by C. C. Brown
“Private Allen and Private First Class Bennett were apparently given orders to the same duty station. He expressed his dismay about it, to which she countered, and that’s when the inappropriate sexual comment took place. Now, I asked Newsome for his records, his PFT scores, his test scores, and I see a fine young Marine who lost his mind for half a second. When I spoke to him, he was remorseful and apologized profusely. I saw no reason to end this young man’s budding career because he spoke before he thought.”
“First Sergeant—“
“So, Sgt. Cruz, as their instructor, I have to ask, have you seen anything in class that you believe I need to know about before sitting down with Sgt. Major Thomas.”
“Actually, First Sergeant, Private Allen was involved in a physical altercation in the barracks one night, and I saw something very recently.”
“Yes. That incident. What else have you seen?”
His lackadaisical response to the altercation had my blood boiling.
“I had the students pair up to work on radio systems, and Private Allen called for Pfc. Bennett to be his partner. The look she gave was—“ I stopped and ran my hand over my face. “It was more than not wanting to work with him. It almost looked like fear.”
“Did you ask her about it?”
“I did. She was a bit hesitant to tell me what was going on. She just said it was an argument they’d had, but I couldn’t get any more out of her.”
He sat back in his seat, his arms folded across his chest as he exhaled harshly from his nose.
“Listen to me, Cruz. The Marine Corps is knee deep in sexual harassment training, and we have a goddamned zero tolerance policy. I won’t have this shit going on in my company. I am going to scrape the bottom on this swamp and find out exactly what the hell is going on here. So for today, Private Allen remains in your class. You are to keep him and Pfc. Bennett apart. Do you understand that?”
“Yes, First Sergeant.”
“Good to go.”
I turned for the door, affixing my cover to my head before striding out of his office, down the hall, and around the corner to mine. When I got inside, I quickly took out my phone and texted Cassie, forewarning her that she would more than likely be called in to speak again.
Me: Just a quick FYI, First Sergeant O’Hara will probably be calling you in again. Tell him exactly what you told me and nothing more.
Me: Oh, and good morning, Blondie.
I didn’t get a reply right away. I sat my phone down on the desk and placed my head in my hands, wishing that none of this shit had happened and that it would hopefully blow over quickly. The door squealed. I looked up, and my eyes met with Jensen’s—cold and empty. He walked further in, sitting down at his desk and not bothering to say a word to me. The longer I allowed the silence to fester, the more agitated I grew, so I finally stood, walking over to where he sat and said what was on my mind.
“I need to know why you like Allen so much.”
He looked up at me. “Why don’t you like him? He’s just like you and me, Alex. He’s young and motivated. He wants to do well, and he loves the Corps. That was us when we were in his shoes.”
“I was never like Allen,” I snarled, taking offense to the comparison.
“Sure you were. You just can’t see it now because you have your dick stuck up inside of his competition.”
He was taunting me, and if everything that had happened recently wasn’t stirring such a shit storm, I probably would have decked him.
“I just know you better not be trying any underhanded shit where Pfc. Bennett is concerned. You don’t like what I’m doing, that’s your fucking problem. But she is off limits.”
“I wouldn’t stoop that low, Alex. I’m not you.” He grabbed something from his desk drawer then stood and stalked over to the door, turning around to look at me with his hand on the door knob. “Be honest with yourself. If you weren’t fucking Allen’s target, none of this would be that big of a deal.”
“Fuck you,” I growled, feeling self-control slowly slip away from me. My phone buzzed on the desk, and I reached over to retrieve it.
“Your girl?” he asked, smirking as stood there staring at me. “You go ahead and take care of that while I get shit ready for our students who need their instructors to prepare them for their final exams.”
He turned and walked out of the office, leaving me there to fester in my own shit. A tiny part of me felt like he was right; that at some point, I probably was Allen. I was young and motivated, only I hadn’t preyed on females the way he did.
Or had I?
Was my way the same thing, just done in a different manner? I hated my guilty conscience because it made me re-evaluate myself. It made me look in the mirror and stare at my glaring flaws. It made me see how far I had strayed.
I stared down at the text from Cassie, finally allowing a smile to creep across my face.
Cassie: I’m ready. And good morning to you too, Sgt.
I put my phone away, hoping that what Cassie would have to tell First Sergeant would remove our Allen problem once and for all. Like him or not, the fact of the matter was that he was threatening and harassing Cassie, and whether Jensen liked it or not, I would break his fucking fingers one at a time to make sure she was protected.
I sat and thought, long and hard, about everything—Allen, Cassie, Ruiz, Castillo, Jensen, Riley. Good and bad was coming from all directions, intertwining all of us in one big, mangled mess. Friendships had grown while others had been severed. My heart grew and my mindset flipped. Through it all, I couldn’t find the desire to regret any of it. It all made me think, but not enough to feel remorseful.
Cassie Bennett had come into my life for a reason. And Camp Lejeune or not, I wasn’t about to let her go so easily.
Chapter 30
Cassie
I went to class just like any other day.
