Runaway

Chapter 23

© Sweetslover8 2014. It is illegal to copy and/or steal.

~Uploaded June 2nd, 2014

Tears were running down my face, flowing out of my eyes, down my cheeks, and dripping onto my shirt. The pain in my cheeks and stomach was nearly unbearable. It hurt so much I had to double over and clutch my stomach, but even that didn't relieve much of the pain.

"Geez, Dani", a voice from a far corner of my mind called out. "If I had known that losing a video game round would make you cry, I would've let you win."

Dylan and I have been getting closer and closer every day and that awkward tension had simply disappeared with each passing moment we spent in each other's company. Not just us two though. I've become close with everyone on our team. It's crazy how welcoming and so damned nice they are.

More importantly, the annual paintball tournament was only six days away, and we were pumped up and more than ready to win. Everyone's been working especially hard this past week. Nolan would be dragging me to go jogging at five am if I hadn't warned him that doing so would be hazardous to his state of health. And Teddy wasn't much better. I told them that it might just be easier for the two of them to go jogging together if they intended on getting up that early, but they outright refused to. It didn't hurt to try.

We had started playing yet another video game after our Sunday practice, and as always, I kept getting my ass kicked. My pride was damaged so badly within the first twenty or so minutes of playing that I almost took up Grace and Faith's offer to play fairy princesses who, instead of wands, fought with Garrett's toy lightsabers. It sounded pretty cool, until they told me I had to wear a frilly tutu and sparkling tiara on top of it. I drew the line at frilly stuff.

Anyways, I wasn't really crying; I had just started laughing so hard all of a sudden that the tears seemed to squeeze themselves out of my eyes without permission. I had no idea why I was laughing in the first place, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. I had fallen off of the sofa and onto the floor with a thump, and kept on laughing.

"Okay, I think she's finally lost it", Dylan concluded with an edge of worry in his voice. He turned to the rest of the team. "Are you guys sure you didn't spike her juice or something at lunch?"

"What do you mean by spike?", I heard one of the twins ask. In the middle of my hilarity, I couldn't tell which one it was. Faith, maybe? "You mean like the dog name?"

"Not exactly like that, sweetie", Andie explained as she shot her brother a look that clearly read, "Watch what you say around the girls." Dylan put his hands up innocently. Andie turned back to the twins. "What Dylan means is that he thinks there was something in Dani's lunch that's making her act funny."

"Daddy's the one that made lunch", I think it was Grace that spoke. "It always had something funny in it." I wasn't the only one that burst out laughing this time. Kids will always tell it like it is. Nolan joined me in my temporary state of insanity as we laughed like a pair of lunatics. "Did Nolan eat something funny too?"

"Probably", Brody muttered. "Or this is just a house full of nuts. Whichever comes first. No offence or anything, Gare." Garrett shrugged. "I don't know about you guys, but I think I'm gonna go to the lake. Anyone coming with?" He stood up from his seat on the couch and stretched, his shirt riding up his torso and displaying that impressive muscle.

Snap out of it Dani, a little voice told me. You're going to turn into some sort of boy thirsty bitch at this point.

"Yeah, I'm coming", Dylan replied immediately to Brody's suggestion. "I don't think I can stand the laughter much longer. You guys are crazy." I had finally managed to calm down a bit, and sat up from the floor.