Page 5
Story: Orders and Obsessions
We split up into small groups so we could walk around the grounds without being seen. But we did leave the Bootcamp and turn left down the dirt road until we reached a small country house pub.
It was a cute little building with white walls and potted flowers out front that weren’t very easy to see at night. We opened the door and were surprised to see that it was very busy. This was probably because it was the only pub in the area. We pushed through the crowds and went outside to the beer garden, where we sat because it was such a nice night.
I quickly noticed that it looked like the workers were all gathered there. There were farmers who worked in the fields, lower-ranking people from our Bootcamp, people from the small houses next door, and of course, the store owners from the tiny village thirty minutes away. There was a live band playing inside, but we could hear them from outside. They sounded pretty good, but not good enough to play a game.
“Hey little lady, can I buy you a drink?” A man in a lumberjack shirt came over to our table and put his arm around me. He spun a piece of wheat around his mouth. I sat down and talked to him for a while about farming and taking care of animals. He seemed really into it, and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings by telling him I wasn’t interested.
“Get your coat; you’ve pulled,” Sierra joked.
“I have to go to the toilet,” I said.
I got up and pushed the door open to go back into the bar. It didn’t seem any less busy than before, and maybe it was even busier now. I went into the bathroom to fix my hair and eat a few Tic Tacs to freshen my breath. Then I left, pushing the door right into someone’s arm.
“Sorry,” I said politely, looking up and seeing those cinnamon colours.
Damn.
I winced all over my face, as if I was in pain, and my features were almost screwing together. He, on the other hand, looked really angry, but he looked great. I looked down, not out of respect, but because it was so strange that he wasn’t wearing his army clothes.
He wore jeans. Jeans! And a grey Hilfigure hoodie made my mouth water.
“Am I in trouble?” I asked with a hint of shame.
He grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me through the crowd leaving the bar. “Oh, you are in so much trouble.” I thought he would take me back to boot camp, but instead he threw me across the parking lot.
“Are you f*****g stupid? This is a court-ordered boot camp. You can’t just leave whenever you want. When the commander finds out about this, you’re going to jail.”
I could tell he was holding on to that anger for a while. It must be really tiring to keep your feelings hidden for so long, bury them deep so you don’t get any frown lines or look angry.
“So don’t brown-nose your commander by telling him.” I shrugged and tried to get away from him, but he pulled me back hard.
“Jesus! You’re getting on my nerves so much! I tell you not to do simple things, but you do them anyway. Do you like making me mad?” He was so angry that steam was coming out of his ears.
“Is this guy bothering you, little lady?” The lumberjack from earlier came back, and I turned to face him before looking back at Mason, who completely ignored him.
“Yeah, he’s really bothering me,” I said quietly.
The lumberjack hit Mason’s jaw before I could think or do anything. He didn’t even blink, but he hit him back right away. The lumberjack fell to the ground and was knocked out. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him. I fell to the ground to make sure he was still breathing.
“What the f**k, Mason?” I yelled.
“Mason?” His voice was slow, and he sounded out his own name. It tasted like something I hadn’t had before. “Since when did we know each other by name?”
And that’s when I remembered that I had used his real name. The name I think of him by.
“We’re not.” I stood up and held my arm out so he could take it. “Bring me back to Bootcamp, back to your boss.”
Of course, I only let him take me back because I knew there were seven other escaped Bootcamp recruits sitting in the back of the beer garden, completely unaware of what was going on.
He looked at my arm, and my heart sank when he grabbed it and pulled us away from the bar and back towards the bootcamp.
As we drove down the dirt road, I said, “I don’t get it.” He huffed, but then he looked at me.
He said in a bored voice, “I would ask what, but I know you’re going to tell me anyway, so why bother?”
“We’re alone, and no one knows I’m out. I haven’t done anything wrong or hurt anyone tonight. Why does it matter if I don’t get caught?” He stopped in the street and let go of my arm.
“You criminals think it’s okay to do bad things as long as you don’t get caught.” He was so angry that his teeth were gritted.
“If you hate criminals so much, why do you work to make them better? You seem to think that there’s no redemption and that we all belong in jail.” He ran his finger over his stubble and a strange, never-before-seen look crossed his face.
He finally said, “I’m not going to talk about my personal life with you.” “You’re too outspoken for your own good,” he said, raising my eyebrows in question. “From now on, you will be the perfect soldier. Stand up straight, work hard in the field, shine your boots, don’t look anyone in the eye and most importantly, don’t talk back.” He stood up straight and became more stiff, just like he did today on the field. Full of professionalism, with no sign of anger anywhere.
“Your commander will have me arrested tonight, so you won’t have to worry about that.” I said quietly.
I saw his eyes quickly look at me from the side, but only for a second.
“Unless, of course, you don’t tell him,” I said, taking a chance.
“God, why do you think I’ll treat you differently? You’re not a diamond in the rough.”
The rage had come back. He couldn’t hide how he felt about me, so it was clear he didn’t like me.
