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My face was stretched in a wide grin as I looked aroundto live rown up with only my dad, and I loved him, but he didn't kno to be a parent The only part he see a whiny teenager, that really was about the extent of our conversations He is always aroundme to be perfect Not that I could blaraduated High School, and apparently he's really good at what he does The guys that cah his units respected him, and he always exuded pride for the to ith hi my work in his office I learned early on that if I didn't understand so, it was just better not to ask He'd look up at h, and then go back to whatever he orking on I was expected to finish by the tio out there with him, but he still never said a word The only interaction I really ever had ith his Marines If anyone were to ask, I would let them know in a heartbeat I was raised by a bunch of immature jarheads that I adored, not my father

And now, after eighteen years of struggling to achieve a perfection that couldn’t be reached into let loose, have the college experience – whatever that was – and hopefully find out who I ae here, but to say that est understates I kneouldn’t be able to if I stayed here

“Are you sure you want to do this Harper? There are plenty of excellent schools in North Carolina”

I kept my eyes trained on his “I'm one hundred percent certain Sir, this is what I need to do” Did I mention I'm only allowed to call him 'Sir'?

“Well,” he looked past me at my , “it will be different around here” He turned and walked out of the room

And that's as good as it was going to get, to be honest, it was one of the longest conversations we had in a fewthat he could talk to his guys all day long, but we start talking and he's out of the room within minutes

My phone chiain,for California I’d been getting calls, texts and o Now that I was older and closer in age with er tried to raise ht uys like theh that most of the off base during their liberty, but I think they liked that I wasn’t one of those girls that tried too hard to get their attention Not that they didn’t like that kind of attention, but apparently I was a nice break from the rest of the women they dealt with

J Carter - ‘DON’T LEAVE ME! I’o insane without you here to keep me company’

Me - ‘I’m sure you’ll be fine Carter Prokowski and Sanders see it a little harder than most too…you can comfort each other ;) Or you can always take up one of the base skank’s offers They’re sure to keep you better company than me’

J Carter - ‘I think I got herpes just thinking about them’

Me - ‘Ha! Ew I gotta go, Sir’s done loading up s in the car’

J Carter - ‘I’ll et about me’

Me - ‘Never’

Jason Carter enty and had been in Sir’s unit for about a year, he and I had become close quickly He was my best friend and if I was on base when they had liberty, he was always one of the guys that opted to spend time with me rather than hunt doomen with some of his other friends I had always been sad whenever one of the guys transferred to another base, unit, or finished their time in the Marine Corps But I’m pretty sure Carter would have been one that would kill o, so I wasn’t surprised that this was the sixth time he’s asked me not to leave within the last hour He couldn’t have said it better, I would lanced around the house I’d grown up in one last ti Sir in the car That house was definitely so I wouldn’t miss

Almost twelve hours, two cars and two planes later and I was standing in o State University My new roommate hadn't checked in yet, but from the e-mails we'd sent back and forth over the last feeeks, she lived close and would bein a few days from now I pickeda shower and falling ontoat roaned, if I was back ho day of traveling and unpacking and it took all the rest of y just to curl up in my comforter and fall asleep

“Harper? Haaaaarperrrrrr! Wake up!”

My eyelids opened just enough to see a sht my arms up, my entire body already tense

“Whoa, whoa! It's me, Breanna!”

“Do you have a death wish? Don't do that!” She'd better be happy I had still thought I was drea on the defensive aking up

She giggled and sat on the edge ofto wake you up for the last five minutes”

Weird, I was usually a really light sleeper “I thought you weren't co ‘til Sunday?”

“Well technically I'estured to the still bare other half of the rooe party tonight and I figured I'd see if you wanted to go”

The closest I’d ever couys on base I tried not to show ed indifference “Sure, when is it?”

“It doesn't start until nine or so, so we still have a few hours Want to grab dinner?”