Lights (Niall Horan)

thirty-four

Anna Holden

"Anna, you pick." Harry tells me, rocking back and forth in those insanely short shorts. I'm sure they could fit me if I tried, but there is no way I would get to try them on after Niall's mini anxiety attack about Harry and Zayn.

Or want to.

The only reason the 6-foot flirt gets to be a team captain is because he picked the short straw. Naturally, they elected me as the other one due to my birthday being today.

Everyone looks at me expectantly, and I quickly figure out what they're waiting for.

"I will take Niall."

"Predictable," Harry mutters, "I'll take Louis."

"Awww, how cute. Larry." I roll my eyes, Eleanor and Louis tense. "Liam."

Liam's grin is wide as he hears this. "Cool! I'm always picked last!"

"Thank you for telling me this now, Payne." I joke.

"No, it's Zayn who's always picked last, remember?" Harry smirks. "Perrie, I'm sorry, but you're playing."

Perrie simply shrugs, encouraged by Zayn's hand squeeze.

"Eleanor." My response is, in full acknowledgement that this was Harry's original strategy. Little did he know that I have my own, too.

"Zayn, mate."

Zayn crosses over to his team, high-fiving Harry and hugging Perrie from the side.

Zerrie. Is. Adorable.

"World War III commences in five minutes!" Harry declares, grinning deviously.

It is funny how seriously boys take their made-up games.

We split up, arming ourselves with the Nerf guns Liam just had to bring. Now I know why.

Niall gives me a few tips, and I'm thoroughly grateful. Who knows how this game will go.

"Alright," I address my team finally. "Liam, you and Eleanor are in first. Niall and I will go into hiding--if Liam's caught, he'll text Niall and he'll come out as backup. If El gets caught, she'll text me. Got it?"

They nod.

"One last thing: Silence your cell phones. And good luck."

"Let's win this!" Liam grins.

"Okay, ground rules!" Louis shouts to our side. "You can't go farther than the lake, obviously, and you can't trespass into other sites. If you get someone out, just yell out as loud as you can. Ready?"

"Errr, sure?"

"Is that a ready?"

"Ready..."

"GO!"

Niall and I scramble off together, looking for a good place to hide in the meantime. I spot a good-sized tree covered with a full shield of leaves and point to it.

"You're serious?" Niall mouths, doubting my sense of judgement.

I doubt myself, too, but this is one of the things that I am positive about.

I shrug in response to Niall, as if to say what other choice do we have?

He gives in and begins to climb, pulling me up with him onto a particularly large branch.

Once we are safely up in the tree, my back facing the trunk, we hear the first battle update.

"Zayn is out!" Liam cheers from far away, shouting so everyone, including us, can hear.