Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 104745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“Not a big deal?” Drake looks at me wide-eyed. “We’re not on the same team. You should be taking this seriously.”
“Not on the same team?”
My date points at my forehead. “You’re blue.” Then he points at his. “I’m red.”
We have headbands on with sensors on them that go off if we’ve been hit with an opponent’s laser. I hadn’t noticed when we’d put them on that ours were different colors.
“What does that mean?”
“It means that if you see me in the battle zone, you better hide.”
What the…
What kind of date is this? I wore white! How am I supposed to hide and why does he want to shoot me?! Days ago, he wanted to sleep with me, and now I’m supposed to hide? What the shit is this?
“I object to that.”
“You can’t object to being the object of my laser.”
“Yes, I can.” I give my hair a flip. “You’re not the boss of me.”
Standing on a crudely made wooden staircase is a teenage boy going over a list of rules of engagement, i.e. explaining how to play the game.
I miss half of it when I was cocking off to Drake, the laser hanging from my shoulder draping uncomfortably. It’s too big, and the strap isn’t secured properly, and I’m—
“…if you get shot, the light on your headband will go off and your laser will sound. You must go to the respawn station and hit the button on the wall to reenter the game.”
Who-see-what-now?
Respawn?
What the hell does that mean?
“Blue team over on this side, red team on the left.”
The players shuffle, moving from one side to the other, until Drake and I are standing on opposite sides from one another.
His grin is pure wicked.
“Don’t you freaking dare…” I try to threaten him, but he either doesn’t hear me or doesn’t care, disappearing—along with the rest of his team—behind a cardboard wall.
When I look around, I notice my team is gone too.
“Shit.”
I already hate this game…
Drake
I’ve shot her at least ten times.
Each time, Daisy curses at me before stomping away to respawn, steam practically rising from her cute little ears. Muttering curse words even though they told us very specifically not to curse since there are kids present.
She’s adorable.
Even if I wanted to stop shooting her, I can’t.
At this point, it would be a travesty, she’s just so darn bad at laser tag.
Whose idea was this?
Mine, obviously.
My heart races as I crouch in a “house” made of plywood, fake vines hanging from the room, over the windows for camouflage. I peek over the window ledge, looking for anyone with a different color headband, enough light in the warehouse to at least differentiate red from blue.
I can’t see the human on the other side of the wall, but like a ninja, I sense it.
Wait, crouching tiger, hidden dragon—come at me bro.
The little blond girl from the red team rounds the corner, standing in the doorway. She widens her eyes, mouth shaped like an “O.”
In less than two seconds, I raise my laser and zap one of the points on her vest, the lights on her headband lighting up.
She’s out.
“Sorry, kid.”
Not sorry.
“Gotta be quick.” That’s my advice as she hefts her laser and runs off to respawn, as furious as Daisy has been the ten times I’ve nailed her.
Wonder where she’s hiding…
Creeping out the door of the fake shed, I hustle down a long corridor, ducking inside a large, refrigerator-size cardboard box. I peer around the corner, watching for movement.
Count to three and then I’ll run for the opposite side of the—
“Oh shit!” Daisy swears when she quickly darts inside the box, which has plenty of room for us both with breathing space. “You.”
“Not happy to see me? Personally, I think this is a delightful surprise.”
I can see her narrow her eyes. “You’re so full of shit.”
“You’re right.” I pucker my lips. “Give me a kiss so I can go fuck some more shit up. They time these games.”
Behind her narrowed eyes, I can see her warring with herself, debating about whether or not to kiss me.
I tap on my chin. “Come on. Once more before I go off to battle.”
“I should shoot you.”
I nod. “Yup, you should. But you’re not going to.”
She frowns. “You are so annoying.”
I pucker my mouth.
She kisses it—kisses me as if I’m going to change my mind about—
“Hey! You shot me!” she shouts, blowing our cover.
“You’re being so dramatic.” I give her another kiss on the forehead before jumping out of the box ahead of her, dashing off in a different direction than she came. “Go respawn, loser.”
“I freaking hate this game!”
forty
daisy
Date Three
“Remind me again how you got to choose this date when you chose the last one, too?”
Drake kicks at the bat he’s holding in his left hand, dragging it to the cage. “’Cause you couldn’t decide and then you told me to ‘just pick somethin’ already, I don’t care.’” He makes his voice sound high-pitched.