Chapter 8
1045words
Lucy Leahy is the most foolish person in the world.
Since we were kids, she followed me everywhere like a shadow. She was such a strange little thing—quiet, tiny, with that wild mane of copper curls, like a skittish fox cub.
At first, she drove me crazy. When my friends and I wanted to play rough games, having her tagging along was a pain. She was always tripping over her own feet, and my friends would complain about "the weird redhead."
One day, my friends and I planned to explore the forest on the mountain. Nobody wanted Lucy along, but she kept insisting on coming with me, until my friends threatened to leave me behind too.
I was furious, so at the forest entrance, I came up with a plan: "Hey Lucy, let's play hide and seek. You count to a hundred, then come find us, okay? We won't go too far."
Naive Lucy agreed.
So while she covered her eyes and counted aloud, we took off running, laughing the whole way.
Without Lucy bothering us, we had a great time, exploring and messing around until the sun started to set.
When I walked through the door, Mom looked up with a frown. "Kane, where's Lucy?"
I was shocked. "Lucy hasn't come home yet?"
That silly girl couldn't still be searching for me in the darkening forest, could she? Cold dread washed over me. With shaking hands, I confessed what I'd done.
Mom's palm cracked across my cheek. "Kane Lyons, I've never been so ashamed of you!"
I felt wronged and shouted back: "She's so annoying! Always following me around! My friends don't want me around because of her! Why should I care? It's not fair! She's not even family!"
Mom looked at me like she didn't recognize me. I'll never forget that expression.
Deep down, I knew I'd crossed a line, but my pride wouldn't let me admit it.
Dad, Mom, and Lucy's parents all went to the mountains that night to search for her.
At first, I stubbornly stayed behind, but as minutes ticked by, panic set in. What if she was hurt? I grabbed my own flashlight and sprinted to the forest.
I searched frantically, calling her name until my voice was hoarse. Finally, I found her at the bottom of a ravine, her ankle twisted, her small body shivering in the dark.
Lucy sat there, clothes torn, face dirty with tear tracks, looking up at me with those huge eyes, trying so hard to be brave.
In that moment, I hated myself more than I thought possible.
I carried Lucy home on my back. The whole way, she didn't make a sound, not even a whimper of pain. And I, coward that I was, never said I was sorry.
After that day, Lucy stopped following me around.
And I felt her absence like a physical ache.
I eventually left for a prestigious high school in the city, only seeing Lucy during holidays. But she'd transformed—whenever she saw me, her eyes would flash with anger, her words sharp as knives.
Every time I tried to talk to her seriously, she'd push me away.
After that, fighting became our only way of communicating.
That night at the party... Lucy's lips, Lucy's body, so soft and warm against mine... I convinced myself it was just another vivid dream.
But when I confronted her, she denied everything.
This wasn't the first time I'd dreamed of her, so I tried to bury those feelings. Especially seeing her with that snake Jeffrey, I felt powerless.
She hated me so much—what right did I have to interfere?
"That was an amazing game! Come on, I'm buying dinner for the team!" Selena, our team manager, slapped my shoulder. "Hey! Kane! Earth to Kane!"
"I thought I just saw..." I blinked, focusing again. Even if it was Lucy in the crowd, she wouldn't want to talk to me anyway.
I wiped my face with a towel, grabbed my bag from the bleachers, and checked my phone, only to find the battery dead.
My teammate Tom threw his arm around my shoulder. "Come on, man! I'm starving! Where should we go?"
"Whatever, I don't care."
I followed the team to the restaurant, but couldn't shake the image of Lucy I thought I'd seen. Had she been crying? Was she sick?
I plugged my phone in at the restaurant and saw Lucy's message waiting: [Where are you? I need to talk to you about something important.]
I jumped to my feet, grabbing my jacket. "You guys stay. I've got to go."
Selena frowned: ""Kane, seriously? You're our star player today!"
I forced a quick smile. "It's an emergency."
Without waiting for a response, I bolted out the door.
That idiot Lucy must be in trouble again. She always attracted bullies with her defiant attitude but never knew how to defend herself properly. How many times had I stepped in behind the scenes, only for her to never know—
The memory of Lucy's bruised face from earlier became clearer in my mind. I ran faster, repeatedly calling her number, but she didn't pick up.
Damn it! Where are you, Lucy?
Just as I was frantically trying to track down her roommate's number, I turned a corner and froze. There was Lucy in Jeffrey's arms.
I stood there, my lungs burning from the run.
Her words from our last fight echoed in my head: "Kane Lyons, I feel sick just looking at you."
When her eyes met mine over Jeffrey's shoulder, I turned away and walked off.
She had chosen Jeffrey. What right did I have to interfere?
But I knew exactly what kind of predator Jeffrey was—a manipulative bastard who collected girls like trophies, discarding them when he got bored.
Damn it! Lucy Leahy, you stubborn fool!
I spun around, ready to drag them apart by force if necessary!
When I rounded the corner again, Lucy was alone, swaying on her feet, deathly pale.
"Lucy—" I sprinted toward her as she began to collapse.
She fell into my arms, her skin burning with fever. "Not fair... Kane..."
I cradled her against my chest, her small body finally still in my arms. "No, it's not fair, Lucy. None of this is fair."
