A knot tightens in my chest when I turn my head around and see Lucas standing there with a gun pointed at me.
“Hello, Maddox,” he says, a sinister smile stretching across his face.
“Lucas? W-what are you doing here?”
“You’re smart. I think you can figure it out.”
The puzzle pieces in my brain start coming together. “It was you, wasn’t it? You were the one who leaked my relationship with Annalise, and the one who’s been blackmailing me with the sex tape.”
Tucking the gun in his elbow, he brings his hands together, clapping slowly. “Congratulations. Perhaps if you weren’t so busy screwing Annalise, you would’ve figured it out sooner. I don’t blame you, though.” He pauses, licking his lips. “I would be banging that smoking hot body of hers nonstop.”
I step forward with my fists balled at my sides. “Don’t fucking talk about her like that, you sick son of a bitch!”
“Maybe I should pay her a visit,” he says, another smile sliding onto his face. “I would love to hear more of those pretty sounds she makes when she comes.”
“If you lay a hand on her, I will fucking kill you.”
He lets out a cold laugh, leveling his gun at me once more. “I don’t think you’re in any position to make threats, Kamado.”
“Are you really that jealous of my relationship with Annalise? Is that why you’re doing this?” I snap, my voice rising. “When are you gonna get it through your thick skull that she will never want you?”
“You’re really dense if you think this is just about Annalise. It’s much more than that.” His eyes grow cold and dark. “You tookeverythingfrom me. You ruined my life!”
I stare at him, dumbfounded. “What the fuck are you talking about?You’rethe one trying to ruinmylife!”
“You’re just getting what you deserve!” he snaps, his voice brimming with fury. “You’ve made my life miserable ever since I met you. When you transferred to my school in first grade, everyone wanted to be your friend instead of mine.”
Memories of elementary school come rushing back. Being in a new environment was terrifying for me, so I tried my best to make friends with everyone. I remember trying to talk to Lucas, but he would always ignore me.
I shake my head slowly. “Lucas… I didn’t have any control over that. It’s not as though I went around telling people not to be friends with you. Are you seriously telling me you have a vendetta against me because ofthat?”
“It’s because ofeverything!” he snaps, voice shaking with frustration. “In high school, I busted my ass training and even stayed after hours to practice after everyone left. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never play as well as you.”
I throw my arms out in exasperation. “That was in highschool! Why the hell does that matter now? You’re in the NBA, for crying out loud!”
“It doesn’t just end with basketball. You continued beating me at everything. I had the biggest crush on Annalise for years, and when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to homecoming, you beat me to it.” He takes a slow step forward, his fingers curling tighter around the gun. “I thought she was gonna be a fling, like all the other girls you’d been with, but I was wrong. I had to spend the rest of high school watching you be with the girl I was in love with.”
For a second, I feel the smallest amount of sympathy for him. If the roles were reversed, and I had to see Annalise with Lucas every day, I would be devastated. I got a small taste of it when I saw them kissing, and that was enough to ruin me.
“It was never-ending!” he spits, his voice trembling with rage. “You won prom king while I stood there clapping like a fool. I was so close to being valedictorian until you swooped in and stole that, too!” His jaw clenches, lips curling into a bitter sneer. Years of resentment surge to the surface. “You were always the star while I was stuck in the shadows. All I wanted was to be the best at something, but I never could because ofyou! I always came in second place.” He shakes his head slowly, exhaling hard through his nose. “I can’t stand the fact that you’re living the life I dreamed of.”
All this time, I thought his obsession was with Annalise. But it wasn’t with her at all.
It was withme.
“Why do you feel the need to always compare yourself to me? You made it to the NBA. You have talent. You can make a name for yourself, and be your own person.” My voice comes out low and calm. I’m hoping it has the power to change the course of the situation.
But the bitterness in his eyes only deepens.
“And yet you’re the one in the running for MVP. You’re theone fans chant for. You’re the face on every screen, the name in every headline. I’m so sick and tired of watching you get everything you want!”
His expression darkens, shadows swallowing whatever humanity is left in his eyes. “At first, I only wanted to ruin your career.” He pauses, eyes locked on mine, unblinking. “But then I realized… that wouldn’t be enough.”
The cold mechanicalclickof the gun being cocked echoes through the air. His finger settles on the trigger with a terrifying calm. “As long as you’re alive, I will always be miserable.”
A chilling wave of fear crashes through me, paralyzing me. I have never felt so powerless in my entire life.
“Lucas, please don’t do this. Getting rid of me is not going to solve anything.”
