It was never effortless to love Aaron Warner. He was a difficult teenage boy who seemed to forget a lot of the time that that was what he was-a teenage boy. He'd always felt that loving or even caring for him would be impossible for all the world to...
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CRAZY. AM I crazy?
I'd like to think I'm not. But it definitely doesn't help when soldiers stare at me like I grew a second head overnight.
"Hi there!" I say to one of them staring, feigning sweetness. "Would you like to take a picture?"
He straightens his posture. "No, ma'am,"
"Then stop fucking staring and keep your eyes on the wall ahead, got it?"
This happens a lot. Too much nowadays.
We all sit in the breakfast room, the table decorated with steaming pots of tea; plates of maple syrup-covered fluffy pancakes; bacon and egg sandwiches; juices of all kinds. It's too delicious. It almost makes me sick how good it all looks when the world is so dark and grey.
"He's such a prick!" Juliette complains, leaning back in her chair with folded arms.
I smirk. "He's always late, Jules,"
"And he never apologizes! Does he realize he's disrespecting me?"
"I don't think he even realizes it's Monday, honey."
A smile curves her lips upwards and a laugh shakes her chest. "Fair."
"Hey, did you see what James did to him yesterday morning?"
She shakes her head. "No, what?"
I snort at the memory. "Switched his underwear. Kenji was so tired he didn't realize until breakfast that he was wearing women's panties."
Juliette starts laughing uncontrollably and the sound is so contagious, I can't stop myself from joining in. "What the hell?" She gasps for air. "Why in God's name did it take him that long to figure it out?"
My shoulders shake with hilarity. "I think we should be more concerned where the kid got the panties from,"
Breakfast passes and before I know it, Jules and I are making our way out into the corridor to go down to the training facilities when we're stopped by no one less than Adam Kent.
I blink. Then whisper in Juliette's ear, "I forgot he existed. . ."
She gulps, her cheeks reddening awkwardly. "Same."
I study her expression and it tells me she's lying. It's always been clear that their breakup was messy and way too public for anyone's good. Isaac and Kent don't get along, whatsoever. Kent blames him for changing Juliette somehow and Isaac hates him because he wouldn't let Juliette evolve as a person or grow stronger. The two of them, when they cross paths—which isn't so often anymore, since they most likely avoid one another—hiss insults at each other like five year olds and make the situation a hundred times worse than it needs to be.
I guess Kent hates that they're together now.
Still, I fail at fighting the urge to smile at Juliette in disbelief. "Girl. . ."
