Electric

chapter nine

"Time to get going, men." Ryder shouts and the soldiers are on their feet in seconds. I reluctantly rise from my idyllic spot and I look down at my imprint in the grass. You can just barely see where my body once laid and I have to agree with Josh for a second. I am puny. My imprint is small and thin with barely any curves. They're there, trust me, but the uniform drowns them out. I turn around to face the group and I'm surprised to see only a few soldiers left.

    "Jenkins!" Ryder shouts and Miles stops running with the other soldiers. "Where do you think you're going? Parker stuck you with me, remember?" Miles's face reddens as he jogs back to Ryder. What? Ryder makes it seem like Miles's is on probation or something like that. This is the army, not middle school.

    I turn to Josh and raise my eyebrows but he shakes his head. Ty evades my questioning gaze when I turn to him. Fine. I'll find out on my own. Not that I want to be digging around these soldiers' business, but I don't want to be hanging out with someone who could potentially harm me or something like that. We start our run back and going back isn't as magical as running to the courtyard. I think it might have to do with the fact that a cloud has covered the sun and I have to go back in a dark compound with a bunch of men.

    And, let's face it, I don't have any friends.

    Sure I met some people today that were friendly but none of these men are going to sit and talk to me about all my problems like a friend would. None of these men are ever going to look at me and think of me as a friend. They're either going to look at me and think Freak or worthless, puny girl. That's the sad reality of my life and I came to terms with it a long time ago. No point in throwing myself another pity party.

    "Coming inside, Freak?" Josh asks. He says Freak like it's a nickname, not an insult. And I want to believe it is just a nickname but I can't. I've learned to hate hope because most of it is just false. I look around outside one more time before nodding my head and entering the gym. Josh closes the door behind me and all of it disappears. The sun, the wind, the birds, the smells, and the sounds? All gone. I stare longingly at the door until a heavy hand on my shoulder interrupts my yearning. I turn around to find Parker examining me.

    "How was it?" He asks quietly as the soldiers filter out of the gym and probably to the weight room. I meet his liquid silver eyes and feel my own eyes go wide in perception.

"It was probably the sole most amazing thing that has happened to me since I've been here." I answer beaming and he smiles at me. Actually smiles. Not a smirk like I amused him or even a pity smile. It's a real smile and it's contagious. I find myself smiling too and become very aware of his hand still on my shoulder. One of his fingers is dangerously close to touching the skin of my neck. I swallow hard.

"I should probably get going on the weights, right?" I ask and he nods his head. I step away from him and his hand falls from my shoulder landing motionless at his side. As I walk away, I glance at him once over the shoulder he touched before I jog after the rest of the men.

    "So, Freak, what's up with you and the General?" Josh asks after a while of lifting weights. At first we were doing well with small talk but I don't think guys go for that type of stuff. I roll my eyes at the question.

    "Nothing is going on. I'd die before anything did, too." I tell while lifting about 50 pounds. It's really wimpy compared to these guys who are lifting at least two-times my weight. "Parker's the guy who overlooked the torture sessions at the asylum. It's pretty easy to hate a guy like that." Everyone's silent for a minute, taking it in.

    "You got tortured?" Ty asks and I stare over at him.

    "Did you think we just sat in padded cells all day getting food breaks every once and a while?" I scoff and he hesitantly nods his head.