Aggravation

She wasn't just talking about the marbles. Elias had been "stuck at base" in his real life lately—terrified of taking a new job offer because he might fail, staying in his safe zone while the world moved around him. He treated every setback like a personal insult rather than a mechanic of the journey.

Elias felt the heat rise to his neck. "That was completely unnecessary. You had another move that wouldn't have bumped me." aggravation

"Six!" Maya chirped, sliding her red marble out of the starting gate. "Watch out, Eli. I’m coming for that shortcut." She wasn't just talking about the marbles

Maya stopped laughing, her hand hovering over the board. "Eli, it’s the name of the game. If I don’t bump you, you win. If I bump you, we both keep playing." Elias felt the heat rise to his neck

But the peace lasted exactly ten seconds. Maya rolled a five, landed squarely on Elias’s second marble near the center, and with a delighted clack , sent it tumbling back to the Base. "Aggravation!" she cheered.

Elias looked at the dice. He realized he’d been spending more energy being annoyed at the "clack" of the marble than he had on the next move. He picked up the cup, gave it a single, sharp shake, and let the dice fly.

"You’re playing too fast," Elias muttered, shaking the dice cup with rhythmic intensity. "Strategy wins this, not speed." He rolled. A four. He moved his marble safely into his row, exhaling a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.