C. Brown - Compromising

Her nose wrinkled, probably disgusted by the mere visual. “He’s taking it very personal. And he’s not going to stop until he has your head hanging from the wall.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She went on to explain about the visit he’d paid her. How he’d tried to coax her into testifying against me in order to save herself. As much as I already loathed the man, I downright despised him now, and wanted to give him the same fucking treatment that I had given Private Allen.

“Alex, I don’t know how far he can take this. I don’t know if he’ll get you kicked out, or just busted down, or—“

“And it’s nothing for you to worry about. I put myself in this shit, and I’ll worry about it. You don’t need to.”

“Are you crazy? How can I not worry about it? What happens to you affects me too, remember?”

Her pitch was raising, anger showing on her face.

“You know what I mean, Cassie. I don’t want you worrying about shit that you have no control over.”

“Don’t shut me out, Alex. I’m in this shit just as deeply as you are.”

She wasn’t getting it and trying to further explain it to her was only going to bring out the hysterics, something I really didn’t need right now.

I pulled out my phone and pressed call for Riley.

“Hey, man. You break free or what?” he answered.

“I guess you could say that. Anyway, I’m at the student barracks with Cassie and we need a ride home.”

“Holy shit, man. Is everything good?”

“I can’t really explain it all right now, Riley. I just need you to come and get us.”

“I’m on my way.”

He hung up and I sat down on the bed, pulling Cassie down with me and resting my head between her tits. She rubbed the back of my head, easing the slight hint of tension out of my body.

“Alex, I can’t stay out tonight.”

“Sure you can. We’ll get you covered here.”

“No!” she yelled, catching me off guard. She pulled back, and our eyes met, two sets of shocked eyes staring at one another. “I mean, I’m just so nervous about everything. I don’t understand how you can have all of this shit hanging over you and yet you still want to break rules.”

“Because it’s you, Cassie. Because no amount of fucking rules can contain what I feel for you.”

She stood and grabbed a bag and threw some of her belongings into it. I laid back on the bed, watching her every move as the worry from everything that was happening took hold of her and made her a nervous wreck. I hated what I was seeing—how the carefree Cassie seemed to be long gone, and was replaced by this nervous figure, moving about, like she was constantly on eggshells. She wouldn’t say much, and it was killing me. I hadn’t thought when I finally got the chance to see her that she’d be so on edge.

“Cassie, tell me how I can help you through this. I hate watching you look so damn frazzled.”

She looked at me and sighed. “I don’t know that there is anything, Alex. I just want to see all of this go away. I just want you to stop pretending that you’re a man of steel and acknowledge that you’re in deep shit. I want you to start caring about this predicament that we’re in.”

I sat up in disbelief. “Let me remind you of something. I was a hard ass from the day you met me and I will continue to be one. I won’t lay down for anyone. That bastard thinks he’s going to get me, and I’m going to make his pansy ass work for it. I’m not compromising myself or what we have to get off the hook, Cassie. If he’s going to punish me, he’s going to punish me, the real Alex, not some dickless prick who cowered because he was afraid.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but there was a knock on the door.

“That must be Riley. Let’s get out of here.” I walked over to the door and opened it, meeting the cold, lifeless eyes of First Sergeant O’Hara.” I froze as he glared at me, willing me to do the same. There was a female Sergeant with him, one I had only seen before, but didn’t know personally.

“Well, why am I not shocked by this? You get your freedom, and this is the first place you come?”

“May we help you, First Sergeant?”

“No, Sergeant Cruz, you may not. I am here to see Pfc. Bennett.”

Cassie stepped forward, looking sickened by his presence and ready to vomit. “I’m right here, First Sergeant.”

“I can see that, Pfc. Bennett. I will make this short and sweet. I came by to offer you one more chance to clear yourself. I sat thinking, long and hard, about what adverse paperwork could do to a young Private First Class, and it’s not pretty. You’d be booted out of the Corps after your first enlistment, for failure to promote. You have to see why I’m trying to offer you a way out.”

I looked to Cassie who looked to me, worry staining her face. Was she considering what this motherfucker was offering her? A twinge of sickness hit me as I stood there, praying to anyone who would listen that Cassie wouldn’t go for whatever he was about to offer her.

