leader? Not a chance.”
Ugh. “I don’t need your protection right now.”
“No, but I need yours,” he argues.
I roll my eyes and shake my head, but lead us forward. I skip over the path that leads to the center, wanting to go after the two roaming guys first so there won’t be any surprises later. As I turn the first corner, I see just a leg as one of them steps back behind a wall. I don’t know if he kept moving or if he’s waiting, knowing that we’re on his trail, so I proceed with caution. I pause momentarily, listening for retreating footsteps, but there’s nothing. It’s so quiet I can still hear the other two in the center. He’s waiting for us.
I know if I step around that corner, he’ll fire. Even if I’m low, he’ll hit Matthew in the chest and he’ll be out. I need to figure out a way to keep him safe. There’s a small circular cutout halfway up the wall. “Boost me up,” I whisper so quietly I’m not even sure if he can hear me, but he must have, because he releases his gun, letting it hang over his shoulder as he picks me up. I grab the small hole and heave myself up higher, able to grab the top of the wall. I stick my foot in the hole, pushing myself up to the top, then shimmy my way over to the corner.
I motion for Matthew to shoot and he does, his paintball hitting the wall. It makes the kid I’m watching from above jump, and when he jumps, he steps away from the wall slightly, giving me just enough room to shoot him in the back. He spins around, surprised, but he doesn’t know where the shot came from. He looks both ways, spinning in a circle. Finally, he looks up and I shoot him in the chest.
“Dammit,” he breathes out, wiping his hand over the pink paint.
“Leave now and warn no one,” I tell him, hopping down from the wall that’s roughly seven feet high.
Matthew walks around the corner just as the kid is leaving. “That was awesome!”
“Shh, we still have three more.”
Almost on cue, another one comes around the corner to complete his rounds. Matthew is quick and spins around, firing off a shot. It lands perfectly in the center of the kid’s stomach.
“Yes! Did you see that?” he cheers himself on.
I smile wide, suddenly filled with pride. “I did. Good job!” I high-five him and we both stand, watching the kid retreat.
We make our way back to the center and I hear the two remaining kids. “They’ve been gone a while. Should we go check on them?”
There’s a long pause while the other kid considers this. “Yeah, I guess so. You go left and I go right?” I hear one of them say.
I quickly dart forward and round the corner, waving for Matthew to step back around the other. He does so and I know we’ve got them.
“All right. Let’s go. We need to finish up. I’ve got homework tonight,” the other says.
Moments later, he rounds the corner and I let off a shot. But so does he. We’re both quick, but I’m a better shot, because mine hits his stomach while his grazed my arm. At almost the same time, I hear two more shots being fired. The kid and I rush around to see who was hit. His teammate turns to face us, and he has a big blue paint splat on his chest, right over his heart.
“He got me, man,” the kid whines.
“She got me too,” the other kid adds on.
“And that, boys, is why your picture won’t be on my wall,” I say, skipping past them and grabbing Matthew’s hand as I pass.
The two of us walk back into the little shop, where Ronnie’s been watching everything. The moment we do, Ronnie comes rushing over to us. “That was awesome, Poppy! God, I’ve missed you around here.” He hugs me closely.
I hug him back. “Well, my teammate came through.” I pull away and turn back to look at Matthew, who’s standing there looking just as proud as I feel.
“I have a few people who would like a picture with you if you have time.”
I smile up at Matthew. “Of course I have time for pictures,” I say. “But no autographs,” I add on, sounding much more serious.
Ronnie laughs. “All right. Come on, boys!” he calls to them. They walk out from the changing rooms,