It was dark out there and the quiet was starting to fray my nerves. I knew that little ninja was out there, waiting, so she might jump out and shoot me or my buddy in the chest. He was crouched behind a low wall, nervously wiping the sweat from his head. <br/>  
 

I jerked my head to the left, in the response to the sound of light footsteps. Or were they footsteps? Did I imagine it? I was so keyed up, it didn't really matter. <br/>  
 

I gripped and regripped my gun. I didn't want to lose it in case she popped up. I'd manage to make her regret going toe-to-toe with me. <br/>  
 

Suddenly, my friend yelled. She was right on top of him, blasting away at his chest. I fired at her, but she was diligently using the wall as cover. The most I did was give away my position.

After a few of those moments that felt like hours, the unthinkable happened. My buddy’s chest started making the siren noise that signaled one life left. And then she got him.

Within a minute, that little sneak had taken out 25 percent of my team and I was left on the south side of the building to fight her … alone.

The preceding scene was one I experienced while playing laser tag late one night last week. After a rough week of classes, what better way to work off frustration than by gathering a group of friends and playing a few rounds of competitive laser tag?

You see, dear readers, my senior year has dawned and with it has come transformation.

No longer will I be the guy who sits around playing games and eating pizza. Now I’ll do that and go outside to fire at friends and play a little tennis. I’ve even made it to the gym a few times.

My point is that exercise and adulthood (in reference to myself, I’ll apply that term lightly) do not have to be monotonous. Friends and creativity will go a long way toward helping people have fun, be healthier and foster those closer relationships that contribute so highly toward an effective support system.

For some, perhaps exercise will always be a matter of cold metal and repetitive motions, but for me it’s leaping over a wall in order to dodge my enemies’ shots. It’s being pinned down behind a tree. And it’s mercilessly hunting that one enemy down with my three teammates, velociraptor style, in order to win the game. And it’s about working out while having fun.