Suffering: Male Reader x TWDG

Chapter 13: A Bandit Camp

1 year and 8 months later

You wake up at your usual time and get out of bed. After having a cold shower, you head to the training grounds to start some early morning exercise. You actually exercise with a few other people who are all from the Rangers. They push you to your limit and you have noticed that for the past year you have gained quite a bit of muscle. They also regularly teach you hand to hand combat.

Out of all the kids you are definitely the best trained and a lot of that is due to them. Captain Anderson regularly talks to you if he sees you and you can tell the others are starting to get upset at the attention you are receiving from the high command. You and Jessie have been dating ever since that night by the lake on your thirteenth birthday.

Your fourteenth birthday was spent doing training as you want to be in the best possible position for when you get picked for a unit. Although, you believe with how the Rangers talk to you, it's almost guaranteed that's where you'll be put. After the extra training you head to the cafeteria for breakfast, "Hey Y/N same time tomorrow right?" one of the men you train with asks. You nod as you walk away.

You feel bad but you can't really remember their names. Not that it matters, apparently the Rangers all call each other by nicknames. You enter the cafeteria getting your food and sitting down at the usual table. The atmosphere is slightly tense in Fort Summer as a couple patrols have been ambushed recently although according to the men you train with, the Rangers are close to finding out who these people are and where they come from.

The others enter and grab their food sitting down at the table. The situation among the friend group isn't much better as you assume people are jealous of the attention you are receiving. The only people that really talk to you or hang out with you now are Chloe and Jessie. There has been something wrong with Chloe now. For quite a while she has seemed like she is upset at something.

You tried to ask and even got Jessie to ask her but she won't say anything. It could be to do with the fact that it is coming up to the time when you will be put into your units, if your memory serves you well, it happens a few weeks before your birthday - so essentially in about four months - and although it happens before your birthday, despite you not being fifteen you will still be one of the people sorted into a unit just like with Mia.

The other kids being sorted are Jessie, Chloe, Harvey, Mark and Ethan. The one problem with you possibly being put in the Rangers is that you will have a lot less time with Jessie as although she is great and definitely improving, you doubt she would make the cut and be considered for the Rangers.

You fiddle with your ring which is still quite big and only just fits on your ring finger. Jessie kisses you on the cheek as she sits down next to you and starts to eat. You smile at her before returning to your own food. You tend to struggle with telling Jessie how you feel so often you end up just smiling awkwardly at her.

After eating breakfast, it is time to start training. This time it is special because it is hand to hand combat against each other. You can tell people are nervous as you all make your way to the training ground. You're silently hoping you get put against Ethan just so you can beat him up again. Despite the fact he is a teachers pet now, he still finds ways to piss you off but surprisingly everyone else has gotten over their hate towards him.

In fact, you tend to be the one that people dislike. You all arrive at the training grounds and stand to attention in front of Sergeant Edwards. "Right, I told you all yesterday what we would be doing today. I'm going to put you in pairs, the person you are put with is the person you will fight" he says as he pulls out a clipboard.