Friday Barnes one shots

The IYA games (pt 4)

Game 3: Scavenger search

Now that the hardest of the games were over, Friday felt better about her chances of winning. All she had to do was find as many rubber ducks as possible by the time the timer ran out.

She was currently in the library, searching behind books and under pillows.

The librarian had given her special permission to come into the library, deciding to put her hatred for Friday out of the way in order to win the games.

The timer was set for 20 minutes and the ducks had been hidden all over the school. Friday already had 17 ducks and the timer was almost out.

She didn't know if she was winning or if she was drastically behind the others.

At the beginning of the game she had been given a bag to put the ducks in. it was an over the shoulder bag,  the same green of her flash from the paintball game and her bathers from yesterday's relay.

she moved a stack of books aside. Behind them, a yellow rubber duck. She picked it up, throwing it into her bag and kept going.

The door to the library opened but she didn't turn around. As this game was all over the school, the other students were allowed to wonder the school.

Aiden and Tex were being followed by all of their school friends.

Friday had Ian, Melanie who was doing her best to stay awake, and a girl from St Sebastians who had decided she liked Friday and wanted to be her friend.

"There," Melanie said, nudging Friday. She spied the duck and dashed over to grab it.

Aiden got there first and took it, her fingertips only managing to graze the rubber before it fell into his bag.

"Hey!" she complained.

Aiden shrugged. "Sorry, Barnes. You know the rules, The player with the most ducks wins, and I intend to win."

He ran off, out of the library and into the corridor.

The PA system screamed as a crackly voice began to talk.

"5 minutes, players!"

Friday left the library. There was only a small part of the school she hadn't searched....the swamp.

She ran to the swamp.

The second she got there, she saw Aidan and Tex climbing through the branches and searching for ducks.

There was one left

"What is the new obsession with things in trees?" Friday muttered, getting to the tree and reaching up for the branch.

"You're still to short, Friday." Ian laughed. "Here."

He got down on one knee and Friday took his hand, stepping onto his knee and grabbing the nearest branch.

Melanie gasped

They both looked at her.

"Oh, I just love it when he gets on one knee for you!"

Friday and Ian looked at each other. She could see Ian's cheeks going red and he looked away. Melanie gave her a smug look.

"2 minutes players!"

Friday climbed. She could see the last duck.

Reaching through the branches, she tried not to loose her grip on the skinny branches of the tree.

"10 seconds players!"

The tree shook and she looked up to see Aiden above her, his arm reaching out for the duck.

They weren't very high up. Maybe a few meters at most. That's why Friday's supercomputer brain didn't think it was such a big deal when Aiden slipped, his grip failing as he fell from the tree into the grass.

"That's time!"

__________________

Friday stood, watching as Ethan helped Aiden across the oval to where the Friday sat.

They had long counted the ducks. Tex unfortunately had been eliminated, having only 9 rubber ducks, compared to Friday's 17 and Aiden's 11. Over all, she had won.

Now she was sitting on the oval, enjoying the setting sun as it cast coloured lights over the water of the swamp.

"Congratulations," Aiden smiled, letting Ethan drop him down next to her.

"Thanks."

They sat in silence for a moment, letting the cool breeze roll over them.

"Are you excited for the last game?" Ethan asked, settling down next to Friday on her other side.

"Ugh, no" Aiden laughed. He rubbed his food which had been wrapped in a thick bandage after his fall.

"So what's the diagnosis?" Friday asked, accepting the bean and salad burrito Aiden handed her. He must have seen she skipped dinner.

It had dawned on her after capture the flag. These boys cared about her. She hadn't the faintest idea as to why, but the did. Maybe they felt like they needed to protect her because she's the only girl. Her stomach twisted. She hated that thought.

Aiden groaned. "It's not too bad. Sprained, they think. It'll only take a few days to heal."

She nodded, casting the burrito aside. Ethan looked at it, then at her.

"Eat it, Barnes."

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

The boys exchanged a glance.

"Why do you care?" She asked. She hadn't meant it to be mean, but the thought of being considered something that needed to be protected plagued her voice with anger.

Ethan laughed, not shaken by her tone. "I had a sister. You remind me of her."

Friday frowned. "Had?"

A sad look crossed his face, but his smile didn't falter. "She died when she was 4. A car accident on a roundabout. I was only 7. I'm still trying to possess it."

Friday didn't say anything. She was sure anything that came out of her mouth would be rude or insensitive.

"I'm so sorry dude." Aiden said, leaning forward and giving Ethan a sympathetic look.

Ethan gave a small smile. The silence was comfortable after that.

__________________

The next few days waiting for Aiden to heal seemed to take no time at all. The schools had been informed that the last game would be the biggest and the best. Everyone was looking forward to it. Especially Friday.