Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
“In my biased opinion, way hotter than Coach,” I replied.
He smirked a little. “Agreed.”
All right, then. I was telling Coach later.
I stood a little taller and aimed for the other recruits waiting by the exit. Miguel had a similar duffel to Leighton, and Oliver and Riley had opted for the Hillcroft-provided seabags.
“Follow me, guys,” I said, heading out. Follow the guy Leighton thinks is hotter than Coach.
Maybe I’d needed that ego boost today, even if it’d been said in jest to some degree. Moreover, it’d been delivered by the right person, seeing as he’d unknowingly ruined half my morning after his post-run display of abs. My two donuts and I hadn’t felt awesome.
To my credit, it wasn’t my fault. With Danny throwing recruit training and mentoring at me, Shira and Coach benching me from my own assignment, and Doc clearing me for work but not really, I was stuck in a limbo where I didn’t train as hard as I should.
I had to change that. Maybe Alex could run around in the gym while I worked out, because everyone wanted a kid there.
I was fucked one way or another.
We crossed the plaza in front of Hillcroft, and the sun poked out from between angry clouds. The humidity was off the charts, and—
“Operator Beckett.” Miguel walked up next to me. “Can I ask why I wasn’t assigned to the private unit? I have nothing in common with these kids.”
“That’s why,” I told him. “I get where you’re coming from, but the one problem we always have with older recruits is their inability to connect with the younger ones—which is fundamental for teamwork exercises. And frankly, they need more people to look up to.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “Show them the way instead of keeping to yourself.”
He frowned but said nothing, and he fell behind with the others. Or two of them; it seemed Leighton was up next.
“I couldn’t help but overhear,” he admitted. “If it’s gonna cause problems, I can share with others.”
“My choice wasn’t random, Leighton,” I replied. I stopped at the red light and looked around. Hobbs Circle hugged a park area where I snuck out to have my lunch every now and then, and Lincoln Towers was on the other side. “Right now, you’re the only one who has private counseling with Doc, and that’s personal affairs. I chose you for my apartment because it’s up to you to decide what you divulge when your schedule differs from the others’.”
I remembered very well how much you stood out when you lived the barracks life and had an appointment. Some nosy fuckers would always ask where you’d been.
“Oh. Thanks.” He chewed on his lip.
The light changed, and I walked again.
He stayed next to me as we rounded the park, but he didn’t speak.
Ironically, I hated my own sessions with Doc, but I hoped they’d do wonders for Leighton. It was damn near impossible to read him, and I wasn’t even sure there was much to read in the first place. If he was carrying around insecurities and doubts about anything, I bet he had those buried deep. If anything, he seemed blank. Losing his mother and not having a dad around must’ve been incredibly traumatic, and joining the Army right after…? I could only guess. He may have dealt with some of it, as he’d mentioned, but I knew how the service worked. I knew how suppression worked. Sometimes, it made you lose sight of who you were.
It only reminded me of how I was fucking shit up for my niece. Alex had been dealt the same cards, only she was even younger.
Kat was right. We had to drag Ma out of mourning. She had to be there for Alex too.
Once we got to the left-side tower, we took the elevator up to the thirteenth floor, where I showed Miguel, Oliver, and Riley the one-bedroom they were gonna share. The bedroom had two twin beds, and the living room area had a sofa bed. Kitchen there, bathroom there, and due to the situation, there’d be no inspection on Tuesdays and Fridays. We’d get back to that once the dorms had been cleared again.
“Just ensure you leave enough time to have breakfast before class,” I said. “You can cook and eat here if you want, but I’d advise you to eat in the cafeteria since that’s free.”
“This is awesome,” Oliver said, opening the fridge. “I’mma go buy Monster.”
Of course he was, because all soldiers lived on energy drinks and Zyn or Copenhagen.
“Do we use the laundry facilities at Hillcroft?” Miguel asked.
“Whichever,” I replied. “There’s a laundry room in the basement next to the garage—the code is sixty-seven, forty-nine. The only thing I will say is that the dryers in this building are a little better, and not many use them. Most units have their own facilities.”