Eye of the Storm

-> rewind pt. i

"Okay, what's up with you and Rooster?" Phoenix asks, as we're unwinding at her place from training earlier that day.

Our arms ache from all of our push-ups, and we barely have enough energy to work the remote to watch a show.

"What do you mean?" I ask her, she knows the basics of what happened between me and Rooster.

"There's gotta be more to what you've told me."

"We were best friends, now we're just ikr acquaintances. Scratch that, practically strangers now."

"I call bull. He at you like you're his entire world." Nat says, and I almost choke on the water I'm been drinking for the last couple of minutes.

"No he does not!" I argue, "He gives me the death glare 24/7."

"That's just his ego." Phoenix says, "Rooster obviously has a soft spot for you, that's why he's so hard on you."

He doesn't want me to go on the mission and die like his daddy, Goose did.

★★★

For the first 15 years of my life, I grew up being best friend with my next door neighbor, Bradley Bradshaw.

We were both born and raised in the South, living in Georgia.

My mother, who you may know as Charlotte Blackwood, had me almost a year after meeting my dad.

It gave me and Bradley a two, almost three year difference.

And even if parents didn't marry each other, they lived together for me.

But when my mother, Charlotte Blackwood died when I was three, it was just me and my dad.

But it was just Bradley and his mom, Carole, so we were all in this together, right?

I was wrong.

My dad left a lot, nothing could keep him grounded, why should he change that for me?

Needless to say, I stayed at the Bradshaw's a lot.

We were best friends, and he being older than I, dragged me everywhere.

I was one of the boys, until I hit middle school, and made some friends who were my own age.

Then when we were both in high school, I was dragged to football games, parties, and bonfires all because of Bradley.

It was my freshman year when I realized that I loved Bradley.

I didn't say anything, because I feared it would ruin our relationship.

I didn't say anything, even when Bradley graduated, and it was a good thing too, because he decided to enlist in the navy.

Bradley decided to leave.

He told me one day when he was trying to teach me how to drive stick in his truck.

"Rach, go ahead and park the car."

I pulled into his driveway and did what he told me.

I started to open the door, when Bradley grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"What?" I asked him.

"Rachel..." He never called me by my full name unless something important happened. I stopped and gave him my full attention. "I'm leaving in 2 weeks."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to be in the Navy."

"Oh." I said, I knew I should've expected this but it still hurt. "Thanks great Brad!"

I tried to be happy for him, and celebrate.

And soon 2 weeks turned into none, and me and Carole saw him off.

I wrote to Bradley as much as I could. When I wasn't waiting for my dad to come home from wherever in the world he was, or working on my car, I was waiting on Bradley's letters.

His mama would wait with me, and I cherish those moments the most.

Even then, Carole knew she had cancer, but didn't tell anyone, and it stung.

I wish I would've known, there's stuff I would've done differently if I knew. I would've spent more time with her instead of trying to live my high school days to the fullest.

Entering my junior year, I got a letter almost every other week from Bradley.

Over that summer, it turned to once a month.

And by the time I was a senior, I didn't get a single one.

So I moved on from him.

Flash forward to Senior Prom, I went with a guy on the football team, named Will Portman.

He was nice, but he wasn't Bradley.

I had to stop comparing every guy to him. Bradley wasn't coming back.

My dad wasn't there for my prom night, so Bradley's mom take care of everything.

We went dress shopping, she took me to go get my nails done, and she was there to send me off, taking pictures and everything for me.

I wore a silk slip dress with spaghetti strap, and it was dark purple. I wore a silk scarf around the inside of my arms, and silver jewelry. I felt very pretty.

Will thought so too, and we had the best time at Prom.

And after the magical night was over, we both went back to my house, since my dad was gone and everything.

The lights were on in my house.

But I paid them no mind, I probably forgot turn them off.

I opened my door, and then I heard someone shuffling around. My dad wasn't supposed to be back until... the end of this month? That is, if he was telling the truth this time in his letters and phone calls.

Will kisses me, and then takes my hand as we head towards the living room.

Sitting on the couch, waiting for me, was Bradley.

He looked exhausted.

Instead of hugging the guts out of him, I held my prom date by the hand tighter and said, "What are you doing here Bradshaw?"

Not Brad, not Bradley. Bradshaw.

Bradley looks confused why i'm so cold towards him. "I got back from the naval academy. I have a two weeks off before I go back. Who is this?" He asked with a slight venom to his voice.

Bradley sound almost jealous. No that's impossible, I tell myself.

"This is Will, and he's my prom date."

"Your Prom was tonight?" He asked, checking his watch to see how late it was, it was well past midnight. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would you have answered?" I asked.

His silence is enough of an answer.