By the next evening, Elias had stopped pretending his legs were fresh.
The obstacle course had stripped that lie away three runs ago. His shirt clung to his back. His palms stung from catching the upper rails. One knee kept reminding him about a bad landing near the wall climb, but the timer over the exit gate still showed his best record yet.
Dots floated near his shoulder with both arms folded and the satisfied look of someone who had done none of the work.
"That record is better than your last one by enough that Oliver will hate hearing about it."
Elias bent over with his hands on his knees until his breathing stopped sounding like a machine problem. "The current setting still counts, but it is not enough to brag yet."
"You are absolutely going to brag."
"I am going to mention it with discipline and tasteful restraint."
Dots gave him a look. "That is the least believable thing you have said today."
He laughed once and regretted it when his ribs objected.
