When Leo put his phone away, he noticed that everyone was staring at him.
"It was Adam. Apparently the Patch has been released. We should probably head back and get so sleep so we are ready in the morning."
The others nodded their heads in agreent while Greg scratched his chin, feeling incredibly awkward and honestly a little left out.
"We should probably head ho now and get so rest so we can get a headstart on everyone else in the morning."
Lily remarked, rotating her shoulders as if she was stretching out a kink in her neck. Crystal nodded her head in agreent though she too felt a bit awkward.
"I should probably head ho myself then. I can’t impose on you guys for more than one night in a row."
Rachel scoffed and replied
"Pfft~! Be like and be shaless. I would like to sleep on a bed tonight this ti please!"
Greg’s eye narrowed, shooting a Leo a glance as if to ask ’What was that about’
Leo simply pursed his lips and gave a aningful look back, signalling to him that it was better not to ask.
Rachel threw her arms over her head and yawned loudly, then turned and gave Luna a pointed look. "We should probably stop at a convenience store for snacks right? For that one."
She motioned with her head to Lily who was a whimpering ss on the ground. Her entire body ached from exercises she didn’t want to do and was absolutely terrible at. She looked up from the floor with puppy dog eyes, making herself look as pitiful as she possibly could.
Luna let out a sigh, her head tilting to the ceiling as she groaned "Ugh! Fine...Eyes like that are cheating"
She grumbled in frustration.
Crystal let out a small laugh as she watched the interaction from the side, clearly amused. "You’re going to spoil her."
"I already have," Luna muttered under her breath, reaching down to help Lily to her feet. "Co on. We’ll get your stupid candy."
Lily perked up instantly, latching onto Luna’s arm like a lifeline. "I want the fizzy ones this ti. And maybe so chocolate too."
"We are not getting the whole aisle," Luna snapped, but there wasn’t any real bite behind her voice.
Aria giggled lightly as she folded up her wings and followed behind them with a soft lodic hum.
Rachel stretched again and fell into step beside Aria, tossing a glance over her shoulder at the others. "Co on slowpokes. If we don’t hurry, she really will buy the whole aisle and make us carry it."
Crystal hesitated to follow along as despite all that had happened in such a short ti, she still felt a bit like an outsider. She had a ho to return to, even if it was empty, she didn’t have a reason to stay. She felt that this blissful and fun environnt that she had found herself in would disappear if she made even one small mistake.
Leo noticing her lagging behind stopped and with a tilt of his head asked
"Aren’t you coming Crystal? Or is sothing the matter?"
Crystal looked up, surprised to see Leo waiting. The others were already halfway across the gym, their voices bouncing off the walls in a relaxed rhythm that felt effortless. She tightened her grip on her water bottle, hesitating.
Leo tilted his head. "Aren’t you coming? Or is sothing the matter?"
She gave a small shrug, eyes drifting toward the exit. "I don’t know. I don’t want to push my luck."
Leo blinked, then stepped closer with a faint smile. "Push it. You’re already in. That wasn’t a question."
Crystal let out a short breath, half a laugh. "Feels like I just showed up out of nowhere."
Greg, who had lingered nearby without much to add, chid in with a quiet grin. "Sotis that’s how the best stuff starts."
Crystal glanced at him.
"What you’ve got here is sothing special," Greg said, his voice softer than usual. "Don’t talk yourself out of it before it’s even yours."
Crystal looked down, her voice a little more guarded now. "But I actually have a ho to go back to."
Leo folded his arms but didn’t press her. "Yeah? What’s waiting for you there?"
She hesitated before answering. "Silence. An empty house. My parents are never ho. They leave early, co back late, or sotis not at all. It’s just... quiet."
Her voice dipped, and for the first ti, the cracks showed. "Sotis I wonder if they’d even notice if I didn’t co back."
Leo looked at her with a quiet kind of understanding. "Can it really be called a ho if no one’s there to welco you back?"
Crystal didn’t answer right away. Her fingers fidgeted with the strap of her bag, and her eyes stayed fixed on the floor.
"Look," Leo said, nudging her gently with his elbow. "The door’s open. If you want to walk through it, no one’s stopping you. But don’t think for a second that you’re not wanted here."
Crystal looked at him then, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. "You’re really bad at letting people go, you know that?"
Leo grinned. "Yeah, well, I’m worse at seeing people walk away when they don’t have to."
She let out a small sigh and finally took a step forward. "Fine. But I’m not carrying any of that candy."
Leo rolled his eyes exaggeratedly to lighten the mood. "Good luck with that~!"
Crystal cracked a reluctant smile. "Fine..Then I get first pick!"
Leo walked beside her, matching her pace as they moved toward the exit. "See? You’re a natural."
Crystal gave him a sidelong look. "Don’t push it."
Ahead of them, the rest of the group was already playfully arguing about snacks and who had to carry what. Laughter echoed through the gym, and for the first ti in a long ti,
Crystal didn’t feel like she was an outsider in her own life anymore. She finally felt like she had a place to belong. It was a ssy chaotic life but it was undoubtedly her own and she was going to enjoy it as much as she could.
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