Somethin' About That Boy

by Vale, Lani Lynn

She grumbled something underneath her breath but looked at me with terror in her eyes.

  “It’ll be okay,” I promised.

  I would make it be okay.

  I didn’t want her to think that this was the end for us.

  I wouldn’t let it be.

  When I got out of the car, she drove away without another word.

  ***

  “Holy shit.”

  I blinked and looked up to find the Navy recruiter looking at me with surprise on his face.

  I’d just gotten finished taking the ASVAB, and my brain hurt.

  Not because of the test, though. But because of Perry.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You scored a ninety-nine,” he said. “Do you know how many people score that?”

  I had no clue.

  I knew that my brother had scored a ninety. My dad a ninety-two. And I knew that those both were really good scores.

  But ninety-nine was perfect. Well, as good as you could get.

  It meant that I scored better than ninety-nine percent of the people that took it.

  “No, sir,” I answered honestly.

  He spoke some more, but I missed some of it as my mind once again wandered to what Perry was going to think.

  “…what do you want to do? You can do anything you damn well want,” the recruiter, Kaleb Donahue, asked.

  “I want to be a SEAL.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Of course you do.”

  ***

  It took another hour, more test scheduling, and a call to Perry before I finally took my first full breath again.

  She pulled up in her mom’s car and smiled.

  I couldn’t stop myself from walking to her side of the car, pulling her into my arms, and wrapping her up in my embrace.

  “Missed you,” I said softly as I pressed my nose into her neck.

  She sighed into my throat as she wrapped her arms around my belly and pulled me in tight.

  “You scare the shit out of me, Banner Spurlock. The things I feel…” She shook her head against my chest. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore, okay? Just… let’s not mention it until we get through with next week.”

  That sounded perfect to me.

  “Let’s go get my car before they decide to start another carnival,” I murmured softly.

  She laughed softly into my chest. “Sounds good.”

  Chapter 25

  I’m not a control freak, but you’re doing it wrong.

  -Banner to Perry

  Banner

  I threw the pass and knew without a doubt that it would be a touchdown.

  This week had been perfect.

  The game had been perfect.

  My passes had been on point.

  Hell, I’d even scored two touchdowns myself.

  I was on fucking fire.

  Slone caught the ball and dove into the end zone at the same time, his hands curling around the ball and holding it tight as he was dog piled.

  I waited along with everyone else as the players started to peel off of him.

  And, the moment that he stood, I knew we’d done it.

  “Hell yeah!” I whooped.

  The fans started to pour onto the field then.

  I looked up just in time to see a cooler of Gatorade coming for my head.

  “Son of a bitch!” I yelled as the cold drink soaked me to the skin.

  Laughing, I whipped the hair out of my eye and pointed at the culprit.

  “Fuck you,” I said to my now best friend.

  Titus laughed. “You had it coming, man. Good game.”

  I slapped his hand in midair and pulled him to me for a half hug.

  “Thanks, you too, big guy,” I said.

  He bumped me with his pads and then jerked his chin in the direction of the end zone.

  “Your girl’s trying to get through.”

  I looked up to find Perry trying to fight her way through the crowd toward me.

  Grinning like the loser I was, I started to jog toward her.

  The moment I reached her, I pulled her up into my arms and wrapped her up tightly.

  “Ewww!” she cried out. “You’re sweaty and sticky!”

  I was very much the both of those.

  She buried her face into my neck and started laughing.

  “How’d your game go?” I asked, pulling my head back to look down into her eyes without putting her down on the ground.

  She scrunched up her nose. “We won. But I played like shit. Things hurt.”

  I imagined they did.

  It’d only been a week since Vance’s assault on her and things were still tender, as they would be for a while.

  Though, she’d insisted on playing and nothing I said or her parents said could change her mind.

  “It’ll get better,” I offered.

  And it would.

  With time, she’d get back to where she was.

  “You did good.” She smiled. “I can see now why everyone wants you.”

  I felt a ball of dread hit my stomach at her words.

  Everybody did want me.

  In fact, tonight there were five recruiters in the stands, and all of them had talked to me before the game.

  Despite what I’d told them—what I’d yet to tell Perry—they’d stayed to watch me anyway. Just in case I changed my mind.

  But I wouldn’t—couldn’t—change my mind.

  Not anymore.

  Not after today.

  I really, really needed to talk to Perry.

  “I need to talk to you after we leave,” I said. “Your place or mine?”

  The smile dropped off of her face. “Yours, and okay.”

  My parents came up to me then, my dad slapping me hard on the shoulders.

  “Good game, kid.” He grinned. “I just wanted to come back and say hi and that we were leaving. I have to work in the morning, and after having to take off this afternoon to…”

  I gave my dad a look and shook my head, my eyes flicking to Perry.

  Understanding dawned and he nodded his head.

  “And you, little lady. You’re looking well,” my dad said.

  Perry grinned. “I am. Bruises are getting to the point where they’re that really ugly putrid green color. I think that means they’ll be gone soon.”

