Fact no. 24: Laser tag birthdays are the best

APRIL

"I hope the rules are clear", I tell them. All my friends are standing in a circle, waiting to go in the arena. For today is my birthday. And I was able to choose what we should do: Laser tag/capture-the-flag.

I know. Brilliant.

Everybody is already dressed in black, waiting to be split into teams. There are two captains: me and Kai. The goal is to capture the flag of the other team. In a laser tag arena. I found it on the internet a few days ago and just had to choose it as my birthday venue. Since it will be epic.

Everybody nods and I have to smile.

"Then, let the games begin."

Kai and I are up next, ready to choose our teams. Well, he lets me choose my team first since I am the birthday girl. He doesn't know what a mistake he made. For I put a lot of thought into my team.

"Are you sure?", I ask him again. He only nods and starts the birthday-girl talk again.

"Alright", I let out and am ready to call out the names. "So I want Nini, Soph, Caden, Alec, Noah and Darrel."

Nini and Soph already cheer and come have me in a group hug. I am also glowing with happiness.

Just think about my team. First of all, you have Darrel. A private bodyguard who happens to be a trained asset. Then, you have Alec freaking Dunn. Most dangerous guy at our university, probably most dangerous in the whole world, who has been rumored to have killed someone. Twice. Then you have Noah, who made a great team with me at the paintball game we played this Summer. Nini and Caden seem all innocent, but they both love mischief and make a great team. And Soph...Soph acts like she is all pinky perfect princess, but the girl can be very dangerous if she wants. And I know for a fact that she's been doing private lessons with Alec lately, in which he teaches her self-defense. And shooting. So, in conclusion, I just got myself the perfect laser tag team.

Each team now goes to their flag and is allowed to come up with a strategy.

"So, someone should stay here and guard the flag", I begin. Darrel is the first one to answer.

"I'll do it."

"It's not a one-man job", Noah replies. Darrel glares at him.

"Mister Coin, I can assure you no one will come close to that flag." And the way Darrel said it, made Noah believe him and shut up.

"But someone will need to guard Her Royal Highness", Darrel adds.

I am so close to telling him this is a game and nothing will happen, but Alec already says: "I'll protect her."

Soph is close to sighing but also smirks as the two guys share a look and the both of them nod. Darrel and Alec haven't started out good, but they meanwhile get along with each other. They're not friends, but they get along.

"So, Darrel will stay here and go all ninja style on anyone who comes near the flag and we go take the other flag, right?", Nini asks, more to sum everything up.

We all nod.

"Great. Sounds like a plan", Nini adds.

We all do a handshake together and wait for the whistle. As soon as it tones, Noah, Nini, Caden, Alec, Soph and I make ourselves on the move.

We're halfway there as we spot Leo, and Caden immediately takes out his weapon and starts shooting at him. Leo starts losing points but doesn't notice. Caden just continues, looking as interested as he is in my law books. None. And I know it for a fact since he once came to visit and I was studying, he threw a glance over the books, then turned bored around.

"Love, you can't just eliminate Leo from the first minute", Nini tells him.

"Why not?", Caden asks, finger still pressing on the trigger. Leo has only 900 points left. Each shot takes 100 points away from him. He's nine shots away from being eliminated.

"Because it's not nice", Nini continues.

"He's not from the friend group", it's all Caden replies.

"Caden, that's not really a reason", his girlfriend counters.

"And I don't like him as much", he adds.

"Okay then", Nini says then helps her boyfriend eliminate Leo. They both shoot at once and the light on Leo's vest goes dark. He then realizes what happened and turns to us, where Caden grins and Nini waves, smirk on her face.

"Pieces of-", he wants to say but Caden cuts him short.

"Watch what you say about her."

Leo shows us the middle finger and walks away.

We make our way further. At one point, Caden gets shot and loses 100 points. We all turn to see Jacob smirking at us then ducking behind a wall.

"Asshole", Caden lets out at him.

"No one believes you, we all know you love me", Jacob replies from behind the wall.

