His Marine - Michael Clifford

6. Get Out

I passed my medical with flying colours.

I passed my fitness with flying colours.

Now all I had to do was wait.

I still hadn't told anybody. I didn't know what to say or even how to say it. Our family had a bad past experience with marines and I'm not sure how they're going to react when I do finally tell them. I have a feeling it won't be good though which is why I'm now considering not telling them at all. I could just pack my bag and leave. It would hurt them, I know that, but it will save them more heartbreak in the long run. It's sounding very tempting right now.

What's worse is that I had already planned it.

My bag sat, already fully packed and ready to go, directly beside my bedroom door. I had written goodbye letters to everyone important in my life explaining everything to them. Jason had agreed to let me stay with him until training commences if I needed to. Everything's all perfectly planned out in great detail.

If I decide not to tell them then I leave in two days' time at midnight while my parents are still sleeping peacefully in their bed. I will leave my key on the kitchen table leaving me without the option of returning. I will run and never look back.

Currently I was sat on my bed, my music playing quietly in the background as I listened to the thunderstorm raging on outside. I always found storms calming and the ultimate time to think about things. Which is exactly what I was doing. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't prevent my brain mind from wandering back to my current predicament.

Do I stay and face the music?

Or do I run from my problems?

"Brett." I heard my mothers voice quietly calling for me, shaking me from my thoughts. Thinking I was hearing things I decided to just ignore it and return to my daydreams. "Brett!" Her voice was a lot louder this time letting me know I wasn't imagining things. "Come down stairs!" From the tone of her voice I could tell she was extremely pissed off and I was wondering what I had done wrong this time.

Grudgingly I pulled myself from the soft, warm confines of my bed to trudge down the stairs. I got a bottle of water out of the fridge knowing that this was probably going to take a while. I took my usual seat at the table and both of my parents moved their chairs so that they were sat directly opposite me instead of next to me.

Yep, this is bad.

Let the lecture begin.

Instead of saying anything a letter was flung across the table at me. It slid along the smooth, varnished, wooden surface stopping directly in front of me. My heart leapt into my mouth seeing the USMC logo printed in the top right hand corner. "Where did you get this?" I asked while trying to calm down my heart that was slamming against my chest so hard I'm almost surprised that it didn't shatter my rib cage.

"It was posted through the door this afternoon. I put in on the table with all the other letters. When I was cleaning I knocked them onto the floor and when I pick them up I find this." She spat the last word venomously. As though it were poison in her mouth. "Go on, read it." She demanded and I cautiously ripped the envelope open and pulled out the letter. "Out loud." She added and I gulped before reciting the words that were inked onto the page.

"Miss Brett Hemmings. We are delighted to inform you that you have been accepted onto the infantry experiment. Report to your local armed forces career centre at midnight July 14th. A bus will be waiting to transport you and the rest of your platoon to the training centre. We look forward to seeing you there. Best regards. United States Marine Corps."

I finished reading and looked up to see my mother glaring at me. I swear if looks could kill then she would shortly be burying my dead body. To be honest there's still a chance that this conversation could end with her burying my dead body. "Were you even going to discuss this with us?" She snapped. My dad had been completely silent since I set foot into the kitchen and it was extremely unnerving.

"What would have been the point?" I sighed. "You're never going to changed your mind about the marines and neither am I.

"After everything I went through with your Uncle Harry and you want to put me through it all again. Why?" Bringing my dead uncle into this. If that's the way she wants to play it I can see me getting kicked out of the house. Not that I even care anymore.

"I have always looked up to him and you know it. He was a fine man and a damn good marine." I defended slamming my hand down onto the table in anger. This was turning into a full-blown argument now. I knew it was never just going to be a friendly conversation but it could have at least been civil.

"And look where it got him!" She shouted making sure her voice was louder than mine. "Dead and buried!"

"He died a hero!"

"He died an idiot!" The first few tears started to roll down her face and I could see my dad getting angry at me. I don't know why he was getting angry with me, she was the one who wanted to play dirty. She was the one who brought him up in the first place.

"No he fucking well didn't! He died a hero and I would gladly follow in his footsteps. I'm going to live my life the way I want to live it whether you like it or not and quite frankly I don't give a fuck anymore." My dad was about to say something but I beat him to it. "Shut it! This is a massive part of my life and instead of supporting me like real parents should, you're sat here arguing over it with me."

"Get out!" My dad shouted, his anger finally bubbling over the top causing him to explode. "Get out now! No marine is living in this house."

"Gladly." I stood up sending the chair flying halfway across the room and stormed up the stairs to collect my back pack before leaving the house for the last time. The thunder storm was still raging on all around me as I walked to the gym so I could take my anger out on a punching bag.

After hours of punching the bag with my bare knuckles the skin was raw and cracked leaving blood to trickle down my hands. It was eleven o'clock and the gym was just about to close for the night so I made my way back outside. I walked around for half an hour, the freezing cold conditions not even bothering me as I took out my phone and called the one person I knew I could always rely on. "Luke." I tried to keep myself composed when he picked up.

"What's wrong Brett?" He asked and it amazed me how he knew something was wrong before I had even told him.

"Why does something have to be wrong? Why can't I just want a friendly chat with my brother?"

"Because it's nearly twelve o'clock at night and your phoning me instead of just letting yourself into my house. Talk to me."

"Do you mind if I crash at your place for the night? I promise I'll explain everything as soon as I get there but I don't know where else to go."

"No problem Brett. Do you want me to come and pick you up?" I was going to say yes but then I heard him yawn down the phone. I wasn't going to put his life in danger by asking him to drive while he was tired. It's my own stupid fault for not bringing my car when I stormed out.

"No thanks. I'll see you shortly."