  “They will,” my mother said as she patted Perry’s hand then looked at me. “As much as I’d like a hug, I have to ride home on the back of your dad’s bike for a couple of hours. I really don’t want to be wet the entire time. Give me a kiss, though.”

  I did just that, dropping a kiss to my mom’s cheek.

  She smiled at me and patted my other cheek as she said, “Don’t keep her in the dark long, Banner. Just tell her. It’ll be okay.”

  I leaned back and grimaced.

  It would… hopefully.

  “Love you.” I smiled at her.

  She winked and pulled Perry into a hug.

  “Make sure you feed my boy,” she ordered. “And yourself. Y’all just went through a lot of hard work. You deserve to splurge a bit.”

  My dad looked at me then. “You have enough money?”

  I did.

  “Yes, Dad,” I said. “I still have quite a bit left over from my summer job.”

  I’d intended to get a job here as soon as I could, yet after this afternoon, I doubted that I’d bother to do that anymore.

  I wanted to spend as much time with Perry as I could before I left.

  “Let me know if you do,” he ordered. “Y’all be good tonight.”

  After saying our goodbyes to my parents, I looked at Perry. “You ready to go?”

  Before Perry could reply, we were surrounded by our friends.

  Blue on one side of her and Echo on the other. Titus and Slone made their way to my sides.

  “Y’all going to go get food?” Titus asked. “We’re starving.”

  “Yes,”
Perry snickered. “We’re going to go to grab pizza then go to Banner’s place.”

  My lips twitched.

  “Sweet, I’ll go,” Slone said. “My mom has the baby tonight. They went to visit her sister in Dallas.”

  I grinned at him. “So you’re a normal teenager tonight?”

  Slone shrugged. “As normal as a teenage father can be, I guess. I’m fuckin’ worried about them and they just left two minutes ago.”

  I chuckled and slapped him on his helmeted head. “Let’s go get changed. We’ll meet you at the cars?”

  That question was directed at my girl.

  She batted her eyelashes. “Of course. I’ll always wait for you, Banner Spurlock.”

  Oh, how much I wished those words to be true.

  Especially after she heard what I had to tell her tonight.

  ***

  “I told my mom I was staying with Blue.” Perry grinned at me.

  I licked my lips in anticipation.

  “You did?”

  She nodded as she jumped onto my bed and turned around to sit on it crossed-legged. “We have some things we need to talk about. Mainly where you’ve been this past week, and the secret you’ve been trying to skirt around telling me since this afternoon.”

  I opened my mouth to deny it, to do what I’d been doing all week, and then thought better of it.

  “I was going to wait until tomorrow,” I admitted. “Until after we did this dinner with our friends.”

  She frowned hard. “Why?”

  I thought about easing into it, making it sound better than it really was, but then thought, ‘fuck it.’

  She needed to know the truth. Not a version of the truth that may or may not have been something that might happen.

  I needed to tell her what was for sure happening right now.

  “When I was four, I told my dad I was going into the Navy,” I said softly.

  Perry’s face went carefully blank.

  “I’ve known what I wanted to do since the first time I met one of my dad’s Navy SEAL buddies. From that point on, I’ve had a direct career path that I’ve not deviated from. Never once have I had second thoughts until you,” I continued quietly.

  Her eyes went hot.

  “But, even then, I know that it’s not going to be enough to make me stray. This is my dream, Perry,” I said. “And I’ll be living my dream where, hopefully, you’ll still be a part of my life, starting in just a few months.”

  When still she didn’t say anything, I said, “This week I took all the tests required to get me into the Navy. I made a ninety-nine on my ASVAB. They said I could have the pick of anything that I wanted to do. But I don’t want to do just anything. I want to be a Navy SEAL.”

  Her eyes rounded in horror.

  “No.”

  “Yes.” I nodded.

  “You’re…” She paused. “You’re going to what?”

  I looked at the ceiling and stared.

  “I’m going to join the Navy,” I said softly. “I’m not going to take the scholarship.”

  Her mouth fell open, and she stared at me in surprise.

  “You’re… what?” she said again, unable to comprehend just what, exactly, I was saying.

  “I’m going to join the Navy,” I repeated. “I’ve already tested. The moment that I graduate in December, I’m shipping out.”

  Her mouth fell open.

  “You graduate in December?” she all but screeched.

  I winced. “Yes.”

  “Since when?” she gasped.

  “Since always.” I shrugged. “I would’ve been able to graduate last year but I couldn’t fit in all of my electives in one year.”

  She stared at me with shock written all over her face.

  “You’re telling me you have ten more weeks? Does this mean you’ll miss New Year’s Eve?” she asked, sounding disconnected from the conversation now.

  I winced.

  “Actually.” I paused. “I’ll miss Christmas. I’ll ship out on the nineteenth, the day after we get out of school.”

  “That’s not even graduation yet, Banner. You won’t even walk across the stage,” she said dully.

  I wouldn’t.

