She still felt like they needed to try. She asked a few general questions such as what had been going on, and how were their families. They gave vague polite answers, and it wasn't quite what she was hoping for. The damage of their friendship was a lot more extensive than she had previously imagined. On one hand having Eric here probably meant there wouldn't be arguing. On the other, she wondered if this was preventing them from having a real heart to heart conversation. Should she try to cut right to the heart of the problem or just let it go on the way it was?

She struggled with this during the first lap. Eric seemed to be trying to give them space, and she felt her heart soften at his effort. However, she didn't seize the moment. When he decided to catch up, and asked a question, she waited to give the other girls a chance to answer. She didn't want it to become Eric and herself taking up the whole conversation. Anna gave a dubious glance towards Mary before she decided to reply. Their looks were communicating private thoughts, and it was like Kai wasn’t there, which cut Kai.

"I suppose so. I am normally a little out of shape before it starts, but I am not as bad this year."

Kai was relieved, when he tried to speak. She didn't want him to have to be silent in the background the whole time. She decided it was about time to say something.

Nervously, she gave a self deprecating laugh, "I'm far from ready. I really let myself become lax."

She was already breathing heavier than her friends. She could keep going for a while, but it would be more painful for her rather than her friends.

Mary decided to put in her input, "We've been running together a lot."

It could have been taken as a harmless explanation why they weren't out of breath, or it could be taken as a passive aggressive scolding. It was subtle, but Kai couldn't help but be suspicious and feeling pricked. She wondered if this was the right time to invite them over. She wasn't sure what else to say, and it might be best to try to appease them or show that she was making a genuine effort.

She gave a half cough before she spoke, "Would you like to come over this weekend? It would be a girls night." She looked between them attentively listening.

The two looked at each other, and turned to give a polite smile.

"Sure, it sounds fun," they told her.

Kai gave a polite smile back, but she was relieved they had said yes. They could have a real talk then. Her friends looked at her with concern.

"Wow. You really are out of shape," they commented.

Kai was sweating profusely. She hoped it was the clothing she had chosen.

"I think we should stop. You don't look too well," they commented.

Anna had a furrowed brow. They promptly stopped before Kai could protest.

"Sorry for messing up your run. Apparently, I am more out of shape than I thought," she puffed with her face reddening.

Now that she had stopped, she felt a cloud of hot steam surrounding her, and there was no breeze to blow it away.

Mary beckoned the group, "Since we're not running anymore, there is a creek down this way."

Kai and Anna followed. Once she was there, Kai removed her shoes, and splashed one foot in the water for a moment. She was so hot and sweaty, jumping in didn't seem to be a bad idea at the moment. She sat down by the bank, and started kicking a little. She slightly splashed Mary who was closer. Her smile became devious as she had an idea. Nobody could resist this.

She deliberately splashed Mary as well as she could, before she made sure to include Anna, who was almost too far away to be splashed. Normally, she would call on Eric to help her, but she didn’t want it to become the couple versus the friends, so she splashed Eric too for good measure. A smile was spreading across her face, "I'm hot. Splashing me will only be a favor. It's a win win situation." Even though she didn't mind being wet, being thrown into the creek woudl still be unexpected and unpleasant.

Eric really felt strange and awkward, but he was trying very hard not to show it. He was trying to keep his anxiety to the bare minimum it could possibly be, because he knew Kai had her own worries and anxieties to attend to at the moment, she didn't need his piled on top of that too. He was trying to make conversation, because he didn't want the entire time to be awkward silence. He'd tried giving Kai a chance to speak with them, but she hadn't. Whether it was nerves or what he didn't know, but he hated feeling pressed in silence.

Mary spoke, and Eric felt his eyebrows automatically furrow, and he couldn't stop it from happening. That sounded awful passive aggressive to him, and he could sense that Kailey was getting that vibe too. He was glad they were at least speaking to her, but why couldn't they see she was trying to mend things? She hadn't really done anything THAT bad in his opinion. Sure, she'd neglected some time with them, but she'd been trying to help him. At the time, Eric had been struggling with depression, an awful home life, and high anxiety. Kai had found a kindred spirit in him, not only because he'd discovered her secret, but because he'd accepted her the way she was.

