“All DQs have a cocky attitude.”
“His was worse.”
“Was. That’s the key word.” I put my hands on my hips and stare out the window like him. “Evans was worse, yet you continue to torment him now, even though he’s turned into a respectable cadet. Just admit you’re jealous of him.”
“He’s a goof-off. He doesn’t take Wallingford seriously. He doesn’t have any military aspirations. Hell, I doubt if he has any aspirations at all.” He finally turns his head to look at me. “Why do you like him so much?”
Staring straight ahead, I reply, “There’s much more to him than you see.”
“He’s too short for you.”
“He’s caring and considerate and intelligent and sweet,” I say, turning to look at Alex. “And he would do absolutely anything for those close to him, even if it hurt him personally.”
Alex scowls. “Your dad likes me better.”
“My dad has been in control of my life for far too long.” That’s the understatement of the year. With both Logan and the Air Force, it’s time for me to finally call the shots in my life. That’s one reason I decided to date Logan. Maybe taking such a gigantic leap in the right direction will give me the confidence I need to finally have the Air Force discussion with my dad. The one I’ve been too scared to have for years.
“Don’t you want to … maybe give us a chance?” Alex asks, nervousness making a rare appearance on his usually confident face.
I shake my head. “Alex,” I say, resting my hand on his shoulder, “you’re one of my best friends. You’re very important to me, you always will be, but I don’t…”
“Have boyfriend feelings.”
I nod. “I’m sorry. I honestly thought you felt the same until recently.”
“Would anything be different if I had told you earlier. Before him?”
I slowly shake my head, feeling bad but wanting Alex to understand there was never going to be anything more between us. “We need to figure out a way to make this work. I don’t want the three of us to be miserable until the end of school.”
“You want me to give him special treatment?”
“No, of course not. I want you to start treating him like all the other cadets because up until now you’ve been much, much harder on him.”
“What do I get out of this?”
“We stay friends. And maybe you gain a new friend in Evans.”
His face twists like the thought of being friendly to Logan makes him feel sick. “Evans and I will never be friends.”
“That’s fine. As long as you stop torturing him.”
He rotates toward the window again and stares out to the gray afternoon. I’m glad this conversation is finally happening. It should have happened weeks ago.
“Don’t make me choose between you two,” I say.
“Because you’ll choose him,” he states matter-of-factly.
At least he understands.
* * *
The next day, things start off better. At breakfast, Logan asks me what I said to Alex because apparently he raised no issues during morning inspection or formation, something that has never happened before. The only problem is Noah is missing. Logan said he didn’t see him in the morning, and his empty spot at the table is painfully obvious. We eat and talk, trying to ignore it, but it’s impossible.
“I hope Noah’s okay,” I finally say.
Logan nods; then his eyes drift over to the door of the mess hall as his whole body tenses.
I follow his gaze. The dean is standing there, perusing the room. He looks in our direction, then starts walking.
My stomach drops.
This can’t be happening. Did Alex report Logan? Even after our talk? If so, this is lower than I ever thought he’d go.
“Ms. Durant, Mr. Evans, I would like to see you in my office after breakfast.”
“Yes, sir,” we say in unison.
I crack my knuckles, my anxiety building with each step the dean takes away from us. But he doesn’t leave the room. He goes over to Alex and says something to him. Alex nods, then looks back at me.
Why would Alex do this? Does he hate Logan so much he’d be willing to give up our friendship to land him in suspension? That’s shortsighted and not at all consistent with the Alex I know.
Five minutes later, after much stressing, the three of us meet in the hallway as we head for his office.
“What did you do?” I whisper to Alex.
“Nothing.”
“What did you tell the dean?”
“I didn’t say anything. I’m done messing with him,” he says with a scowl in Logan’s direction.
“Then why does the dean want to talk to us?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Hell if I know. Maybe it’s about Green.”
His words bring a brief sense of relief. He could be right. Maybe it has nothing to do with Logan. Noah is obviously in major trouble. Perhaps the nurse mentioned we all brought him to her yesterday, so he wants to ask us what we know of the situation. If so, this might not be so bad.
We each step through the door and salute the dean before taking a seat. Noah is already in a chair with his left leg extended, a large black contraption on his foot and most of the way up his lower leg.
He won’t make eye contact with me; instead, he stares at a picture of the dean and his wife hanging on the wall. I’m not sure what his behavior means, although that brief sense of relief starts to fade.
“Thanks for joining us,” Dean Anderson says. “I understand yesterday afternoon was quite interesting around here.” He slowly looks at each of us in turn, holding the gaze until it’s uncomfortable.
“I would like all of you to tell me what happened in your own words. Mr. Green, let’s start with you.”
Noah rubs his temples, then says, “Some friends from home met me in town. They brought beer. We drank it. They tried to bring me back, but I thought I should walk it off. I fell, twisted my ankle, and then passed out. That’s all I remember.”
“Where did you fall?”
“A couple miles from campus.”
The dean nods. “Ms. Durant, your turn.”
I nod and gulp against the lump in my throat. I just need to be honest. Nothing I saw will get Noah in any more trouble than what he already admitted, and it should have no effect on Logan.
“Commander Jernigan and I returned to campus and saw Cadet Evans in the parking lot. We went over to say hi and found Cadet Green passed out inside a truck. We then took Cadet Green to the nurse to make sure he was okay.”
“Mr. Jernigan,” the dean says, “do you have anything to add?”
“No, sir,” he says. “That’s exactly what happened.”
“Well, that leaves you Mr. Evans. Please tell me your side of the story.”
“I—” His voice cracks. He clears his throat and starts again. “I got a text from Noah saying he was trashed and had hurt his ankle. He needed help. So I went out to the parking lot to help him and ran into Commander Jernigan and Lieutenant Commander Durant.”
The dean slowly sucks in air through closed teeth, as though he’s considering everything we’ve said. After a moment, he says, “Here’s the problem. How did Green get from the road to the parking lot? Anyone have any ideas?”