Page 31 of The Second Kiss
A crunch of twigs and footsteps heightens my senses. I hover my finger over the trigger and scan the ground below me. It’s Brad, his mask pushed up on top of his head.
“What are you doing here?” I hiss. “Get back to your position.” I don’t want Jacob to think I messed up his plan because I was flirting with Brad.
“All the action's on the other side of the woods. They won't make it this far for a while.” Brad leans against the tree below me. “We need to talk.”
"I told you I have nothing to say to you." I'm annoyed that he's here, and I'm annoyed that I'm stuck in a tree. I’d rather be part of whatever is going on the ground, and my back hurts from leaning against the tree and standing still. “Besides, we can’t talk now. We’ll give away our position.”
Brad ignores me. “So what’s up with you and Soulja Boy?”
That question catches me off guard. I hesitate for a long time. Maybe because of the note of jealousy I hear in Brad's voice, maybe because as much as I'd like to lie to Brad and tell him Jacob and I are together, I'm too afraid it would get back to Jacob. “Old friends, like Matt said. He used to live in that house across the field from us.”
“You're not together?”
Again, I hesitate, but finally say, “No.”
Brad laughs. “That's good. That's really good.” I don't know how to take the hope I hear in his voice. He runs his finger down the barrel of his gun. "If we can't talk now, maybe when this is over. We could go get something to eat or—”
“Quiet!” Jacob’s voice comes from somewhere close.
My heart sinks. I scan the ground, but I can’t see where he’s hiding. I didn’t know he was that close. I wonder what he heard me say.
"Later." Brad pulls down his mask and goes back to his position to wait. I want to say something—tell Jacob I'm sorry, or tell him I don't want to go anywhere with Brad. Instead, I keep my mouth shut and try to focus on the game.
Someone is crawling through the brush to my left, stalking the place I last saw Taryn. From the shape, I guess it’s Mark. I hold my breath, taking aim. Somewhere far away, Jasmine's scream of terror turns into a shriek of pain and indignation. Guess she’s out. My heart beats faster. I wait. A little closer and I’ll have a clean shot. I have to be sure. As soon as I fire, my position will be compromised. I let out a long breath. I can do this.
A pop and then a yelp startles me. Tyler's out too. Taryn jumps out of the bushes and takes off. Mark aims and fires, barely missing her. I fire at him, hitting him squarely in the shoulder.
He swears and looks around, trying to figure out where the shot came from. Brad gives me a thumbs-up.
Carl, with Kendra close behind, moves towards our flag. Brad stands and takes aim at Kendra. He’s hit square in the back at close range by Matt. Brad curses, whirls around, and fires back. I recognize the flash of rage in his eyes.
Matt ducks in time to avoid being hit. "Dude, you're already dead!" he yells at Brad.
I don’t move. I want to be invisible within the branches of the tree. Carl is almost to the flag, but I don’t think he’s seen me yet. A couple more steps and I’ll have him.
“Carl! Up there,” Kendra yells, pointing at me.
I fire. The ball streaks past Carl’s left ear and splatters against a tree. Kendra and Carl both shoot towards me. I duck down and brace myself for the bite of pain I know is coming.
Somehow, I avoid being hit. A shot from the woods hits Kendra in the thigh. She squeals and bends over. I catch motion coming from the left—Jacob and Bryan. Bryan clutches the enemy flag in his fist. Carl sees them too. He turns to fire at Jacob. I stand up and shoot at Carl’s back.
The paintball hits and splatters. A paintball hits me in the neck, the only part of my body unprotected by either a mask or layers of clothing. I grit my teeth to keep from screaming and let go of the branch I’ve been holding to cover my neck. I’m hit again, this time in the arm. Then I'm falling. I reach for a branch. My gun clatters to the ground. Another pop. Pain shoots up my arm. Nausea roils through my stomach. I steady myself with my other hand, sit down on the branch, and hold my arm against my chest.
No one notices my near fall. The game continues. Jacob is dead. I don’t know who got him, but there’s a huge yellow stain across the front of his camouflage jacket. Bryan shoots Matt and then holds the flag above his head.
“That’s it, we win,” Jacob says. “Everyone on your team is dead.”
Bryan moves to post the flag, but before he can, one last paintball comes through the trees. He flinches and then looks in disbelief as a yellow stain spreads across his shoulder.
From the direction of the last fatal shot, Tyler’s friend Seth saunters out of the woods.
Jacob laughs. “Wow Saunders, taken out by a 13-year-old kid.”
Tyler walks over to Seth and gives him a high five. “Great shot, even if it was for the wrong team. And you guys didn’t want us to play.”
They still don't know I'm gone. I wonder if I can get out of the tree before anyone notices I’m hurt. I don’t want to ruin the party, but my wrist is killing me. It feels bad, like maybe I broke it. I slide farther forward on the branch and look down. I close my eyes. The ground is too far away.
From the clearing, Jacob is arguing with Matt. “That wasn't everybody.” Nice of him to notice someone is missing. “Did you guys get Jess?” He even remembers my name.
