The next morning at 7:00 AM, the soft morning light was just starting to filter through Keegan’s bedroom window.
He was standing by his bed, zipping up the final compartment of his travel bag with a quick tug.
From the doorway, the quiet clink of a ceramic mug broke the quiet.
Brenda Sterling, was leaning against the doorframe.
She was still in her blue nurse scrubs from her overnight shift, her eyes tired but warm as she took a slow sip of her morning coffee.
“Honey, are you sure you don’t need any money from me?” Brenda asked softly, gesturing with her cup.
“I could give you my credit card just in case.”
Keegan slung his bag over his shoulder and walked over to her, a fond smile touching his lips.
“Ma, I told you, I saved up enough.
There’s absolutely nothing I need more than a 100% sweet boba right now…
Did you make it for me?”
Brenda’s eyes crinkled with a laugh.
“Of course, my boy.
I know how much you love my homemade boba.” She set her coffee down and led him into the kitchen, pointing to a small insulated cooler bag sitting on the counter.
Inside were six neatly packed, sealed cups of homemade boba.
“Ma, this is a lot,” Keegan said, looking down at the heavy pack in surprise.
“Silly boy, you can share it with your friends!” Brenda laughed, shaking her head.
“I made a cup for each of them.
I remembered Ashton likes his with extra brown sugar and oat milk it’s just as same as yours.” Keegan’s heart warmed.
He pulled his mom into a tight hug, pressing a quick kiss against her cheek.
“Thanks, Mom.” He glanced at the wall clock and gasped slightly.
“Okay now, I better get going.”
“Make sure you get some rest today since you’re off, okay?
And if anything happens—anything at all—call me immediately.” Brenda let out a soft, amused laugh, gently shooing him toward the front door.
“Go already, Mr.
Worrier!
They’re probably all waiting for you.”
Keegan grabbed his bag and the boba cooler, heading out into the cool morning air.
He mounted his motorbike, strapped on his helmet, and kicked the engine into gear.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
Thirty minutes later, he pulled into the long driveway of the Smith residence.
Parked right in front of the house was Ashton’s family vehicle—a sleek, high-end black luxury van that Ashton’s mom had officially signed over in his name.
Keegan guided his motorbike around the side and parked it safely inside Kira’s dad’s garage, knowing it would be secure there until they got back.
As he walked back out onto the driveway, he spotted the group near the van’s open side doors.
Ashton was leaning back against the passenger seat with Chloe sitting comfortably on his lap, her arms wrapped lazily around his neck.
Jace was leaning against the rear bumper, tossing his phone in his hand.
Ashton was the first to speak the second he spotted Keegan.
“Heyyy, Blue-line!
We were almost debating on whether you were abandoning us for your books again!”
“Haha, how funny, Ash,” Keegan chuckled dryly, stepping closer.
He gave Chloe a friendly nod.
“Morning, Chloe.”
“Morning, Blue-line!” Chloe chirped, waving cheerfully from Ashton’s lap.
Jace smirked, crossing his arms as he looked Keegan up and down.
“We were actually thinking you’d show up with some hot chick today, Blue-line.
Give us a surprise for once.” Keegan rolled his eyes with a smooth grin.
“Actually, Jace, I was on my way to take your sister to the hospital and see if our babies are alright.”
Ashton burst out laughing, throwing his head back before sticking his hand out for a high five.
“Whoa!that was cold!
Keegan slapped Ashton’s hand with a laugh.
“Okay, okay.
I’m guessing Kira is still in the house?”
“Yeah, she’s taking forever,” Jace groaned playfully.
Keegan left his bag with the guys and pushed through the front door of the Smith home.
Inside the quiet living room, he found Kira frantically pacing back and forth, tossing sofa pillows aside and checking under the coffee table.
Standing by the armchair with his arms folded across his chest was her father, Mr.
Adam Smith.
“Hi, Uncle,” Keegan greeted politely.
Mr.
Smith looked over, offering a warm nod before letting out an exhausted sigh.
“Keegan…
could you please ask your friend what on earth she’s looking for?
She’s been pacing around telling me she lost ‘something,’ and her friends have been waiting outside for almost an hour.”
“Daddd!” Kira groaned, her face flushing bright pink as she checked inside the refrigerator.
“It’s fine, I’m almost done looking!”
Keegan caught the sheer panic in Kira’s eyes and stepped in smoothly.
“Ahh, I’ll help her look, Uncle.
Could you maybe help the guys load Kira’s bag into the van outside?
We’ll be right out.”
Mr.
Smith looked between the two of them, shaking his head with a fond chuckle.
“Alright, alright.
Don’t take all day, you two.” As soon as her dad closed the front door behind him, Keegan walked over to Kira, keeping his voice low and gentle.
“Did you lose it again?
You should have just asked him o help you look for it” Keegan asked softly.
Kira stopped dead in her tracks, letting out a dramatic groan as she threw both hands over her face, leaning her head against the refrigerator in utter mortification.