Kailey may have neglected some of her duties as a friend to them, but in Eric's opinion she'd had at least a decent reason for it. And at least she was trying to mend things and reunite with them. He said nothing, staying silent, but it still annoyed him that Mary had said what she did.

Kai asked the two girls over, and they'd agreed. The group ran for a few more moments before stopping in concern for Kai. Both her and Eric looked a bit worse for wear, having not had the appropriate clothing on and being slightly out of shape. Eric stood next to her, his chest rising and falling heavily and sweat caking his back, making his shirt stick to his skin. It was uncomfortable and he hated the feeling of it. Sweat was dotted across his forehead, and he desperately wanted to feel the breeze against him but there was none.

Mary smartly suggested that they go to the creek, and Eric readily accepted the offer. He let the girls take the lead, following slightly behind Kai. Once there, Eric stood for a moment, still catching his breath. As Kai dipped her feet into the water, he pulled his shirt over his head for a moment, kneeling down by the water and cupping his hands beneath it, splashing his face and running his hands down his neck. Being down here was better, and the air always seemed to be a bit cooler next to water, so the breeze felt amazing on his bare skin.

His necklace glittered brightly in the hot afternoon sun, casting tiny beams of light on his lower jaw and neck. Since his shirt was just a simple tee and nothing too special that he had to keep clean, Eric dunked it in the water before putting it back on. The wet material would keep him cooler. Under almost any other circumstance he would have just left it off, but since he was the only male in the group he felt it not appropriate.

In all honesty he hadn't been paying too much attention to what the girls were doing, which is why it came as a surprise when Kai splashed him. He gave her an ornery smile before scooping his hands in the water and splashing her right back, giving into her words. He personally had no problem with being pushed or thrown into the water. Enough time had passed since his head injury, and while he was still cautious he wasn't nearly as worried about it.

Besides, the water was cold and refreshing, and if it came to it he wouldn't hesitate to drag Kai in with him. He flicked a bit of water at Anna, but he didn't dare cross the line of splashing her as much as he had Kai. He still didn't know her well enough to know her limits.

Kai could feel Eric struggling, but she tried to ignore it. Even though it made her feel selfish, she was too wrapped up in her own feelings. She didn't think she could summon the ability to be encouraging. She simply couldn't bring herself to speak, and she was scared to do anything. She felt even worse, because she knew that he had tried to give them space, and she hadn't taken the opportunity. It was subtle enough where her friends wouldn't notice. She glanced toward Eric instinctively, and her gaze flitted between her friend curiuous what they all thought of what Mary said.

It had cut her, but she was determined to keep trying. If this was some awful test, she didn't wand to fail it quite yet. She couldn't explain that she had been doing more than getting a boyfriend. That was none of their business, because it was Eric's personal stuff, and they weren't friends. If needed she could mention that she had been helping him through with some stuff, but they hadn't asked. She thought if they were friends, they would be more understanding. From her minds she picked up that they had been hurt, because it had been like she had disappeared off of the face of the map for a while. With it being summer they saw each other even less often. She resisted the urge to make any move to lean on Eric or take comfort from him except maybe a look. She didn't want to alienate them further.

She was careful not to make them feel like third or fourth wheels or that she ws spending all of her time with Eric. From feeling people's feelings, she knew that one little movement could have some amazing consequences that no one realized. Knowing how girl friends could be, they could totally return the favor if they wished. They weren't leaving her to chat amongst themselves only, she realized. In their own small way they were making an effort too even though they were mad. After what Mary had implied, she was surprised they were willing to come over. They hadn't even hesitated too much.

Perhaps they were just annoyed, and their friendship was damanged in a different way that she couldn't see. She was relieved that she wasn't the only one showing signs of exhaustion and exertion. Her friends were annoyingly dry, but Eric was sweating obviously too, so she wasn't alone. At least it he was a sweating athelete and it wasn't like he some some couch potato who was exhausted by a little exertion. She was embarrassed and hoped that she could chalk it off to stress. She was being convinced harshly about her exercise routines. Down by the creek she finally cooled a few degrees. While she was still hot and sweating, there was a cool breeze to blow at the cloud of heat that was enveloping her.

