thē ງirl ຖēxt ໓໐໐r ✰ jenzie

-chapter one-

a/n: I FIND THIS BOOK CRINGY OK. it was the second book i ever wrote, and i thought i was hot stuff back then. so this book is NOT comparative to my other works, and pls read at your own risk :)

johnny's pov

Colonel Johnathan Orlando: age 18
Favorably discharged May 12, 2022
Reason for dischargment: dislocated shoulder and hip

I stare at the yellowed file the General hands me. It feels heavy in my hand...but not as heavy as my heart feels. Being a Colonel of the US Army was my life. It made me happy, it made me feel fulfilled. These boys were my family.

"Johnny, you've only been with us for a little over a year, and you've been upgraded to a very high position. You're the youngest Colonel in the entire US Army. You should be proud of your accomplishments." The General pats me on the shoulder roughly.

"Don't be down about it. You've got a whole different path in front of you. It's the end of one chapter and the start of another. We're very thankful for your service, Johnny. You'll be missed."

I nod, and salute properly. "Yes, sir. Thank you for what you've done in my life. I appreciate you very much."

Approvingly, General Brownzik nods and shakes my hand one last time. "Recover quickly, my friend, and don't let stuff take you down. I hope your tough approach on the field will be the same with life. See you later, sonny."

With a friendly and sincere smile, the General ushers me out of his office.

Taking one last glance around the barrack that had been my home for the past year, I pick up my duffle bag and head over to the helicopter.

"See you, Johnny!" Some of my fellow soldiers call to me. "Say hi to your sister for me!"

I give my signature smirk, amused because Lauren probably doesn't even know who they are and reply back, "Definitely. And keep in touch. I'll miss you boys."

Amid the windiness created by the helicopter, I toss my duffel bag onto the helicopter and climb in with ease. With one last wave to the boys in my regiment, I slam the door and buckle up.

Sitting back in the hard seat of the helicopter, I prop my feet up on my duffel bag and start the deep thinking I'm known for.

I joined the military the day I turned 17, the legal age for enlisting. I had trained vigorously beforehand, going to a very serious junior military academy instead of the usual normal high school. My family had known that I had wanted to join the army for a while because that had been my dream since I was a really little kid. Ever since I saw some of the terrible things that were happening in other countries, freedom has always been a passion of mine, and I considered it the greatest honor to serve my country. That's probably how I got promoted so quickly and so high as well.

While I'm a really tough guy, I will always have a soft spot for my family. Even my sister Lauren. Yup, that's right. My sister is Lauren Orlando, the famous teen actress who won Teen Choice Awards and has an unbelievable resume and list of awards she's won for her acting and modeling. She might seem to have this proud mentality on TV, but she's a completely different person at home. We're three years apart, but our relationship is so close we could basically be twins. That's why she was so upset when I left for the army. So yeah, if you noticed her acting on Where's Home was a little off around Season 2, it was because she was upset about me.

We try to keep in touch as much as we can, and she'll send me pictures of her on magazines or billboards, or tell me about her best friend, Mackenzie Ziegler, who happens to live next door to us.

Well, I guess Mackenzie doesn't just "happen" to. Shortly after I moved out and joined the army, Lauren joined the show Where's Home with Mackenzie, and shortly after that, Mackenzie and her family moved next door to us so Lauren and Mackenzie could get more time together (as if they weren't around each other all day on set...). I haven't come home since I enlisted, except for once on New Year's this past year for a couple of hours. So I have yet to meet Lauren's best friend, but I've heard ALL about her.

Actually, Lauren doesn't know when I'm coming home. I told her I got discharged, but I also told her that I'm going to be staying for a little bit to help with the training of my regiment. I told my parents that I was coming home, but I'm planning on surprising Lauren on set during an interview.

I wanted it to just be a surprise, but my parents told news stations, and so they scheduled an interview so they could catch the whole thing. I guess I don't mind too much. I'm super excited just to see Lauren and to be back at home again, and I really hope Lauren's suprised.

But really, I don't know what I'm going to do once I get home. I could go to college, but it really wasn't my plan, so I haven't ever thought about what I would do if I did go to college.

I guess I can figure that out later. For now, I'm gonna take a nap.

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A/N: i'm so excited for this book yeettttt🤸🏻‍♀️make sure you vote by clicking the star and check out my other stories of you haven't already :))

and as always, my books always start out a little rough and possibly cliche, but smooth out as they go on!