“No way, Keegs…
it’s way too embarrassing,” Kira muffled through her hands, her voice trembling with a mix of anxiety and embarrassment.
“How am I supposed to just tell my dad that I misplaced my vaginal dilation kit.?!
He’s been supportive through my whole transition since day one, but I would literally die of shame if he had to help me look for that!”
Keegan let out a soft, sympathetic chuckle, gently patting her back.
“Hey, breathe.
It’s okay.
Where did you have it last?”
Kira slowly pulled her hands away from her face, biting her lip.
“I thought I packed it in my small pink bag on my vanity desk, but when I checked…
it wasn’t there!”
“Did you check the top drawer of your closet?”
Keegan suggested, pointing toward the hallway in her room.
“The one where you usually keep your spare athletic gear?” Kira blinked, her eyes widening as realization hit her.
“Oh my god.
The closet drawer!”
She sprinted down the hallway toward her bedroom, her braids flying behind her.
A few seconds later, a muffled scream of victory echoed from her room.
“I FOUND IT!
KEEGS, YOU ARE A LIFESAVER!”
Keegan laughed, walking down the hall as Kira emerged, clutching her small pink pouch safely against her chest with a massive, relieved grin.
Crisis averted,” Keegan smiled, gesturing toward the front door.
“Now let’s go before Ashton starts blowing the van horn at us.”
Kira quickly zipped her pink pouch safely into the bottom compartment of her main bag, letting out one final, immense sigh of relief.
“Okay.
Now I’m officially ready,” she declared, tossing her bag over her shoulder with a newfound burst of energy.
“Let’s get out of here!”
Keegan chuckled, following her down the hallway and out through the front door into the warm morning sunshine.
Outside, Mr.
Smith was standing with the rest of the group by the open side doors of the luxury black van, having just finished helping Jace slide the last of their luggage into the trunk space.
“Look who finally decided to join the living,” Jace called out with a dramatic bow as Kira and Keegan approached.
“We were about two minutes away from starting a search party.”
“Oh, hush, Jace,” Kira shot back, though a light flush still lingered on her cheeks as she handed her bag over to her dad.
Keegan stepped toward the open passenger door, intending to take the comfortable chair right next to Ashton.
Out of habit, that was always his spot whenever the two of them traveled together.
But before he could even place a foot on the step, Chloe darted smoothly past him, sliding straight into the seat right beside Ashton with an effortless, graceful movement.
Chloe turned back, offering Keegan an apologetic, sugary sweet smile as she snuggled into her seat.
“Sorry, Keegan!
But I want to spend some time on the road with my boo boo bear.”
For a split second, a small, familiar pinch tugged at Keegan’s chest—that quiet, sharp reminder of where he stood in Ashton’s life.
But as always, he buried it deep down before anyone could spot it.
He forced his usual easy, practiced smile onto his face and gave a light shrug.
“It’s totally okay, Chloe,” Keegan said smoothly, stepping back.
“Take it.” He moved further down the vehicle, stepping into the middle row next to Kira, while Jace climbed into the spacious back row behind them, stretching his long legs out over the entire seat all to himself.
Outside, Mr.
Smith leaned down against the open window of the driver’s side, making eye contact with the driver.
He then turned his gaze toward the group inside, his expression shifting into a warm, paternal smile.
“Alright, you kids,” Mr.
Smith called out over the idling hum of the engine.
“Drive safe, watch out for each other, and make sure every single one of you comes back in one piece in two days!”
“We will, Dad!
Promise!” Kira called out, waving through the window.
“Don’t worry, Mr.
Smith!” Ashton chimed in, leaning over from the front seat with a confident grin.
“I’ve got everything completely under control!”
From the very back row, Jace muttered dryly, “And that’s the part that scares all of us.” Everyone broke into a chorus of laughter as Mr.
Smith tapped the side of the van twice in farewell.
“Have fun!”
The driver pulled the heavy side doors shut with a solid Thud, locking them into place.
Ashton turned around in his seat, his hazel eyes flashing with excitement as he looked back at the rest of the crew.
He raised a hand in the air, a bold, reckless smirk spreading across his face.
“Alright, Bulldogs…
ready?!” Ashton shouted.
“READY!” they all cheered back.
Ashton tapped the divider window, signaling the driver.
“Let’s rollll!!!” The luxury van smoothy backed out of the driveway, turning onto the main road and accelerating toward the highway, officially kicking off their two-day getaway to Everything Kingdom.
I spent two whole days trying to figure out where this chaotic group should go for their trip.
I almost went with a standard theme park like Disneyland, but nothing felt quite right for Benefits On Ice.
Then at 3 in the Morning, my brain hit me with: “Wait, if it has everything from rides for kids to teen entertainment—and most importantly it’s FUN—why not literally just call it EVERYTHING KINGDOM?!” Hope you guys are ready for this two-day getaway!