Page 30 of The Second Kiss
Jacob ignores the comment. He looks at me like he’s sizing me up, like I’m no longer a friend or even a girl, just one of his recruits, as if he has to decide whether I'm an asset or a liability. “How good of a shot are you?”
“I’m an excellent shot.” I learned to shoot when my dad bought me a BB gun for my tenth birthday, and I pride myself on being a better shot than either of my brothers.
Jacob looks at Tyler, who grudgingly says, “Yeah, she’s pretty good.”
“Good. You can be the sniper—up there.” He points to a tall oak tree with a thick trunk.
“You’re going to put me in a tree?” I laugh, but it comes out as more of a squeak because the idea of being up that high terrifies me.
Jacob realizes his mistake immediately. “I forgot. You’re afraid of heights.”
"You're afraid of heights?" Brad laughs.
A look passes between me and Jacob. He knows he messed up. The fear of heights thing was something I told him in confidence, years ago. I can’t believe he brought it up now, especially in front of Brad. I'm over it, mostly. Anyway, I can't let him think I’m still a baby about it. “I'm good. But won’t I be a sitting duck?”
"Nobody will expect you to be up that high, and the branches will camouflage you well enough," Jacob says.
"This is a bad idea." Brad suddenly seems worried about my well-being. “If Jess is afraid of heights, maybe I should—”
I give him a dark look. "I'll be fine."
Jacob looks from me to Brad, like he's not sure what to do. “If you’re sure you’re okay.”
I snap him a salute. “Whatever you say, Sir.” I don’t know whether Jacob trusts my abilities as a sniper or if he’s putting me in a tree to keep me out of the way.
Jacob points to a little clearing ahead of us. “We’ll set up the kill zone there, between Jess and," he turns to Brad, his voice condescending, "What was your name again?"
"Brad," Brad answers, tight-lipped.
"Right, Brad. How are you with a weapon?"
Brad straightens to his full height, hooking his thumb in his belt loop. "I can hold my own."
"Fair. We'll set up a kill zone between the two of you. That’s where we’ll put the flag. Bryan and I will go after the enemy flag. Taryn, you take right guard on our flag. Stay hidden as much as possible. Tyler, you're the go-between on the ground. Got it?” He looks around the circle, and we all nod.
“Okay, head to your positions.”
Jacob and I walk over to the tree. Brad follows.
"I'll boost you up," Brad offers.
The last thing I want is for Brad to touch me. "I'm good." I jump for the lowest branch, kick up, and sling my legs up and over.
Brad mutters something. It sounds like, "not as good as you think," but I don't think Jacob hears him.
I climb up as far as I dare and find a position where I have a clear shot of the area around our flag. Jacob hands me my gun. “Are you sure you're okay?” he asks. I have to steady my breathing and keep myself from looking down, but I give him a thumbs up. I need to show him I can do what he wants me to do, that I’m more than a tough kid.
“All set?” Matthew’s voice comes over the two-way radio.
“All set,” Jacob answers back. He steps over a log and disappears into the woods.
I lower my mask.
“Game on.”
This is the part of paintball that I love—anticipation, fear, adrenaline. Almost like being in an actual battle. Paintballs hurt like crazy when they hit you, and they usually leave a good bruise—so there’s motivation to avoid getting hit.
I settle into the crook between two branches. The popping of paintball fire stays far away. Time goes by slowly. The longer I wait, the more I'm convinced Jacob put me in a tree to keep me out of the action.