Kai sort of jerked surprised that he was taking off his shirt. She felt embarrassed for behaving awkwardly, so she looked away. He didn't seem super comfortable doing that often, and it made her feel odd, especially, since it was just girls around. She thought that dipping the shirt in the water made more sense. Until he became hot and clammy from his shirt drying, it would work better as a cooling agent. She knew her friends were more relaxed about that kind of thing, and they didn't bat an eye. However, the tatoo did attract attention, and they were soon both trying to look at it, and Mary tried to do it without staring, but Anna didn't have quite as many hesitations. Her gaze kept on flitting back.

It made Kai more uncomfortable, because she didn't appreciate others gawking even though it was understandable, since the tatoo was so impressive. It had lots of detail, and she had only gotten a glimpse of it once. She decided this was a good of a moment as any to start splashing. Mary and Anna jerked surprised. Anna was more oblivious. "What are you doing?" she squealed abruptly jumping ot her feet.

"What does it look like?" Kai retorted shaking her head dramatically.

Mary and Anna raced to find spots along the creek, so they wouldn't be defenseless. Kai felt silly wondering why Eric had decided to splash Anna. If he had done them both, she didn't think she would feel the sudden flare of posessiveness. She felt silly, because she knew she had nothing to be jealous of. She enjoyed being sprayed and it cooled her off. She didn't want to be like that around Eric. He could have whatever friends he wished to have. Soon they were all splashing each other. Once everyone was soaked they stopped to reassess. "I think it's about time we go home. My mom will wonder where I have gotten to." It seemed that they were on better terms now.

Eric had totally missed Kai's surprised jerking motion as he'd taken off his shirt. He was completely occupied with himself, paying little to no attention to the girls until they gave him a reason to. He was unaware of the looks Mary and Anna were giving him, with Anna gawking at his back. It was more of a good thing that it went unnoticed, because while he did feel more confident in himself, knowing that it was attracting attention still made him a bit uneasy.

Eric was wiping the water from his face as Anna protested against Kai's splash. He stood up, his eyes glimmering with orneriness and fun, and he shot Kai a loving glance, a genuine smile on his face. Mary and Anna scattered to different spots on the creek, and Eric gave Kai one more big splash for good measure before tearing away from her, running to a spot of his own. He wasn't aware of her small jealous flare, he hadn't picked up on it at all.

He knelt down, keeping his hands slightly under the water and on the defense, prepared to splash anyone who dared splash him. His gaze continued to flit back to Kai on and off, and he found himself really wanting to be by her side. But he didn't want this to turn into something that alienated Mary and Anna, having it be the couple vs friends. So he stayed where he was, completely on the alert.

Eric was oblivious to the fact that Anna seemed to be glancing over at him nearly just as much as he was Kai, every single time he'd look away she'd look back. But an action so simple could soon be described as just part of the game, for she took her chance, running along the edge towards him and kneeling down, splashing him heavily. Eric was taken by surprise, feeling the cold and sudden splash of water on his face, and he turned, instantly retaliating.

"No!" Anna shrieked, laughing as she stumbled backwards. Eric stood up, starting to run around the edge towards Kai, but Anna followed, playfully tripping him up and then lightly pushing him into the creek.

"Hey!" Eric called to her, now completely soaked. He stood up and rushed towards Kai, grabbing her around her midsection and hoisting her up into his arms in one sudden motion. If she wasn't wet before, she surely was now. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before setting her down quickly but gently. It was soon obvious that he was trying to pull her into the creek with him playfully, but Anna and Mary both came to her rescue, laughing as Mary grabbed Kai and Anna shoved Eric back fully into the creek, releasing his grip on Kailey.

This started another brief all out war, where the four teens had to fend for themselves against one another, splashing back and forth. By the time they were done, everyone was in light spirits and no one was left dry. Kai said that it's about time that they should be heading home, and Eric wondered if she meant they would all be going to her house or if she meant that it was just time to part ways for today.

He was assuming that she just meant that it was time for everyone to part ways for the day. Eric's chest rose and fell slightly heavily as he breathed, his heart pumping still with adrenaline. Water dripped continuously off of his hair, so he ran a hand through it, stopping the flow as he pushed his soaking hair back out of his eyes.

"Alright," he agreed, nodding. It was now that he noticed a small shiver run down his spine, but not because he was chilled by the water. It was the feeling he got when someone was looking at him. He glanced to his left, and briefly caught Anna's gaze on him. Right as he turned to look she shifted her eyes, turning to look at Mary. Eric stood still for a moment, his face neutral, but sideled a little closer to Kai.

