"Look what I got!" Adam exclaimed as we gathered around his trunk.

He lifted the door up to reveal an entire set of nerf guns.

It was nighttime now and the school had been emptied for hours. There wasn't a single car in sight, apart from our own, so that meant the janitors weren't here anymore either.

"What do we need nerf guns for?" Natalie asked timidly.

"To shoot each other of course," Adam replied enthusiastically.

I smiled at the idea. "That actually sounds really fun."

"Ooh, I call this one," Cyrus said, scooching me aside to reach for the biggest gun in the pile.

"Hey that one's mine," Adam whined and tried to reach for the gun from Cyrus's hands.

"There is no way I'm giving this up now, back off," He replied to Adam, shoving his hands away.

Cyrus reached into the trunk and pulled out the next gun he could get his hands on. "Here you can take this one." He threw the plastic toy to Adam and it bounced off his chest before he caught it.

"This is the smallest one you asshole, now you're just being mean."

They went off into a fit of bickering while I silently searched for a nerf gun of my own. I held one up for Natalie who scrunched her nose and shook her head. I thought it was because she didn't want to participate, but then she grabbed a gun of her own choice and that made me smile a little.

Declan reached over my shoulder to pick one that he liked, and his movement surprised me. I hadn't known he was so close so I watched him as he appeared at my side.

And in that very small moment of choosing a gun for himself, in that very small moment we held eye contact, I caught an even smaller moment of his gaze flickering towards my lips.

It lasted just a second, but I know I didn't imagine it. I know it because I saw his smirk as he looked away.

"Alright ladies, ladies," Declan spoke up, momentarily silencing Cyrus and Adam's arguing. "Listen, Adam, they're your guns you usually call first dibs." Before Adam could celebrate his validation, Declan continued, "However, this is Cyrus's first play date. So how about you be a good boy and give Cyrus a turn with the big gun, yeah?"

He sounded like a father right about now, compromising between his two children, and every second of it was entertaining as Natalie and I watched from the side.

"Man, don't talk to me like I'm five," Adam grumbled, swinging his hand in the air as if waving off Declan's words.

"Then stop acting like you're five," Cyrus said. Adam's response was to whack him in the shoulder, yet he stopped reaching for the gun that Cyrus had.

As Adam was distracted with something Declan was telling him, I asked Cyrus a quiet question to the side. "Why do you want a gun so bad you weirdo?"

He snorted. "I don't, it's just fun to mess with Adam. Look at his face."

Adam noticed we were staring now. "What, what'd he say?"

I just laughed.

Declan smacked his hands together. "Alright then, it's settled. Business first, we came here to explore the weak spots so that we can come back here with a group of seniors to set up for senior prank. Split up, find your own areas to investigate."

"Yeah and here's the fun part," I took over the explaining for Declan. "Everyone takes a nerf gun with them. Since we're going to be spilt up, we'll be spread out, and no one will know where anybody else is entering the school. This is basically hide and seek except when you find someone, you have to shoot them before they shoot you."

Pop, it was the distinct sound of a nerf bullet being fired.

"Ow," said Adam, and Natalie slapped a hand on her mouth.

"Sorry, I was just testing it out. I didn't aim to hit you."

"Yeah well I am," He replied and pointed his nerf gun at her before firing directly at her.

"Ow," but she let out a little laugh with her protest.

And then Cyrus fired a bullet straight to the side of Adam's neck, making another pop.

"What was that for?" Adam asked.

"Protecting the innocent. Move aside Natalie, I'm about to empty my clip on this fool."

Then I shot Cyrus for the fun of it.

"Alright, half on you, half on him," he announced before shooting me with three of his bullets.

"Wait wait wait, we're wasting bullets too early. We find our own entrances first and then we shoot each other," Declan said before stuffing a handful of extra bullets into his pockets.

I did the same and we basically all scattered.

I went to the east side of the building where the science labs were. This part of the building was built on lower ground levels. There was a section where I knew I could get to a window and lower myself down from the wall that covered most of the building.

It was a little hard to see, but I still made it to the window I was looking for. The one I stared at while sitting bored in science class. The one I knew had a loose lock.

I reached out for it, feeling around with my fingers until I felt the bumpiness of the familiar switch. I carefully peeled it back and the window was free to be pulled open.

It was harder than I had anticipated to drop myself down from the window. The window was a little higher up than I had thought, but I eventually managed to suck it up and plop myself onto the tiles inside the school.

Woah. Being here at night was weird.

But a good kind of weird.

I made sure my nerf gun was full of bullets and that the bullets in my pockets were still there before moving outside the room that I came from.

The hallways were completely empty. Empty and silent. There was no evidence that the other had made it inside yet, which meant I had a slight advantage.

I walked through the halls as quietly as I could, keeping my ears alert and looking for any movement in the distance. Thinking about it now, this was actually kind of scary. I should have made someone partner with me.

I heard someone's footsteps in the distance, too far for me to see yet. I decided I wasn't ready for confrontation yet, so I hightailed it out of the main halls and dove for the closest door.

Wait for them to pass then sneak up behind them.

It was a great plan until I heard the thud of someone behind me.

I jumped as I readied my nerf gun in front of me, aiming straight for the person that just jumped through the window of the room that I was trying to hide in.

It was Declan, who heard me and then pulled out his own gun, aiming it straight for me. But he didn't fire his gun, and so neither did I.

"Hey," he started slowly, "Lower your weapon there, speedy."

"You lower yours first."

"Uh-uh, if I lower mine, you're going to shoot me first. Lower yours first."

"No, how do I know you won't shoot me first?"

I honestly could have shot right then and there and won, but the caution and the hesitation between us was just too much fun to end it right there. So I didn't shoot, and neither did he.

I couldn't help my smile as he slowly lowered his gun. "I knew you wouldn't shoot me," I said.

"I still might, haven't decided yet."

"I know you won't shoot me Declan," I said as a slowly stepped closer and closer. He noticed my movement and his gaze went subtly alert, but he didn't step back from me.

"I know you won't because I saw the way you've been looking at me lately."

"How have I been looking at you lately?" He asked quietly, holding my gaze with sudden intensity. I only had a few more steps until I was practically right at his chest.

"It's the same way you're looking at me now. Like you wanna kiss me, like you wanna be more than my friend."

He made a single clicking noise with the side of his mouth. "I think you and I both know I always wanted to be more than your friend Row."

They were such simple words, but the fluttering it set off in the pit of my stomach was anything but.

I was at his feet at this point when I reached out to brush my fingers against his bicep.

"We should probably talk about it then," I trailed my fingers lower and slowly down his arm.

"But just not right now," and it was the last thing I said before grabbing the gun out of his hands and darting in opposite direction, out the door of the room we were both in.

"God damn it Rowena," he shouted after me and I couldn't help but laugh out loud and I sprinted away, his footsteps quick behind me.

A/N: BABIES IM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE I WAS V BUSY !!

I'm already working on part two of this chapter for you guys so expect another update this MONDAY ;)

Thanks for reading ❤️