Everyone else thought he was a brick wall, a robot with no feelings, but when I was around, he would either explode or leave in a huff.
It was a cute little building with white walls and potted flowers out front that weren’t very easy to see at night. We opened the door and were surprised to see that it was very busy. This was probably because it was the only pub in the area. We pushed through the crowds and went outside to the beer garden, where we sat because it was such a nice night.
I quickly noticed that it looked like the workers were all gathered there. There were farmers who worked in the fields, lower-ranking people from our Bootcamp, people from the small houses next door, and of course, the store owners from the tiny village thirty minutes away. There was a live band playing inside, but we could hear them from outside. They sounded pretty good, but not good enough to play a game.
“Hey little lady, can I buy you a drink?” A man in a lumberjack shirt came over to our table and put his arm around me. He spun a piece of wheat around his mouth. I sat down and talked to him for a while about farming and taking care of animals. He seemed really into it, and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings by telling him I wasn’t interested.
“Get your coat; you’ve pulled,” Sierra joked.
“I have to go to the toilet,” I said.
I got up and pushed the door open to go back into the bar. It didn’t seem any less busy than before, and maybe it was even busier now. I went into the bathroom to fix my hair and eat a few Tic Tacs to freshen my breath. Then I left, pushing the door right into someone’s arm.
“Sorry,” I said politely, looking up and seeing those cinnamon colours.
Damn.
I winced all over my face, as if I was in pain, and my features were almost screwing together. He, on the other hand, looked really angry, but he looked great. I looked down, not out of respect, but because it was so strange that he wasn’t wearing his army clothes.
He wore jeans. Jeans! And a grey Hilfigure hoodie made my mouth water.
“Am I in trouble?” I asked with a hint of shame.
He grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me through the crowd leaving the bar. “Oh, you are in so much trouble.” I thought he would take me back to boot camp, but instead he threw me across the parking lot.
“Are you f*****g stupid? This is a court-ordered boot camp. You can’t just leave whenever you want. When the commander finds out about this, you’re going to jail.”
I could tell he was holding on to that anger for a while. It must be really tiring to keep your feelings hidden for so long, bury them deep so you don’t get any frown lines or look angry.
“So don’t brown-nose your commander by telling him.” I shrugged and tried to get away from him, but he pulled me back hard.
“Jesus! You’re getting on my nerves so much! I tell you not to do simple things, but you do them anyway. Do you like making me mad?” He was so angry that steam was coming out of his ears.
“Is this guy bothering you, little lady?” The lumberjack from earlier came back, and I turned to face him before looking back at Mason, who completely ignored him.
“Yeah, he’s really bothering me,” I said quietly.
The lumberjack hit Mason’s jaw before I could think or do anything. He didn’t even blink, but he hit him back right away. The lumberjack fell to the ground and was knocked out. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him. I fell to the ground to make sure he was still breathing.
“What the f**k, Mason?” I yelled.
“Mason?” His voice was slow, and he sounded out his own name. It tasted like something I hadn’t had before. “Since when did we know each other by name?”
And that’s when I remembered that I had used his real name. The name I think of him by.
“We’re not.” I stood up and held my arm out so he could take it. “Bring me back to Bootcamp, back to your boss.”
Of course, I only let him take me back because I knew there were seven other escaped Bootcamp recruits sitting in the back of the beer garden, completely unaware of what was going on.
He looked at my arm, and my heart sank when he grabbed it and pulled us away from the bar and back towards the bootcamp.
As we drove down the dirt road, I said, “I don’t get it.” He huffed, but then he looked at me.
He said in a bored voice, “I would ask what, but I know you’re going to tell me anyway, so why bother?”
“We’re alone, and no one knows I’m out. I haven’t done anything wrong or hurt anyone tonight. Why does it matter if I don’t get caught?” He stopped in the street and let go of my arm.
“You criminals think it’s okay to do bad things as long as you don’t get caught.” He was so angry that his teeth were gritted.
“If you hate criminals so much, why do you work to make them better? You seem to think that there’s no redemption and that we all belong in jail.” He ran his finger over his stubble and a strange, never-before-seen look crossed his face.
He finally said, “I’m not going to talk about my personal life with you.” “You’re too outspoken for your own good,” he said, raising my eyebrows in question. “From now on, you will be the perfect soldier. Stand up straight, work hard in the field, shine your boots, don’t look anyone in the eye and most importantly, don’t talk back.” He stood up straight and became more stiff, just like he did today on the field. Full of professionalism, with no sign of anger anywhere.
“Your commander will have me arrested tonight, so you won’t have to worry about that.” I said quietly.
I saw his eyes quickly look at me from the side, but only for a second.
“Unless, of course, you don’t tell him,” I said, taking a chance.
“God, why do you think I’ll treat you differently? You’re not a diamond in the rough.”
The rage had come back. He couldn’t hide how he felt about me, so it was clear he didn’t like me.
Everyone else thought he was a brick wall, a robot with no feelings, but when I was around, he would either explode or leave in a huff.