The Blood of the Covenant

Chapter Twenty-Six: Matthew

"Shit!" Cecilia exclaimed as her little virtual car was exploded by a blue shell. 

    Jason just laughed, speeding past her. "Payback! See you at the finish line!"

    Meanwhile, Matthew was hanging low at twelfth place, trying to stay on the road and not fall off the cliff or go the wrong direction. He had no idea how to play Mario Kart, which was infuriating, but listening to Cecilia and Jason's banter made the experience a little more enjoyable.

    "Matthew, Matthew! Use the catch-up cannon! You have it!" Jason said, trying to focus on both their portions of the screen.

    "The what?"

    "The cannon thing!"

    "Oh! How do I use that?"

    "Press the A-button!"

     Matthew looked down at his remote and accidentally drove off a cliff. "Are you kidding me?!"

    Cecilia laughed. "Keep your eyes on the road, little thief!"

    Thankfully, as he was pulled out of the gully by a turtle floating on a cloud, it gave him time to figure out what button Jason was referring to. And, when he was set back on the course, he spammed the button as many times as he could. His car shifted into a cannon and shot past a princess and a turtle-like character before it shifted back.

    "Woah! I jumped to tenth!" Matthew exclaimed.

    "Oh boy, he's gaining on us." Cecilia teased.

    "Hey! This is my first time playing this stupid game!" Matthew shot back.

    "Eyes on the road, eyes on the road!" Jason interrupted.

    Just then, Matthew drove into a bed of flowers, which slowed his car down and left room for those two same characters to speed past him and leave him in the dust. He spat a curse. He was back in last place again.

    Cecilia gasped. "Oho! Did the little thief say a bad word?"

    "I think he did," Jason laughed.

    Matthew tried to cover it up, embarrassed. "W-what? No?"

    "I've trained him well, Jace. Because of me, he's learning all kinds of new vocabulary." Cecilia boasted, jumping back to second place.

    "I... wouldn't pride myself with that, but okay," Jason replied, unaware of Cecilia's approach.

    She smirked at the screen as she hit a mystery block and obtained a red shell, throwing it forwards. "Why not? I'm expanding his vocabulary."

    "Not in a good way. He's fifteen, he shouldn't be saying such foul—"

    But before Jason could finish, his Wii remote began to vibrate. He yelped as Cecilia's red shell connected with his cart, leaving enough time for her to pass him on the final stretch, placing first. She erupted from her seat and celebrated, making an 'L' out of her thumb and pointer finger. "Ha! Loser!"

    Jason looked up at her with a teasingly-exasperated expression. "Really? You always win, Cecilia. Couldn't you let me have that for once?"

    She sat down and pulled him into a hug, kissing his cheek. "Nope, my ego couldn't take it."

    A few minutes later, the race ended for Matthew. He hadn't even crossed the finish line. The race just deemed him too far gone. He sighed. "Well, remind me to never play video games ever again."

    Cecilia, who now sat between Matthew and her boyfriend, nudged him. "Aw, Matthew, don't be a sore loser."

    He looked over at her with a slight smirk. "Don't be a sore winner, then."