As summer approaches, Floyd Central students can prepare themselves for the heat by buying sunscreen, sunglasses, and new hats. For seniors, they have prepared themselves with floaties and goggles for the yearly tradition of Senior Assassin. While they battle against each other for the cash prize, Senior Assassin can bring many challenges, one of them being trust.
“My initial reaction was pure shock. It caught me completely off guard. I never thought it was Shalee because she told me she had someone else, and I believed her,” said senior Addington Teeters.
Trust in your friend is a weakness in the game. When eliminating your opponent, though, it can become an advantage.
“It was challenging to actually plan to get Addi. I felt so bad because she is one of my best friends and I didn’t want to betray her, but I felt it was easier because we do side quests all the time, so it didn’t seem out of the blue to ask Addi to hang out,” said senior Shalee Moss.
Most players’ main worry is being ‘assassinated.’ Though, for senior Maddie Lewis, her concern was less on her assassin and more on their accomplice, senior Bailey Gilbert.
“Me and [Gilbert] actually planned it the period before, and she unlocked her car and I just, like, hid in the truck,” said Lewis.
Not properly wearing goggles or floaters for even a split second can risk the game, including around friends.
“I actually was like ‘Oh, I need to grab my goggles really quick,’ and [Gilbert] was like ‘Oh no, you don’t need to. We’ll be in the car the whole time,’” said senior Phoebe Clay.
On ‘purge days,’ wearing goggles or floaties is not an immunity option; so, it can be easier for assassins to eliminate their friends. With one less obstacle, there is less time and effort needed to not be caught.
“I knew that Dance Marathon was on Friday, and both my friend Taylor and I are executives. So, I knew we would be together. And it was a purge day, so we couldn’t have any safety gear,” said senior Madelynne Walter. “We needed to run to the store to get last-minute things for the event, so I invited her with me, and then I pulled over in a neighborhood and got her out.”
While being betrayed is usually surprising—often not expecting someone who is close to them—players like senior Taylor Hanen did not hold a grudge.
“I thought it was a funny situation. It was fun to joke with Maddie about how she betrayed me, but I was never actually upset with her,” said Hanen.
When betrayed by a friend, many feelings arise, but they are short-lived. Plotting the next steps to regain the upper hand is an immediate strategy for players buying back in after getting eliminated.
“Immediately after the attack, I felt surprised and a little angry, but now it’s really funny watching my reaction back. I definitely am buying back in this next round. I am not hanging out with anyone this next round, and my guard will be up the whole time,” said Teeters.