Pitbabes2, Chapter 3 pg7

 pg7

   His words made the atmosphere go quiet. Everyone, who had been focused on their tasks, looked up, exchanging confused glances. North even started counting the team members one by one, as if checking if we were truly all here or if Phii Alan was getting so old he was starting to forget things.

   “Who’d you send?” I couldn’t help but ask. “We’re all here.”

   “You didn’t send me and then forget, did you?” North said, shifting the blame to me.

   “If Phii Alan sent me, Charlie would’ve already bought it,” I said confidently. If Phii asked me to do something, even if I forgot, Charlie never would. Charlie backed me up, nodding at North as if to say, “Phii Babe’s right,” before turning to me and muttering lazily, “Not exactly something to be proud of.” Sure, I know, but so what?

   “You didn’t send me, right?” Charlie asked Phii Alan again, just to be sure. Phii Alan stayed relaxed, still polishing the headstone without pause, and answered flatly.

   “Not you.”

   “Then who…?”

   “Ice is here, guys!”

   Before Charlie could press further, a voice cut through from a distance. It was a voice we all knew well, but since we hadn’t heard it clearly like this in a while, everyone’s eyes widened.

   I adjusted my fur coat, defying the scorching heat, and my long boots, completely unsuitable for the setting.

   One glance was enough to know who it was.

   “Sonic!”

   Kim was the first to rush toward the newcomer, the Korean guy hugging his former junior racer with fondness. Then he snatched the bag of ice from Sonic’s hand and darted back to the cooler, as if he’d been waiting for this moment forever. It seemed like he was more excited about the ice than seeing Sonic.

   “How’d you get here?” I walked up to give him a hug. The fashion kid flashed his usual bright smile, but to me, Sonic seemed a bit more grown-up.

   “By plane, duh.”

   “Oh, thought you walked.”

   “Kidding!” Sonic shook his hand playfully. Even though he was sweating like he’d just stepped out of a sauna, the cheerful kid still had the energy to tease me. You gotta give him props for that. “Landed this morning. Couldn’t miss an important day, right… Charlie?”

   Sonic turned to greet Charlie, who was standing beside me. The bespectacled kid smiled back, stepping forward to hug him as a welcome home after a year.

   “Glad you could make it, Phii.”

   “I’m glad too. But have you gotten handsomer, Charlie?”

   “A little,” Charlie replied, making a pinching gesture to emphasize “a little,” which sent Sonic into a fit of laughter. He seemed delighted that the kid played along so well.

   “Welcome home, fashionista king,” Phii Alan, the next host, chimed in. He approached with Jeff, then hugged the former youngest team member. Sonic had always been obsessed with racing cars, and Alan brought him into the team because of that fierce passion. Even if his skills weren’t top-tier, Alan thought he’d be a great addition. That was until last year when Sonic asked to leave to study abroad, having carefully considered chasing another dream: becoming a designer. “Well done, surprise pulled off.”

   “Told you, no leaks,” the big brother and former little nong high-fived proudly. Then Sonic turned to greet Jeff, who was smiling beside them. “You’re awesome too, Jeff, for not spilling.”

   “No worries about me slipping up,” Jeff chuckled. Phii Alan seemed to be the only one who knew Sonic was coming back today. Naturally, if Alan knew, Jeff knew too. And Jeff knowing didn’t make the surprise any harder to pull off, since he barely talks to anyone anyway. “Besides, we had to make sure it didn’t leak to that guy.”

   Jeff nodded toward “that guy,” who was standing outside the circle, not joining the others to greet his old teammate, even though he was probably the one who missed Sonic the most.

   North stood rigid, his expression hard to read. Was he shocked, happy, surprised, or angry? He just stood there, staring at Sonic, until the others stepped back to give them space. From the looks of it, the two best friends had way more to talk about than all our conversations combined.

   The cleanup didn’t take as long as I thought, thanks to the many hands pitching in. Way’s house looked refreshed and inviting in no time. The overgrown grass was pulled out, piles of fallen leaves were swept away, and the sign was scrubbed until it gleamed like new. Plus, we had an art expert like Sonic helping arrange flowers for decoration. Though Kim initially said it didn’t look that bad, the difference after the cleanup was undeniable. Everyone involved stood there, proudly admiring the result until it was time to part ways.

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