War To Come

Chapter 2- Sad Truth

The next day I wake up to my obnoxious alarm clock. I look at the time four o'clock. I hit the stop button and get up. My parents wouldn't be up for another hour, due to their bodies still on military time.

I went to my closet pulling out a pair of black leggings with a black sports bra. I grabbed black nike shoes to go with it. I went downstairs to grab breakfast, my breakfast being an apple and peanut butter. I grabbed my water bottle, bag, and phone. I checked my phone for the time, four-fifteen. I jogged to the gym. The gym was closer than my school was by about a mile. I had taken the weights out and so my two mile run was a decent time. I walked in.

I personally new all the people who worked there. Dani, her full name Danielle, was a small asian, but was the nicest girl you'd meet. She had the typical black hair and kept it mostly in a pony tail or bun. She wore work attire which was a red shirt and khaki pants.

"Hey Dani!" I say. We had grown close. Occasionally we would workout together if her shift started at five instead of four, but she knew she couldn't keep up, but it was fun on the days I had light workouts.

"Hey Tara! Any news yet?" She asks.

"Actually, I got in!" I yell, not to loud, excitedly.

She runs from around the counter engulfing me in a huge hug. She had worked here for about a year and was the one I always talked to. Sometimes we would talk while I worked out. She was my problem solver when I needed help away from school. Monique was my school problem solver.

"Congratulation!" She says. Just as I get into the details of the letter another worker walks in. Seth, who was a big guy. He was six two and was in his thirties, he didn't look in his thirties though. Think of a Jason Mamoa build minus the beard and long hair, then make him blonde.

"Hey Seth." I say smiling. Seth usually didn't start working till six which gave me a workout buddy until then. He lifted more than I did, obviously, but it was nice to try and match his weight. It gave me competition which I liked.

I was taller than average girls standing at five seven, but when I thought I was super tall standing next to Dani I was a midget compared to Seth.

"Someone seems cheery." He points out in his deep voice.

"Well, if you must know I just got into the navy seals." My smiles grows big again.

"What? Actually? No way that's awesome!" He gives me a hug as well.

"Okay, y'all are distracting me from my workout." I laugh. They laugh with me as Dani goes back around the desk.

She scans my membership card and I go upstairs. Upstairs was the weights and treadmills and all that jazz and downstairs was the indoor/outdoor pools, plus the basketball court. Occasionally, I would go to the lap pool and swim after school, but mornings was always for weights.

I headed to the free weights seeing some moms. I knew a few, the regulars, but others were new. The ladies came usually wearing baseball caps, tank tops, and leggings.

I went to the free weights putting my stuff down next to the first machine. Today was leg day, Tuesday's and Thursday's, Monday's and Wednesday's being arm day, and Fridays being kinda a mix of both.

I put my warm up weight on, hundred pounds, on the squat machine. I did three sets of ten. My second set would consist of one hundred and fifty pounds and my third set one hundred and ninety. My max was two hundred and twenty pounds, but I did low weight more reps to be lean, I didn't need to be jacked like those body builders.

After squats was lunges with weight. I did it with the twenty pound dumbbells. I did twenty lunges on each leg. As the time grew to six o'clock more people started showing up. More moms, but a few older men. I knew I had to get home sense school started at eight. I packed my stuff up said bye to Dani and Seth, as well as Miller who came in at six thirty.

I ran home running into the house. My mom again had breakfast waiting. Dad was at the counter drinking his coffee and watching the news on the small tv we had set up on the counter in the kitchen.

"How was the workout?" Asked my dad not taking his eyes of the TV.

"Good." I stated.

"Ready to start training tomorrow?"

"Yep." My dad was my trainer. He didn't always workout with me due to work, but when he did he pushed me. He knew what it was like to go through the rigorous training, but then again he only knew so much since he wasn't a navy seal. He could only prepare me so much.

I ran up and took a quick shower. When I came back down there was a plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, and hash browns.

I scarfed down the delicious food. Even though my mom loved the military her first passion was cooking and always dreamed of opening her own kitchen.

I hugged both my parents goodbye and walked to school. It was a nice day and my favorite day, A day. On A days I had art, then English, free period, science, athletics. B days were a nightmare. On B days I had AP Calculus, AP history, free period, student council, athletics.

I walked into my art class. My teacher Miss Tyler was a sweet old lady with a passion for art. She was my favorite teacher. I sat next to my friend Adam who had forgotten to take an art class the last four years and took art to try and impress 'the ladies' as he says.

"Hey Adam." I say watching as he struggled to mix colors to find the perfect shade of blue.

"Hey." He said paying attention to me, but more focused on the task at hand.

"Need help?" I ask laughing.

"No, thank you very much."

"Whatcha painting?"

"The sky." He responds. I look at his painting. That was not a sky.

"It's abstract." He says as if reading my thoughts resulting in me busting out laughing.

I decide to paint something related to the navy seals. Water. A blue concept as well so I just borrowed the paint supplies Adam already had as well as a few more colors I got from the back of the class.

When the bell rang I had finished my painting. It was a small picture, a canvas about the size of a piece of printer paper. It was the deep ocean with a shark the light beaming through the water onto it.

I signed my name going to my next class. Although, this was my favorite day I wasn't close with the people in my English or science class. I had acquaintances and would talk to them when need be. Other than that I listened and read the books assigned and did the labs alone.

School was over and I made my way to meet Monique. She knew of my horrible schedule, but I had texted her to meet up next to her car after school. I did need to tell her whether I liked it or not.

I see her by her black BMW. Her parents were pretty wealthy, but she didn't flaunt it like some girls.

"Hey girly."

"Hey, what'd you wanna talk about?" She asks curiously.

"Umm... I needed to tell you about..." I trail off. Why me Tara the most badass ever not just tell my best friend I was leaving? The answer, we had never been apart. Best friends sense we were nine.

"Just spit it out Tar." She says laughing.

"I have to graduate early, camp starts for navy seals before school ends."

She looks at me, her eyes water. That was the last thing she wanted to here. We were planning on going to prom together, spending the last day of school together, graduating together, and now none of that was going to happen.

"How early?" She asks with a pained voice.

"A month before school gets out."

She nods. I watch as she gets in the car silently: she drives off. I know not to bug her. She just needed time and I was willing to give it to her.

I walked home that day.