“You know, Douglas?” said Jonah in a serious tone. “It sounds like you're still clawing for granny's acceptance.”
“Am not.” Doug's answer came out far too quickly for it to be true. “Grandma has made it quite clear that everything I do is a failure, especially in comparison to my rugged, hardcore uncles and cousins. I hate that—” he stopped himself when he saw the expression on Jonah's face. They'd been down this road before, after all. “Um—I mean that I'd be grateful if my Grandma had more appreciation, that's all,” he finished rather timidly. “Hey, do you want to do some chess club recruiting here in the caf?”
Training was always fun, and got more and more so each time Jonah did it. He loved no longer being the new guy anymore. But even after all this time, everyone still regarded him