Was that what he thought it was? He was familiar with the look back then look away trick. For he'd done it multiple times with Kai. For four years he'd pulled the same stunt. Maybe not. Maybe it was nothing. The group spent some more time talking as they walked back to the track, the sun drying them rather quickly. It was a very hot day, the sun beating down on their backs.

They said their goodbyes and Eric walked back to his car with Kailey. "Started off kind of bad, but turned out okay didn't it?" he asked, nudging her with his shoulder. His clothes were still a bit damp, but the time spent walking and then standing around talking in the sun had dried him mostly off. "You're getting them back." He slid his hand into hers and gave her a kiss before unlocking the car and getting inside.

"Am I taking you home?" he asked her.

She was glad that they were finally able to hang out together without problems. Kai started laughing now that Eric was completely soaked. He looked funny dripping wet. While she was damp in areas, she hadn't gotten too wet yet. She was still giggling, when she was lifted in the air by Eric, and pressed against his dripping body. It took the girl's team work to push Eric into the creek. It took careful manipulations to get Kai out of his hands and him in the creek alone. Now she decided none of them should return home dry.

They must all become sopping. Kai felt bad for breaking up the game, but she was wet, and it would take a while to get clean and dry again. She supposed that was the end of their date, which had been quite fun. She cackled to herself, because she expected Eric would have to bring her home wet and sopping in his car. The things he had to put up with now that he was with her. She supposed it was about time for Eric and herself to part ways. She didn't have any of his clothes at her house, so she doubted he would feel comfortable changing and staying over there for a while longer, and she wanted to get out of her own wet clothing.

Normally, she would see what kind of mood her parents were in and then ask if Eric could come over, but she had been gone for most of the day, so she couldn't guess. Since she wasn't as hot, she was mostly heaving from laughing. It had taken a great deal extra strength, as she had laughed the whole time, and it had messed up her aim badly. For a moment she noticed that Eric was troubled, and she looked up at him her lips pursed, as she wasn't sure what he was worried about. Everything had been fine before now, so she had no guesses. She waved goodbye with them, and headed to Eric's car by his side. She nodded her head, "It went better than I thought it would. It's a good thing it's hard to be mad at someone during a water fight," she amended, "Seriously angry."

She smiled at him glad for his encouragement. Now she thought they might actually be open. She squeezed his hand back, and gave him a kiss, when he came near. "Yup," she grinned, "You are my ride. I couldn't let you not take me home sopping wet in your car. It just wouldn't be the same whole experience without it," she beamed at him, trying to be sort of annoying. "I did want a last few minutes with you alone before we had to part ways. I would invite you over, but I'm not sure what my parents are okay with, and I've got nothing for you to change into, since you're wet, so I figured you wanted to go home. I mainly just want to get out of these wet things."

She had dried out slightly on the way back. The wetness between the seat and herself had warmed slightly, so now it felt clammy. Once they were at the house she hopped out of the car, but they only slowly made their way to the front door where they stood there conversing. When she got out of the car, she tried to prolong the moment by chattering a bit. She went over each good splash that had occured and their brilliant moves to soak each other. Finally, she decided it was time to break it off for the night. She had to work a little to get him close enough where she could give him a goodbye or goodnight kiss. She had her arms around his neck, so he would have to stay in her range. "Goodnight. Don't let the bed bugs bite." She smiled and kissed him near his ear, "Thank you for all that you've done today. Thank you for supporting me there. I'm glad I didn't have to do it alone."

She headed inside where she managed to slip off and get changed before anyone commented. When she ehaded back to the living room, Rebecca told Kai that their parents had gone to bed, but she had stayed up to hang out with Kai. They sat near each other talking about random tidbits, and doing their own thing. When Kai mentioned that it was her first date with Eric, Rebecca showed a deeper interest. Kai blushed a little, when she mentioned kissing, but Rebecca didn't over react. When Kai mentioned some things about the upcoming school year, Rebecca mentioned how well she was doing, and how well she had done in highschool.

