final round - lrh

sixteen.

"So I have a plan."

Shooting my eyebrows up, I look at Michael in absolute confusion. What could this plan possibly consist of? Is this a plan I'm going to want to be a part of or one that I'm going to want to steer clear of for my own sanity?

"And what exactly is this plan?" I ask, beginning to cut into the steak provided to us for dinner, as everyone talks loudly to each other.

This is by far the nicest meal we've had yet and I certainly didn't attempt to turn it down. After all, you must be an idiot to turn away steak. It's by far one of my favorite meals ever and the smell of it certainly has my mouth watering.

"We sneak out tonight," Michael says making me almost choke on my food as I hadn't expected these words in the slightest. "We're right on the ocean and I think we should go down and take a quick dip... maybe skinny dip if we're feeling extra dangerous."

I immediately shake my head, not interested in sneaking out the slightest considering if we got caught we'd be absolutely screwed. Especially me because I'm already walking on a thin line around here and this sounds like a death sentence to me.

"No way," I say. "Hemmings will kill us, literally."

It's been a few days since he came into my room drunk and needless to say it's right back to where we started. He hasn't treated me any differently than he did the first day he met me. This has proven just how impossible it's going to be for me to get him to like me in any way possibly.

Sneaking out is going to worsen things entirely.

On the other side though, his tip with the pole has help me immensely. I can proudly say I'm definitely getting better as each day goes by and I know Lieutenant Hemmings sees it as well. I can tell he's pleased by the way my headache at the end of the day has decreased. Instead of yelling at me at all hours of the day, it seems he's managed to give the both of us a break by not feeling a need to reprimand me for every little thing.

"Oh come on, be fun."

"Fun until he's torturing us for his own amusement as punishment," I mutter mostly to myself.

"We're not going to get caught," Michael says, rolling his eyes while shoving food into his mouth. "He goes to bed and is practically dead to the world."

Not true. He goes into bed but doesn't sleep at all. This is something he told me so I'm sure he's alert all hours of the night and would easily catch onto people sneaking out. On top of this, he left his bunk the other night so he could technically leave again.

"I don't know Michael, that doesn't sound like the best idea."

Michael starts defending his ridiculous idea once more but my attention is grabbed when I spot Ashton and Lieutenant Hemmings walking in. It's as if my Lieutenant Hemmings is a magnet and whenever he's near, my attention turns to him instantly.

Especially because I find it impossible to look away.

I can't help but begin to wonder where Major Hood is as his absence is notable. However, I don't dwell on it because I'm more focused on Lieutenant Hemmings as he eyes the room, as he always does, as if to make sure everything's going his way.

His gaze nears my own so I immediately turn away in fear of him catching me looking for too long. I know better than anyone that the second I give him attention is the second he seeks out a reason to torture me.

Michael looks to me expectantly, clearly having no idea that I just tuned out everything he just said.

"Don't be lame, it's a great idea," Michael follows up with, wiggling his eyebrows at me.