Into Your Arms

TGIF

You awoke at 4:30 AM on the dot. You had tossed and turned all night, worried about this operation, and worried about making sure you picked the right students. It was one of the hardest operations you had ever seen, Ace was not lying when he mentioned that over the phone. You got up and got ready for your day, and again enjoyed your coffee on the patio. You looked over, hoping to see Pete, just as you did yesterday. Your nerves were settling in, and you wanted some comfort. However, it looked as if Pete's house was dark. You finished up your coffee and headed to the base.

As you pulled up to the base, Pete's bike was already parked. What was he doing here so early? You wondered to yourself. You also saw a baby blue Bronco parked outside, but other than that, it seemed that no one else was here just yet. You got out of your car and walked toward the meeting room, when you heard Bradley's voice. "My dad made the mistake of trusting you, and I won't be making that same mistake," he said lightly but with a lot of force. "One more thing, I know you're my instructor, but don't think for once second that you're anything more. With Blaze here as well, I will look to her for guidance whenever possible. You're nobody to me," Bradley snapped again. You quickly scooted to the side when you heard footsteps, which end up being Bradley storming out and walking off to the jets. You walked in as if you hadn't heard anything, when you saw Pete leaning against a desk rubbing his temples. "Rough start to the morning already?" you questioned, attempting to see if Pete would tell you what happened. "You have no idea. That kid is a piece of work," he remarked, with sadness and a hint of fear in his eyes. You silently wondered what was with those two. There has to be some sort of history with the words that Bradley had spewed.

Class that day was gruesome. It was 105 degrees outside, and you were testing the pilots flying maneuvers in the air again. You had hoped that they would have learned something yesterday, and maybe they truly did, but just didn't know how to employ it. You and Pete had begun to get frustrated, and ended up dismissing the class a half hour early. You felt that you were failing as instructors. You both sat in silence in the meeting room, going over the training that happened earlier, when you heard Ace approach. "Tough day?" He asked. "What are we doing wrong, Ace? It feels as if we do the same thing every single trial run, and they continue to get blasted down over and over and over!" you had almost shouted. "If you remember correctly, you didn't earn the name Blaze or Maverick on your first day. You two may be the best there is, but it didn't happen overnight. Why do you think we called you both? If they would learn overnight and become the best by morning, we wouldn't have needed you," and with that, Ace turned and walked out. You and Pete looked at each other, taking in everything Ace had to offer that evening. "He's right you know. We're not bad instructors, but maybe we just need to take things from a different angle," Pete recommended. "They don't work as teams, they can't get the job done solo, what more can we do to break these chains that seem to be holding them back?" You questioned. "Have you eaten? Let's meet up at the Hard Deck. We can grab a bite and put our heads together for next Monday's lesson," Pete suggested. With that, you changed into some skinny jeans and an oversized Def Leppard t-shirt, and threw your hair into a messy bun. You were on your way to the Hard Deck.

By the time you had arrived, it seemed as if it was packed already, and mostly it looked to be your students, blowing off some steam. As you both walked into the bar, you felt a weight lift off of your shoulders. You were...happy. You both took a seat at the bar, and ordered your food, along with a beer. It was Friday night, and you deserved to guzzle as much or as little as you wanted to. "I can't believe this place is still "the" place," Pete chuckled. A flood of memories flashed back into your mind; you couldn't help but feel nostalgic as it all came wafting back. You looked around, filtering out people you knew versus people you didn't. You saw Hangman, Phoenix and Bob surrounding the pool table; they were laughing and thoroughly enjoying the competition between them. You looked a little further, and those eyes stopped you right in your tracks. Bradley was gazing at you from across the bar. He was wearing jeans, and a black (fitted might I add) t-shirt. How long had he been staring? You gave a slight smile, and turned back to Pete. Not even a moment later, and a blast from the past arrived; Penny. She looked gorgeous as she always had, smiling, and brought instant light to the place. You swear you saw some drool escape Pete's mouth. "Oh my god. If it isn't the Mitchell's!" Penny screamed out in excitement. You shuddered, not knowing who overheard that. You both explained to Penny that you had gotten divorced, and were merely friends, if you could even call it that. Your friendship was a result of a random pairing of instructors, but it felt nice. Penny and Pete began to catch up, and you decided to walk outside for some fresh air after finishing your meal. You grabbed your beer, and headed outside.