While Kai felt like she might be able to keep up with her sister, it would tax her efforts. It irked her that her sister made her feel a little bad. She knew that her parents wanted their girls to be equally smart, but they were always praising Rebecca. Kai changed tact, wanting to show that she was good at something, but she couldn't talk about running anymore. She had let herself go at the one thing her sister couldn't do or didn't care about. Not after getting so hot, because she was out of shape. Eventually Kai gave up, and suggested a movie isntead. She fell asleep with her head in her sister's lap as the movie played. Instead of eating a normal dinner, they had eaten popcorn. Because she was tired, she set a few text messages to Eric from her bed before she decided to go back to sleep.

Eric nodded along as she agreed with him, and let out a small chuckle at her words. "Yeah, it is kind of hard to focus on serious emotions when in the middle of a water fight." he agreed. He couldn't help but smile at her kiss, getting into the car as he listened to her playful little rant. "Hmmm." he hummed along to her words, slightly biting his lower lip. An ornery gleam lit up his blue eyes at the mention of her wanting some moments alone with him before they had to part, and he really thought about teasing her back with a sensual flirting comment, but he decided against it. He wasn't sure how she would take it, and if she decided to flirt back he may not be able to keep his actions in check.

Even if it was all in fun, he knew how easily his mind could wander and how quickly his body would react to the sensual banter. So he chose to keep his mouth shut on the matter. "I could just wear your dad's clothes again." he commented with a laugh, referencing the night he'd snuck into her room and she'd given him a pair of her dad's clothes to wear so he wouldn't freeze in his previously wet clothing from the rain. "But no I get it. I don't like being in wet clothing for too long either."

He drove her back to her house, and they got out, slowly walking up to her door. The more they talked, and the longer they dragged their departure, the more and more Eric found himself just wanting to stay with her even longer. To go inside and hold her close, and just fall asleep together on the couch or something. But he knew that could not be so. She made him feel so good, so happy, so warm inside. She didn't even have to work to make him feel this way. She just had to be within his sight or near him and his mood would be instantly lifted.

She snaked her arms around his neck, and he slid his around her waist, keeping her close. She told him goodnight and thanked him for everything today, leaning close and kissing him near his ear. The touch was slightly tickling, sending an odd shiver down his spine and making the hairs on his neck stand on end. But he didn't comment on it or react in any drastic way. He pulled her into a hug, holding her against him.

"I'm glad I came." he said quietly, pulling back slightly. He lifted her chin ever so slightly and kissed her before slipping his hands into hers and taking a couple small steps back. "Goodnight Kailey. I love you." He let go and walked off the porch, heading back to his car. Already, he found himself wanting to whirl around and run back into her arms, but he had to shove that massive urge aside. He got into his car and drove home.

Once there, he walked inside and up to his room, changing into a dry set of clothes before making his way back downstairs. John and Summer were sitting on the couch together, Summer reading a book and John working on his computer. Eric grabbed a few small snacks and spent some time with them until Summer got up to go to bed. During this time, Eric was told exhilerating good news.

Summer had found a job, and John had several lined up waiting for him. They would be taking a quick trip to Oklahoma at some point to collect some belongings, but....Eric was staying right where he was. Summer told him that they wouldn't be moving, and he would be able to finish out his senior year of high school.

John stayed up later, and he and Eric had a good talk with each other. John finally asked him about what he and Kailey had been doing earlier during the movie, and Eric hesitantly told him, feeling himself blush. This turned into a deeper conversation, but not once did John over react or scold him. It was a couple of hours later before Eric finally crawled up the stairs and into bed.

Eric lay awake for awhile longer, texting Kai the good news. He continued to talk with her for awhile before finally drifting off into sleep.

She was sad that this was their last big get together before school started, but she was sure they would have fun. They hadn't done any real preparation for it. They were going out to eat together afterwards, but, when they played laser tag, random people would be able to join their group. She got out and waved as her friends began pulling in. When Eric got there, she headed over. It had been a few days, since they had done something. She gave him a quick kiss and hug, not wanting to be obnoxious the the PDA, but not wanting to go without it entirely.

They were the only couple in the friend group, so she didn't want to be annoying. They headed inside. For the next five to fifteen minutes, those who got there early blew some money waiting for those who weren't there on time. Kai just wandered around and watched them not wanting to waste money. Kai froze as her eyes turned upon Harper. She had to blink for a few moments wondering if she had made her up. She wasn't sure why she was so surprised to see her, but she felt dread stirring in her stomach.

