After school, I decided to wait for Lucas during his hockey practice, hoping to catch him before he could disappear again.
As the final whistle blew and the Dragon players started to come out of the rink, I spotted Lucas talking to James.
My heart pounded with nervousness as I approached the two of them, not knowing what to expect.
"Hey, Lucas," I said, trying to sound casual, though my nerves were telling me otherwise. I tried to remain strong. "Can we talk for a second?"
He looked a bit surprised to see me there. His eyes flickered over to James before panning back over to me.
"What for?" Lucas asked, his voice cold and empty. "I thought you said you didn't need a friend like me."
Hearing him repeat the words made it feel as though a knife had been trusted into
