Pitbabe S2, Chapter 14 pg6

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 14 pg6

   I think I did pretty well. The holes in the target make that clear enough. But that’s to be expected—I’ve spent years with this. If I was still shooting all over the place like an amateur, it’d be embarrassing. For me now, whether it’s a stationary or moving target, I can hit them all. The last time I practiced, I hit a moving target with 100% accuracy. I even had a moment of regret for choosing to study medicine. If I’d known I’d be this good, I should’ve applied to the police academy and been done with it. Chris in a police uniform would probably look pretty cool.

   The .45 ACP in my hand fired rapidly until the magazine was empty. I lowered my arm, exhaling slowly, about to reload a new set of rounds into the magazine. I sensed someone walking into the lane next to me but didn’t bother to look. It wasn’t my business. But after hearing eight consecutive shots, I suddenly felt like it was my business.

   The rhythm of his trigger pulls sounded consistent. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but sometimes the sound of a gun can hint at the shooter’s skill. So, I couldn’t help glancing at his target, and I wasn’t wrong.

   The center of the target was completely shredded.

   His skill made me curious about the shooter’s face, but when I turned to look, I found the shooter even more interesting than his skill.

   “Not shooting anymore?” 

   Pete asked before meeting my eyes. Of course, he knew I was staring—I hadn’t tried to hide it.

   “Watching you shoot seems more fun,” I replied with a smile. He didn’t smile back but didn’t seem intentionally cold either. I think he was a bit confused with himself. “You’re really good. Have you been training for long?”

   “Yeah, quite a while,” Pete answered hesitantly, but it wasn’t the kind of hesitation about whether to respond. It was more like he wasn’t sure when he actually started shooting. “But I haven’t shot in a while.”

   “Then I guess I’m lucky to run into you today.”

   “You think so?”

   “Why would I think otherwise?”

   “No reason…” He paused, hesitating again. It was odd that he seemed so uncertain around me when, with others, Pete always appeared calm and dignified. “Just thought you might be scared of me.”

   “Scared… why?”

   “Well, last time I acted weird with you.”

   “Oh, that.” I just remembered that the first time we met, he hugged me tightly and confessed his love in a convenience store, which, undeniably, was pretty strange. Who does that? “I’ll only think you’re weird if you confess to me again after this.”

   “Would confessing again be weird?”

   “Are you saying you like me?”

   Pete blinked rapidly, pursing his lips as if trying to trap some dangerous words from escaping. He instinctively avoided my gaze. Honestly, it’s pretty obvious what he’s thinking. I’m not so full of myself to assume everyone who acts nervous around me must like me, but Pete is a bit too transparent. He might not be head-over-heels for me like he was with Way, but I’m sure he feels something deeper than you’d expect from a one-time meeting. And all of this is because I look like his recent unrequited love.

   Easy to read and utterly boring.

   “I haven’t thought that far yet.”

   “Then how far have you thought?” I tilted my head, flashing a slight smile, knowing it’s enough to make this businessman’s heart skip a beat. If I had to guess, Way probably didn’t smile at him often, right? From what Charlie told me, he and Way met at a pretty rough time, so a heartfelt smile from Way must’ve been rare. “Interested, curious, or secretly following me to the same shooting range?”

   Pete’s predictability makes him boring, but his facial reactions make it less so. Every time I hit a nerve, his eyes widen before blinking furiously, like he’s processing hard to come up with a response that doesn’t sound too clueless. If I could give him advice, I’d say, don’t even try.

   “I wasn’t following you,” Pete said calmly. “I usually shoot here. You’re the one who came for the first time, so how can you accuse me of following?”

   “How do you know it’s my first time?”

   Pete made that face again. He’s honestly hilarious. With others, he seems like the stoic type, but with me, his face betrays everything. He must’ve really liked Way to be this flustered.

   “I just… wanted to see you again,” Pete said, lowering his eyes, as if giving up on trying to seem mysterious and complex (because he’s terrible at it). “I called Charlie. He said you’d be here.”

   “Yeah, Charlie recommended this place.”

   “Charlie trains here too. Before, we used to run into each other a lot.”

   “Actually, I invited him today, but he’s heartbroken, so he’s been working even harder than usual.”

   “Heartbroken?” Pete raised an eyebrow, surprised, despite seeming pretty close to the Team X racers. Guess he’s not close enough to hear about their dating dramas. “Charlie, really?”

   “Yeah. He broke up with Babe.”

   “Whoa… how?”

   “Hard to believe, right?”

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