The Beginning of the Middle that started at the End

Chapter 5

Okay so to fill you in, I won but Phil also thinks he won ( he is delusional ). I was simply being the bigger man and just walked away after he said some very inappropriate and harsh words. No, I did not walk away so I could cry. Who do you think I am, Phil?.... Oh, shut up. But on the bright side, Phil and I ended up, making up later. Well more like we are even again.

"Drills. All that ever happens is drills, I mean seriously when will anything new happen around here." Cody mutters to himself. "OH MY GOD GUESS WHAT?!" he suddenly yells as he jumps on my back. I'm giving him a piggy back ride when we walk to the dining hall, correction while I'm walking to the dining hall. "You finally got diagnosed with split personality disorder" "Pssshhhhhh no." he laughs a bit before finally saying, "There is supposed to be an announcement today during dinner." He smiles get off my back, two things come to mind one yeah he needs to be checked for split personality cause sometimes he is really happy excitable, the next he is sad and grumpy it's quite entertaining sometimes, the other thing that crossed my mind, when was the last time there was an announcement for everyone. "Oh wait, it's that day again." I mutter aloud James looks at me "what day?" "That day." "Dude that really isn't helping me." He laughs a bit as we enter the dining hall except there is no food just a line of tables with senior officers behind them with pens and papers. "Oh.... That day." Says James as all of our squadron poured into the room behind us. "ATTENTION! Today is your guy's biennial check in. fill in all the questions then you will have a short interview, then you are released back to your dorms dinner will be served at 2000 hours." A lady comes by and my the paper with my name on it, I grab a black pen from the jar on the corner of the lunch table and sit down between Phil and Cody both are quickly filling theirs out the thing is that I could fill it out for both of them. I mean both Cody and Phil are 22, Phil is black with chocolate colored eyes, and Cody is a dirty blonde with blue enough eyes that he could have been a Nazi if that was still a thing, Phil was born in Canada and has 4 people in his family, Cody, on the other hand, has a huge family 7 total they are all USA born and raised. But mine is the easiest to fill out I finished maybe a minute after I sit down which isn't really too surprising considering it's only a half-page thing. I walk over to one of the senior officers get asked the basic questions... any recent medical issues? Any social problems among your comrades? Anything you would like to bring to our attention? And with that, I was released back to the dorms.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. "You may all head back to the dining hall." A voice rang over the intercom "Uuggghhh finally I'm like starving." I groan as I slide off the top bunk of the bunkbed that Cody and I shared. "I feel yah," says Cody reaching out his hand so I can pull him up out of bed. He grabs his blue Nikes that completely destroy the purpose of his cameo uniform out of his truck which by the way is like a war zone of clothing as random items and quickly puts them on he doesn't even both trying them before he starts marching off toward the dining hall, yep that's my friend I smirk and chase after him

Cody and I grab our trays of food, sloppy joes and you might think I'm crazy but they are probably the best sloppy joes ever, no joke. We go take our seat in the corner farther from the door next to Phil, Matt, James and some other people from our squadron which I don't have any feelings towards except Andrew he's a dick, even his mom would agree with that statement. "Soooo I heard you were chatting up some chick at the hospital." Says matt with a cheeky grin that I really wanted to smash off his face. "Eh, she had a boyfriend so," I reply hardcore pretending to be chill about it. "You just have no luck with these things do you." Snickers Cody as he takes an absolutely massive bite of his sloppy joe. "Nope, not a single bit," I mutter as I take a drink what I assume was supposed to be orange juice, the only thing that's good that they serve is the sloppy joe but that's like once every other full moon. "Eh, I think you play your cards right you get the one." Says James as he shoves food in his mouth. Phil sighs and shines some wisdom on us, "having a life is hard here man."

"You never had one Phil!" some yells from somewhere in the dining hall. Matt spews out the orange juice stuff (still don't know what it actually is) all over the table laughing. Phil and James both recoil with laughter so much so Phil falls off the end of the bench. It's kind of sad that this is so normal that everyone just ignores it now they used to make us run laps, but they don't care anymore as long as we clean everything up plus I'm pretty sure that Suzie (the cook lady) sells videos of us as gag gifts, you know thinking about it..... Damn, I'm surprised she hasn't reported us yet for open discussing the problems with human dissection with a live subject and that's one the more sane side of things. Out of the corner of my eye I see Cody and I think Carl the passing back and forth one of their PCD (personal communications device which is literally just a cell phones that they assigned to us but there are waterproof, sand-proof, impact-proof, etc.) then I hear "damn she's cute" and then carl looks at me then back at the screen........ Yep.... They are up to something.... I slide over to them and put my arm quickly around Cody I wait for like 10 seconds when neither of them says anything, "SO. What you both looking at?" Carl sighs and hands me his PCD and immediately looks at the ground. On the screen is a picture of amber. "Really dude?" "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey it's on her grids profile it's like stalking someone on Facebook or Instagram." I want to deck him at this point. "Uhhhh no it's not it's a personal file of her entire life you don't go through it for a picture." A reply extra so that Carl's baby sized mind could understand." He opens his mouth to say something but just closes it instead and goes back to looking at the floor. Cody slowly turns to Carl like a creepy doll, "YOU WERE THAT GUY IN HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!" Carl turns burning red up to the tips of his ears everyone in the room just takes a moment to look at how red he went like he was redder than communism. "No I wasn't." he sounded furious but he like half whispered it to us getting redder and redder by the second "Shut up yes you were." Snickered Cody. "Hey, you aren't off the hook either Cody like what the fuck man." I give them both the, what would be classified as, the evil pissed librarian look "It has her phone number." I hear Carl say under his breath. I throw the PCD at him "Then you call her." With that, I walk out of the room.

Hmm, I wonder if I could swing across those, looking up at the bars that run across the ceiling in the dorm room I am lying on my bunk. You know doing the whole what I am I supposed to do thing running millions of outcomes through my head thinking of things I could be doing but just laying here instead. After what seems like forever I reach into my pocket and pull out my PCD the screen shines a dim green black format the "night setting" but it's not any dimmer they just changed the colors which are fine cause like the night colors better but you would think that they would make the night setting dimmer, okay I'm getting distracted again. I take a couple deep breath and click on the contacts application there are only a few.... And ambers is at the top of the list. but it's only cause her name starts with an A, she has a boyfriend. Why am I fighting myself over this I am only going to be her friend I have been only friends with lots of girls. Why would this be any different?

Hey –Arthur

"Shit." I whisper "why the heck did I do that" complaining about my ignorance to the logical side of my mind. I slap myself hard enough on the cheek that it burns red for a few seconds before continuing with my complaints "You just fucked up, you know what your actual intentions are, stop lying to yourself" as I keep on muttering to myself I tossed the PCD to the end of my bunk as soon as it lands I hear the text tone...... Amber sent something back.... No. no. no. I can't.....but it would be rude not to reply.... I mean I started the conversation, right? Just keep it something neutral. Yeah just avoid flirting and politics it will be fine, I repeat over and over in my head as I grab my phone.

Hi, how are you? –Amber

I'm good, you? –Arthur

Could be better.... –Amber

What's wrong? –Arthur

I'll get over it... I'm making a fuss over nothing –Amber

Are you sure? -Arthur

Yeah. –Amber

The conversation went dead neither of us sent anything. I am kind of worried now I could tell that she didn't want to tell me but I didn't really want to drop it either maybe I should have.... What the heck did I think was going to happen?