Page 75 of Help Me Remember
“That you’re having the best date ever.”
She laughs softly. “Are you saying the date is almost over?”
“Not even close.” I lean down, forgetting we’re on a field with two teams of kids watching us. “I plan to stretch this out as long as I can.”
“I like that idea,” she says softly, lifting just a smidge up on her toes.
I could kiss her so easily.
But then, the little brats yell. “Eww, she’s going to kiss the old guy!”
Brielle laughs and drops back down, moving back. “May the best man win.”
And then, before I can get to my drum, the horn blows and ten water balloons come flying at me.
Game on.
ChapterSeventeen
BRIELLE
It’s been fifteen minutes, and we are still trying to execute the plan to get our map and find their flag. The only goal I had was to take Spencer out. The rest of the kids were collateral damage. All the boys are on board with this plan, but to his credit, Spencer is good.
He ducks and dodges, rolling to seek cover.
We hit him a bunch of times, but the balloons are clear water.
Spencer’s team used our error to only focus on him to get their map first. The second they found it, they scattered and are either hiding or making their way to our flag. I turn to Timmy. “We need the map. We have to get their flag first.”
“I’m on it!”
“Wait,” I say, knowing that running off is not the right move. “We have to do this right.”
Darius takes off anyway and is eliminated while he is digging through the drum, but Spencer was like a sniper tossing balloons at him until he finally hit him with a colored one.
Timmy, Brian, Kendrick, Saint, and I are behind a bush as we regroup. “Okay, boys, there’s only one way out of this.” They all look to me. “We need to take Spencer out and now. We can’t let him stay in any longer.”
Timmy looks irritated. “We know that. My sister can’t throw at all and the other girls are probably pretending their balloons are dolls.”
The boys all nod in agreement. Brian speaks next. “We need a better plan.”
“Well, who has one?” I ask.
Saint has been the quiet one, and I am hoping he’ll speak up. I can see that he knows what we should do, he just needs a chance to be heard.
I look to him. “Any ideas?”
“We could surround him.”
I exaggerate my face a little and gasp. “That’s brilliant. We should.”
Timmy, who is the leader of this pack, thinks on it for a second. “How?”
Once again, I give Saint the opportunity to form our plan. “One of us has to sacrifice for the team.”
I want to laugh, but I don’t. “I’ll do it,” I volunteer.
Kendrick looks horrified. “You’re the leader.”
