A Hero's Welcome

The plane hummed as it cut through the clouds. Kai leaned back in his seat, staring out of the window at the endless expanse of sky. 

They were on their way back to Jilin now, yet his mind was still a storm of thoughts. 

He barely noticed when the stewardess brought snacks or when Jet snuck extra bags of peanuts from the cart. Shang had his headphones on, nodding along to some music, while Andy had fallen asleep, his mouth open, snoring lightly. Kai glanced at them and let out a small sigh. 

Jet, noticing Kai's pensive look, poked him in the shoulder. "Still thinking about it, aren't you?"

Kai didn't even try to deny it. He just nodded, fingers tapping absently against the armrest.

"Relax, man. Worrying isn't going to make you play any better," Jet said, offering him a crooked grin. "Besides, what's there to be worried about? You're like the best player in our age group!" 

Kai let out a short laugh. "You make it sound easy."