The air felt hot and sticky in the darkness, the tension so thick it was almost tangible. I could sense several figures approaching through the frenzy of blaring noises, and I pressed myself against the rocky terrain, willing my breaths to cease their erratic pace.

My heart beat began to slow - maybe I would actually make it through the night unscathed. With a sweaty face and clammy palms, I lowered the gun in my hands, letting it clang to the ground. I wished I didn't have to pee so bad.

Then everything fell silent. My pulse pounded in my ears and my breath hitched in my throat. I dared not move.

And suddenly, the room erupted into chaos as the cheerful voice over the intercom shouted, "Round two!"

Giddy with laughter, I ducked out of my hiding spot after scooping up my weapon, shooting wildly at my friends.

Somewhere along the lines, I could barely catch my breath, and I took refuge in a darker corner, hands on my knees.

"You're supposed to raise your arms above your head so your lungs can expand easier, Marnie," an imposing voice informed me, and I jumped, weapon raised.

Sonia Moreno joined me in the shadows, luxuriating against the wall carelessly, examining her ruby red nails. Under the dark blue lights of the laser tag arena her curly honey brown hair seemed to shimmer. I relaxed - we were on the same team.

"I knew that," I scoffed, switching positions, "Why aren't you destroying the other team? You love winning."

"I do," Sonia agreed, "But it's Kyle's birthday party, so I thought I'd let his side have this one. Besides, you're more fun than kicking my brother's ass."

I raised an eyebrow at her, my head tilted as I studied her longing expression. She'd had no evidence for her statement, because I'd only ever seen her at events attached to Kyle or our friend group. She was always my friend's mysterious twin sister who occasionally hung around us - she didn't even attend our school.

Sonia winked at me, then took a large step forward, backing me into the wall.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, suddenly defensive, and she wordlessly put her hands at either side of my head, pinning me to the corner with her body.

She was intoxicatingly close. I worried that she could hear the insistent pounding in my chest. There was a fire in her deep hazel eyes, and her cloying scent matched her complexion - caramel.

"You have two options. Kiss me right now or get shot," Sonia said lowly, her eyes burning into mine.

"...but we're on the same team," I whispered, afraid that if I spoke any louder my voice would crack.

She drew even closer, her lips brushing against my ear, leaving a tingling sensation, "Yes or no, Marnie? I'm not gonna kiss you if you tell me no."

The game was the farthest thing from my mind when she faced me again, and I nodded as imperceptibly as possible. Sonia felt like the largest and most irresistible emotional reckoning, and I equal parts hated myself for indulging in the suppressed desires and loved every second of the surreal moment.

At first, I both regretted and adored the fact that Sonia had seen me nod, but it all melted away into sparkling elation when she eagerly pressed her lips against mine. I could taste her vanilla chapstick. Her hands roamed my body, leaving a trail of fireworks in their wake. I couldn't seem to help myself. I pulled her closer, wanting to drown myself in her affection, her attention. She lifted me up and fitted my legs around her waist, our lips never parting. For several heated minutes, we delighted in each other's touch.

Sonia's strength never wavered, but all too soon she gently set me down and stepped back.

Then she shot me anyway.

So stunned by what had just happened, I slurred my words as I asked, "Why did you...you said..."

And over the intercom, Kyle's team was announced to be the winners. I could hear them cheering in the distance.

"Less talking, more-"

I interrupted her with another urgent kiss, and I could feel her smile against me briefly.

After a few moments, my fears began to settle in. What the hell was I doing?

I pulled away forcefully, cheeks burning and the coils of my unruly black hair an even bigger mess than usual. I was warring with myself on the basest level.

"What's the matter, Mar?" Sonia asked me, but I was already running out of the arena as the white lights turned on overhead.

*

"Get that abomination away from me right this instant, or so help me God!"

