After looking back, it's astounding and somewhat baffling that we had managed to get intertwined with one another in such a passionate way. I had thought that if I got a taste of him-- that would be it, but it was so much more. And now, my fears were elevated because with all of the joy and happiness comes secrecy and hiding. Our relationship, if that's what we want to call it, could be our lifelong demise. A discharge from the Corps for fraternizing would follow and hinder the both of us no matter what we embark on. Yet, even with that knowledge, I couldn't see myself turning away from him.

"Hey. You back from cloud nine?" Dalton's pretty smile was in my face, his hands waving in front of me as well.

I was floating. My day with Alex had been so invigorating that I couldn't seem to focus on anything else besides his body. But more so, his warm, compassionate, and soothing words in my moment of panic. His actions were completely opposite of what I was expecting, and the joy of it all was beginning to shine through me.

"I'm good. Just happy to have a day off."

"We had a day off yesterday. Where were you anyway?"

I tensed up. I hadn't planned on being asked that question, so I had no answer readily available. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, praying that Dalton couldn't argue against it.

"I was in the library most of the day, studying.” My stomach twisted into a few tightly wound knots as I waited for his response.

"Oh, okay. I couldn't find you. After I was done babysitting Allen, that is."

"Allen? Why?"

"Beats me," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I just know that he got into some shit in the wee hours of the night, and somehow I got called in to be a calming effect for him." He smiled apathetically.

Guilt instantly flooded me, filling me from head to toe. No one should have to spend unwanted time with Allen, and the only reason Dalton had been made to do it was so that Alex and I could carry on with what we were doing. I felt bad for my friend. I felt bad for what I was becoming, but eerily I couldn't feel bad for what I was doing.

"I'm sorry. He's a freakin' rabid dog. What did he do this time?"

"He had been drinking again, and I guess his roommate said something about it. A couple of wrong words and they were throwing blows at one another." Dalton rolled his eyes but continued on. "Allen got moved out of the room, closer to the duty hut. They should have moved him right next door, but there were no rooms available. I got stuck helping him move."

I couldn't help but laugh at the contortion of his face.

"Sorry to laugh at you, but I really couldn't imagine having to do that. You shouldn't be so nice, Dalton. Your reputation is preceding you."

The door opened and in strolled Angelica. She avoided my gaze, instead briskly walking past both Dalton and me while quietly muttering, "Hi."

"Hi," we answered back simultaneously.

Her behavior had me stumped. The day before, she was proudly and quite potently threatening to derail whatever it was she thought Alex and I had. Today, she couldn’t even bring herself to look at me. Something was definitely up.

"I'm going to the gym, and then to study," she said, throwing a new t-shirt on over her head.

Dalton and I exchange curious glances, but neither of us said a word.

"Bye," Angelica called out before slowly shutting the door.

"Well, that was strange," I said, breaking the awkward silence that Angelica had cast over the room. "She usually has nothing but venom for me."

"Don't sweat it. Relish it. Now get your binder out so we can study. We have more tests coming up this week."

I reluctantly stood, then moved over to my wall locker, pulling my binder out and thrusting it on my bed. The last thing I wanted to do right now was study because even in my binder, Alex and his sex oozing voice spilled out from deep inside of it.

Monday morning came much too soon. My relaxing day with Dalton and the absence of Angelica made Sunday one of my favorite days thus far. She seemed so dejected when she walked into the room, and if I actually liked her, I probably would have cared. All I knew was that her subdued demeanor oddly put me at ease, and whatever had taken her to that point was very welcomed.

Inside the classroom, I couldn't help but feel uneasy as Newsome stood behind Alex, scanning on the room and landing on me a few times. Maybe it was the fact that Alex and I had escalated our flirtations-- going all the way, but I had a sickening feeling that he knew, and it was sending my mind in all sorts of crazy directions. As far as I was aware, he didn't know about us, but my guilty conscience couldn't be sure. Intense heat suffocated me as he looked out at me, his eyes narrowing as if he was trying to steal information from my soul.

"…so your tests are coming back to you. A passing score is seventy-two percent, a C, which is average. We are Marines. We are exceptional, and anything but average, so if you find yourself down in this range, fix your shit."

Alex's voice shook me from my trance. Jensen took the liberty of passing back the tests, slapping a seventy-four percent down in front of me. Shame and embarrassment hit me as I looked from my paper up to the front of the room where Alex stood, glaring at me. He softly licked his lips, turning his head slightly to the side in a consequential manner, his eyes filling with lustful disappointment.

I couldn't take it. I turned away from him. After the test, I felt like I hadn't performed well. Something about the feel of it all, his eyes boring into me all while I took the exam, had shaken my core, utterly distracting me.

"Open your binders to the chapter on cryptographic codes and pay attention. You will have another test at the end of the week, and those of you that scored average will need to redeem yourselves to my satisfaction."

My eyes shot to Alex as he spoke, seemingly as if I were the only person he was speaking to, his statement filled with sexual innuendo.