A/N: SORRY I'M A TERRIBLE AUTHOR BUT I'VE ALREADY WRITTEN MOST OF THE NEXT CHAPTER, SO IT SHOULD BE UPDATED EITHER TUESDAY OR THURSDAY, THANK YOU FOR NOT HATING ME!
A/NN: Music, I'm glad you liked the chapter (I assume you like it because you were excited for the game /.\) and I hope it lives up to your expectations! Char, I'm starting to really like writing Lanie/Macey interactions, and it's your fault, so thank you. Your reviews are the longest I get, so never worry about them being short because atleast you're giving me your opinions! :)
A/NNN: Anyways! Onto the chapter!
Enjoy!
~Shay
After explaining for the third time that we were basically playing a violent Red Rover, Rachel began going over the rules.
"Remember, your goal isn't to incapacitate anyone- it's to keep them from reaching the other side before the light is on. Trip them, sacrifice yourself, distract them, but you are fighting with inexperienced children- so do no hurt them.
The 8th graders bristled at being called children, but knew better than to comment (even after only a year with my sister).
Everyone formed into a modified box. Positions were taken up from all sides of the gym, so there were large gaps in between each section of students and Ray stood elegantly in the middle.
"I forgot to mention, you and your partner must both make it across the line in order to stay in the game. If one person doesn't make it, you're disqualified."
I turned to face Liz, who had suddenly shrunk beneath my gaze in fear.
"Oh silly me, one more thing. Any students that win will receive 100 test points in every class that these teachers instruct."
I hadn't taken my eyes off of Liz yet when Ray said this, and I watched with astonishment the small blonde transform. She stood straight up, and looked ready to wrangle an alligator with her petite muscles. The things this girl would do for an A.
"You run, I'll take people down." I said and she nodded, positioning herself to have maximum velocity.
I laughed lightly at the intense look on her face, she was ready to take on the world for a 100%, and I slightly admired her for it but it also concerned me. If she only believed in herself when a grade was on the line, how could she possible hope to survive in the field?
As everyone lined up with their partner, the lights shut off with absolutely no warning (despite the fact that Rachel had inconspicuously steppe out of the line of fire) and I shoved Liz in front of me by the collar of her shirt.
She didn't need much help, after my hand left her- I could practically hear her tiny elbows digging into someone's side.
I didn't stick around to take anyone out this round, although a few skirmishes were going on to the left of me and the lights came on mere moments after I stepped into safety.
One minute between lights, and a quarter of the girls had been disqualified for various reasons, but at least no one was bleeding yet.
It was different the second time- before the round even started, I could feel the shift in the atmosphere. The reason this game was played with lights on and off, was so that you couldn't adjust to the darkness when trying to fight- but the loophole was to keep your eyes closed.
When I leaned over to tell Liz this, I found her eyes already closed and I was beginning to think I had underestimated her. Maybe she wouldn't do go in the field, but a field agent wasn't the only position available to a genius.
The lights went off again, and I was able to see much better this time. Liz stayed close to me instead of pushing her way in because, instead of scrambling, the room was near silent with tactics but it all burst at once.
A loud noise distracted everyone just long enough for a senior girl to dive onto a mass group of eight graders and trap them beneath her. Although a few managed to squeeze out, it set the chain of reaction into place.
I told Liz to run just as I felt arms grip me. I didn't kick immediately in fear that it would be a kick to Patricia, but once logic dictated that it was Dabney, I let loose.
It was almost too easy to take her down. We were both in the CIA, but in completely opposite divisions, which led to my greater knowledge of maneuvers.
I didn't hurt her, but once she was on the ground, I bolted for the side Liz had taken up Haven on. I blindly stepped over the line, hoping that I had chosen the right petite blonde to follow.
When the lights came on again, I left my eyes open only long enough to get a glimpse of who was in.
The senior girl had sacrificed herself to take out 4 eighth graders (and whoever they teamed with), and her partner had managed to take out a pair of my students. Dabney had made it to safety, but she was grinning like a mad woman and I anxiously realized that I didn't know who her partner was.
12 more kids were out, and the lights went off after they cleared the combat zone.
I was slightly blinded, but I gained the sight back quickly- in time to be violently thrown into the floor.
I couldn't tell who it was over the pain in my shoulder, but I was even more determined than ever to win after I was blindsided. We went into a struggle for dominance that I won after delivering a swift kick in the gut. I used my body to keep them down before the mental timer went off in my head- 10 seconds before lights on. I waited until the last possible second until flinging myself off of them and hurling over the taped line.
The lights came on, revealing that roughly another dozen was eliminated as well as Hancock and her partner (Buckingham). I was surprised that she was the one to bulldoze me over, especially since she wasn't Dabney's partner.
Instead of turning the lights back on, Rachel stepped back into the field.
"Since there are only five minutes left off class and all of the 8th graders have been eliminated, it's time for sudden death. One person from all of the remaining teams, enter the middle."
Liz immediately pushed me over the line, knowing she stood no chance against the other opponents. Especially since Solomon and Dabney were among the group of remaining fighters (and I figured out that they each had paired with a student instead of each other like I feared).
When Rachel gave us the green light, the tight didn't last long. The teachers teamed up on the students and took them down in groups- (hitting the ground being the disqualifier)- the seniors being the last to go down.
I immediately trusted Joe to help me, but he turned on me- opting to help Dabney since she would be an easier target to take down in the end.
"Just like a Solomon to turn on a Solomon." I taunted as he tried to make me take my eyes off of Dabney.
"Just like good times right? Remind you of anything?" He laughed, and I turned quickly to check Dabney's position before turning back to him.
"Only a little thing called, District of Columbia." I said back, throwing him off.
"You know about that?" He asked, stopping his defensive position long enough for me to make a move.
It took a bit of effort that I hadn't used in a while, but I managed to (albeit sloppily) grab his shoulder and rotate myself so that I was on his back. He was able to stay balanced until I kicked him in the back of his knee.
"Bad move, Lanie." He grunted, gripping my legs with his strong hands, and he almost kept his balance again until Dabney pounced on the opportunity and knocked us both to the floor just as the bell rang.
"Congratulations Madame Dabney and Maria Fernandez!" Rachel yelled out over the loud students as Joe and I laughed.
"Nice use of a distractions, brat." Joe said, trying to stand up as I clung to his back still.
"Always, ass." I replied, smiling to Rachel who helped Joe stand.
"Back to the school, quickly, Joe's next class is starting." Rachel commanded with laughter, and Joe turned his head to look at me.
"You ready, Lane?" He questioned me, and I clung to him even harder.
"Ready, noble steed!" I shouted and he began running toward the school.
It was a great day, and it almost made up for the reason I had a freshly pressed black suit hanging up in my room.
P.S. Next Chapter is going to introduce a new character who is going to get a chapter in the spin-off (Before loving You killed me- it's a series of one shots about Lanie's life). That chapter is going to be co-written by one of my greatest friends! Thanks for reading!