Caden chuckles and it covers up the sound of footsteps. Only as he gets shot again and loses another 100 points he yells at us: "Duck."

We all run behind the closest wall, our backs leaning against it.

"How many do you think they are?", Soph asks, hand already on weapon.

"I don't know", Noah answers.

Alec makes us a sign to be quiet. He then listens to the footsteps, wind, whatever secret sound he hears and says: "Three. One behind each wall. A forth one is on their way."

I give him a what-the-heck look, since it was impossible to tell just from that. He just shrugs.

"We need to force them away", Soph adds convinced.

"Are you out of your mind? You'll lose points and then it's game over", Nini replies at her, genuinely worried for our bestie.

"It's either that or they'll win ground and get closer to the flag", the blonde counters. She then peeks behind the wall, as if to check the territory. "You'll stay here. At least if someone will lose points, let it be just one person."

"There's no way you're going there alone", Alec replies. We all nod in agreement. Something flickers in Soph's eyes.

"You with me, babe?", she asks Alec.

Alec smiles back at her: "Right behind you, Foxy."

And holding hands, they go in the middle of the space between the walls. Noah smirks as he peeks from the wall and says: "This should be interesting."

I hit him in the ribcage, at the thought my bestie is in danger, but come next to him to have a view as well. So do Nini and Caden.

Soph and Alec are meanwhile back to back, weapon in their hand, ready to attack. This looks just like in the movies. Better even.

The three from the other team start shooting at them, so Soph and Alec respond. They start shooting back, again back to back, avoiding the hits and making the others lose points. This might just be one of the coolest things I've ever seen. The three start losing so much points they decide to turn away and run. Soph sighs relieved and turns to Alec, missing the forth enemy that is pointing their weapon right at her. Alec sees it, turns Soph around in a pirouette until she's behind him, grabs the weapon from her hand during the process and shoots with two weapons at the fourth person. They are quick to turn away as well.

As he's ready, he hands the weapon back to Soph and the girl looks at him with wide eyes.

"Thanks", she whispers.

"Anytime", he replies and she lifts herself up on her toes to kiss him. He places the hand without the gun around her waist and pulls her closer. Nini and Caden chuckle as Noah smirks and I roll my eyes.

"Okay lovebirds, we're still in the middle of the game, you know?", I interrupt them. Soph laughs while Alec glares at me, and they come back to us to duck behind the wall.

"That was so cool", Nini says hugging Soph. She smiles.

"It really was", Caden adds and fist bumps with Alec. Fist bumps. I guess that's what happens when you spend weeks together on a trip.

I also go hug Soph and as we let go, we make our way further in the arena.

We soon arrive in front of the little construction like a cottage, where the flag is kept.

It's guarded by two people, Nessie and Kai, more guards probably inside.

The six of us quickly duck behind the trash cans used as deco, to remain out of sight.

"What's the plan?", Nini whispers, and I can hear the heart pounding in her chest. Caden must have noticed it too, since he quickly places a hand on her waist.

"We need to split up", I say. Everybody agrees.

Noah backs me up: "Alec, Caden and I can keep the guards outside busy while you sneak inside and grab the flag."

"Are you sure?", I ask him. Noah and Nini and Soph nod, only Caden and Alec have doubts.

"Will you be safe?", Caden asks us, probably for both him and Alec.

"Yeah, don't worry", Nini answers. Soph, who must have seen that was the question in Alec's mind too, also starts nodding.

"If you need anything, shout. We'll rush our way inside", Alec suggests. I agree, if just to get this shit started.

"We will", Soph assures him and the two kiss once. So do Nini and Caden. As no one watches, Noah brushes his hand against mine. It makes me shiver and I smile. He tries to hide it, but a twitch escapes on his lips too.

The guys then nod, and stand up to create the distraction. I can hear Kai swear and shootings beginning, so I make my besties a sign and we sneak until the next closest wall. We spend a few seconds there until we tiptoe our way to the cottage. I can see how Jacob now joined Kai in fighting against the guys, so did Nessie.

