Unity

Chapter 7

My muscles complained as I sat down at the lunch table. PT had been gruesome. After two hours of torturing ourselves in ways I never thought possible, we were forced to endure another three hours of class time. I struggled to stay conscious. The instructor was lecturing on the cruisers. Most of what was said I had experienced the previous day in the simulators.

I sat staring at my food, completely oblivious to my surroundings when I felt somebody nudge my side. I figured it was Jen going to make some sarcastic remark at my expense. I turned and was about to make a comment on my own when I realized that it wasn't Jen. Sitting next to me was a girl who looked to be a couple of years older than me. She had fiery red hair and emerald green eyes. I recognized her as a member of our group, but I couldn't remember her name. I tried to keep some of my dignity, so I said, "Hey, how's it going?"

"I'm good Zack. How are you?" Oh great. She knew my name. This was going to make things very awkward. I tried to think of something to say that wouldn't give me away. "You don't know my name, do you?" She asked.

I looked at her sheepishly. "What gave me away?"

"The look of panic when you realized you didn't know." She flashed a big grin at me. She had an amazing smile. Her teeth looked like a model out of a dental magazine. Combined with her freckled skin and red hair, I realized that she was really attractive. "Are you done checking me out yet?" She asked.

"Sorry," I said as I turned back towards my food. I could feel blood rushing to my face. I felt as though I would never be comfortable around the opposite sex again.

"I can see why Jen likes to tease you so much," she said. "I don't have to do anything, and you light up like a Christmas tree. My name is Sarah." She nudged me playfully. "Do try to remember it."

We talked and laughed while we ate. As I finished eating a tray was set down across from me a little harder than it should have been. I looked up and saw Jen. I have seen women angry before, but I have rarely had the fury directed at me. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. She then turned her glare at Sarah. "I'll talk to you guys later," I said as I left the table. I wasn't sure what had just happened back there. I figured I would talk to Jen later after she had time to cool down from whatever was bothering her. We were scheduled for the simulators the rest of the day, so I figured I would head over early.

I saw Thad talking to Dave, the technician that was calibrating the machines yesterday. He waved and started walking towards me. "How's it going?" He asked as he walked up.

"I'm confused," I admitted. "Have you noticed Jen acting strange?" He gave me a funny look. Before he could respond I told him what had happened at lunch.

He looked at me in disbelief. "Are you really that dense?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked defensively.

He shook his head and said, "You and Jen have been almost inseparable since you got here. She is practically throwing herself at you and you're completely oblivious. I can't blame her for being upset."

I was baffled. Jen liked me. "It's against regs for cadets to get involved with each other," I replied.

Thad just shook his head and walked away. I followed him, my mind reeling. We climbed into a simulator and got strapped in. "How about a warmup?" I called to Dave. Soon the simulator started up and I pushed the drama to the back of my mind. Thad and I had a chance to warm up in both positions by the time everyone else showed. The next few hours were a blur of devastating explosions.

After dinner and more class time, I showered and crawled into bed. As exhausted as I was, sleep evaded me. I hadn't spoken with Jen since this morning, and it wasn't sitting well with me. I poked my head over the edge of the bunk and whispered, "Jen, you awake?"