Shock hit me as I stood in formation and saw Allen standing there. Were they not going to do anything about him? I’d been warned when I mentioned joining the Marine Corps that it was a boys club. If Allen got away with what he’d said to me, then I knew it to be true.
We walked into the classroom. Alex looking stellar and enticing as he always did. Jensen and Newsome updated us on our standings for the challenge, and to my surprise, the partner radio systems activity was factored in to our scores. I was still sitting in first place, but Allen had made up ground, and was trailing behind in a close second. I noticed the instructors making a concerted effort to keep us as far away from one another as possible. Even though I didn’t sit near him, they moved him even farther away, making sure that it would take an effort on our parts to get to each other, and even then, Alex would not allow that to happen.
I spent lunch with Dalton, Lane, and Hutchins. Both of them had received orders to Camp Pendleton, just different units. They were excited since they were now an unofficial couple. It was nice to see them so happy.
After lunch, Newsome escorted me down to First Sergeant O’Hara’s office. My stomach knotted up, even though I was well aware that I was in the right and had nothing to hide. Well, as far as the Allen situation was concerned. In other areas in my life I had plenty to hide, and it was always on the forefront of my mind.
Newsome walked with me, making awkward small talk, but really not having much to say. Just as we approached First Sergeant’s door, he turned to me and said, “You just need to tell him exactly what’s been going on. Don’t hide anything if you want your problem fixed. You understand that?”
“Yes, Sergeant,” I replied, feeling the weight of his words. I had more problems than he knew about, and even though he wasn’t referring to my other problem, my guilty conscience was playing tricks on me.
He knocked on the door, listened for the okay from First Sergeant O’Hara, then opened the door and led me in. I removed my cover from my head and nervously held it in my hands, feeling overly intimidated by the bull of a man that was First Sergeant O’Hara.
“Private Firs
t Class Bennett is here, First Sergeant.”
“Thank you, Sergeant Newsome. That’ll be all.”
Newsome nodded his head and walked out, leaving the door partially open. First Sergeant O’Hara signaled for me to take a seat.
“How are you this afternoon, Pfc. Bennett?”
“I’m doing well, First Sergeant.”
He sat up in his chair, his stocky frame filling the seat. His dark, beady eyes stared down on me as his face went tight. My stomach clenched, twisting and aching the longer I sat in his presence.
“I spoke to your lead instructor, Sergeant Cruz, and he seems to think there is more to the sexual harassment claims that transpired yesterday. You do understand that the Marine Corps is pushing hard to eradicate sexual harassment from our ranks, and while we cannot scrape it all away, we are taking claims very seriously, and will handle such occurrences with an iron fist.”
He sat up in his seat even more, those dark eyes growing more and more threatening by the second. His arms rested on the desk, his hands intertwined with one another as he stared into my soul.
“We also take false accusations very seriously. I will not destroy a career without due diligence. So what I am about to ask you, you need to think long and hard about your answers. Do you understand me?” His voice was low and gruff, almost accusing.
“Yes, First Sergeant,” I said, putting on a show of confidence so as not to allow him the pleasure of knowing that his intimidating techniques were working on me. I had nothing to lie about, but he made it seem as if he could will a lie out of me.
“Alright then. How did you first come in contact with Private Allen?”
I cleared my throat, readying myself to dig through the filth that he had been shoveling my way from the very beginning.
“It turns out he is in my class, but I learned who he was after our first day of class. Another Pfc. in the barracks had some people over for a video game match and pizza, and I met Private Allen there.”
“Was it a friendly meeting?”
“No. He had apparently been drinking, and he was intoxicated. I went against him in Mortal Kombat, and he wagered me. He said if he won, I could blow him, and if I won, I could still blow him.”
His eyebrows shot up.
“And then what happened?”
“I told him I wasn’t interested. I went on to play him, and I beat him. He became irate, yelling obscenities until some of the guys had to restrain him.”
“Who are the names of these guys? I will need to speak to them.”
I gave him the names of Dalton, Pete, and a few others who were there that night. They would definitely be able to verify my story and hopefully get Allen away from me for good.
“Anymore instances that you can think of?”
“Yes. He’s told me that I must be a lesbian if I didn’t want him. He’s told me I needed to be taught how to be a lady, and that he’d put me in my place. Then recently, he told me he’d shove his--“ I stopped, feeling embarrassed to say the word in front of First Sergeant O’Hara. He nodded, signaling that he understood. “His private down my throat to shut my mouth.”
He face softened a bit, and his eyes briefly closed as he scratched the back of his neck and sat back in his seat. I watched him take a pen and notepad from his desk and start writing down names of people I had given him. He seemed to believe me, which made me feel so much better than when I had first stepped into his office.
“Are there any more people I should be speaking to?” he asked, his head still down, writing.
“Yes, a few of his friends that are always around when he says these things.”
“I’ll need their names as well.”
I gave him the names of a couple of guys who I knew ran in Allen’s circle. I couldn’t remember them all, but the ones I did give him, I was sure they would talk. They didn’t seem loyal. Just seemed like a couple of followers who found humor in the antics of a supreme asshole. When First Sergeant O’Hara was finished writing, he placed his pen down on his notepad and looked up to me.
