Page 68 of Even Beneath the Stars

He’s the Games Room king, but that door’s about shut!

Next time we play, the tables will turn,

And Xave will be the one who’s gotta learn!

You may have won this battle, but the war’s just begun,

Next tournament night, we’ll be the ones who’ve won!

So soak it up, Xave, while you’ve got the crown,

‘Cause next time we play, we’ll both take you down!"

Apparently, Maggie’s cure for meltdowns involves sarcasm, a guitar, and a sprinkle of chaos. And watching them up there, putting on a full rock concert with exactly two chords between them, I can't help it. The laughter bubbles up despite my bruised ribs screaming in protest.

"Ow, crap," I wheeze, wrapping an arm around my middle. But I'm still grinning like an idiot while they finish their grand finale—complete with synchronized head banging and air guitars.

And screw the throbbing ribs.

I jump to my feet and give them a standing ovation.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Maggie

"We're back from story time at the library!" Finn races out of the coat room when he spots Xavier and Seb lounging in the sitting room. I follow behind, juggling our book haul.

Seb's feet dangle over the arm of the wide armchair while Xavier sprawls across the couch, both of them focused on their phones.

Finn races toward the couch, readying for a leap onto Xavier's lap, but Seb leans in quickly and intercepts him.

"Whoa! Watch the ribs." He scoops him up. "No jumping on your bro for a while, little dude."

"Oh, yaaaaaa." Finn makes a face. "I forgot."

Seb releases him, and Finn hops over to the couch and climbs up beside his brother. "Hey, Xavey."

"Hey, rockstar."

The swelling around his eye has gone down a lot, but dark purple bruises have spread across his cheekbone like watercolor bleeding into paper. The cut above his eyebrow has scabbed over, though. Same with his lip.

I hover by the counter, not sure if I should join them or start lunch. The past couple days have felt different between us, but Xavier's a tough nut to crack. Could be he now regrets hanging out and making friends with the enemy last night.

"Maggie helped me pick out chapter books." Finn bounces on his knees. "They have pictures still, but not on every page."

"Level up." Xave holds out his fist for Finn to bump. "Nice."

"Show them the dragon one." Finn cranes his head to look at me, solving my dilemma of whether to stay in the kitchen or join them. As I wander over, I catch Xavier watching me, his expression unreadable. The bruising makes him look dangerous, like some brooding anti-hero.

I drop the tote bag on the coffee table and start digging through the books. "Got it." I hold the shimmery book out to Finn. "Dragons Love Tacos."

"Bro. Top-tier literature," Seb chimes from the armchair.

"It's about dragons who eat tacos, but they can't have spicy salsa or they breathe fire everywhere." Finn nuzzles closer to Xavier.

"Wouldn't it give them fiery farts?" Xavier muses. "More than fiery breath?"

Finn throws his head back and giggles.

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