Breaking Article 134 Ch. 08

I was almost to the highway when the Porsche turned off and flew past me. I heard the crunch of gravel as the major slammed on the breaks, then the shriek of the engine as he raced backwards much too fast. The transmission thunked in a way that just couldn't be good when he slammed it into park and leaped out in one motion. A moment later his roar shook the trees. "You idiot! Are you completely stupid?!"

I glared at the ground and kept moving, but the truth was that I was damned glad to see him. It had only taken about fifteen meters on the damned crutches to burn all the mad out of me. Every meter after that had only served to remind me that crutches trulysucked and painfully as a means of locomotion. My foot hurt, my head hurt, and the only thing that gave me steam was the pain in my heart.

"Are you even listening to me?" he demanded out of the blue.

It was too much. I came to a halt, dangling from the top of those stupid crutches, with my head hanging in an unpleasant mixture of shame and agony. I just hurt to much and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"Get in the car," he said in a much more reasonable tone.

I didn't have anywhere else to go and that was my own damned fault. I should have told him where to stick it when he called me in the barracks, not climbed into the car with him. How dumb can one girl get? I mean honestly. Without a word to him, I went to the passenger side of the car. He beat me there and opened the door for me. I thought about fighting him over it, but couldn't muster the energy. Instead, I let him take the crutches and help me into the seat. A few minutes later he climbed into the driver's side. We sat there, silently, both of us staring at the windshield, for a while. I wasn't sure how long, but it felt like forever.

"Wright," he began softly, then hesitated. I waited while his breath labored in and out of him. Finally, he took the coward's way again. "How are you feeling?"

I closed my eyes. "I think you should take me back, sir." I didn't recognize my own voice, it sounded so hollow. It scared me. "We won't say anything more about this, um, incident."

"Wright—"

"It would be best if we didn't see each other, except in official capacity, sir. We'll let this all blow over and things will get back to normal." Optimistic, maybe, but there wasn't anything else to think.

There was a long silence broken only by the settling of bodies into leather seats.

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yessir."

"All right, Wright."

"Thank you, sir." I was proud of the almost detached quality in my tone.

We made the return trip in silence. I insisted that he drop me off at the mall rather than the barracks. I thought, for a while, that I'd have to fight him on it, but he let me out at the back of the parking lot without a word. I didn't say anything, just climbed out and quietly closed the door behind me. The shriek of his tires as he roasted them on his way out of there echoed the shrieking inside of my head. It took everything I had to keep it inside.

Jones was on her bed when I came through the barracks room door. She looked up at me, a thoroughly confused expression on her face. I tried to hold it in, I really did, but the concern did me in. I dropped to the floor and bawled my eyes out. She tried to pry the story out of me, but I didn't want to share. I thought it was pretty understandable to keep this particular secret a secret. Jones eventually gave up and just did the solicitous best friend thing. She quietly left the room after I'd fallen asleep on my bed.

Monday came and went without much trouble. Sergeant Mendez's eagle-sharp eyes scanned my face after formation, but he didn't say anything. I went directly to work and kept myself that way with a minimum of conversation. Tuesday well, Tuesday was worse.Much worse.