“We will be digging further into these claims. In the meantime, you are to have no contact, whatsoever, with Private Allen. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, First Sergeant.”
“Good to go.”
He stood, and I followed. I walked to the door, blowing out a heavy and deep breath that had filled me the entire time I sat in the chair. My conscience felt lighter, knowing that I was finally able to get all of my irritation for Allen out in the open. I went walking down the hallway when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out to find a text from Alex.
Alex: How did it go? Damn this, I hate being away from you. I want to see you.
Me: It went okay. I want to see you, too. But we do need to lay low. They are digging through everything.
Alex: I want to dig through something… My tongue is more than willing.
Me: Perv. I will call you later.
It was hard being so close to Alex, but unable to be with him, especially after everything that we had been through together. I felt like time was slipping away from us. In a very short amount of time, I’d be packed, orders in hand, and on an airplane, taking me three thousand miles away from him.
It was gut wrenching to even think about it.
My heart felt like it shattered into a million pieces every time I thought about being without him. And although the prospect had been discussed, it didn’t take the sting out of it. Even if I had been given orders to Camp Pendleton, weekend trips would have erased the distance that separated us. But with me being on the opposite coast, I’d have to settle for once a month flights, and pray that time would even allow for that to happen.
I went to bed that night with it on my mind, and even when I talked to Alex later that evening, sitting on the cement barricade framing the parking lot, it didn’t make things any easier. Alex, for as strong as he was trying to be, was anything but. It was bothering him just as much as it was bothering me. We’d had—or at least I’d had—no intention of ever falling this far when I took the bait and jumped in head first for him. I thought this was hot, casual sex at its finest. I’d never thought that we’d get to where we stood, and be faced with such a depressing situation. The more we talked about it, the more I wished time would just stand still, and I could stay in this hot, barren, good for nothing desert. It didn’t have much going for it, but it had Alex, and that was enough for me.
When I woke up the next morning, I found a text from Alex stating that the investigation into Allen was moving along quickly. First Sergeant O’Hara decided to give Allen an NJP—non-judicial punishment—and was pushing for an expedited administrative discharge. I couldn’t recall ever experiencing such early morning jubilation that didn’t involve Alex and his body mingling with mine. The news was quick and unexpected. My initial reaction to First Sergeant O’Hara was that he wasn’t taking any of this too seriously, but to get confirmation that it was handled swiftly and forcefully made me happy.
I walked down to the schoolhouse with Dalton, gleefully explaining to him what went down and that Allen would no longer be a threat to me. He commented, letting me know that First Sergeant grilled him, wanting to know everything, and was trying to see if any of the encounters were made up on my behalf.
Newsome, Alex, and Jensen stood before us in the classroom, going through their spiel about how proud of us they were, and how we’d make fine fleet Marines once we made it to our destinations. Alex gave subliminal messages, saying he’d miss seeing some of us around the schoolhouse, but that he knew our new units were gaining great, new additions. His words tugged at my heart at another reminder that we would be split apart. A part of me wanted to cry because the thought and the reality of it was just too much. Another part of me wanted to see as it yet another challenge in my life that I would have to work extra hard to overcome.
No matter which way it was sliced, the fact that I would be in North Carolina by this time next week was a hard pill to swallow, and I didn’t want
to spend another second thinking about it.
Newsome took over the speech, standing with a clipboard in his hands.
“So without further ado, the winner of the seventy-two challenge—and it came down to the wire—is Pfc. Bennett.”
The class broke out in applause, with even a few “oorahs” thrown in for good measure. I nervously smiled, looking around the room. Even Angelica was clapping for me. When my eyes landed on Alex’s, salacious smirks were thrown back at me, making me blush and sweat under the intensity of his stare. I found myself tingling in between my legs because I knew the hidden message in his golden flecked eyes. If I didn’t turn away from it, I would need to make a swift exit for the nearest restroom.
“Pfc. Bennett, enjoy having Monday off,” Newsome said, nodding his head and then giving the floor to Alex.
“Your last order of business before you graduate is to pass the final exam. Today, we will cover the last bit of material, and then you will work in study groups, quizzing one another on everything you can think of. If you fail it, you will be recycled. You will have to take the course again, and you’ll be stuck here in Twentynine. For those of you leaving, I’m not so sure if you want to do that.”
His eyes landed on me as he spoke, making my insides swirl. I was on a double edged sword. Staying in Twentynine, while it would mean not being separated from Alex, would be detrimental for my career. I had to remember that, above all else, my career needed to come first.
The morning was filled with instruction, then splitting up into our study teams of four. It seemed that since I had been announced as the winner, everyone wanted to work with me. To my shock, Angelica even came my way, but I bypassed her. There was no way I was about to work with her when she had done nothing but try and make my life a living nightmare since we’d arrived here.
By the time lunch rolled around, I was absolutely starving. I walked out into the courtyard to meet up with Dalton, Lane, and Hutchins, when I got a buzz on my phone.