She immediately began searching for Daniel, because she was sure that he was somewhere around. Kai hoped that Daniel wasn't anywhere around, and that they wouldn't be playing laser tag with them. She hoped they left by the time they did something else. When she found that Daniel wasn't around, she concluded that Harper had already moved on. She couldn't tell if any of Harper's friends were in some sort of relationship with her, or if it was some one day thing. It was a mixed group.

She nudged Eric sure that he had already seen her. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. She was tense and anxious, and she wanted some sort of support from him. If Daniel were around, she would have had to leave, but she believed she could handle Harper. After all Harper lived down the street from her, so she had to deal with her fairly frequently. However, her anxiety would go over the roof, if Daniel showed up. Soon, they decided to head toward the laser tag area. The teenagers picked sides due to availablilty and color team they would be.

The employee gave a few instructions to help with the eveness of the teams, but mostly left it to them. They hadn't discussed it before hand, so it was interesting to watch. Kai was disappointed to find herself on the opposite team of Eric, but she at least had someone to target. Kai didn't want to change sides now. Especially, when it looked like they had just about gotten everything evenly arranged. Mary was on her team, and they decided to stick close together. It was more fun to have at least oen person to hang out with, and someone to target.

Jack was on their team also. Anna had somehow siddled over near Eric, and Jonathan along with a few of the basketball players they had invited was on the other team with Eric. There were a few other friends, and some random strangers. She tensed and headed toward Eric, when she realized that Harper was coming in here with her group. Harper smirked at Kai looking at who was in the room. Even though it might make more sense to join the group that had most of the males, she turned to join Kai's group.

The rest of her group spread evenly between them. Once Harper had her laser gun on, she headed toward Eric. Kai didn't understand what the obsession was. Before Harper made her way over, she stopped by Jack and had a flirty interaction. Jack was sort of stunned looking, and he tried to make his escape. He moved behind Mary, and sort of tried to shelter. Before Harper could finish her way over, the employee had them all go to their bases. The employee escorted each team individually. Kai readied herself as the game began.

Eric stood in his bathroom, looking in the mirror. His hair was still wet, for he'd just gotten out of the shower a few minutes ago. It was so weird to stand here and see all of his bruises completely gone. To see only scars of what used to line his body. His bare chest was smooth once again, free from bruises and cuts. The only thing that remained were a few small scars that would never completely go away.

He reached up, gently running his finger over a scar that rested just above his left eyebrow, and pulled back some of his hair to reveal the scar that remained on his head from the day he'd been sent to the hospital. He still remembered the bright flash of pain he'd gotten as his head had been smacked against the wooden wall. He winced slightly, letting out a sigh and pulling his shirt over his head.

Part of him wanted very badly to just stay home. He didn't want school to start up again. Not after all the horrid things he and Kailey had had to endure last year. All the awful rumors, prom, social isolation, broken friendships. It was exhausting to keep up with, and he didn't want to have to go through it again. But the other part of him wanted to go back. Because he'd get to see Kailey. That alone outweighed everything else, and that motivated him enough to start getting ready at a faster pace.

Eric arrived at the laser tag arena fairly late. Or at least he assumed so, since it appeared that most of the group was already here. He got out of his car and started looking around, spotting Kailey almost right away. He went to her first, accepting her hug and kiss. Once they got inside, he realized that he must not have been as late as he thought he had been, because there were still quite a bit of people they were waiting on to show up. He watched others spend their money on seemingly pointless things, but he didn't waste it. He wanted to save most of the money he'd brought for dinner later.

After a moment or so Eric noticed Kai looking a bit anxious, and she seemed to be searching for something or someone. He was about to ask her what was wrong and if she was okay, but he quickly spotted what seemed to be the source. Harper was making her way through the crowd, and Eric knew instantly that poor Kai was probably checking for Daniel. Eric started to as well, subconsciously moving closer to Kai and tensing up, as if he was ready to defend and fight for her if need be.

But he couldn't see the other male anywhere, and it looked as if Harper was for once alone, no tag along boy beside her. He felt Kailey's small nudge and gave her a nod, grasping her hand as it entered his. "It's going to be fine." he told her softly, pulling her just a tad closer to his side. After a few more moments went by, they made their way to the laser tag area. Everyone chose their teams, and Eric felt slightly disappointed that he was on the opposite team of Kai. He had been wanting to stick together, but maybe the game would be more interesting if he had her to target.

