Fraternizing

by C. C. Brown

  Just as I was tightening my grip on her, a strong set of hands wrapped around my midsection, pulling me off of her. She still had my hair in her hands, and the ache from the pull made me cry out in pain.

  “Fuuucccckkkk!”

  She finally let go.

  “What the hell is going on in here?” Dalton’s familiar voice mixed with heavy breathing finally brought me back.

  I stood glaring at Angelica, hard breaths shooting from my nose as my chest heaved in a laborious manner. She was breathing equally hard, throwing her hand into her hair and thrusting it back and out of her face.

  “Ask your dick-whipped friend over there,” she said, running her tongue over her lip that now had blood coming out of it.

  “You want another busted lip? Keep running your mouth.”

  Dalton stepped in between us, looking like he had no clue what he would do should we decide to charge one another again. The thought crossed my mind. I had been wanting to let loose on her ever since the initial PFT when she tried to screw me. Everything from there had only escalated, and I was done sitting by, taking her shit as she gave it.

  “You two had better knock this off before the duty comes up here. You’ll be in trouble for sure.”

  “Trouble seems to follow this girl,” she said. “And his last name is Cruz.”

  “Angelica, that’s enough,” Dalton scolded.

  Her eyes fixed him, lowering into a wickedly low stare, hooded by her dark eyelashes. “Oh, you already knew? I should have known.”

  “You say one more thing and he won’t be able to hold me off,” I warned. She had me so full of rage, I could take her on another round.

  “Bring it bitch.”

  “No one else is throwing another punch, pulling anymore hair, or bitch slapping anyone.” Dalton took a firm stand, asserting himself between both of us.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ve left my mark. Her fucking boyfriend is going to wonder how she got that fucking scratch on her forehead. I’m sure I’ll be done then. And so will the two of you.”

  She grabbed some clothes and stormed out of the room. I was still breathing hard, adrenaline gripping me as Dalton pulled me closer to him, taking my chin in his hand and lifting my face to meet his gaze.

  “What the hell got into you two?” he asked, worry laced throughout his words.

  I shook my head and stepped away from him, walking to the bathroom to run some water over my face. I took notice of the scratch on my forehead. I’d been in a couple of fights in my life, but I was never the aggressor, and I usually never retaliated the way I had done just now. I wasn’t sure where that overly aggressive me came from, but I liked her.

  I only wished that she had been around a few years prior.

  Looking into the mirror, Dalton caught my eye. He leaned on the frame as he looked me over, probably wondering where this rabid beast had come from since he had never seen even a glimpse of me in this state.

  “I told you I was sick of her. Today was just the final straw.”

  “You can’t go around getting into fights. You’ll get kicked out of school. What the hell, Cassie?”

  “I don’t need your fucking lectures right now, Dalton. You have no idea what she said to me. And anyway, it was self-defense. She made first contact, and I finished her ass off.”

  I walked past him, throwing myself down on my bed. He followed behind, lifting my legs and sitting down, placing them back down on his lap.

  “And anyway,” I continued, “what are you doing here?”

  “You didn’t answer my text. Pete has a few people in the room. Guess his gym plans got cancelled.”

  He studied me for a bit before muttering, “So I guess she knows about you and Cruz?”

  “She’s known. Or at least knew something was up.”

  “So what happened today?”

  “This morning some Pfc. on duty came up here and told her to go and see Sgt. Cruz in the secondary room. She went and came back a living mess. I can only imagine what he must have said to her. Then, when she got back in here this afternoon, she was full of all kinds of venom. She said some horrible shit that I was going to let slide until she pushed me. I had to attack.”

  Dalton laughed, shutting his eyes and throwing his head back. Laughter in this situation seemed completely out of place.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked.

  He paused for a second, wiping his eyes.

  “Um, you. And what I saw when I walked in here. That was seriously one of the best catfights I have ever seen, and in my circle, I’ve seen quite a few.”

  “I don’t even know what to say to that,” I joked.

  “It was hot. If you two would have lost the shirts, it would have been even hotter. Even for me.”

  I playfully kicked him. He knew how to bring me out of my funk and lighten the mood whenever I got down.

  “So anyway, enough about that crazy ass chick. You need to tell me about this info that’s burning holes into my thought process. What’s going on with Sgt. Cruz?”

  I swallowed and sat up in the bed.

  “Hold on one second,” Dalton said, retrieving my hairbrush and handing it to me. “I can’t look at you like this any longer. I can’t take you seriously.”

  I had forgotten that my hair must have been a serious mess after Angelica ripped it from my bun. I quickly took it down, using the brush to smooth it out while also massaging my scalp.

  “Well, I can only assume, based on her outburst in here, that he said some shit to her. When he called me down this morning, he apologized for cutting me off and ignoring me, and also for fucking up on Friday.”

  “Fucking up?”

