14. Ambushed
fourteen
Ambushed
“ W hich one is Jacob?” Taryn says. We’re all standing by my bedroom window, watching Jacob and three other guys from Fort Lewis arriving for the paintball game Jacob and my brother Matt set up.
“The hot blond getting out of the hot car,” Jasmine says, waving her fingernails to dry. It doesn't matter that she's going to be wearing thick, padded clothing and gloves; underneath it all, her nails have to be perfect.
“Nice,” Taryn says.
“Jacob? Matt’s friend from Fort Lewis.” Kendra, my brother Matt’s girlfriend, comes to the window. She's home from college for a few days. “He is nice.” She turns to me. “Is there something going on I need to know about?”
“No,” I say, but my face blazes, giving me away.
“Just…” I hesitate. I'm not sure what to say to her. Kendra is older than I am, but she was my friend before she was Matt’s girlfriend.
We taught swimming lessons together a couple of summers ago.
She and Matt got together the last time we had a co-ed paintball game.
“Enough said.” She laughs. “Who knows, paintball worked out for me. Intense situations bring out intense feelings. Today might be Jacob’s lucky day.”
I’m dying, my face flaming as my friends grin at me. “There isn’t… I don’t…”
Kendra puts her arm around me and gives my shoulder a squeeze. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to Matt.”
A heavy rap sounds at the door. “Girls, are you ready yet?” Matt calls.
“Just about,” Kendra answers.
“What are we waiting for, ladies? I'm all about intense situations and intense feelings.” Jasmine slides her camouflage hat down to her eyebrows and flashes a sultry look. “Let’s go meet our brothers in arms.”
The guys are putting the guns together and loading them with paintballs when we get to the yard.
Jacob stops to introduce his friends. The soldiers he brought with him are Bryan, the one I met after the self-defense class, Carl, and Mark.
Carl is huge, with dark hair, a quick smile and a booming laugh.
I like him immediately. Mark is tall, with reddish hair, lanky, and quiet.
Matt is all business. “These are the rules. Jake and I are team captains. Bryan’s with Jake.
” He wraps his arm around Kendra’s waist and shoots a warning look to the other guys.
“Kendra is with me. Each team will have two ladies, three guys, and one kid.” Tyler gives Matt a disgusted look.
He and his friend Seth make up the “kid” category.
“You have ten minutes to come up with your combat plan. We’re playing Capture the Flag.
Your team has to post the opposing team’s flag at your base, or kill every member of the opposing team to win.
Any hit that leaves a mark is a kill. Oh, and no hitting below the belt. ” He gives Taryn a meaningful look.
“I said I was sorry,” she replies. Taryn was part of our previous co-ed paintball war. Matt was the victim of her poor aim.
Matt surveys the group. “Any questions?”
Jasmine’s hand shoots up. “What is Capture the Flag?”
Tyler rolls his eyes. “And you didn’t want me to play.”
Matt shakes his head at both of them. “We can explain it during our strategy sessions. Don’t worry. You’ll get the gist of it, easy enough.”
Matthew and Jacob divide up the teams. Taryn and I end up on Jacob’s team with Tyler, but the teams aren't even.
"We're short one." I tell Matt.
"The guy I invited had to work last minute, so I found someone to take his place. He just texted that he's here." Matt takes a couple of strides back toward the house, meeting someone at the edge of the trees. "Dude. It's about time."
"Sorry."
But I've heard that word enough times to know he really isn't.
Brad's "Hey Jess" is casual, but I instinctively step back and clench my hands so tightly that my nails are digging into my palms.
"I forgot you two were the same age," Matt says.
He wins top honors in the oblivious sibling of the year category.
It's not like Brad ever came to my house when we were dating, beyond picking me up for school before Matt got up, but he had to have heard at least one of my conversations with Mom about him.
"Brad, you'll be with Jacob. He's an old family friend. "
"We've met." Brad keeps his voice even, but there's a challenge in his eyes when he looks at Jacob. He turns to me with a huge grin. "Does that mean I'm on your team, Jess?"
Jacob is watching my reaction. Jaz and Taryn are too. One word from me and I know my two best friends would rip into Brad, but I can't make a scene in front of Jacob and his friends.
I match Brad's smile. "If you think you can keep up."
Brad nods back. "I'll do my best."
We collect our gear and move to our bases. Jacob stops in front of a wide stump. He pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolds it. I lean in next to him so I can see that it’s a map of the trees and a detailed strategy.
I laugh. “Have you been working on this all night?”
Brad moves next to me–too close. “Looks like someone's taking this thing a little too seriously.”
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.
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?”