Chapter 44
Seb and Gabby say hello but Nick is quiet. “Hello Nick,” I say, leaning forward.
“Shortie,” he grunts.
“That’s better,” I say, patting his shoulder.
When we arrive at school, Gabby takes off to see her friends as soon as Nick parks the Jeep. As we’re walking towards the front door, I ask Nick where we are training today. “Your house.”
Oh, that makes things easy. “Okay,” I reply and text Zander that I will be at home with Nick training after school.
E is waiting for us on the steps. I get a hug while Seb gets a peck on the cheek. “Is Zander on his way?”
“Yup. He and Jensen left at 7:30am.” I say hi to Alex and Bay, then we split up for classes.
“I had a conversation with Cara last night,” Alex tells me as we’re walking to AP Biology.
That might not be good. “About what?” I ask.
“Her behavior towards you and Seb. Hopefully, she will back off now.”
“Okay, thank you. Is this a money and influence thing?”
“Yes, it is,” he tells me as we take our seats. I was not expecting that this morning. I’m very lucky to have these guys as friends.
The rest of the day passes quietly with no drama.
Cara and Ben both ignore me in gym class today, which is weird but good.
I follow Nick out to the Jeep after school.
Gabby is apparently going to the mall with a friend, so Nick and Seb drive me home.
I call Jake and then join the guys in the backyard. “Okay Nick. I’m ready. What do I do?”
“We’re going to start with the basics. I’m going to teach you how to get out of holds first. Do you think either of us will trigger you if we grab you or restrain you?”
“You guys, no,” I shake my head.
Nodding, he calls Seb over. “I’m going to demonstrate different holds on Seb and walk you through what to do. Then Seb will repeat the hold on you and I’ll talk you through how to get out of it.”
We spend several hours going through different scenarios. Nick is an outstanding teacher. He’s patient with me and adjusts the moves to suit my size and strength. I flip Seb over me as Zander walks through the patio doors. “Woah. Good job, Summer,” Zander grins.
“Hi Zander. Thanks. How was today?” I ask.
“Great. The Commander seems like a good guy. I’ve got a schedule if you guys want to have a look?”
“Lay it on us, man,” Seb tells him. We sit at the outdoor table while Zander hands us each a copy from his bag.
“So we're alternating one day of class, then one day of practical for the first week. Then we will be up in the air most days after that, with shorter classes during weeks two and three. There will be a Saturday in there too. All the night training will be in week four, and that’s for 7 days straight.”
“What days will you be staying overnight?” I ask him.
“I’m not 100% sure of that yet. I’ll probably stay Thursday night since my day will start at 4:30am on Friday.
Depending on how competent the soldiers are will determine how many early days we’ll have.
Jensen has a family too, so we’ll split up the early mornings if we end up needing a lot of them.
They’ve booked a 2 bedroom apartment for me and Jensen on base for the duration of training. ”
“Okay. I’ll have someone stay here Thursday then.”
“I will,” Seb offers, raising his hand, like we’re in class.
“Alright, Hurry,” I chuckle. Zander is going to email the schedule to the rest of the guys and then shower. I also need to shower and soak. We invite the guys to stay for dinner.
“Do you guys mind picking up some dinner?” Zander asks Seb and Nick. “I was thinking about the diner?” They agree, so Zander gives them some cash, and we both go to get cleaned up while they’re gone.
By the time I’m out of the tub and dressed, the guys are unpacking the food on the table. We fill Zander in on our day, including Alex confronting Cara at some function he attended with Reesa. “Good. You all need less drama in your lives,” Zander comments.
The boys go home after dinner. I thank them for the lesson, then get my homework out on the couch while Zander gets an update from Troy on the phone.