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The Story [synopsis]

The story opens to an unknown, twelve-year old, short, scrawny boy running through the forest in full paintball gear. Through a series of flashbacks, the unknown boy unveils to be Aria a book smart math geek and the younger brother of Trevor who is the captain of the paintball team the Mountain Militia. The flashbacks show Aria's training by Trevor and his teammate’s Garret, Chad, Rick, and Doug.

The story plays along as though Aria is playing in a practice game with Trevor's team, but as the story unfolds the depth at which Aria's realizes his struggle to be is deep‚ Aria is playing in the championship game and to make matters worse, he is now the only one left on Trevor's team against Roscoe, Garret's older twin brother who used to be on Trevor's team, and Roscoe's Rebels: Steve, Carlos, Wes, and David.

The first act climaxes when Aria takes out Roscoe and his Rebels. Some say it was beginners luck, some say it was Roscoe and his team's arrogant actions, and others say Aria had an inner skill that took them down—no matter what the Paintball World Magazine article says about Aria and his Mountain Militia.

The story picks up two and a half weeks later when Aria returns from a math camp. He and Steve are jogging along a lake. Yes, Steve from Roscoe's Rebels because Aria may not be athletic and could not get himself out of a paper bag unless he had the mathematical formula to do so he does like to run and he is on the track team—the high school track team as was Steve who was one of the stars. The coach introduced them, and now they jog together regularly.

Trevor and the guys are reading the magazine article when Aria enters, and they wonder why the article is about him and not them.

Aria asks whether they want to help him buy a new marker, and after giving him some jabs about why, they end up at JF Paintball where some of the patrons want Aria's Autograph just as Roscoe, who has been hiding away for a few weeks, enters the store.

The tension mounts when Aria who just wants to play paintball now without any preconceptions of ego or status proceeds to challenge Roscoe to a rematch or a simple game. To the chagrin of Trevor and the others they decline, but the challenge is on the table to be accepted or be labeled as a coward.

With a new member already on Trevor's team, they now have one more player than Roscoe. Roscoe does not mind, but Rick does not want Roscoe to have another excuse, and they decide to limit it to the original members and allow Roscoe to add another to his roster--him and Garret's fourteen-year old sister, Tara.

In the days before the rematch, Aria begins to play the captain of the team and begins to tell everyone how they should play, but Garret, Trevor, and Chad try to explain to him that Roscoe is on a hunt for him and he should be cautious.

The rematch is an action packed fight with new members on Roscoe's team, which does not sit well with Trevor and his Rebels. Aria is told to hang back so he does not get hurt. Roscoe tells Tara that the fight does not involve her so she should just stay back.

Bored, Aria and Tara wonder through the forest and meet up. They tangle a little bit but finally just walk and talk. She had a secret crush on him and Aria has always had a crush on Tara.

Amid the battle, Roscoe is searching for Aria, but Steve tries to tell Roscoe to forget about him "The battle his here, not with a twelve year old. Have you forgotten the reason you started playing paintball? Is it all about winning at all costs?"

Roscoe gets upset with Steve and a confrontation ensures and the bindings of friendship, trust, and loyalty are about to unravel between them as Roscoe takes aim at Steve.

Upset with the whole situation, the time he has spent with Roscoe and his arrogant ways, Steve walks off the field. When approached about it, he explains everything.

Roscoe finds Tara and Aria talking and gets more upset than he is and begins to try to pick off Aria but in his rage he hits Tara. Not only is Tara upset at her big brother and runs to tell everyone, but Roscoe has reached a pinnacle of anger--he has lost all contact with reality. His only goal in mind is to defeat Aria and gain back his fame, composure, and status.

Aria unaware of Roscoe's anger toward him and the distance Roscoe has gone away from sanity, plays on as though Roscoe did the last time they met.

This time, however, Roscoe defeats Aria in a rain of paint and yells it to the forest and anyone else who can hear him just as both teams come running to confront Roscoe and protect Aria.

Aria gets up and congratulates Roscoe on a nice shot and then says "Let's play another game."

Stunned, bewildered, and humbled by a youngster full of life and joy, Roscoe is awakened and reminded about the reason he started playing paintball--the fun of the game.

Aria unaware of the situation, he keeps asking others to play another game, but the mood is somber and quiet until Roscoe begs for forgiveness from all--he even looks to the sky and gets on his knees to pray.

Aria breaks the tension by asking Roscoe if he wants to play another game. Roscoe answers with a yes and that Aria is on his team and he asks someone to get his cell phone and call his old team and get them here to play as well.

The credits roll as the teams are picked and a game begins and Aria asks Roscoe and Trevor if they thought about playing Rec ball?

This opens the trilogy for PAINT² [Paint Squared.]