  “Yep! He fucked up. I guess he was trying to drown me out. His NCO of the Quarter award made him think twice about what he was doing so he went out, got shitfaced, kissed some random chick, then let Castillo blow him.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “Yes, precisely.”

  “And he told you all of this?”

  “Angelica initially told me about Castillo, and I questioned him. He was honest about it and told me about the random too.”

  Dalton rubbed his hands over his face, then blew out a deep breath.

  “So now what?”

  “Now, he wants me to go off with him for the weekend.”

  “Huh?”

  “Yeah. He says he was wrong, he admits that. He wants me to leave with him this weekend and make things right.”

  “Are you gonna go?”

  “I don’t know. I was so pissed off at him. I don’t know if I want to just take off with him.”

  “Can I throw my two cents in?”

  “Don’t you always?” I replied, grinning at him.

  “True. But anyway, I think you should go. He fucked up, but the fact that he admitted to it, even the shit you didn’t know about, says something. I don’t know him well, but I see what kind of hold he has on you, and apparently you have the same hold on him.”

  I laughed a bit. He was on to something.

  “You two crazy asses stand to lose so much if this gets out, and yet you can’t stay away from each other. I think you already know what your answer is to his request, but you want to play tough ass. I say suck it up and go. If he’s to burn for you, with everything he has on the line, are you willing to do it too?”

  “I get what you’re saying, but the Castillo thing—“

  “It sucks. And you probably need to scrub his dick before you get anywhere near it, but people make mistakes, and thankfully he didn’t fuck her. So you have to ask yourself if you want to overlook it or not. It’s simple. Yes, or no.”

  “I really hate you sometimes.”

  “I know. But what would do without me?”

  I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

  “Get dressed. Let’s go get something to eat, Rocky Balboa.”

  I laughed at my new nickname and felt a sense of pride with it as well. Even if Angelica and I were even in our bout, she knew now that she
was only going to go so far with me, and would probably try and keep her distance from now on.

  When I was finally dressed, we walked down the stairs and past a group of guys, Allen being one of them. He looked at both of us and sneered, getting an eye full of malice in return from me.

  I could hear his caveman like laugh as we walked by. “Bennett, I’m still here when you’re ready for a real man!”

  “Just keep walking,” Dalton whispered. I did because I just couldn’t deal with anymore bullshit in one day.

  Unfortunately, Allen kept running his mouth. I was already highly pissed and fed up with the constant annoyances, so I turned around when he said, “Yeah, she’s in my class. If she knew what was good for her, she’d climb on my dick where she belongs.”

  That was enough. I wasn’t going to take anymore derogatory comments from him, thus allowing him to grow even bolder with the next one. I marched back over to where he stood. The adrenaline from earlier came crashing back, making me feel like I could go toe to toe with him as well.

  “Do you ever think about the shit you say before it comes spilling out of your mouth?”

  “Nope,” he quickly responded, looking down on me.

  “Well you better shut your mouth before I shut it for you. We don’t have anything to say to each other. Let’s keep it that way.”

  “For such a small girl, you have a big fucking mouth. You need to know your place. My dick is readily available to plug it up.”

  My head exploded, and I lunged for him, but before I could hit him the way I really wanted to, Dalton grabbed and pulled me away.

  “Yeah, take her ass before I do it.”

  “You’re a piece of shit, Allen. A giant piece of shit!” I yelled back.

  “I’ll fix you, Bennett,” he called through laughter with the abundance of idiots standing next to him.

  “You need to chill the hell out,” Dalton said.

  “Shut up, Dalton. You heard the shit he said to me.”

  “Yes, and they are just words. Don’t give them power.”

  I looked at him, amazed that he was able to say that. Words meant plenty to me, and they did have power, the power to drag me through the trenches and fill me with utter rage.

  “That’s easy to say.”

  “And easy to follow, too. Do you think I haven’t been on the receiving end of some nasty things being said to me? Allen himself has said some horrible things to me, but you know what, he’s an idiot, a Neanderthal. I don’t pay him much mind, and you really shouldn’t either.”

  I didn’t say another word. I just marched into the chow hall, angry and starving, feeling like I could eat everything in sight to fuel me for whoever was ready to come at me next.

  Chapter 19

  Alex

  Castillo was nowhere to be found, which was probably in her best interest since I was sure she’d gotten word that I was on the hunt for her. Ruiz had squealed, and while I couldn’t be certain that Castillo didn’t speak loud enough for others to overhear, the fact that she had flat out lied about what happened that night was enough to drench me in rage.

  Of course, Ruiz’s assault charge burning in my hands coaxed the information out of her, but nonetheless, she gave up just what I needed. Now, I had to make Castillo accountable.

