Kendrick turned so quickly if I wouldn’t have blinked, I would’ve missed it. His mouth opened and closed in shock as he processed Lucas’s question.The tension in the room was palpable, and I almost wanted to laugh at how enraged he looked. It was obvious that Lucas never questioned his father—let alone challenged him.The tables were turning, and I couldn’t be prouder of Lucas for finally growing a backbone and saying something to his father.But honestly, I was just as surprised as Kendrick. I never thought Lucas would be capable of talking back to his father.I shot a glance at James who was looking back and forth between Kendrick and Lucas with wide eyes.His eyes locked on mine, and he mouthed, “Did he actually just do that?”I nodded slightly, mouthing, “I think he did. Oh my God!” equally shocked by Lucas's boldness.The only thing missing from this moment was a bag of popcorn to enjoy the scene that was about to unfold.As bad as it was to say that, there was an undeniable se

The following week at school feels like it drags on forever.That’s probably because Lucas and I aren’t able to train due to the cold weather that’s raging on, and the fact that all of the students at Shadow High have been busy with finals to mark the end of the winter semester.As dreadful as this week has been in all my classes, I’ve been looking forward to the vacation at the beach house which is next week.James has been excited too, and every time I see him he’s gushing about how he can’t wait to spend all day on the beach.Normally, I didn’t go outside too often because the hot weather didn’t agree with me but hearing him talk about it so much made me want to go.Even Lucas seemed excited, which was funny considering he wasn’t happy to be going with just Victoria at first.But as much as Lucas may not have wanted to go, I felt like he deserved some time away from his father and the business. I could tell that things had been weighing on him lately, especially after the argument

The journey to the beach house was a mixture of excitement and nerves, swirling like a whirlwind in my chest.James, Lucas, and I decided to travel together in the car while Victoria told us she would meet us there with her friend.The car was alive with chatter, laughter, and the occasional debate about conspiracy theories, thanks to James -- he kept us entertained the entire time.The scenery outside shifted from city skyscrapers to quaint, rural towns, until finally, the breathtaking coastline greeted us.The oceanside was so powerful, the scent of sun and sand greeted my nostrils.James drove the car up a long unfished driveway, leading up to a bright blue beach house.As we got closer and closer to the beach house, my eyes widened in awe.It was a two-story beauty, painted in soothing shades of white and blue that perfectly mirrored the sea.And as I jumped out of the car, stretching my tired and aching limbs, the sound of crashing waves gave a melodic soundtrack to our arrival.

"Alright, don't take this the wrong way," Victoria began, her tone curiously measured, "but I'm a little surprised that you've been friends with James and Lucas since childhood."Emily chimed in, a knowing smile curving her lips. "Yeah, with most of my childhood friends—well—besides Victoria, of course, I've lost touch with all of them."I chuckled, shifting my gaze between the two of them."Well, it's actually a funny story," I said, reminiscing about the crazy twists and turns that had brought Lucas and me back together.We'd been chatting for a while now, and I realized that time had slipped away.The boys had been playing with the ball, lost in their world of competitiveness, while we were deep into a more comfortable web of conversation.It was interesting—what they had said earlier about the difference in talking with a group of girls versus boys was proving to be quite true.It was so much more fun with girls.No offense to James and Lucas, of course.There are only so many ti

The next day, we decided to go to the beach and hopefully forget all about the day before.I still felt so horrible about what had happened to Victoria, and I could tell she was just trying to forget all about it, so I didn't bring it up.Thankfully, the beach was the perfect distraction.It stretched out before us like an endless canvas, the sound of waves providing calmness to our day. The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot outside. It was as if we were blessed with the perfect weather today.Everything seemed to feel that way until the tension slowly crept into our midst.Lucas's phone buzzed, shattering the calm like a rock thrown into a still pond.When he glanced down at his phone, his face shifted from unbothered to concerned. He frowned as he picked up the phone, "Hello?"As he listened to the voice on the other end, his frown only deepened. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry."Immediately, I realized it was Kendrick. No wonder his face had turned so sour.A cloud seemed to form over his fe