(mine all mine) 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

senior assassin

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ *ೃ༄

    winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is.

for as long as you can remember, you have always been a competitive person. in any activity, you were always desperate for that win- and you'd do anything you could to feel victory. in sports, in family game nights, mario-kart with your friends, trivia in school classes- you name it. adrenaline would rush through your veins like a drug, coursing throughout your entire body begging for you to come out on top. ever since the first time you could string a sentence together, you were always striving for a win.

    you could practically taste the victory on your tongue. your saliva had a metallic taste to it, and perhaps it was because you were so anxious that your teeth were clamped shut on your tongue. you were so close to the end- and it felt thrilling. there was still some steps to go, some more strategies to pursue, but you were almost there. and you were not giving up now.

    when your graduation class announced the traditional game of senior assassin, you were already planning and strategizing. you received your target days later, a girl in your science class, and it was an easy takedown. you had waited outside her work for at least an hour, and when she finished her shift, your eyes were narrowed on her- like a hawk circling its prey. you had made your move successfully, and now you were down to the final twenty players.

the game went like this: everyone in your grad class chipped in about twenty bucks. with almost three-hundred students in your senior class, the pot ended up being thousands of dollars. everyone received a target (another student playing the game) and you had to tag your target successfully, where you would gain that person's target. along with that, there were tasks you had to complete; you had to take a picture in a specific location or you had to go and find something to bring back to the student running the game (like a scavenger hunt), for example. school was a safe space, but everywhere else- a complete, utter, war zone. the game would continue until there was one person standing, and that person would win the entire pot of money. you hoped that it would be you.

    you couldn't trust anybody in this game. you quickly realized that majority of your senior class was teaming up- praying on your downfall and trying to eliminate you out of the game as fast as the could. they tried to take down the biggest threat, and that's when you figured you were on your own. that is, until you gained a teammate, if you will.

    you were reluctant at first. you were skeptical, and unwilling to work with another player. everyone had it out against you after all, so truthfully, was there anyone at all that you could rely on? but when word has got around that everyone was trying to eliminate, not only you but also matthew sturniolo, a small part of you figured that he wouldn't have it against you either. everyone was against him as well. so, when he asked if you had wanted to join forces and operate together, you hesitated before answering.

    "c'mon, it's not that deep. everyone's trying to get both of us out, so why not help each other?" matt said in the parking lot of your school. it was empty, twenty minutes after school had ended. you licked your lips, thinking to yourself.

    "how would we do that?" you countered, and he sighed.

    "that's what we could figure out together. i think it's smart- i mean, if we want a chance at winning this it's the only way." he explained, leaning against the side of his car, keys clanging as he shoved them into his pocket.

    you thought this through deeply. matt was friends with a few others left in the game, so this surely could've been a ruse to get you to trust, just to ultimately remove you from the game. you weren't stupid- you knew what he very well could've been getting at. you saw through his actions, tearing down his strategies like you were taking apart a brick wall. you were too far in it to trust anyone, and your first instinct was to say no- reject his plan. but then you thought about it a little bit more. he had a point, after all- everyone else in the game wanted to get you and matt out to benefit themselves. what good were you alone when everyone was pinned against you? if matt was in on this sick and twisted plan to eliminate you, he would've done it already. you'd been standing alone in this parking lot for ten minutes already, if he'd wanted you gone then it would've already happened. he seemed convincing enough, and he seemed genuine. he appeared to be someone you could trust. you gave his question full consideration before answering. you hated to admit it, but it actually seemed kind of... smart. you could help each other until it was down to the final three.