He was relieved to know that Jonathan was on his team, and he was even happy to see Anna. She was standing a little too close for comfort though, and he still couldn't get his mind off of the looks she had given him during their time at the creek together. He pushed it aside, not wanting to worry about it. He had Kailey. She was his and he was hers, so it didn't matter. Whatever happened they would stick together. No matter what. They had to.

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise a little as he saw Harper cross over to Kai's group. He instantly was seeing a whole bunch of mental red flags popping up, suspicion creeping into his mind. Why was she going over there? That wasn't like her. He made sure that he was going to try and keep an eye on her during the game, hoping that she wouldn't try and pull anything underhanded.

Everyone turned their guns on, and Eric felt goosebumps run down his arms as he saw Harper trying to approach him. He sent a glance over at Kai, one that read,

This is going to be interesting.

He made his way to his base, and readied himself as the game started. He stayed in his spot for a bit in the darkness as everyone else started spreading out. He noticed that Jonathan was doing the same thing, and the two exchanged a glance and friendly smile before ducking out of their hiding spots at the same time.

"Find Kai?" Johnathan asked him. Eric nodded, and the two shook hands, agreeing to tag team. He thankfully had strayed from Anna, but he was slightly worried that he hadn't spotted Harper yet.

Today she was just wearing jeans, tenis shoes, and a t-shirt. They weren't doing anything fancy, and she anticipated running around. She was a little disappointed that Eric was one of the last ones to arrive. She could have hung out with Mary, Anna, or Jack to fill in time, but she was too excited for her boyfriend to arrive. When she saw Harper, she was glad that Eric was there with her. She didn't like facing them without him by her side. She didn't like confronting them period. She was surprised that Anna hadn't tried to be on the same team as all of the girls, but she was occupied by Harper to really care.

Even though she could read minds, she didn't understand Harper's obsession with Eric. Was it because she hated Kai or actually liked Eric? Anna had really wanted to hang out with Eric, as it seemed to be her only chance, however he teamed up with Jonathan. She now felt pretty alone, and was annoyed that she was in this position. Kai gave a weak smile to Eric. How did someone always manage to come along to ruin parties for her? Finally, they were escorted to their bases.

She was more excited now. Kai wasn't sure if she should go where the most people were or try to find a place no one was. She zapped a few people, and barely managed to avoid getting zapped herself. They still hadn't found Eric yet, or Anna. Jack was tagging along behind them. Kai grinned as Jack, Mary, and herself turned their guns onto Anna. She giggled as she tried to jump behind something to block the laser, however, she failed, and was defenseless for a while. She had tried to shoot back, but she had only hit one of Mary.

Her friends covered her making sure that no one looked sideways at them. She felt guilty that she was glad to see that Eric and Anna hadn't paired up together. After the way her friends had acted at the creek, she felt a little awkward, when one of them spent 1x1 time with her boyfriend, especially, when she sort of wasn't there. They weren't that close anyway, she tried to reason with ehrself. Harper went around tagging a few guys to fill in time, as she hunted. She was determined to find Eric before Kai did, and she moved quickly. When she saw them, a quick plan came to mind. A dash of laser fire separated the two quite neatly.

Jonathan was hit, so he couldn't shoot back for a while, and Eric had moved towards better shelter. She could tell that neither of them had seen her lurking in the shadows, and they didn't know who had kept them under fire. Her eyes darted around sneakily for a glimpse of Kai. Finding none, she made her move. She headed over to where Eric was sheltering. "Hello dear," she smirked. Even though all he had to do was push past her, he was technically trapped.

"Eric, really now. You should do something exciting with your life. Kai is so dull, and you don't get out enough." She took a step forward and gazed at his lips. It was quite awkward to flirt with her laser gun on, and took away from her natural suave grace, but she acted like she didn't notice it. "Kai doesn't have to know, if that is what you are worried about," she moved closer, tentatively putting her hand on his chest. From her experience no one was loyal. She just had to turn up the heat. She knew she had to do it this way, because he would have never have come to her by her normal methods.

