22 Laser Tag is Lethal

"What on earth was that?" Justin demanded once he saw that the others were safely out of earshot. He and Sam were playing jackpot games right next to each other so they could talk.

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked, the picture of innocence.

"Why did you make it seem like you're my girlfriend?"

"I never said the word girlfriend," Sam smiled wickedly. "The term 'childhood sweetheart' may have been misleading but everything else I said was completely true."

He dragged a hand down his face. "It's still lying. Now what am I supposed to tell her?"

"Absolutely nothing! Look, seeing a guy with another girl interested in him always makes girls see them differently. I know how the female mind works. And based on how she zoned out back there, she was totally sizing up the competition."

"Competition? What competition? She has a boyfriend!"

"And you supposedly have a girlfriend. You're on an even playing field now, don't you get it? This proves that you're capable of wooing a girl properly. And because I showed off how much you dote on me, she's going to at least vaguely think of what it would be like to be doted on like that herself."

Justin's eyes narrowed. "Do girls really think like that?"

Sam nodded emphatically. "I promise, this is the first step in getting her to think of you as more than just someone to carpool with."

"It seems sneaky to me. I don't know if I'm comfortable with this…"

"You idiot," she snorted. "You're not actively trying to steal her or anything. You're just paving a future path for after they break up."

"You don't know for sure that they'll break up," he said quietly. "I'd really rather stay out of this."

"No!" Anger flashed in Sam's eyes. "I've seen you pine after this girl for too long. Seeing you sit back and do nothing is painful to watch. Pull yourself together! Grow a backbone and show her who you are!"

"But what if she doesn't like who I am," he said softly. No one else really had.

Her fierce expression softened. "Then she's an idiot. You're more likable than you think, cuz."

He shook his head. "Let's just finish this."

After what seemed like an eternity they had 10,003 tickets—enough for the lava lamp and one tiny fruit chew. Sam was positively gleeful as she hugged her prize.

"You better cherish that," Justin said flatly. "That dumb lamp cost about two hundred bucks."

"Some things are priceless, dear cousin. Like seeing you play arcade games for nearly six hours straight. I will remember your reluctance for the rest of my life."

She struck a dramatic pose and he cuffed her on the shoulder. "Whatever. Let's just go find them already. I want to go home."

"You don't want to play laser tag with your beloved?"

"I don't want to play laser tag, period. You know how much of a klutz I am! Don't you remember that I met Emily by almost breaking her nose?"

He buried his face in his hands. The last thing he needed on this already long day was making a fool of himself in front of her. Again. Unfortunately, he did that a lot even without the extra help of exercise.

She stifled a laugh. "Maybe it'll help her remember you."

Justin groaned as she dragged him over to the dancing game that Emily and Brandon were playing. Jealousy bubbled in his heart when he saw how well Brandon was doing.

He could never dream of doing that. If he was playing with her he would probably trip right off the platform.

At the end of the song Emily wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and smiled. "You guys ready to get your butts kicked?"

"So cocky?" Brandon laughed.

Justin already hung his head in defeat. "I know I'm getting my butt kicked."

"You never know, you might get lucky!" Sam said optimistically.

Emily looked at her questioningly and she explained, "Justin isn't what you'd call athletically inclined."

"Don't remind me," he muttered.

Five minutes later the four of them were suited up and separated in the glow-in-the-dark arena. Justin was honestly debating just hiding in one spot the whole time when his plan was ruined by a shot from around the corner.

He frantically got to his feet and tried to shoot back but his gun was stopped for a few seconds as a penalty for being hit.

When it reloaded he tried firing off shots everywhere in the hopes that he would get a single point. Nothing.

He heard the sounds of other players getting hit, along with Sam's familiar maniacal laugh. At least one of them was doing well.

As Justin was moving he got hit again. He tried ducking behind a ledge while his gun reloaded but was going too fast and ended up smacking into it head first instead, falling flat on his back. Unable to move, he lay there like an upended turtle until someone tripped over his legs.

"What the—"

He groaned in pain and Emily noticed she had fallen onto a person. "Justin! What are you doing down here?!"

"I hit my head," he mumbled blearily.

"Can you get up?"

"No."

"Referee! Stop the game, someone's hurt!" she yelled. The lights came back on instantly and one of the arcade workers hurried over.

"Somebody better call an ambulance," the employee said nervously.

Justin would rather die than be carted out of there on a gurney. He was already mortified. "Please no."

"I'll take him," Sam said grimly. "Justin, where are your keys?"

"Left pocket," he said, squeezing his eyes shut against the light.

"Can someone help me lift him? I need to get him to the car."

Brandon jumped in and got Justin to his feet before handing him over to Sam, who wrapped an arm around his waist and helped him walk. Once he flopped down in the passenger seat he heard voices outside the car.

"Be sure to let me know if he's okay…" Emily said worriedly.

Sam nodded. "I'll text you."

"Since laser tag was a bust maybe we can get together again for dinner before you leave?"

"That would be great. I'll get your number from Justin and compare schedules. Later!" Sam climbed into the car and started the engine before looking at her cousin. "You're welcome."

"I don't owe you anything," he said feebly.

"Consider it making up for the laser tag fiasco. If I were you I'd want to see what kind of person the competition was. I didn't get much of a read on him this time."

Justin didn't care about that right now. He just wanted his head to stop hurting.

"Do me a favor?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't tell anyone I had to go to the hospital because I suck at laser tag. If my mom finds out I'll never live it down."

Sam cracked a smile for the first time since he had gotten hurt. "You have to admit, it is pretty funny."

"Shut up."