Pixelated

Secrets

I groaned and rolled over, but was stopped by a rock. The rock shuddered. I tried to open my eyes, but the sun was too blinding, so I closed them again. I reached my hand forward to push away from the rock and was surprised to feel cloth and something that felt awfully like an eight pack underneath clothes. I then heard giggling and the snap of a camera. I slowly blinked open my eyes to see a camouflage shirt, then slowly moved my eyes up as I heard more giggling.

Holy fucking shit.

I was...cuddling...into Tom Parker.

I jerked away and stood in under two seconds, but I knocked into someone. That someone squeaked and fell backwards. I spun on my heel and turned angrily to see Hayley sitting on her bum with her mobile in her hands. She was looking up at me with wide eyes as I glared at her.

"Not funny, Kence," I snapped. She smiled and rolled her eyes as she got up.

"Sure it was!" I narrowed my eyes as she responded too perkily for my liking, then turned slowly back around.

"HOLY SHIT!" I screamed, falling backwards. Hayley scrambled away a second before I fell onto her and knocked us both down. When I had turned around, Parker was awake and standing. His face was extremely close, eyes wide and a Cheshire cat grin on his face. Parker, Lee, and Parker's friends laughed as I fumed silently.

"Scared you, did I, Stors?" he sneered.

"No one can possibly scare me," I scoffed. He rolled his eyes.

"Uh huh. Let's see about that one." I opened my mouth to respond, but Lee's phone went off right at that moment, luckily for Parker.

"Please sing to me. I can see you open up to breathe. Fast words make it easier on me. If the point's to never disappoint you, somebody's got to tell me what to do-"

"Hello? Oh, hey! Yeah, we're fine. Why?" Lee paled. "Oh. Uhm, listen, I gotta tell you something...uhm...well... You see, the girls and I were playing 21 Guns- Yeah, we do, but Kat made us, and besides, it was just one mission. Haha, very funny. So anyway, we were playing, and then...oh shit, you're not gonna believe me... Okay okay! Well, we were sucked into the video game." She paused, and there was silence on the other end. Suddenly laughter burst through the phone, and Lee became very annoyed.

"I told you you wouldn't believe me! Yes, actually, I am being serious! Just shut up and listen, okay! We're trying our best to get out, but Ari and I were separated from the other three, and we're trying not to get killed by this crazy-ass mafia, and- OMIGOSH JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN FOR ONCE! PLEASE! WE'RE STUCK WITH THE BLOODY WANTED!" Silence. Then, "Yeah, holy shit. Ugh! I am not drunk! Fine, here, talk to them, if you don't believe me!" Hayley then shoved her phone into Parker's hands. "Speak to him," she snapped, obviously extremely pissed off. Parker hit the speaker button and the other members of his blasted boyband drew closer.

"Uhm, hello?" he asked in his rough, unmistakable accent, confused. No response came until after a few minutes, as if the person on the other end of the line was thinking of how Parker had possibly come into possession of Hayley's mobile.

"HAYLEY ROSE KENCE! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW AND EXPLAIN WHY THE FUCK YOU ARE WITH THOMAS PARKER!" a British accent screamed. She rolled her eyes and snatched the phone back, turning off the speaker.

"I told you, we got sucked into the game! No, we weren't with them at the time, for crying out loud! We landed in this stupid place, got into a gun fight- yes, a gun fight! Whadya expect, cotton candy and sugar sticks!? THIS IS AFGHANISTAN!" she screamed. She then paused for a few minutes as the other person talked. After a few deep breaths: "I'm sorry, babe, I just- I'm in a position I really don't wanna be in right now, I'm sorry. And you're really not helping. Yes, I'm for real! This isn't a prank! I won that thing ages ago with the car crash joke, remember? What do you mean that doesn't count!?! Of course it counts! Just because you were depressed about it doesn't mean it doesn't count! And anyway, you stoped pranking me after that! Nice try, love. Nope. I won. Ask the lads. Heck, ask the girls too! I won! You're just upset because that's supposedly the first prank war you've lost, which I find hard to believe. You're extremely easy to beat. Then again, the lads are extremely bad actors, and they crack easily. Which is why I pretended that I was the dead one. Oh shut up! Says the one who's asleep after one round! Okay, maybe not one, but I swear, I'm way better than you, and-"