Chapter 28 Chapter 28
Bella's POV
Neither Kai nor I were in the same group as Aria. We were both members of the red helmet team.
When I spotted Aria walking through the crowd toward the forest, I couldn't help but let a vicious expression cross my face.
I swore to myself: I'm definitely going to "kill" Aria in this game and humiliate her in front of everyone!
I turned to look at Kai, but noticed he seemed uncomfortable, almost... disappointed? No, I must be seeing things.
We were the last team to enter the forest. The teams had gone in order—blue team, yellow team, then red team.
While I was mentally plotting how to deal with Aria, one of my followers walking beside me spoke up with a confident tone:
"Bella, you've got this! Show them what you can do!"
As if I were some world-class marksman or something.
But honestly, I just happened to enjoy shooting since I was a kid. Years of practice made me better than most students. If I actually competed against real experts, I probably wouldn't even qualify to carry their gear.
Still, in this moment, I nodded confidently: "Don't worry, I've got it covered."
I was determined: I would shine in this paintball competition! And once again, make Kai fall even deeper for me!
I noticed the way Kai looked at me—there was genuine admiration in his eyes for a brief moment.
I knew that's why he'd fallen for me in the first place, even going so far as to humiliate that girl who had a crush on him—because of my shooting skills.
Even though I'm a girl, I'm nothing like other teenage girls. While they're all obsessed with dating, makeup, and fashion, I pursue something completely different.
What he loves is how I'm different from other girls!
"I believe in you, Bella," Kai said.
Hearing those words made my heart soar: "Thanks, babe."
We gazed at each other lovingly.
Just as we were having this sweet moment, when nobody had noticed anything—
"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"
Five shots rang out suddenly!
I felt my helmet jolt. Before I could even process what was happening, I saw Kai's helmet, my three followers' helmets, and... my own helmet all explode with bright red paint splatters!
Paint rounds, detonated!
Which meant the five of us—who'd been so confident just moments ago—were now "dead" in this paintball game!
This all happened in a split second, too fast for Kai or me to even react!
When I finally processed what had happened, shock and horror flooded my expression as I looked toward where the shots had come from.
I saw a slender, graceful figure walking toward us.
The girl who'd suddenly appeared had a cold, stunning expression, with a hint of amusement playing at her lips.
After confirming that all five of our helmets had been hit with paint rounds, the girl's mouth curved into a symbolic smile.
Light, contemptuous words followed:
"Five headshots. Five seconds. Game over."
The moment I recognized that the girl who'd eliminated us was Aria, my face twisted with rage!
Remembering how I'd mocked her with that smug expression just minutes ago, I felt like someone had slapped me across the face hundreds of times!
"ARIA!"
I spat out her name through clenched teeth.
Beside me, the three followers who'd been flattering me moments ago now stood there completely dumbfounded. They stared at Aria like she was an alien, too shocked to form a single word!
And Kai himself was frozen in place, fear covering his entire body. He stared at Aria without moving, completely transfixed!
Even though we were in the dark, the moonlight was bright enough for me to see Kai's expression clearly.
From the moment Aria appeared, his eyes had been locked on her—he hadn't looked at me even once!
My plan to shine in front of everyone during this paintball competition was shattered. Now, even my boyfriend was being drawn away by that bitch Aria!
I always gotten everything I wanted—I've never been humiliated like this!
Rage and jealousy instantly consumed my rationality. Almost without thinking, I raised my paintball gun and started firing wildly at Aria!
I couldn't care less about maintaining my gentle goddess image anymore, screaming like a lunatic:
"YOU BITCH! I'm done with you! If I go down, you're coming with me!"
Kai's POV
Bella got hit in the helmet. According to the paintball rules, that meant she was "dead"—she couldn't shoot at Aria anymore. But what happened next made me realize something terrifying: my girlfriend had completely lost it.
"Bella!?"
My voice cracked as the word left my throat. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
How could this be happening? The girl I'd been crazy about for so long... how could she be like this? This wasn't the Bella Morrison I knew. This couldn't be her. My mind went blank. It felt like my entire world was collapsing.
Across from us, Aria's reaction caught me off guard. She didn't look surprised at all—like she'd expected Bella to do exactly this. She just stood there, that cold smile curving her lips. She didn't dodge. Didn't even flinch.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Bella fired three shots at Aria.
My heart jumped into my throat. I thought for sure Aria would get hit. But what happened next shocked me even more—instead of dodging, Aria charged straight toward Bella's gunfire!
She's insane! She has to be insane!
Running straight into the line of fire—she'd definitely get disqualified!
The three guys standing with me all froze in shock. I wanted to yell, wanted to stop her, but my voice was stuck in my throat.
But the disaster I'd imagined never came.
I watched, stunned, as Aria moved like a soldier who'd danced with death a thousand times. She advanced, weaving left and right, effortlessly dodging Bella's attacks. Her figure blurred forward in a flash.
In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of Bella.
Too fast... how is that even possible? I couldn't even track her movements!
Before Bella could fire again, Aria's hand shot out in a horizontal strike, easily disarming her. In the same motion, Aria's leg came up in a high kick, knocking the red helmet clean off Bella's head.
All of this happened in under three seconds.
