Chapter 27

For some odd reason, the principal changed school hours. We were being dismissed by lunch time every day because of some issues in the building that needed to be fixed. What kind of issues could those be? Nobody knew yet.

Three days had passed by when I met up with Chase and Wesley at the training room. Wesley brought up the bag full of weapons and placed it on the ground in front of me. We began taking everything out and laying it on the ground, placing the bullets next to their respectful guns. 

Chase stared at us nervously and I raised my eyebrow at him, standing up straight. "Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked him, and he looked at me.

"Yes," he answered, almost instantly.

After I got interrogated by the police, I received a call from Chase, saying that he wanted to help. I was reluctant at first, of course. He might have been getting good at defending himself, but that didn't mean he was ready to take on a full gang. That was not the reason I decided to teach him self-defense in the first place. Well, I didn't really have a reason to begin with.

“Since you've basically got the hang of defending yourself," I started, grabbing a loaded handgun from the ground. "It's time to turn the tables."

"I'll help in that matter. It'll be best if he went up against someone bigger and buffer than him. Since that's basically who we'll be going against," Wesley said. 

We looked at Chase for confirmation, and he nodded slowly.

"It's settled then. Since offense is sort of more difficult than self-defense, we will have to change our training times and days," I said, and looked at Wesley.

"It would be better for all of us if we trained daily, starting today. Be here from midday to six in the afternoon. We will train six hours with a fifteen-minute break every now and then," Wesley said, and I looked at Chase.

"I can talk to your mother and convince her. I can tell her that you decided to start working out to get in better shape and that I offered to be your personal trainer. I will also make sure it doesn't affect your precious study time," I teased, and he rolled his eyes at me.

"I guess that'll work," he muttered. 

I grinned at him and inspected the gun I was currently holding before looking at Wesley. "Let's show him just how big this gym actually is," I said, and Wesley smirked at me. 

Chase eyed us both curiously, and I motioned for him to follow us. Wesley led us to the dressing room and opened the door to let us inside, Chase looking as confused as ever.

"What does the dressing room have to do with any of this?" Chase asked, and I chuckled.

"You'll see," was the only answer I offered him. 

Wesley took out a key from one of his pockets and kneeled down on the carpeted floor. I stood behind him with my arms crossed over my chest, watching as he caressed the floor. Chase was about to retort something, until Wesley finally found the hidden keyhole and inserted the key in his hand. A faint clicking sound was heard as part of the floor popped up, and Wesley opened it up completely to reveal a staircase.

I glanced at Chase and he was staring at the staircase wide-eyed, his mouth agape in shock. We followed Wesley down the stairs after making sure to close the door, and soon enough, we reached the one place I haven't been to in years. 

"What is this place?" Chase asked in amazement as he looked around the wide room.

"It's an underground shooting range. Here, we practice how to control any type of gun and how to aim correctly. It's a secret place, one word out and we will all be in huge trouble," Wesley informed him, and Chase nodded slowly. 

I handed him the loaded handgun and he looked at me with uncertainty.

"You want me to use a gun?" he asked.

"If you want to survive, then you will need to shoot. It's either kill or be killed. The enemy dies or you die. There is no in between," I told him, and he visibly gulped. 

He reluctantly looked down at the gun and shifted it from hand to hand for a bit, probably testing its weight. I led him to one of the shooting ranges and taught him how to hold the gun properly.

"Wait here, I'll go look for the proper equipment before he starts shooting," Wesley said and we both nodded at him. 

After a few seconds, Chase put his gun down and turned to look at me. "Aren’t you scared of death?" he asked softly, and I looked at him.

"If you're scared of dying, then you are certainly going to die," I said, and soon enough Wesley made his way back to us with the equipment. He handed us both a pair of headphones and safety glasses. Once the target was in place, I nodded at Wesley and stepped back.

"Remember to keep your arms straight and hold the gun firmly. Unless you want to end up with the gun on your face," Wesley said.

"Take the safety off and aim the best you can before shooting," I ordered, and he did as told. 

Wesley and I put the headphones on before Chase pulled the trigger, and the gunshot resounded throughout the room. The target was only about ten feet away, so it wasn't even far. I watched as Chase stumbled backward and closed his eyes because of the intensity of the gunshot. He then stared at us wide-eyed, as if shocked at the fact that he just fired a gun.

Wesley and I walked toward him and brought the target to us to take a look at where the bullet shot through. There was an obvious bullet hole near the number 8 in the center of its chest. 

"Impressive to be a newbie. Must be beginners luck," I commented, and Wesley chuckled.

"You scored a sore 9 right over the rim of the bullseye," Wesley pointed out, and I grinned at him sheepishly.

