to deserve this.

You deserve so much more, Lucas said. This is just the beginning of your birthday fun.

The others echoed his sentiment, clinking glasses and offering their well wishes. It was a moment of pure happiness, one that seemed hard to find these past few weeks.

But as always, amidst our dinner, Victoria and James couldn't resist their playful bickering. It had become a welcomed, and familiar part of our gatherings.

Victoria, there's no way you ate more slices of pie than me, James declared, a mock frown on his face.

Victoria leaned across the table, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Oh, I'm pretty sure I did, James. You just can't handle losing to a girl.

The banter continued, each of them trying to outdo the other with increasingly ridiculous claims of victory.

Lucas and I exchanged amused glances. Our eyes always seemed to find each other in moments like this.

But as the evening wore on, I began to feel unusually weak.

At first I thought it was just dehydration, but I began to find myself blurry-eyed even after drinking multiple glasses of water.

I tried to shake it off, not wanting to spoil the celebration, but it became increasingly difficult to hide my discomfort.

And then, as I took a sip of water, my strength waned, and I slumped in my chair.

The world around me dimmed, voices fading into the distance, until everything went black, and I fell unconscious.