But Jess was cleverer than I’d thought. As I passed a row of lockers, I paused again, faced with an upcoming stairway on either side. My eyes narrowed as I lowered my weapon. It was so eerily quiet I could have heard a needle drop.

Suddenly, with a popping spray of paintballs, Jess burst out of one of the lockers. They peppered my chest, hot pink paint splattering over my shoulder and across my right arm. I tensed so hard I almost lost my footing, stumbling back as I stared at her in disbelief.

“Woooo! Yes!” Jess bounced on her toes, pumping her hands as I stared with wide eyes. Her grin was huge as she continued her victory dance. “Ha! I told you I’d get you!”

My hands tightened on the gun. No way…no fucking way did she actually…

“Hey! Hey, wait a minute, you’re out!” She backed away as I advanced, her victory celebration cut short. My vision was tunneling, narrowing in on that freckled face whose smugness was quickly shifting to worry. “I shot you, Lucas! You’re cheating!”

She almost stumbled over debris, dodging into the first classroom on her left. I came in after her, immediately greeted by another paintball straight to the chest. Damn it, that one was going to leave a welt. She shrieked as I took aim, barely dodging the paintball that exploded against the wall beside her.

“Why…won’t…you…go…down?!” She fired with every word, each ball hitting me square in the chest as I kept coming. Her eyes grew wider with every step, realization dawning on her as she was torn between fight or flight.

She didn’t get to win this. Not against me.

She leapt away as I lunged for her, sprinting back out of the room as I gave chase. I aimed again — missed. Damn it. She scrambled halfway down the stairway and then leapt, landing in a crouch before she kept running. Why was she fucking fast? My lungs were aching as I chased her at full speed down the dark hallway below, then through the open doors into the courtyard.

She kept glancing back over her shoulder, eyes wide, panting for breath. God, that expression on her face made me want to grab her, dig my fingers into her skin, feel her writhe and struggle against me. I spotted Jason peering down from one of the windows above and heard him fire, but we were both running too fast to be hit.

Jess burst through the doors on the opposite side of the courtyard and we were back inside. She turned so fast that I skidded on the floor, bracing myself against the lockers on the wall as she turned to face me.

Her face was red, her hair wild, her chest heaving for breath. I felt like I’d run a goddamn marathon. I was gasping for air as my eyes narrowed in on her.