By the time I snapped out of my shock, the scene in front of me left me completely frozen—
Bella, who usually carried herself like she owned the world, had her head pinned under Aria's boot.
Aria stood over her like she was nothing. Like Bella was an insect beneath her shoe.
Is this real? Am I dreaming? I blinked hard, trying to convince myself this was all some kind of hallucination. But the image was crystal clear—too clear to deny.
Aria's boot pressed down on Bella's skull like a nail hammered into wood, keeping her completely immobilized.
"Get OFF me! You fucking BITCH! How dare you—"
"I swear to God, I'll KILL you! Let me GO!"
Bella's screams echoed across the paintball range.
Was that really my Bella? Where was the gentle, elegant, poised girl I knew? The perfect image had shattered. She sounded like... like someone I didn't recognize. Her usual grace was gone, replaced by raw hysteria. She thrashed uselessly under Aria's boot, but couldn't break free.
I wanted to help her. I should help her. But my legs felt like lead.
Even seeing this side of Bella—this ugly, desperate side—it didn't hit me as hard as what Aria had become.
In that moment, I was nothing but a piece of wood. Frozen. Unable to move.
Ruthless. Absolutely ruthless.
Was this really the same girl who used to have a crush on me? The girl who used to blush when I talked to her? How did she turn into... this?
"Thud!"
While Bella struggled and cursed, Aria lifted her boot and slammed it down again.
The brutal impact nearly crushed Bella's face into the dirt.
My heart almost stopped.
"Shut your mouth. Say one more word and I'll end you right here."
Aria's voice came from above, ice-cold and deadly. She wasn't joking.
I shivered. The three guys beside me didn't even dare breathe. And I just stood there, watching my girlfriend get trampled under Aria's boot.
Should I do something? Could I even do anything? My hands were shaking, but my feet felt rooted to the ground.
"You wouldn't—" Bella's voice cracked with terror.
"Try me."
The moment those words left Aria's mouth, I heard her cold laugh.
Then Aria raised her hand. The rifle that had belonged to Bella was now in her grip, barrel turned around.
The black muzzle pressed against Bella's eye.
No! Don't!
I wanted to scream, but my throat was frozen shut.
I knew the gun only had paintballs. But even paintballs had impact force. And the eye was the most vulnerable part of the human body. One shot at point-blank range could blind her permanently.
Consumed by terror, Bella completely lost it. She squeezed her eyes shut, forgetting all about her perfect image, and started begging desperately:
"No! Please! I'm sorry! Aria, I swear I'll leave you alone! Never again, I promise!"
"I was wrong—I was so wrong—please, just... please let me go..."
But it was already too late.
"Bang!"
The gunshot rang out.
My face went ashen. It's over. Everything's over. My expression and the three guys' faces all froze.
But when we looked toward the sound, we saw Aria lowering the rifle.
That shot hadn't hit Bella's eye. Instead, it had struck the dirt right next to her face.
I let out a long breath, my legs nearly giving out beneath me.
Aria's gaze dropped lower, settling on the space between Bella's legs.
Then I heard it.
A soft, trickling sound.
My brain refused to process what was happening at first. I just stood there, frozen.
The three guys beside me heard it too. We all did.
A dark stain spread across Bella's jeans. The wet patch grew larger, darker, spreading down her thighs.
"Oh my God," someone whispered.
The sharp smell of urine hit the air.
Bella Morrison—the girl who ruled our school, who had guys tripping over themselves just to talk to her, who looked like she'd stepped out of a magazine—had just pissed herself.
Right here. In front of everyone.
Because Aria had scared her that badly.
I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. My mouth opened but nothing came out.
One of the guys beside me made a strangled sound—half shock, half disbelief.
I felt something crack inside my chest. Not my heart breaking—something worse. Like the entire foundation of my world had just shifted.
And I knew, standing there in that moment, that nothing would ever be the same again.
Angelina's POV
After dealing with Bella and her group, I didn't head back to find Logan and Mia. I turned and kept moving in the opposite direction. It wasn't time to regroup yet. I needed to eliminate more opponents first.
"Yo, Aria! We meet again!"
A cheerful male voice suddenly rang out in the darkness.
My body reacted on pure instinct—I whipped around, gun raised, finger already on the trigger, aiming straight at the source of the voice. On a training ground like this, anyone who appeared suddenly could be an enemy.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Blue team! Blue team!"
The guy was already waving his hands frantically, voice laced with panic. "Don't shoot! Same side, same side! We're on the same team!"
As he spoke, he was quickly explaining himself, clearly terrified I'd actually pull the trigger.
In the darkness, the guy kept waving his hands as he rushed to clarify. There was obvious nervousness in his voice—he was scared I might actually squeeze the trigger.
While he talked, he'd already walked closer to me.
I looked carefully—he was indeed wearing a blue helmet, confirming he was a teammate. Only then did I lower my weapon.
When he got close enough, I recognized him—this was the guy who'd tried to chat me up at the field that day.
He flashed me that easygoing grin, still walking toward me:
"Dude, what are the odds? Running into you out here!"
But the moment Adrian finished that sentence—
BANG! BANG!
Two gunshots exploded through the air!
Two bullets ripped through the darkness, flying straight toward us!