  I knew that.

  My parents knew that.

  And now Perry knew that.

  But, it was either that or wait until the end of February. And if I did that, it’d throw a lot of other things off, too.

  And I didn’t want to wait.

  I wanted to do it now. I… was selfish.

  I really did want the best of both of my worlds.

  “I want to do this, Perry. I want to go into the Navy. I want to become a Navy SEAL. I want to do all the things that I’ve always wanted to do. And you came in and made me question that. But in the end, I don’t think you’ll like it if I just gave up on my dream. I love you, and I know that you love me. I don’t want this to end, Perry. I can see the war going on in your eyes. You don’t want me to go, but I have to go. I’m going to go. The question is, are you going to be with me when I do.”

  ***

  Perry

  A whole bunch of words started to sift through my head, and I blinked, unable to comprehend just what exactly he was saying.

  “So if you’re okay with that,” he said softly. “Then I’m okay with taking this relationship further.”

  This relationship further.

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “Further?”

  How much further could you go? We’d already gone pretty far.

  “When I’m through with basic, I’ll attend a program called BUD/S Prep. I’ll stay where I’m at for another six to eight weeks. From there I’ll attend another training program until the next INDOC class forms.”

  He rattled on and on, but all I kept hearing was the five to six weeks here, four weeks there, six months over there, three weeks here, six more months after that three weeks.

  Over and over it went until I held up my hand to stop him.

  “How long?” I asked. “How long altogether?”

  He frowned. “A year and a half to two years.”

  I closed my eyes. “Where does that leave me? Am I just supposed to wait for a year and a half?”

  His face closed off.

  “I love you.”

  His words made my heart pound.

  “I love you, too,” I said as I gathered myself up off his bed and went to the side where I’d kicked off my shoes earlier. “And after that? Where do I go? What do I do? Do I go down to wherever you get stationed? Am I even allowed to? Will I see you in that year and a half? Talk to you?”

  He softened. “Of course, you will.”

  “But…” I closed my eyes as I tried to think about everything that he’d just said. Tried to process the un-processable. “I... I need to go.”

  “What about our friends?” he asked. “They are coming over here.”

  I looked over at him and shrugged. “I’ll call them. At least the girls. Tell them change of plans. They’re not supposed to be over here for another hour anyway.”

  He frowned. “I don’t want to leave it like this.”

  I got pissed then.

  “Then you shouldn’t have started it like this,” I snapped. “You knew what you were doing. It’s like you’ve done all of this behind my back. You could’ve just said something, you know.”

  He swallowed.

  “That’s right,” he said. “I could have. But I didn’t. Because I knew this is how you would react.”

  With that parting comment, he walked out of his room, leaving me staring at the doorway where he’d disappeared.

  I slipped my feet into my shoes sans socks and hurried toward the door.

  Thankfully, I had my mother’s car, making it easy to leave.

  I felt his eyes on me as I backed out of his driveway and cried my eyes out on the way home.

  Instead of going to my bedroom, a place where I�
�d felt safe and completely in love over the last couple of weeks that Banner had been mine, I went to the TV room and plopped down onto the couch.

  From there, I watched three episodes of House before my father finally came into the room.

  He limped over to the couch and took a seat on the cushion beside me.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” my father asked, touching the top of my head with his hand.

  I stared blankly at the television, seeing but not.

  I leaned farther into my father’s arms and curled my legs up onto the couch at his side.

  “Banner told me that he’s joining the military. The Navy. A Navy SEAL,” I said softly as if that explained everything.

  It didn’t.

  Obviously, otherwise my dad wouldn’t have laughed.

  “And?” he asked.

  I gritted my teeth at his amusement.

  “And he could die over there, Dad. He’s joining the scariest division in the freakin’ military!” I snapped, turning on the couch and staring at him in surprise. “Need I remind you that you almost died? And you weren’t even a SEAL!”

  My dad’s face went soft.

  “You’re right,” he replied. “I did almost die over there.”

  He had.

  When I was eight, my father had deployed to Iraq.

  When I was eight and a half, a month before my father was supposed to return home, he’d tripped over something and his helmet had gone flying in front of him while he’d been sweeping an area for land mines.

  When he’d fallen, his helmet had landed about a foot and a half in front of him.

  Seconds after that, his left arm and leg were blown off.

  At the time, they’d thought that they’d been able to save his other arm.

  But they hadn’t.

  Two weeks after the bomb had taken two of his limbs, it took another one.

  He’d contracted an infection in his right arm that had settled into the bone, causing the doctors to have to amputate his other arm just under his elbow.

  All in all, he’d managed to keep one leg, but even that had its problems.

  The next year and a half, my father worked his ass off to get back to where he was—or as close as he could get seeing as he only had one limb left. And over that time, I’d met a whole lot more men that were in the exact same shoes as my father at the veteran’s hospital.

  Honestly, it was kind of surprising just how many people were hurt over there. A whole lot more than anybody talked about, that was for sure.