Side By Side

5

Warnings:
-None

Clay's POV

I was sitting with my parents while drinking water and calming down from the intense exercises I just did. I was very nervously waiting for everyone to be done, but it felt like it was taking ages.

~~~

It was a few hours later when the sergeant and some other people in uniform came back. They stood in front of the crowd. 'SILENCE!'

I immediately straightened my posture as I looked in front of me to the sergeant who glanced at me and the others.

'This day there have been twenty-six people who want to join the army and the results are shockingly bad. If you aren't trained enough or if you have any medical issues, WE DO NOT WANT YOU HERE!'

I felt my heart beating really fast as my hope started fading away more and more. I really tried, but I was scared I was one of the people who weren't trained enough.

'Five people this day passed the challenges and all the medical tests. One of them is above the others with a two minutes quicker time on his run than anyone here. With forty-three push-ups, fifty-one sit-ups and a fifteen minute run, which are the times for an advanced soldier, we would like to ask Clay to be our first participant for the upcoming boot camp.'

I lifted myself up from happiness, not knowing if I had to stand up or not. I was so happy that I squeezed my hands and made a squealing noise.

'Congratulations, Clay. You'll get told what you need to take with you next time and when that is. The second person is Sapnap...'

He kept talking as I looked at my parents. 'Oh my goodness, YES! I knew I could do it!'

'I'm so happy for you, honey,' my mother smiled, hugging me tightly.

'You've been training really hard and you're the best one by far out of everyone here. You're going to pass the boot camp for sure,' my dad answered.

'I can't wait, I'm going to give anything I have in me. I will continue until my body gives up, because my mind will never give up this fight. I'm going to become a soldier.'

The other four people's names were called out and then we had to stand up. I was about to walk away as the sergeant came up to me. I straightened my posture again and greeted him formally.

'We've barely seen these scores for such a young boy. Your scores are as high as a trained soldier and we're really surprised because of that.'

'I want to prove to everyone that I can do this and I've trained for years now. I've wanted this since my sixth and I'm not giving up my dream, sergeant,' I told him.

'What makes you want to prove yourself?'

'Because people didn't think I'd be able to do it, sergeant,' I answered. 'But also because I really want to be able to help save all people who suffer from wars.'

'That's a good goal. I hope I'll see you later at the start of the boot camp.'

'You will, sergeant. I will be there, sir.'

He smiled and then walked off as I relaxed my body again. 'Did I sound rude? Did I need to say sergeant in the end or was sir good too?'

'You sounded really polite,' my father answered. 'You did great. Let's go home and check everything you need for the boot camp. I think you'll need a haircut, all your medical history which isn't much anyway and probably a lot more than that. We will get it in the mail, I figure.'

I nodded. 'Have I ever even gone to the hospital?' I asked with a chuckle.

'Once because you had a cut in your forehead when you fell on the table's edge. They stitched it but you were five, I think,' my mother answered. 'But I don't think we ever went there after that.'

I didn't answer, but looked at my feet while walking to the car. I was so happy that I passed this test, I knew I was able to do it.

I sat down in the car and waited the whole ride home in silence. Once we arrived at home, I stepped out and walked upstairs to take a shower with the biggest smile on my face ever. I was going to the boot camp which meant I was another step closer to becoming a soldier.

Would I be the first gay soldier? Or would more people have lied about their sexuality? I didn't know the answer, but it made me even more proud to know I was gay and becoming a soldier. One day I'd tell them I was gay and laugh as I told them gay people could in fact join the army.

I let the water run over my body and I sat down on the shower's floor since my legs were a bit sore. I had never ran faster than I did today, I literally gave everything I had in me to make sure I'd pass the test.

I leaned against the wall which caused the water to go down my stomach. I grabbed my sponge to wash myself and constantly smiled meanwhile because I kept repeating what the sergeant said about me.

I was as good as a trainer soldier? It made me so happy that I felt a butterfly kind of feeling in my stomach from excitement. I was the best out of all the twenty-six people as the youngest there. I couldn't wait until the boot camp, I was so incredibly excited.

I stood up from the floor after washing myself and turned the shower off to dry off my body and then dress up again. I grabbed my shaving gel and my razor to shave my facial hair because I knew when I was in the army, I wasn't allowed to have facial hair. I didn't want a bear or anything anyway, so I didn't mind at all.

I shaved my face and washed it after that, then I went downstairs with a big smile. 'I'm so happy!' I yelled when I sat down. 'Did they already send anything?'

'Not yet, I'll immediately tell you when they do,' my father replied. 'Want to watch a movie together now we still can?'

I nodded and sat down with them, maybe this would be the last time we would watch a movie together in a long time.

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