Jonathan's eyes were wide, as he managed to catch up. He quickly backed away thinking that he was seeing something that he would prefer not to see. Kai came along and spotted Jonathan. She thought there might be a good chance that Eric was somewhere nearby. She shot Jonathan with the laser putting him temporarily out of action, so she could search for Eric. Jack was keeping Anna pinned down, and so far it sounded like she was no match for him. She stopped frozen, as Harper leaned in towards Eric. What were they doing sequestered back there? She refused to believe the worst, even though it was so easy for her mind, which was wanting to make very long jumps. She glanced at her friends, trying to gauge how they took it. Thoughts of just shooting Eric with the laser evaporated as she waited for him to notice them around.

Eric and Johnathan moved swiftly through the arena, shooting people side by side. Still no sign of Kai though. A person jumped out and managed to shoot Johnathan, making him unable to shoot back for a bit. Eric ducked the hit and moved around a corner, ducking into better shelter. He leaned out a little, looking out for enemy players.

"Hello dear," a voice slithered in his ear. He jumped a little, the hairs on his neck raising ever so slightly. He turned to see Harper walking slowly up to him, a look in her eyes that made him want to squirm. She pressed herself into his space, sort of blocking his primary exit. Eric found himself looking into her face, her gaze strangely addicting in a way that he didn't like. His spine was tingling softly as she placed a hand on his chest, her eyes looking from his lips then back up into his face.

He cleared his throat softly as he felt his body reacting the way a normal healthy man's should, even though his mind and heart were desperately fighting it. He was oddly entranced by her gaze, and his mind was screaming at him to look away, to push past her and go on with the game. He wasn't sure why he was so hooked on her in this moment. Perhaps because he hadn't seen her since the school year, and her way of moving was more enchanting than he'd previously thought. Or was it something else?

Some other sort of deep want and desire from the depths of his heart that he hadn't had the chance to let out yet? He was waiting for marriage. He was saving himself until then. But...maybe that was the issue here. Maybe he was struggling so much physically because he longed to have that, to know what it felt like, and he knew he couldn't get there with Kai. At least not yet. That was never his goal when being with her, not ever was that his sole intention. But it was there. It was an innate longing that everyone had at some point or another, it was just usually stronger in males.

Harper leaned in closer, and Eric felt his body trembling slightly with anticipation and high nerves. He slowly pulled back as she got closer, her lips nearly grazing his own. Eric wasn't the type to yell or scream or shove anyone because of something like this, much less a female. That toppled with this internal struggle made him react in a way softer than maybe others would. He lowered his head, looking at the ground and avoiding her gaze.

"Why are you doing this?" he whispered, his voice laced with pain. His voice shook softly, showing his anger and nervousness, although he didn't outwardly let out the anger that was slowly building. What made her think she could do this to him?! To Kai?! Eric missed Johnathan, and he wasn't aware of Kai standing just around the bend either. He swallowed and lightly pushed Harper aside, ducking past her without even a glance.

His hands trembeled ever so slightly, and he rounded the corner, only to stop dead in his tracks upon seeing Kai's face. For a short moment he just stood there, feeling oddly guilty even though he hadn't committed any act of foul play. He finally walked up to her and silently lifted her chin, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss before pulling back and taking one of her hands. He looked back at Harper, who was making her way out from the corner, looking at the two of them. Eric's anger flared but he pushed it down, silently pulling Kai through the arena.

He pulled her around one of the other corners far away from Harper. Shockingly, neither of them had been shot in the process, and no one seemed to really care much that the couple was together even though they were on opposite teams. He swallowed nervously again before looking down into her face, his body still trembling lightly. "I want to go." he said quietly, his voice shaking a little. He didn't have any motivation to continue the game. The fun had been sucked completely out of it, and his mind and heart were having inner turmoil. What had Harper done to make him feel this way?

"Are we eating with your friends after? If so, I'll stay for a couple more games but if not...I want to go." He paused, glancing around before finally pushing out what happened. "I don't trust Harper. I knew she was trouble, I knew she was up to something. I don't want it to happen again, please. I just want to go." He squeezed her hand, hoping to the heavens and back that she didn't think he'd cheated on her with Harper.

"She tried to kiss me, Kailey." he told her quietly. "If we stay and if possible I'm switching teams. I want to be near you. Not her."