Laughter erupted around the camp site as Holden Lin pulled the slimy frog away from his younger sister Cornelia's face. Kyle was doubled over with laughter, burning his marshmallow in the crackling fire.

"Come here, 'Lia, you might turn him into a prince if you pucker up!" Holden insisted before gently releasing the animal.

"You're all disgusting!" Cornelia whined, fussily stomping at the crickets that hopped across the dirt near her feet.

"Geez, what did those little guys do to you?" Kyle sighed, then pulled his treat from the blazing warmth.

I silently sat at the edge of an otherwise vacant log, staring at the woods that surrounded us. I was half convinced that I'd imagined the events from earlier in the day. Try as I might have to put it out of my mind, it was all I could think about.

Holden plopped down next to me and rested his head on my shoulder. He nuzzled there and began snoring exaggeratedly.

"Don't touch me with that greasy man bun on your head!" I teased, leaning away, and he chuckled.

"I'll have you know that my hair is not greasy, it's moisturized with the finest papaya shampoo!" he rolled his eyes haughtily, then gazed at me seriously, "What's on your mind, Marinette? You're quiet."

I trusted Holden with my life, but could I trust him with my life's regret?

"Firstly, don't call me by my full name. Second, I'm just not very outdoorsy. And did you put hand sanitizer on after touching that frog?!"

Holden only laughed in response, the corners of his slender eyes crinkling. His joy was infectious.

Suddenly, Cornelia rose from her seat.

"That's it! Somebody take me back to the house! If I see another flying bug I'm going to pull my hair out, and I just got this red ombre at the salon!" she complained, and everyone groaned simultaneously.

"Marnie and I should take you," Sonia said boldly, smiling at me.

"Right! And Holden will come too!" I blurted out, looking at him with pleading eyes.

"I will?" Holden asked confusedly.

"So you're all leaving me to pitch the tents then? On my very own birthday? Some friends you are!" Kyle huffed dramatically, and he then happily began to start the work.

"I don't care who's taking me, but I'm not spending another minute on this dusty, sorry excuse for a getaway! Now let's go, I have a rose petal bath calling my name!" Cornelia snapped, and Holden begrudgingly began to lead her towards their house, Sonia and I not far behind.

For some time we trudged silently, me walking as far away from Sonia as possible. Then Holden broke the silence.

"...so how about that Hawaiian pizza?" he said awkwardly, and no one responded.

Though we got along individually, Kyle had always been the glue that made our group mirthful and strong. In his brief absence, we weren't quite sure how to function.

"Hold on, I want to go see if the marigold flowers have grown back at the patch nearby. Wait," Cornelia commanded, then swiftly walked through the trees and out of sight.

"Full disclosure, I'm going to go pee on a bush," Holden said, his hands up as he, too, backed away before I could think to stop him.

Sonia turned to me.

Instantly, the air around us felt heavy. She edged closer, eyeing me curiously.

"About earlier..." she started, and I interrupted.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I lead you on. I'm not really into girls or anything, it was just a horny teenager moment. A mistake, really," I said bluntly, trying to keep my voice and my composure as flat as I could.

Disheartened, Sonia opened her mouth to say something, but I spoke again.

"You should go check on Cornelia so she doesn't get lost," I insisted.

Silently and with glistening eyes, Sonia walked away. Several minutes passed before everyone regrouped, and several more passed before Cornelia was brought home.

The walk back was quiet, save for the crunching of autumn leaves beneath our feet and the bird calls in the distance. As we approached the camp, we noticed how eerily silent it was.

"Where's Kyle?" Holden asked rhetorically under his breath, and when we got close enough to see him, we all stopped in our tracks.

His throat freshly slit, gushing crimson liquid, and his body charred in several places, there laid Kyle. He was strewn about a log. The fire we'd built was reduced to billowing smoke.

Holden stood frozen in shock, Sonia cried and screamed, and I felt my pulse pounding in my head with such intensity that the world went black even as I felt my body falling.