“Now, Pfc. Bennett, I can get you on a NJP and move you along your way. Anything more would be damaging to your career, and I see a bright future for you. Think about you, Bennett. You need to put yourself first.”

“Do I, First Sergeant?” she asked, her eyes narrowing at him. “Because from everything that I have been taught, thinking about yourself undermines morale, it hinders the ability to perform successfully, it’s frowned upon.”

“These are different circumstances, Bennett. Now, I don’t have all fucking day. Either you sign this form, and we move you right along, or I take you down with Cruz, and believe me, I will gut you both if it comes to that.”

Cassie looked from O’Hara to me, then back to O’Hara. “You want us, you’re going to have to work hard for us, First Sergeant.”

I exhaled, thankful that what I had said only minutes earlier had sunk in and she had turned around and used it on him. His always anger-filled face contorted into full-on rage as he turned and snatched a folder from the hands of the Sergeant with him.

“Private First Class. Bennett, you are being charged with fraternization. You have the right to remain silent. Any statement you make may be used as evidence against you in a trial by court-martial. You have the right to consult with legal counsel. This legal counsel may be a civilian lawyer retained by you at your own expense, a military lawyer appointed to act as your counsel without cost to you, or both. Do you understand these charges and your rights?”

“Yes, First Sergeant,” she answered, in a defiant tone filled with malice.

“I’ll need you to sign this charge sheet, acknowledging that you understand the charges laid out against you.

Cassie walked over to where he stood, then took the folder and pen from him and hurriedly signed her name to it. First Sergeant O’Hara took it back from her, then handed it to the Sergeant before turning back over to where Cassie stood.

“I know you’re young, but you need understand the ramifications of what you’ve just done. This will be one of those times where you look back and wish you had used better judgment.”

“I’m well aware of what I’m doing, First Sergeant.”

A sinister gleam shined in his eyes. “Oh, you don’t even know the half of it,” he harshly whispered. “Good evening to you both.”

He and the Sergeant turned and walked for the door, opening it to Riley standing on the other side. “Well, Sgt. Riley. It’s nice to see you.”

“Good evening, First Sergeant.”

“I’ll need to see you in the morning, first thing. We have more talking to do.”

Riley’s face went red, like he’d been caught. “I’ll see you in the morning, First Sergeant,” he nervously replied.

First Sergeant O’Hara and the Sergeant walked out of the room without so much as a glance back. I was proud of Cassie but weary of Riley. The way he responded didn’t sit well with me, and a sick feeling was beginning to settle in my stomach.

“You guys ready to go?” he asked, not making much eye contact with me or Cassie.

I studied him for a minute, seeing the nerves that were frying on the inside. He looked everywhere but at me, frequently wiping away at his forehead. This motherfucker had a shit ton of explaining to do.

“Yeah we’re about ready. Cassie’s just been charged, so we need to get away from this fucking place.”

“I’m really sorry, Cassie.”

What the fuck was he sorry for? I didn’t want to spend another minute in that barracks room. The aura of the place was draining, angering and depressing me in one fell swoop, and carving out the truth from Riley was only going to make it that much worse. I needed to get us out of here, for my sanity as well as for his safety.

“We’ll worry about all of this shit later. Just get me and Cassie out of here.”

He nodded his head, then turned for the door.

I grabbed Cassie’s bag and took her by the hand, whispering in her ear, “I’m going to get to the bottom of this. Don’t fucking worry about it.”

I kissed her cheek as she nodded gently. I could tell she wanted to let it go and not worry about it, but the betrayal that came along with a Riley confession was going to sever ties. I didn’t want to see another brother go, but if what I was suspecting was true, Riley would become just another fucking Marine to me, only after I’d had the opportunity to beat a shred of loyalty back into his fucking body.

I sat quietly in the back seat as Riley drove us off base and to the house. The air was thick and hung low, suffocating us as we barreled down the road with nothing but sparse desert scenery passing us by. The elephant loomed large in the truck, and I wasn’t sure if Riley was afraid to broach the subject, or if Alex were trying hard to hide his anger. Either way, neither of them were doing a good job of whatever they were trying to do. I hung out in the backseat, hoping and praying that our hunch was not true because I didn’t want to see what was to come if it were.