I squeeze the trigger and fire off the last of my BBs, pleased to hit the target and earn a satisfying squeak as it spins around. I pull the magnet Jonas swiped for me out of my pocket and climb over the locker, crawling around on the floor and sweeping the magnet over it. The BBs come flying toward the magnet, sticking to it with that wondrous force.

The door hisses open and I swear, dropping down flat and curling up against one of the lockers that make up my shooting range. If anyone besides my dad or Amata finds me down here, I'm going to be in so much trouble.

Amata calls my name curiously, her footsteps thudding across the floor. The door closes behind her as I sit up and grin, waving at her as I pick up the last of my BBs.

"Hey, 'Mata! What's up?" I climb back over the locker and begin pulling the pellets off the magnet and dropping them in their tin.

She watches with mild interest, holding up a bag. "I brought you lunch."

As if on cue, my stomach rumbles. Amata smiles knowingly and thrusts the bag into my hands, sitting down near me and chewing on her thumbnail thoughtfully.

I watch her out of the corner of my eye as I open the bag, pleasantly surprised to see most of my favorites from the cafeteria. "Awesome! Thanks, 'Mata!"

She gives me a distracted glance, momentarily confused before a grin breaks out on her face. "You're welcome."

Just knowing that the food is there is tantalizing and I can't help but tear into it. Amata watches me with a pleased look on her face, seeming to understand how grateful I am.

After a while, she returns to looking around at the dimly lit shooting range, studying the walls and the targets with guarded curiosity. "How did Jonas set all this up, anyway?"

I shrug. "It's been a long time, I don't know. I was only ten." Even so, memories from the surprise seven years ago fill my mind and I grin without really realizing it. "It's still nice."

Amata nods, taking the magnet from me and pulling off the last of the BBs for me.

I finish my food at about the same time as she finishes dropping the little pellets into their tin, and we grin at each other before lapsing into friendly silence. I watch as she continues studying the little shooting range, smiling when she catches me looking at her. "Did you want me to teach you?"

My best friend looks startled. "Teach me what?"

"To shoot, silly." I nudge my treasured BB gun toward her, and she eyes it uncertainly. "It's fun. Nice way to take the edge off after work."

Amata's expression changes at the thought, and I know she's thinking of how frustrated her dad's policies make her while he drills them into her head. She hesitates, raising a brow at me. "Isn't it dangerous?"

I roll my eyes. "Totally. I mean, come on, didn't I tell you about the time I shot my own leg off?"

My best friend looks adorably alarmed until she realizes I'm kidding. She sticks her tongue out at me and we laugh a little.

"C'mon," I coax, wanting to share this with her. I know she could use the break and I feel that it would do her some good to bend the rules she's so frustrated learning. I try to pretend I'm not being a little bit selfish for wanting the opportunity to be close to her. "For me?"

"Fine," she relents, grinning at my cheer of celebration.

I load up the gun with pellets, getting everything ready to show her. She moves over beside me and I hand her the little BB rifle. Amata looks uncomfortable with it, but as I show her the parts she calms down some.

"Ready to try it?" I ask, unable to hide my grin. This is a special secret we have together, just the two of us, and I'm glad that she's willing to try and share it with me.

She gives me an uncertain shrug, and I guide her over to the firing point. She steadies herself against the locker, taking aim and squeezing the trigger. The pellet misses and ricochets off the back wall with a metallic ring, and she frowns. Amata fires a few more times, still missing with every shot.

I study her for a few moments, noting the way she's hunched over and how she's bracing the gun against her shoulder. There's no way that's not messing up her aim, and I call her name softly to stop her.

"Hold on, we didn't really go over your form." I hesitate, wondering how to show her. Everything in me wants to wrap myself around her, positioning her in my arms, but I'm scared of all the boundaries that may break.

Amata bites her lip, shrugging a little. She offers me the gun, but I make my decision and push it back into her hands.

"No, I'll show you." I shift around behind her, reaching around her shoulders to guide her hands. My insides are shaking with nervousness, but I play it off and pretend it's completely normal to pull my best friend into my arms and hold her close and love every second of it.

My arms are firmly around her and I can't find a better place to put my head than just behind her shoulder. I exhale shakily as my fingers nudge hers slightly down the barrel, and she shudders as I shift a little closer against her.

I stop moving, worried that I've somehow offended my best friend. "Amata?"

She doesn't say anything for a moment and I hear her swallow. "I... sorry. ...Your breath tickled."

"Sorry." I try not to be aware of how close I am to her and how her back is pressed against me, helping her aim the gun down the range. It still feels off so I adjust the position she's holding the gun until I'm satisfied. "Okay, try it."

She squeezes the trigger and we're rewarded with the squeak of the target she'd been aiming for. She's astonished and I'm proud, and I grab her in a hug.

"You did it!" I very nearly kiss her temple before I catch myself and back away, releasing her gently.

We both shiver when I move away, though I'm sure she's just cold. I'm upset at the loss of contact, but I brush the feelings bubbling up inside me away.

"You practically did it for me," she retorts, looking down at the BB gun like she can't believe the power she has in her hands.

We share a pleased grin and she tries a few more times, managing to hit a target on her own. I cheer again, and she hands the gun back over to me. She sits there with me while I shoot the rest of the BBs again, then gets up and gathers my trash.

"Thanks," I tell her with a smile, setting the gun aside.

"No problem. Thanks for..." Her face is hesitant, and it looks like she wants to say more. "Thanks for teaching me."

I beam. "It was an honor," I say with a theatrical bow. "Maybe we can practice again sometime, when you need to blow off some steam?"

Amata grins. "Sounds like a date," she teases.

I'm grateful for the dim lighting; my cheeks are flaming.

Amata hesitates, mumbling a quick, flustered apology and leaving.

I'm left alone at my shooting range with red cheeks and a pounding heart filled with the fresh memory of holding Amata close.