Page 85 of Just One Season
“I’m really doing my best not to get inappropriate here.” I crack up, and he does the same five seconds later.
“Ready to go shoot your brother?”
“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life,” I say.
Kellen laughs again, flashing his white teeth, and my insides flutter.
Lordy. The way he knelt before me last night.
“So what’s our strategy?” I say.
“Shoot people.” He cocks his head.
I raise my eyebrows. “That’s it? We each have only one life left.” I gesture to the single red bar on his vest.
Kellen shrugs. “This is laser tag. It’s just a game.”
“Isn’t hockey?—”
“Hush now.” He presses a finger to my lips, and I hold back a laugh.
Shouts from our teammates distract both of us.
“Follow me,” he says, and I’m loving the man-in-charge side of Kellen. It’s so damn sexy.
I crouch, mimicking Kellen’s posture, and creep after him onto the battlefield. It’s quiet for a second. Too quiet. We’re exposed on our way to the orange mountain to shoot Atticus, but they’re nowhere in sight.
Suddenly, my brother’s team pours out from behind two large boulders next to their mountain. It was a trap. There are so many of them. Too many. Atticus and two other hockey players I don’t know descend on us, all shooting wildly.
“Lucy!” Kellen shouts and throws his body on top of mine.
I’m laughing, half squished and half turned on by his show of over-the-top protectiveness.
Atticus cackles maniacally.
“Kellen! I can’t breathe,” I say between giggles, demonstrating that I can, in fact, breathe.
“I’m so sorry.” Kellen rolls off and turns to me with a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay?”
I sit up and can’t stop laughing. Tears stream down my cheeks.
“Lucy! Are you hurt?” He kneels next to me and touches my face. “Are you crying?”
“I’m fine.” I get the words out between giggles.
“You’re laughing? I just died for you, and you think it’s funny?” He’s indignant but smiling as I get tagged from multiple sides. The light on my vest fades to nothing.
I’m dead.
“If you weren’t laughing so hard, we might have at least savedyou.” Kellen shakes his head. “My sacrifice would’ve been worth it.”
“I’m touched. But like I suggested, yourshoot peopleplan didn’t work.”
“Let’s get out of here.” Kellen sighs deeply and pulls me to my feet for the second time in ten minutes. “Crouch low and run to the side.”
“Why run? We’re already dead.”
“Lucy. You’d be a terrible soldier.” Kellen shakes his head.
