Last Day Of School (12/5)

 I looked at the picture of me and my best friend, Hailey, that I kept in my locker. It was from freshman year and the two girls were smiling brightly at the camera, clearly eager for what they only knew to be the “best years of their lives”. Their was a familiar screech from halfway down the hall, and I turned just in time to see Hailey sprinting down the hallways at me.

I grabbed her by the shoulders before she crashed into the lockers, “Jesus, Hailey is the building on fire?” I asked raising my eyebrows at her.

“You have to come with me right now, it's a matter of life and death!” Hailey exclaimed looking terrified.

Hailey was usually a bit dramatic, but something about the look on her face told me I should follow her instead of teasing and continuing to question her.

She partially dragged me to the cafeteria where there was a multitude of men and women in uniform. I would've assumed it was just a recruiters fair if they weren't pushing around students and their hands weren't unconsciously hovering to close to their service pistols.

I would've just snuck out of the school if I hadn't noticed Hailey's brother Brady being pushed roughly by a soldier with a baton. He was then hustled into a line with a lot of other male students. On the other side of the cafeteria there was a lengthy line of girls standing at attention with a female soldier marching back and forth in front of them eying them all up and down.

“Hailey, let's go!” I whispered pulling her arm, trying to get her to go down the hall towards the parking lot with me.

“We can't just leave, they have my brother!” Hailey said a little too loudly, starting to cry.

At this point I had no patience left and I didn't want her to get us caught so I dragged her outside to the parking lot before explaining my plan to her.

“Hailey I know, but we can't help him if we are in the same situation with him can we? We are going to follow them and break him out,” I said pushing her into the passenger seat of my car.

I got in the car and waited in the parking lot until I saw the soldiers marching the students out to vans and pushing them along quickly. After all of the vans had pulled out I followed behind at a safe distance until we reached a military base. I parked in a parking lot across the street and made my way quickly across climbing over a brick wall then helping Hailey over.

It wasn't hard to find her brother because the group of students was so large, and they were the only ones on base in civilian clothing. I watched the soldiers march the boys into a room and followed behind trying not to let the door close. I was so preoccupied trying to eavesdrop that I didn't notice the burly shaven man that crept up behind me and Hailey.

“Looks like we've got some stragglers,” he said into a walkie talkie motioning for Hailey and me to follow him.

I dropped my head and followed him with Hailey dragging along slowly behind me.

The man led us into a room with our classmates where we were sat in the front to watch whatever video the girls had already started.

I felt that I was in some sort of numb state while watching the video. The sound wasn't even registering in my brain, but it was clear that the United States had entered another World War, and we were the unwilling participants. 

Sorry To Bother You, But (12/5)

 I stared a the house of waffles I'd made. I hated this every time UI made one, I didn't want to destroy the work of art, but I was really hungry.

“I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you'd like to join me,” said a handsome man.

I looked over at his table to see a house of waffles similar to mine, but a little it better.

“I guess I could use some company,” I said standing up. Before I had grabbed my purse he had already scooped up my plate of waffles and set it down across from his own.

I always thought chance meetings, first dates, and things like this were awkward, but this man was completely confident with himself and very attractive.

“I'm Brandon,” he said holding his hand out with a dazzling smile.

“I'm Cecilia,” I said smiling shyly and shaking his outstretched hand.

“What's a pretty girl like you doing here by yourself?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

Usually when a guy asked something like that it was corny and he was obviously trying to be smooth, but Brandon seemed truly curious.

“Because pretty girls should be dependent on men?” I shot at him.

“Of course not, but any man in your life who is letting you be seen in public alone is a fool,”

“Maybe I like to be alone,”

“Yet you accepted my invitation to eat with me,”

“It must be because you're so damn charming,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

“Of course. What are your plans for the weekend?”

“I had planned to go scuba diving with some friends because I've always wanted to try it, but too many of them bailed,”

“I could take you,”

“Sure you could,”

“No seriously I have a boat-we can go right now if you like,”

“No it's fine, honestly I'll just go home and read a book or something. I don't know you like that, you don't know me, and I would hate to be a burden to you or anything,” I said looking down at my intertwined fingers.

“We've already established that anyone would be lucky to be in your presence, it's no burden at all and I'm not going to take no for an answer,” he said smiling at me.

“Fine, fine, fine let's go before I change my damn mind,” I said standing up, throwing a twenty on my table and walking outside knowing that Brandon would follow closely behind.

It didn't even occur to me that I had no idea which car was his, or where we were going to go scuba diving at until I'd made it out of the restaurant and completely lost all since of direction. I turned to Brandon with a confused look on my face and he immediately started laughing.

Brandon just smiled and took out his keys, pressing the unlock button. I turned my head towards the chirp. My jaw dropped when I saw the lights to a pearl white Land Rover flash.

“No way that's your car,” I said looking at him and laughing.

He just smirked at me and nodded, walking over to open the passenger door for me to get in.

I climbed into the car looking around at the beige leather interior in awe. Don't get me wrong I wasn't a broke person, but I did work hard for everything I had ever owned and I wasn't accustomed to these luxuries on a daily basis.

I got into the SVU and waited for Brandon to climb in and pull off. The whole time we were driving to our destination I could feel him glancing over at me, and when I finally looked over at him his eyes were on the road as is he hadn't even noticed my presence in the car, but I noticed the hint of a smirk on his face.

When we got to the docks I watched how he drove the car with such ease and a masculinity that was outwardly sexy. He parked and came around to my side, opening the door and offering me his hand to help me out of the car.

I followed him down the row of boats waiting for him to stop at one of them. Finally when we had passed all of the boats I had to say something.

“Brandon, where the hell are we going?!” I said stopping in my tracks.

“Be patient, beautiful,” he said gesturing in front of us where I saw a small object approaching us. I stared hard and as it got closer I realized it was a boat and it wasn't anywhere near small.

It was a yacht, and I wasn't even sure if that was the right word for it. It was clear Brandon wasn't the average kind of man, and I was excited for whatever he had in store for me.