The clubhouse was buzzing with laughter, the faint smell of popcorn and sunscreen drifting in from the deck outside. Ryan, Kyan, and Clint were huddled near a pile of colorful blocks, competing to see who could build the tallest tower before it fell.
“Mine’s taller!” Clint bragged, balancing a red block on top.
Kyan giggled, holding her braid back as she tried to match him. “Not for long!” she said, stacking another block—only for the tower to wobble and crash. “Oops!”
Ryan laughed, brushing off her shoulder. “You always go too fast, Kyan.”
“Because it’s more fun that way,” she said, grinning.
They were having the kind of fun that made time disappear—childish, bright, uncomplicated. For a while, the tension of the adults’ world didn’t exist.
Until it did.
“Well, well, look who it is