  Speaking of Ruiz, the assault charge absolutely worried me. It had worried me when Riley first discovered it, but now that she was actively engaging Cassie, it was fucking terrifying me. The girl was a ticking time bomb, a violent machine ready for war, and the two of them in the same room together played tricks on my mind, disturbing me with every thought.

  Cassie still hadn’t answered me on my plans for the weekend. As much as I was trying to give her some space and time, I was growing impatient, and about ready to go and demand it from her. Thinking about her cutting me off, even though it was precisely what I had done to her, fucking stung. I was an asshole, but she wasn’t. And even though there were no excuses, the fact of the matter was that I didn’t want her treating me the way I had stupidly treated her. She was better than me, in more ways than one.

  I sat on the couch in only a pair of PT shorts with a beer in my hand. Riley was gone for the night, having dinner with some chick he’d met at the bar. He’d tried hard to convince me before he left that she wasn’t a groupie, even though he’d met her the same night I fell under Cassie’s spell, but as much as I wanted to give a fuck, I just couldn’t. My mind was elsewhere, and it wasn’t on whatever chick Riley found attractive for the time being.

  I kept checking my phone, hoping for something from Cassie, but there was nothing there. My nerves were fried. She was playing hard, and I had to admit, she was winning because the harder she got, the more I wanted her. I felt like I could say fuck it to everything standing in my way and take her ass the way she needed to be taken. I knew I could get her body, that was obvious from the talk I’d had with her earlier in the morning, but I was after so much more. I needed her heart and her mind. I needed her to trust me, to know that I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her, and I knew that would take more than my cock pleasing her.

  I was starting to get drunk off of beer and that was unheard of. Beer never got me drunk, but looking into the fridge, I had already downed six and was going back for my seventh. The buzz was soothing, but didn’t relieve the ache I felt where Cassie was concerned. The loneliness of the house wasn’t helping matters either. As much as Riley could grate my nerves, he had been my right hand through all of this, and Jensen hadn’t been around since the fight the day before. The silence was killer, giving me too much time to think, and none of it good. I needed a reprieve, and I needed it fast.

  I lay down on the couch with a beer in hand, flipping through mindless TV that did nothing but stare back at me. I couldn’t find anything engaging, anything sidetracking… anything at all. I stood, and headed out to the backyard to sit out on the patio and watch the moths and mosquitoes buzz by.

  The front door closed, and I was jolted out of my fog, lost in painstaking thoughts and an overabundance of beer. When I looked back in through the slider glass door, Jensen was walking into the kitchen. He tossed his keys down on the counter, turned for the fridge and grabbed a beer for himself. I thought about going inside, but there really was no point. We weren’t seeing eye to eye, and I didn’t feel like kicking his ass again if he said the wrong thing to me. I was drunk, pissed, and looking for a fight. For once in all of this turmoil, I finally made a smart decision and stayed outside, allowing the still sweltering desert air to hit my face, sticking the thin layer of sweat to me.

  With my head thrown back over the chair back and up against the wall of the house, I listened as the slider opened. I opened my eyes and Jenson’s hardened gaze hit me, thrusting red flags in front of me and putting my senses on high alert. I stared back coldly, silently giving him the opportunity to provoke me and send my drunken ass barreling into him. I was ready to shut his mouth once and for all.

  He walked out a little further, before calmly saying, “Hey, I’m just letting you know that I’ll be gone for a while. I’m gonna be staying with some friends in town.”

  I didn’t say anything, just sat back and exhaled the thick, painful breath holed up inside of me. As stupid as Jensen was acting, he was my brother. He’d been with me since day one of my Comm School instructing, and even though I thought he was acting like a little bitch about all of this, it hurt to see him turning away from me. To see him distancing himself where I was concerned. Words jumbled around inside my head, but I couldn’t think clearly enough to string a coherent sentence together.

  He took a seat in the chair directly next to me and popped the top of his beer, taking one long gulp before smashing the can in his hand. I looked over to him, and noticed the shiner that I’d left on his face. I smiled a bit. He looked at me with his eyebrows scrunched.

  “What’s up?”

  “Nothing.”

  We sat there, looking out into the yard at the small birds
lining the wall, chirping and singing, directly contrasting with the dark mood that lay thick between us. I had a feeling that Jensen looked at me with utter disgust now and if I actually gave a fuck, I would probably be looking at myself the same way. Honest to God, if someone else had landed themselves in my predicament, I probably would have been the Jensen in the situation. Prior to meeting Cassie, I couldn’t fathom doing anything that was in direct violation of any Corps rules and regulations. The shame was much more than any punishment, and my loyalty to the Corps meant more to me than breathing. Things were always black and white, but with Cassie jumping into my world, I was now living in a very hazy shade of grey. Things that were so matter of fact before were no longer that way. Jensen couldn’t—didn’t want to see that. I couldn’t make him see it, and if it meant ripping our brotherhood apart, that was a choice I was just going to have to make.