One in a Million (Book 3 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

16 | Bent

And if my smile gets old and faded

Wait around I'll smile again.

-Matchbox Twenty, "Bent"

Tallahassee, Florida

Rachel

A week after the incident at the club, it was time to start our program, and the tension was palpable. Brittany and I were fine, but Alex wasn't really speaking to either one of us, and I got the feeling it because he was embarrassed about what happened.

But I decided I couldn't afford to worry about the drama; I had classes to consider, practicums to complete, and papers to write. So for the first few weeks of class, I focused on classes, keeping up with Brooke's pregnancy, and my friendship with Jessica.

Jessica had proven to be an exceptional roommate and an even better friend, even after everything that had happened with her and Luke. Brittany and I drifted apart a little, but were still cordial, but Alex had gotten to where he sat on the other side of the room during class.

I kept up with Miles' progress through boot camp as we got to talk on FaceTime one more time, and he sent me texts whenever he could. It seemed like he was thriving, and he was ready for his specialized engineering training.

Before I knew it, it was the beginning of October, and it was the night before I would fly to Missouri for Miles' graduation from boot camp. I was so excited I could hardly stand it. My parents were going to meet me at the airport as their flight would get in about the same time, and we'd see his mom and dad, Luke, and Brooke when we got to Fort Leonard Wood. So it wasn't just a reunion with Miles, which was exciting enough, but with all the other people I love.

Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri

Miles

Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough. I was so ready to graduate boot camp and move on to my next step – specialized training for the Corps of Engineers. Luckily, Dale and I were both assigned the same job – Bridge Crewmember – and we would remain at Fort Leonard Wood for 4 weeks of advanced training.

But even more than all that, I was so ready to see Rachel... to hold her, kiss her... just to be in the same place as her. The past ten weeks without her had been horrible... Yeah, I got used to boot camp and all... but never being away from her. Each day was worse than the next.

We'd been given the night off before graduation so that we could get a good night's rest, and everyone was in a good mood, including Sergeant Lawson... except Dale. For some reason, he had been down all day, and even after our extra-long dinner with dessert, he was quiet and despondent. In fact, he'd been this way for days.

"Dale... what's up, bud?" I asked as we walked back to the barracks.

He just shook his head.

"Uh-uh, Bennett. You dragged it out of me last time. You're not getting off that easy. What's wrong?"

He sighed deeply, and I knew this wasn't just a simple bad mood. Something big had happened.

He looked at me and finally spoke. "You know when you and the rest of the guys had to run those extra miles because you got behind the other day?"

I scoffed. "Thanks for bringing that up again, pal. Appreciate it."

He laughed shortly. "Sorry. But anyway, I was wandering around on the edge of the camp, just looking around some of the areas we haven't had time for, when..." He swallowed and looked around like he wanted to make sure no one else was listening.

I furrowed my brow and motioned for him to follow me over to the back side of the huge marble rock in the shape of Missouri. "Come over here." When we got behind the rock and there was no one around, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Continue."

He paced in front of me. "As I was saying, I was exploring the edges of the camp, when some guys from Company A approached me. I'd seen them around before but really had no idea who they were. All of a sudden, they were calling me 'fag' and 'homo,' and telling me I had no business being in the Army... If an Officer hadn't walked by at that very instant, I really think they would've tried to beat me up," he finished, looking utterly humiliated.

I was infuriated. "What the fuck? Who the hell was it?" I asked, stomping around. "They have no right to do that! What a bunch of backwards, ignorant dickheads." I stopped and looked at him. "Why didn't you tell me the day it happened?"

He shrugged. "I was embarrassed, dude. But that's not even the worst part of this."

My eyebrows flew up. "What could possibly be worse?"

"I told Noah about it, because it upset me so much. He was so, so angry, but then again, so was I, so that part didn't bother me. But then..." He stopped for a second and looked up at the sky and then back at me. "He said he isn't coming tomorrow."

"What? He isn't coming?! Because of those idiots?" I exclaimed. "No! That's bullshit!"

He nodded. "I know. I agree with you. But he won't listen... he says that he can't come here and risk causing me any more problems. He says it's for my own good... but I need to see him... I want him to see me graduate. But he's so damn stubborn. He won't listen." Tears had filled Dale's eyes and he wiped them away quickly.

I stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. "Give me his number. I'll talk to him."

He hugged me back and squeezed my shoulder. "Thank you... I guess it's worth a try."

"All right, let's go back then," I said, and we took off in the direction of the barracks.

When we got back to our beds, I sent Noah a text pleading with him to come to graduation. Noah was very kind, and understood why a complete stranger was messaging him, but never said for sure that he'd be there.

I shrugged as I looked back at Dale. "I tried my best. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

He nodded, his face downcast. "Thanks for trying, Salazar. I appreciate it more than you know."

"No worries. He'll come. I know it," I said, smiling at him.

But I didn't know. Not really. I could only hope that he'd have the love of his life there... because I couldn't imagine that moment without mine.