Chapter89: Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Bad News XENOIS The drive home started with the kind of exhausted, happy chaos that I was learning to love. The boys were piled in the backseat, still riding the high of victory, talking over each other about every highlight of the day. "Did you see John's face when we won?" Troy was saying, his words slightly slurred with fatigue. "He tried to act cool but he was totally freaking out inside." "The mud race was the best," Lake declared for probably the tenth time.  "When that lady fell face-first? That was karma at its finest." "Can we do this again next year?" Soren asked, already planning ahead despite barely being able to keep his eyes open. "But with even more games? Maybe obstacle courses?" I glanced at Celeste in the passenger seat, and she was smiling softly at their chatter, one hand resting on mine on the gear shift. The afternoon sun was starting to lower, casting golden light through the windshield, and everything felt peaceful. Perfect. "Today was incredible," s