Notes: Thanx for all the great feedback everybody! Michelle, you can be sure the guys will ALL get what's coming for them. And Trouble, do you really think I'd pass up the chance to give Lex some good asskicking? grins That guy seriously needs to be put into perspective, and who better to do it than Chloe?? Putting Whitney on the team wasn't just because I wanted to include him in the story. Just like you, Scifichick, I think it would be fun to get him more involved in the plot, but I don't want to give anything away. You really, really wanna find out what will happen next? Well, there's only one thing you can do about that.... Scroll down and enjoy. Hope you all like it!
part two: Caffeine Withdrawal and Jocks
After what seemed like forever (but was in actuality about three hours later), they'd already encountered three other teams and disabled them quite easily. The adrenaline rush that accompanied their victories filled her with energy, but eventually, time took its toll, and left her somewhat tired.
Since she wasn't the only one that was feeling the effects of their activities, they found a nice quiet clearing and settled down on the damp grass.
Chloe shivered a little as a cold breeze travelled up her spine, leaving tingling sensations creeping down her back. Apparently, Jarod noticed, 'cause he sat down beside her and lifted his jacket over her shoulders.
Kind of surprised by his action, she just muttered a thanx and went back to studying the dark shadows dancing across the trees. It was mesmerizing, but not enough to keep her from feeling Jarod's eyes boring into her back. Again turning to the guy, she found him grinning at her, showing off his pearly-white teeth.
"What are you so happy about?" She questioned, getting kinda annoyed.
Without replying, he just pulled a couple of Snickers out of his backpack, and tossed two at Whitney and Jamie, who were relaxing a couple of feet away. Chloe eagerly accepted the candy that was handed to her, glad to be able to cross ´starve to death´ off of her day planner.
"My hero," she said squeaked, forgetting that they were supposed to keep quiet, then lowered her voice. "You wouldn't happen to have any coffee in there, would you?" She asked. Jarod just laughed and shook his head, watching her sift through his backpack.
"Sorry, Sullivan. Coffee is not on the menu for tonight. But there is some-"
"Pepsi!" She said triumphantly, holding up a can of Pepsi coke.
Jamie had ´accidentally´ overheard them, and plumped down next to her, still munching on his Snickers. "Hand it over." To Chloe's ears, it sounded way too much like an order, so being the stubborn girl is, she refused and turned her back to him. No jock was gonna order HER around!
Frowning, Denton stuck out an arm and tried to grab the can, but she hit his hand away, giving him a warning glare that made his frown deepen.
"My coke. I found it," she replied, holding it to her chest in a protective manner.
"Kind of a possessive little thing, isn't she?" Jamie said to Whitney.
Fordman laughed, "Man, you've seen nothing yet. Get anywhere near her coffee, and she'll bite your head off!" He had learned from personal experience, when he was helping Lana at the Talon one night. Taking her cup to see if she needed a refill, she'd practically pounced on him. It took over a week for all the bruises to disappear.
Chloe shrugged, "How was I supposed to know you were giving Lana a hand?" She said innocently, then shot up as Jamie again tried to take the Pepsi from her. Scowling at the boy, she took a few steps back, creating a distance between them.
´Ha!´ Chloe thought, smiling victoriously. ´Take THAT!´
Her victory, however, was short-lived as she saw Denton and Russell storming at her, their muscled bodies quickly gaining in on her. Eyes widening, she decided that it may not have been the best idea to keep a Pepsi from two football players....in the middle of the night....in the woods.....
´Oh-oh´
She took off in high speed, going for her paintball gun, since she knew she couldn't outrun them, but before she could make it, two strong arms encircled her waist and she was pulled back. Momentarily, the air was knocked out of her, but when she gazed up, she looked straight into the face of a smirking Jamie.
All the while, Whitney just sat on the sideline and watched the scene play out in front of him, laughing at the commotion over one lousy drink.
`If only I'd brought a camera,´ he mused.
"Let me go!" Chloe shouted, struggling to get free, but Jarod wouldn't budge. He just grinned and motioned for his friend to take the Pepsi from her. It took a while, but after some prying, it was finally released from the blonde's death-grip.
Now, it was Jamie who beamed with pride. "Whatcha gonna do now, Reporter-chick?"
Chloe NEEDED that drink! It had been hours since her last caffeine shot, and if she didn't get any soon, she would start showing signs of withdrawal.
´Time to change tactics,´ she thought and stopped her struggle. She looked like she was about to cry, her bottom lip trembling slightly. Turning her head towards Jarod, since he seemed like the one who was quicker to give in, she stared at him with puppy-dog eyes and pouted a little (just for the effect).
Jarod took one look at her and his heart missed a beat. She looked so adorable. Groaning, he glared at her, but couldn't keep it up for long and his features eventually softened. "You're cruel, Sullivan."
Turning to Denton, he ordered him to give her the Pepsi. Jamie knew that it would be worthless to argue with his friend and handed it over, shooting Jarod an angry look. "Traitor."
Sticking out her tongue (childish, yeah, but he got the message), she brought the Pepsi to her lips and was about to drink of it, when a noise caught her attention.
Immediately, the three boys came into action, grabbing their paintball guns and scanning the perimeter. Chloe followed suit and saw something in the distance. Another team was coming their way, and didn't seem to have spotted them (despite the whole Pepsi-thing).
´Gotcha.´
Motioning to the others, they picked up the rest of their gear and hid behind some trees, waiting in the shadows.
Voices started coming closer and closer.....
~TBC~
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