Runaway

Chapter 24

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~Uploaded June 24th, 2014

I didn't like being nervous, especially on the day of something important like the paintball tournament.

Saying that I was "just a bit" nervous was putting it lightly. In short, I was freaking out! I didn't know if it was stress, or anxiety, or some sort of paranoia that something bad was going to happen, but that's how I felt. I didn't like that feeling, or the weird fluttering in my stomach; it made me think about less important things rather than focusing on the big picture.

Like how cute Dylan looked when he was decked out in full paintball gear.

Snap out of it!

You see what I meant? I was totally hopeless right now. And I couldn't afford to lose focus for even a second or my team could potentially lose. Actually, I didn't really care about winning. I just wanted to have fun with my friends, but I'm not certain they shared the same mentality as Dylan and I on that.

"Hello? Earth to Dani?" A hand waved itself in front of my face and I snapped out of my little world. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately, and I didn't know why.

"Yeah? What's up?" Evan looked at me strangely.

"Dyl just called all of us to the dining room to re-re-re-review the attack plan", he said. He waved his hand towards the kitchen from the living room where I was standing. "Captains first." I walked past him with a newfound sense of authority that I liked.

Walking to the Tanners' dining room, I placed myself next to Dylan as we reviewed the attack plan. Well, plans. If I had learned anything about planning, it was to always have contingencies, counter contingencies, and Plan B, C, D, E and F, G, H, I. I felt better knowing we had other plans to fall back on, and so did the others.

"Everyone clear?", I asked my team. "If there are any questions, now's the time to ask." My voice came out as a bit harsh and I noticed some of them flinching a bit as I spoke.

"Hey, Dani." Dylan gave my shoulder a squeeze. "I know you're nervous and excited and all, but you're kind of scary right now."

I hung my head. "I'm sorry. I just got so caught up in the moment and I really want us to win and-"

"Don't worry about winning", Nolan reassured me with a side hug. "We're just here to have fun, right?" Everyone nodded. "See? In case you haven't noticed by now, it doesn't take much to keep us entertained. Just being in the same room together is enough. As for winning..." He shrugged. "It's more like a bonus than anything else. Building more of those memories, eh?" He nudged me gently.

"So you keep telling me", I told him with a wry smile as I nudged him back. "Alright. So we're all good here? Are we forgetting anything?" Then I thought of something.

"Wait, do we even have a team name?", I asked as I realized this for the first time. "The Scorpions have one, so why don't we?"

"We have one", Dylan told me. "We didn't tell you because we wanted it to be a surprise."

A surprise?

"What kind of surprise?", I asked warily. "If it involves carrying me, dumping me in water, or anything of the sort, then you'd all better start running now."

"Which means she's really curious", Evan said.

"No, it means that you guys had better not be screwing with me." I crossed my arms defensively.

"You're sucking the fun out of the surprise, Dani", Teddy told me. "Just be quiet and close your eyes." I shot them all a suspicious look, but obeyed nonetheless.