Chapter 13

When I woke up in my bed the next morning, I was greeted by an unusual silence.

My father must not have come home last night...

Instead of feeling concerned for him, however, a sense of relief washed over me. I knew deep down that his absence meant I wouldn't have to deal with the chaos and uncertainty that came with his presence.

Today was the highly anticipated hockey game between the Shadow High Dragons and the Moon Crest High Jaguars.

Lucas had given me a quick rundown on their team yesterday, emphasizing that the Jaguars were formidable opponents. They held a strong position in the rankings among high school hockey teams.

"But they're not as good as us," Lucas had said confidently, his grin revealing his competitive spirit.

As the hockey season had just begun, the Dragons had been on a winning streak, triumphing in every game so far.

However, the possibility of the Jaguars breaking their winning streak made me nervous. The anticipation for today's game was palpable, evident from the sold-out tickets and the buzzing excitement in the air.

Wanting to secure my spot at the game, I arrived at Moon Crest High an hour before it started.

The parking lot was packed, and it seemed like everyone, including my fellow classmates and teachers, had gathered here. Even residents from the surrounding areas had come to witness the clash of the hockey titans.

I had to maneuver my way through the crowd that congregated around the front entrance of the stadium.

As I neared the front of the queue, doubt crept into my mind. Simply mentioning that I was Lucas's VIP might not be enough to gain entry.

Surely many girls had tried to use that card before, and I doubted they were granted access based solely on word-of-mouth.

The security at the entrance seemed strict, and I could see the staff checking tickets diligently. My heart started to race as I wondered if I would be turned away.

Hey! I’m here. Waiting in the line outside. I texted Lucas, but after a few minutes, I saw there was still no reply from him.

As I neared the front, my palms began to sweat as I worried about what I would do if Lucas didn’t answer.

Once I was a few people away from the front of the line, the doors to the stadium opened and a familiar head of brown hair appeared.

James was already wearing his hockey gear, and he seemed to be searching the crowd for someone. When his eyes landed on me, he waved me to come over.

“Lucas has a spot reserved for you,” James said when I made it over to him. “You don’t have to wait in line, I’ll take you back.”

The two of us skipped the long line of people waiting to enter the stadium as James ushered me inside where all the other athletes were getting ready for the game.

“This is where the magic happens,” James said with a smile over his shoulder. “I’ll be your official tour guide.”

“I couldn’t have asked for a better guide,” I joked along with him.

A few cliques of girls looked my way with envy in their eyes, seeing James escort me to the back.

I’d never done anything like this before. It was my first time ever attending any kind of school sporting event. So, it felt kind of nice to be getting special treatment.

“These are the bathrooms, the locker rooms are down that way, and this is where the vendors sell food,” James pointed to a cafeteria looking area. “I’ll be going there later.”

I laughed as he pointed out a few more things for me.

“Oh, what are you wearing?” James asked as he looked at my outfit.

“Um.” I looked down at my plain white t-shirt. “Clothes?”

James tsked at me. “That won’t do, Shana.”

He led me to a stand where merchandise for the Shadow High Dragons was being sold. There were some huge t-shirts with all the team player’s names and numbers.

Number 5 was Lucas’s.

“Which one would do you want?” James asked holding up two shirts. “I think this one would look amazing on you.”

He held out a shirt with the number 18 on it, and upon further inspection, I realized it was his number.

The other shirt he held in his hand had a number 5 on it.

Giving James an awkward smile, I pointed to the shirt with Lucas’s name on it.

James gave me a fake pout, but then recovered with a smile saying, “I knew you’d pick that one. No hard feelings! Maybe I’ll get you to convert to the dark side one day.”

“Are you supposed to be the dark side?” I asked as James handed me the t-shirt.

I looked down at it. The material was surprisingly soft, and the back had big bold font at the top that read “Busch.”

“Hey, I can be all dark and mysterious like Lucas,” James teased.

James walked me down the hallway where the locker rooms were supposed to be. I heard the chatter of all the other players as we passed the doors.

“Lucas has his own room,” James said as he led me further down the hall. “Team captain perks, and all.”

“Wow.” I followed him. “Sounds nice.”

“He’s in that room down the hall,” James pointed to a door with the number 5 on it. Next to the door, there was a sign that read Dragons Team Captain. “I gotta go head to the locker room and meet up with the other guys. You’re all good, right?”

I nodded. “Thanks for your help.”

When James turned to walk away, I rapped my knuckles on Lucas’s door, waiting for him to open it.

“Come in!” Lucas shouted from behind the door.

My fingers pressed against the cold metal of the doorknob as I turned it open. Inside, I was surprised to see a small dressing room. There was a couch in the corner with a TV, a table with snacks, a mirror, and even a small bathroom off to the side.

I closed the door behind me and noticed that Lucas was busy taking his shirt off.

Instantly, I froze. Holy shit, he was shirtless.

He looked incredible. Every inch of him was coated in pure muscle. I could see the contours of his back muscles as he moved.

Heat crept up my cheeks as Lucas looked at me completely unbothered as if he wasn’t standing in front of me half naked.

“Hey,” Lucas smiled throwing his jersey over his bare chest. When he noticed that I was still frozen in place, he stepped closer to me. “You okay?”

I nodded, trying to keep my eyes on his face instead of the rest of his body.

Lucas tilted his head to the side like he wasn’t convinced. His fingers toyed with the bottom of his jersey as he lifted it up. “Does this bother you?”

“What?” I blurted too quickly.

His smirk only grew. “You look like you might faint, Shana.”

“I’m fine.” I took a step back as he took another one forward.

“I know, it’s weird to see me have abs, right?” Lucas said, lifting his shirt higher.

“It’s not…” I swallowed. “It’s not that weird.”

“Wanna touch them?”