Care Package

Military Brat

BGK

I, along with the rest of my division, jogged my fifth lap. The clouds weeped over the base. We hadn't seen rain like this in at least 5 months. It was as if God Himself chose to reward us for our hard work.

"Keep up, Maraj!" I teased, breaking formation to be beside her.

"Shut up, Knowles!" She immediately rebutted with a giggle, not even glancing my way.

"Knowles, back in formation!" General Maraj commanded from the greenery.

Although he was far, his words reached us through the assistance of a megaphone. I laughed as I subtly fell back into my slot.

The remainder of the lap was practically a walk in the park. It didn't take more than a minute. So when it was over, we all stood lined up in front of the general, listening to what he had to say next.

I zoned out part way through his talking. My attention fell back on Onika, who was at the end of the front line. I watched as water trickled down her face and how flawless she looked through it all.

A smirk grew on her face and she slightly glanced my way, making me suppress a chuckle from being caught.

"All of you head inside now. It's only going to get worse." General Maraj spoke once more, dismissing us.

We all dispersed, heading to our separate barracks.

In a matter of seconds, everyone was speaking. So many different personalities bouncing off one another. We spent so much time being serious that at the end of it all, we had to offload a lot.

"Next time you try move into my space, I'll have to neutralise you, Knowles." Onika invaded my space, with an elbow to my rib. "I'm not playing."

"Blah, blah, blah." I stuck my tongue out at her. She rolled her eyes, grinning from ear to ear.

"There go the lovebirds." We heard one of the other girls joke.

It was an ongoing joke that Onika and I were an item, but we weren't. We grew up together. This is just how we've always been. Especially with both of our fathers serving together, we had no choice but to be best friends.

"We are not lovebirds, Shannon." I argued back, unconvincingly. "Tell her, Onika."

"We are not lovebirds." Onika repeated with certainty in her voice.

"Ladies, less chit chat!" The megaphone sounded off again. "In your barracks. Now."

"Someone needs to take that thing from him." Another girl huffed as we all picked up our pace.

"There's only one person here who has that power." I added and Onika mushed my face because everyone turned to look at her.

"I'm not his daughter when we're on base. Only at home or when my momma's here."

"Worth a shot."

We finally made it to our barracks. In an instance, the girls were discarding of their wet garments and exchanging them with towels, preparing for showers.

With there being three barracks, Onika and I didn't reside in the same one. So as everyone was distracted with their own tasks, I snuck out and headed to the Water Well.