Chapter 2: Midnight on the Firing Range
Hours later, our little group of friends were hanging out at the lemon where Caitlin worked. She was going on and on about her new boyfriend Kenneth, who, as usual, she insisted was "the one", and everyone else was focusing on their Lemon Whirlies, but Jonesy's eye kept wandering over to a dark and mysterious woman in a cloak who stood right behind a tall pillar. The Hispanic boy nudged Wyatt conspiratorially.
"Hey. You think that chick over there digs me? Because she's just been standing there staring at me since we ordered."
Wyatt snorted.
"Jonesy, you think every chick digs you."
"You're right. I'm gonna go talk to her."
He got up and walked over towards her. Almost no sooner had he gotten up when the cool punk-like Nikki began ribbing him.
"And we have rejection in 5, 4, 3-"
SPLATSPLATSPLATSPLAT!!!
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Hey! You get back here!"
Ptchoo! Ptchoo!
Instantly, everybody but Wyatt pulled out a paintball gun and started laying down some covering fire. When he returned, Jonesy was liberally splattered with various colors of paint.
"Well, needless to say, she did not, in fact, dig me."
Wyatt, meanwhile, was completely stunned.
"Why-why are you all carrying paintball guns?! You all know how trigger happy you can get! Jude, Jonesy, you guys I can understand, but Jen? Nikki?!"
Jen hastily tried to explain.
"Caitlin signed us all up. She said it would be a real bonding experience for us. Speaking of which, did you manage to get a good look at your attacker, Jonesy?"
He slid a hand across his face to remove the paint from his eyes.
"No, she had her back to me, but I'd recognize that slobbering sound anywhere. It was Julie!"
Everyone gasped.
"JULIE?"
"Like, as in taco stand Julie?"
'Oh yeah. I honestly didn't think she had it in her."
Jude's eyes widened.
"Oh, DUDE!" he screamed. "I think I know what happened!"
Everyone leaned in close. The blonde skater dude hung his head in a slight modicum of shame.
"Well, me and Wyatt were meaning to tell you, but Wayne's been getting shot at a lot lately and he thinks you might be the dude responsible."
"What? That's insane! Is he still on about the whole Top M-16s thing?"
Wyatt nodded.
"Looks like it."
"So you gonna get him back, dude?"
Jonesy slit his eyes into a look of sheer savagery, yet he kept his voice deceptively calm.
"I don't know, Jude, but there is one thing I can tell you: there will be paint!"
To Be Continued…
