His Destructive, Toxic Love (Jasper and Eliza)

Fear flickered in Brock's eyes. Casper placed a firm hand on Brock's shoulder. "Do you want to win first place?"

Brock's eyes welled up as he shook his head.

Casper narrowed his eyes. "I'll ask you again. Do you want to win first place?"

Brock hesitated.

He saw Casper with a certain charm. Casper could make him believe anything was possible, even winning first place.

"Mhm." Brock agreed.

Casper felt a surge of pride. Brock still had some fight in him. "Alright then, let's go get that first place."

Casper and Brock joined the kindergarten relay race. These kiddie races were really all about the adults. The kids' abilities were pretty much the same across the board. Watching from the bleachers, Dillon raised an eyebrow. Hadn't Casper and Eliza had a huge fight? So, Casper caved in after all.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," a woman's anxious voice piped in from beside him.

a sweaty Eliza. He lowered his

can't wait to watch the race," the principal

looked toward the field. She quickly spotted her son, but she also

figured something out? She shook her head. Brock looked more like her than Casper. He wouldn't

The race started.

with all his might but only made it about twenty or thirty meters before crashing down

worry. She thought Brock would burst into tears like he always did when he fell. He'd always been a

brushed the dirt off, and, without a second thought, continued running

the parents in the other lanes were already

in this last-minute "father and son" duo to be so fast and powerful. It left

Casper

with excitement and a touch of caution. Casper bent down and extended his

but then gathered

smiled, lifted him up, and placed him

time sitting on a man's shoulders, and from up there, he looked around with an expression

Eliza