Chapter 149
"Shana, I worked so hard to be involved in my father's business—ever since I shifted. That's what I was trained to become." Lucas looked at me, trying to get me to understand the words that he was saying.
I almost couldn't believe that was coming out of his mouth. He seriously wanted Kendrick back in his life after everything.
He was only going to hold Lucas back and I thought he had realized that. I thought we were over all this.
"Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief, still unable to believe it was true. This didn’t sound like him at all.
Surely Kendrick was blackmailing him somehow. Lucas seemed so adamant about never wanting to be a part of his father's life again.
Just last week, Lucas told me his father had followed him and asked him to rejoin the family business. When Lucas refused, Kendrick warned him that his cousin would take his place as heir.
Lucas told me he didn't even care, and by the look on his face, I didn't think he cared either. He was free from the shackles of control his father had placed on him.
But now he was willingly walking back to him?
"I need to have some kind of future, Shana. This is for both of us. If I continue to work for my father's business, I will be set for life. We will be set for life. With graduation coming soon, I've been trying to think five years ahead from now." Lucas explained. "I think this is what's best for me."
"There's no catch?" I ask, raising a brow. It didn't sound like Kendrick would just offer this to Lucas without some kind of exchange in return. He was a businessman after all which meant that he loved making deals.
"Well, I’m moving back home," Lucas continued. He finally looked back into my eyes when he said, "And he wants me to give up on hockey."
I wanted to laugh. I knew that Kendrick would have some rules of his own. It was never that easy with him.
"So, he wants you to give up on your biggest passion and dream?" I hoped Lucas could see how ridiculous it was that he would agree to such a thing. "You've worked so hard to make it to where you're at. Look at how many teams want you for next year!"
"I know." Lucas shook his head as if he was disregarding what I was saying. "But he has a point. Hockey can only take me so far, I need to focus on an actual career... something more practical that will be able to support us for a long period of time."
I couldn't believe the words coming out of Lucas's mouth. He didn't even sound like himself.
"Hockey can give you a career, especially with how good you are. Teams are already fighting to have you at their school," I explained, hoping he could see reason.
"I can't do hockey and the business at the same time," Lucas said firmly. "I can only pick one because they're both going to take up a lot of my time. I'm a Busch... this is who I was meant to be."
A wave of annoyance washed over me as I stared at him. It felt like I didn't even know who he was anymore. How could he just throw away everything he's worked for without much of a fight?
"Can't you see what's happening here?" I asked. "You're falling back into the same pattern you were in a month ago. Kendrick is just trying to get you to do what he wants."
"He's not forcing me to do this," Lucas's brows furrowed and I could tell he was starting to get upset with me. "I have my own free will. This is a decision that I've made on my own."
"Well, as your girlfriend it's my responsibility to tell you when I think you're making a mistake, and this is more than that Lucas." My upset started to match his. "Kendrick is just going to use you. You're willingly giving him permission to order you around."
"He's not going to use me if I'm in control of my own actions," Lucas argued back.
"Are you, though?" I asked. "Because it sure doesn't seem that way. You know your father better than anyone else. How can you not see what I see clear as day?"
"What do you see?" Lucas asked as irritation dripped out of his mouth.
I pursed my lips, thinking about whether I should be harsh or gentle. I felt like Lucas couldn't see reason if I would be tender with him on this.
Even though I didn't like being cruel, I wanted to get this through to him.
"I know this might sound brutal, but you're going to become Kendrick's little bitch again. He's just going to do whatever he wants with you."
Right as the words left my mouth, I regretted it because Lucas's face turned into pure anger.
It sounded awful, but it was the truth and he needed to hear it from someone who really, truly cared about him.
"I'm done having this conversation," Lucas said and went to open the car door. I tried calling after him, but he slammed the door closed and began walking toward campus.
A sinking feeling of guilt coursed through me. Maybe I shouldn't have gone that far, but what else was I supposed to do? Everything that I said was true.
I got out of the car, closed the door, and turned around to see where Lucas had gone. He was already a good two hundred feet ahead of me, and he wasn't slowing down to wait for me.
Great, this is so not how I wanted to leave things between the two of us.
"Trouble in Paradise" was the topic of discussion in Shadow High's group chats all day. Videos of Lucas slamming the car door and marching inside of the school this morning was being sent around.
I couldn't even bring myself to watch the video again after seeing the stricken look on my face in the car window. Lucas had surprised me, not just by running off like that but because of what he was doing.
I also hated that the entire school had witnessed our argument earlier. We've only been together publicly for a week now and it already looked like we wouldn't make it last.
But nobody knew what was going on. They thought the two of us were having issues about our actual romantic relationship, not about the more personal things going on in our lives.
With Kendrick, we would always have some sort of problem.
I leaned my head against the wall of the hallway as I waited for Lucas. The school day had already ended, and I hadn't talked to him all day.
I kept checking my phone to see if he'd text me, but he never did.
Even though hockey was over, Lucas's last period of the day was still hockey class. All of the guys still met in this hallway after school since it was right next to the school's ice rink.
I wondered if Lucas would avoid going this way to steer clear of me, but just as that thought crossed my mind, I saw him turn the corner with none other than James by his side.
