Dawn Davenport: funny, sarcastic and a lovable person. Her world is crazy, involved with a trio and her best friend, Leo who they share many dangerous and fun experiences. Will she fall in love along the way? Or heartbroken by her own family's secr...
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I was stretched out on the couch, half-watching as the boys dove headfirst into their latest obsession, Mental Chaos. The room pulsed with the faint glow of the game's interface, the TV light flickered across their determined faces. "Yes! Totally gonna make it to the final level!" Chase whooped, his fists clenched in triumph. However, the celebration was short-lived. A sharp beep cut through the air, and their helmets flashed an unforgiving red. Just like that, the game spat them out. The boys yanked off their headsets and slumped down beside me. "I just wasted three hours of my life getting to that level." Leo groaned, disappointed with himself. "I'm never playing Mental Chaos again."
"Me neither." Chase and Adam chimed in with exaggerated groans. I held up my hand, quietly counting down with my fingers—three, two, one. Right on cue, both boys lunged back toward their controllers, grins betraying their earlier defeat. "Leo, will you stop playing that game? It is nothing but a huge time-waster that is going to rot your brain." Tasha scolded, striding into the room with her trademark parental edge but before Leo could defend himself, Donald practically vaulted over the couch, nearly knocking into me as he landed between him and Chase. "Ooh, Mental Chaos! I got next!" Tasha shot him a disapproving glance. "Donald! I was just telling Leo that he's playing too much." "Huh, you're telling me. He almost beat my high score." Donald replied smugly, puffing his chest as Leo handed him the helmet and controller in defeat. "I'm just saying, this game is affecting him." Tasha pressed. "Last week, he tried to pause me. Twice!"
"Oh, that would come in handy." Donald remarked, bursting into laughter with the boys. Davenport cut in, giving us all a stern look under Tasha's gaze. "—if it weren't so wrong. Okay. Leo, what else are you interested in?" He asked, standing up, setting aside the controller and the helmet. "Well, I keep telling you I'd love to work with you in the lab. Dawn sometimes does." he added, his voice hopeful.
"Yeah, and I keep telling you I don't wanna die in a fiery explosion." Donald shot back, waving off the idea as he started to stroll away. "And anyway, Dawn is much smarter than you. She's my daughter, like father, like daughter." I nodded in agreement, though Tasha clearly wasn't ready to let him off the hook. She caught him mid-step, her voice cutting through his retreat. "Donald, this is perfect! Leo wants to be like you, and you love you." Donald opened his mouth, probably to argue, but I tuned out the rest as Adam shoved the helmet and controller into my hands. Before I knew it, we were diving back into another round of Mental Chaos.
"Hey!" Bree's voice sliced into the room. She stood with her arms crossed, eyebrow raised in that signature big sister glare. "I thought I told you guys to get lost. The coolest girls in school are coming for a sleepover, and I don't want this place smelling like feet and pickles." Adam froze mid-game, then sniffed his armpit suspiciously. "Well, not me." he said with mock seriousness. "I'm armpits and onions."
"Hey, why does she get to have a party?" Chase grumbled, crossing his arms. Tasha cut in before Bree could respond. "Because, she needs to socialize more with girls other than Dawn—so she'll stop challenging random strangers to loogie contests. Matter of fact, both of you should stop."
