Caleb made a joke about their robot being faster than the adults.

Asher said he didn’t care.

Liam leaned against my side and asked whether someone had been hurt.

“No one has told me that,” I said.

Tristan finally called after lunch.

His unit had needed him to address a last-minute readiness issue.

He sounded genuinely apologetic, but the explanation did little to soften the disappointment.

“I tried to get away,” he said.