As we are through the door of the cottage, our hands tighten around the weapons.

We want to enter, but Soph quickly places her arm in front of us, stopping us. Nini and I turn confused to her.

"We are not alone", she says, somehow having inherited Alec's super danger-sensor. I nod and prepare the weapon in a shooting pose. So do Nini and her. We want to go through a set of other doors, but they seem locked. The three of us press the door knob a few times and try to open it, but it doesn't work. From outside, we can hear Caden scream, probably having been eliminated. Something switches in Nini, like a rage button has been turned on.

She kicks the door and cracks it open. The wooden thing falls on the ground. Soph and I scream at it. We then realize our mistake, only as Noah comes rushing at us.

"Are you alright?", Noah asks us. He then notices the wooden door on the ground. The worried and shocked expressions on Soph's and my face. And the innocent smirk on Nini's.

"What the fuck?!", Noah asks us, mostly shouting.

"The door was in our way", Nini explains, sounding as innocent as possible. I guess her drama major pays off, since I even believed her for a second.

"So you cracked it open?", I ask her, eyebrow raised.

She nods pleased. Soph already started chuckling.

"Girl, what the heck?!", I ask her, yet I am also smirking now. Only Noah remains serious.

"We can go now. The door is out of the way", Nini adds, same innocent tone. A laugh escapes from Soph. From me too. Noah also gives up and grins.

"Where's Alec?", Soph asks Noah on the way.

"He's outside. Fighting with the others", Noah answers.

"Then what the heck are you still doing here?! Go help him", Soph replies, her tone the one she probably uses giving orders in her kingdom.

"He said he has it covered and that I should help you", Noah tries to explain.

"We're fine here. More than fine actually. We just made our way through a locked door", the blonde adds and Nini and I have to chuckle again. "Go help Alec, please."

Noah sees this as what it is. An order. He nods his head and mumbles: "As you wish, Your Royal Highness."

Soph sends him an air kiss and that's when Noah relaxes a bit, letting out a chuckle.

"Let's go", Soph says, no sign of the ordering tone from before. She would never use it on us. I know it.

Soph, Nini and I enter through the door and arrive at another hallway. We go along it until we arrive at a door, which isn't locked this time.

"Are you ready for it?", Nini asks. We all nod. And enter through the door.

Dia yelps at the same time Adam gets alerted. They both start shooting at us while we shoot back. I have a plan and look at Nini and Soph. They get it. They start distracting the two, while I should go look for the flag. Soph takes Adam, Nini takes Dia. I can see the way the points on the vests of the four start getting less and less.

I have to hurry.

I look around for something that might look like a flag. Yet I don't see anything. Only a table. And a mirror. I can see the four fighting in the background.

Fuck.

That's when I notice something else. The mirror is showing something else. Hidden in a corner of the room is a black box.

Jackpot.

I make my way staying as close to the walls as possible. Adam notices me and starts shooting at me instead of Soph. I show him the middle finger while Soph gasps and puts herself in front of the laser beam shooting at me. She wins me the way. Soph tries to shoot back at him. Yet given the fact the laser is right at her and she moves along with me to cover me up, she is quickly eliminated.

"Damn it", she shouts as I am next to the box. Even more annoyed that they threw Soph out of the game, I try to open the box. But the lid is stuck.

"I need some help here", I yell. Soph wants to help but she's theoretically out of the game. So Nini jumps in, covering me up.

I throw the box on the ground, making the lid jump out of place. Freeing the flag. They are still shooting as I take it in my hand and let out a loud cheer. Soph and Nini both turn around to look at me and as they see the red flag in my hands, they also start cheering. I make them a sign to come and make enough space so that they can all hold the flag too.

A whistle blows in the distance, letting us know the game is over. That we won.

Still cheering, we walk out of the cottage and to the guys. Yet that isn't necessary. They were already coming for us and we meet halfway. Noah and Caden let out a victory shout and even Alec's mouth twitches.

Soph, Nini and I lift the flag higher.

We won.