"Catch you in about a half hour?" he asked, running his fingers over his dirty blonde hair.

"Yeah. Do you want to meet at the chow hall?"

"I can meet you right here if that's okay?"

"Fine with me."

He smiled and walked off. I turned to go into my room when I caught sight of Alex on the bottom floor, leaning on what I presumed to be his truck.  The big, black Ram fit his personality to a tee-- rough and rugged. A slight smile caressed my lips, but quickly faded away as I watched Castillo, or Leti as he had called her the night before, step out of a black Jeep with more food in her hands. They exchanged words before he took it, placed it in his truck, then turned around and spoke to her again. I wanted to run down there and let her know that she was stepping on dangerous territory, only I couldn't, not without severe consequences that could destroy me for the rest of my life. No, I had to stand around and continue to take her shit as she flaunted it in my face. And what the hell was his deal? I couldn't understand how he could be so possessive when it came to Dalton, yet he was so friendly with Castillo. The double standards weren't going to work with me.

I wanted to pull my eyes away from them, but I couldn't. It was like I was drawn to them, a true masochist in every since of the word as I stood up there, seething inside at the sight of them down below exchanging who knows what with one another.

Just when I was pulling away, I watched her hug him, lingering on him a bit too long for my liking. She ran her hand down his arm that was now free thanks to the muscle shirt he wore, and smiled at him as she made her way back and around to her Jeep. I laughed a little to myself, seeing Castillo for the desperate bitch that she was. There was no secret that she knew something was up between Alex and me, and I had a feeling that since she hadn't said anything up to this point, she wouldn't be saying anything at all. She wanted to play hardball, and somehow I found myself wanting to play right along with her. I watched Alex as he looked up and saw me standing there, then turned and jumped into his truck, the thunderous roar of the engine raging to life as he pulled out of the parking lot.

The shower was a refreshing escape from the morning, Alex, and Castillo. Both of them were beginning to get on my nerves. As much as I wanted Alex, I wasn't going to put up with any bullshit games of his. Either he was going to define what this was before us, or we just weren't going to have anything anymore. The fact that I couldn't do anything about Castillo was killing me softly, and I knew she was enjoying the agony as it festered inside of me.

I threw on a t-shirt and a pair of boy shorts underwear before strolling into the bathroom and blow drying my hair. I stared at myself in the mirror, not looking nearly as tired, but wondering how I'd gotten myself caught up in such a mess that I couldn't seem to work my way out of. If Castillo got fed up with Alex and his unwillingness to go any further with her, she could ruin me. I was setting myself up to have my life destroyed right in front of my eyes because I seemed to be in complete and utter lust with my instructor, who I would be leaving five weeks from now. I needed to talk myself into leaving him alone, but with every sight of him, every smell of his husky manliness, and every sound of his words, I found myself falling deeper and deeper into that hole with no way out and no ounce of panic at that realization within me.

A quick knock on the door had me scrambling for my shorts. Dalton was always punctual, leaving me in a frenzied mess to try and make myself presentable before opening the door and letting him in. I swung the door open, smiling my biggest, most charismatic smile. To my surprise, Dalton wasn't standing at my doorway.

It was Castillo, looking much too snide for such an early Saturday morning.

"May I come in, Pfc. Bennett?" She stepped into the room before I even had a chance to answer.

I turned to face her, closing the door slightly behind me.

"I'll make this quick because I see you're on your way out. I know there's something going on with you and Sgt. Cruz, or that you want something to go on. But let me remind you, the Corps has a strict order against fraternizing, and I like to see that all orders are followed. You catch my drift?"

My stomach ached at the sound of her words and the look of her soul-searing gaze. Her lips curved into an evil smile that sent chills down my spine with the tightening of my muscles.

"I don't think you know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I know. I'm watching you. I've already told you that. And if Alex's reaction to finding out you were acting like a walking mattress earlier in the week is any indication, I'd say something is definitely going on." The hairs on my arms were standing at attention, stiff enough to be cut clean off with one swipe of my finger.

"Now, Alex. He is a damn good Marine, one of the best I've known, and a very good friend of mine as well," her emphasis on the word very made me want to hurl, "so I would never get him caught up in this mess, but you--" she paused, looking me up and down, "--you, my dear, your baby career can be sent tumbling down the highest mountain if I open my mouth and let the higher ups know that you're trying to trap an instructor." She moved closer to me, circling while smiling in my face.

"Whatever it is you think you know, you couldn't be more wrong. And I'm pretty sure that instructors shouldn't be hooking up in the workplace, so don't think I won't run my pretty little mouth on you either."

My response surprised her, sending wrath and fury into her eyes, and replacing the earlier bitchiness that had been laid out before me.

"I'm giving you a fair fucking warning, Bennett. Watch your fucking step before I send your ass packing to whatever little piece of shit hometown you come from. I'm not one to be fucked with."

"You'd be wise to heed your own warning, Sgt. Castillo. Now please leave my room before I let the duty know that you came in here threatening me."