"I didn't want to brag, but you said it for me." I winked, and he laughed. I turned back to Chase and he looked stunned by the conversation we were having. Smiling, I stood in the shooting range next to him. I set up my own target and placed it about thirty feet away. I put the safety glasses on before grabbing the gun from his hands. As I positioned myself in the correct way, I brought up the gun in front of me with steady hands.

"Watch this." I heard Wesley tell Chase faintly in the background. 

I closed my left eye and focused on my target, aiming with ease. Just like that, I pulled the trigger five times continuously, forcing myself to stay steady. I lowered the gun and brought the target forward, taking my headphones off at the same time. I stood back and eyed the target proudly. It looked like I still had it in me after all that time.

"How the—" Chase gasped as he eyed the target. There were exactly five bullet holes: one in the middle of the head, one over its heart, one on its throat and one over each lung. 

I smirked, proud of my own ability, and Wesley chuckled.

"Come on, Chase. It's time to teach you the basics," Wesley said and led him somewhere else. 

I, on the other hand, walked toward a wooden target that had a table next to it. On top of it were the different types of knives and daggers I stuffed in the duffel bag the other day. Picking one up, I stood at a fair distance from the target and played with the knife in my hands. I tossed the knife in mid-air and caught the handle, throwing it toward the target in an instant.

I did this for ten more minutes while Chase and Wesley trained on the other side of the room. I walked forward and stood in front of the target, eyeing the knives and daggers plucked on the wood. Nodding in satisfaction, I grabbed all the knives and placed them back down on the table. 

Gunshots filled the room and I turned to look at the commotion. Chase was standing by the shooting range with a determined look on his face as he held a gun firmly in his hands.

Watching as he pulled the trigger and stumbled back a little, the bullet shooting through the air. He shot three more times before lowering the gun and grinning widely.

"I almost have it!" he cheered and looked at me with his big grin. I watched how the corners of his eyes wrinkled due to the smile and how content he looked. I couldn't help but return the smile, admiring how happy he looked.

"You're a fast learner, Brownie. That's a good trait right there," I said, and he chuckled. He unloaded the gun, though it took him some time, and reloaded it. Wesley walked over to me and stood beside me, staring at Chase. 

I fiddled with the necklace resting on my collarbone as I watched him pull the trigger. I had to admit that the view was quite intriguing.

"Is it me or do you actually have feelings for the boy?" Wesley whispered in my ear once the sound of gunshots stopped. 

My fingers froze against the necklace, and I blinked once at the question. "I don't," I answered calmly. I pulled my hand away from the necklace and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"Come on, Amelia. You can't lie to me. I've known you for four years," Wesley said, and I looked at him.

"I don't like the guy, okay?" I replied, starting to get annoyed. "You're just imagining things."

"Denial is the first step to acceptance," he teased, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"What are you guys talking about?" Chase asked curiously as he stepped in front of us. 

I ignored the knowing look Wesley gave me, and shrugged. "Nothing important," I said dismissively and walked toward a fridge. I grabbed three water bottles and threw one to each of them. I took a huge gulp out of my bottle and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand before closing the lid and looking at Chase. 

Wesley said something to him that I couldn't quite hear, and I flexed my muscles. Once Wesley walked away, I lunged forward without a warning. Chase groaned as I tackled him and we both fell to the ground. I put him in a headlock and sat on his back while he laid on his stomach.

"Lesson number one, never let your guard down no matter who you're with," I hissed against his ear and he groaned a bit. "I've taught you this before, so try and get out of the headlock yourself."

His hand instantly went to my arm, his fingers tucking inside my elbow. I held on tighter, not showing any mercy as he raised his shoulders and tucked his chin in the crook of my elbow. It became more difficult for me to hold on as tight, but I did my best to not falter. His leg suddenly went behind my own, and before I knew it, he broke free of my hold and turned us over.

My back hit the cold ground and he was hovering over me. My heartbeat became erratic as I stared into his eyes. He was panting, probably regaining his breath, and after a few seconds, he smirked. My breath caught in my throat at this newfound version of Chase. There wasn't a hint of the innocent, scared boy I met a month ago. Instead, there was a confident boy with a cocky smirk staring down at me. I honestly didn't know how to feel about this.

Though, my heart seemed to already have the answer to that unspoken question.

Before Chase could say anything, I pushed him off me swiftly and rolled us over so that now I was the one hovering over him. 

He looked surprised for a moment, before he took a look at my expression and frowned. "Amelia? What's wrong?" he asked and proceeded to support himself on his elbows. He furrowed his brows in concern and I stared at him for a moment, with Wesley's words ringing through my head.

"This will be all for today," was all I said as I stood up and left without another word.

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[Edited: September 4th, 2020 by michh_44]

"An underground shooting range?" You may ask. Well, yeah. I don't know why that idea came to me, but hey! It's not a bad idea, is it? Vote if you liked this chapter and comment your thoughts on it ❤xx