Wind Breaker | 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘎𝘰𝘥

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 67

She beamed like a child who had just been given a massive piece of candy, waving the papers in the air like a trophy, while Dom and Minu looked on, stunned. Shelly couldn't help but sigh at her antics. Despite the chaos, the competition carried on, and Yara's hearing gradually returned to normal as she adjusted once again to the wind's whispers.

"I can hear now," Minu smiled upon hearing her raspy voice, moving in for a hug before quickly backing off at the sound of her wince.

"Sorry... I'm too ashamed to even look at you guys," Dom admitted, prompting all heads to turn towards Dom.

"We all raced together. Why are you putting all the blame on yourself?" Jay chimed in beside Minu.

"You guys worked so hard to set it up for, and... I ruined it all at the end," Dom lamented, his gaze fixed on the ground, unable to meet anyone's eyes.

"Ruined what? We did our best. That's all that matters, right?" June intervened, attempting to lighten the mood by patting Dom's head.

"...Yara even got hurt, I wasn't fast enough," Dom continued, his voice filled with shame.

"It was my choice," Yara interjected, her raspy voice cutting through the tension. "I got carried away. I'm sorry."

"We should just brush it off like men. The race is over," Minu suggested, trying to shift the focus away from blame. "It's not that you didn't do well," he added, prompting Dom to raise his gaze from the ground.

"Any other team would have lost if they had faced Team Monster. So stop blaming yourself," Minu reassured Dom, offering him a supportive glance.

"Waaaaa b..but *Sniffle* Vinny's... mom... ahhhh I wanted... uhhuh to help... If only... I had *Sniffle*," Dom broke into tears, his words muffled by sobs as he shook with emotion.

"What's this moron saying?" Minu and June exchanged a glance, sweatdropping at Dom's outburst. Yara reached out her arm, offering him comfort, and he instinctively grabbed onto her hand, holding it tightly as he continued to cry.

"Stop crying, you ass," Vinny's voice cut through the emotional haze, surprising everyone. He approached the circle with a smile, standing behind Shelly.

"Going into the tournament, I never thought we'd actually win anyway. So isn't it enough that we all had fun together?" Vinny declared, "Stop crying like a baby and let's go," he concluded, turning to walk away from the group.

"Vinny..."

The atmosphere, once filled with attempts to uplift one another, plummeted like a stone to the core of the earth. Yara couldn't help but facepalm in frustration, sensing the collective defeat washing over the group.

"You guys... all did great," Jay's voice cut through the heavy silence, his words a faint glimmer of hope in the midst of their disappointment. Dom glanced at him, tears streaming down his face as he struggled to contain his emotions. "Ugghhh," he trembled, overwhelmed by the weight of it all.

"FUCKK!!"

—

"Thanks for the ride," June said softly, her voice carrying a hint of gratitude.

"Sure, anyway... Don't be too disappointed. To me, you were the best out there," the man responded, offering a small smile of reassurance.

"Yara and Jay, make sure you guys stop by the hospital," the man added, his concern evident in his tone.

"Okay," Jay replied, his gaze fixed on the ground. They had been offered a ride by someone Jay knew, a small act of kindness amidst their disappointment.