Page 73 of Fight Or Flight

I’m confused, but I don’t think that’s really hard to be around here. The Montgomery’s are cool and all, but they’re a strange bunch.

“That’s not the point. You’re going to college. Pick one, apply, and register. If they don’t accept you, we’ll send Uncle Gangster in, but you gotta make a fucking attempt before we get that goon involved.”

I really need to find out more about this Uncle Gangster character too. He’s a hot commodity around these parts, and I feel like I’ve overlooked him.

“Riggs, baby, I think you should sit this one out. You’re turning purple,” Lauren says.

He’s going to be green in a few minutes.

Army green, to be exact.

“Have kids, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. They fucking lied,” Riggs shouts. Again, I lift my hand to my mouth, but this time it’s to muffle a laugh.

It’s not funny, I know.

Eric’s voice sounds and the humor fades from me. I recognize that tone, it’s the one he used that day in the pizzeria. The day he shared his truth with me. You know, I never thought about what it might’ve felt like for him—to share such a big secret. I bet it felt like a weight had been lifted. Like he finally had someone he could share his dream with. That thought saddens me because I haven’t really been all that supportive.

Here he is, about to make the ultimate sacrifice, and he’s got no support. That’s not fair, and as I continue to listen to him confess his plans to his parents, I vow to change that. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I want to be the girl who he can count on.

The girl who welcomes him home and gives him his first real hug.

The girl who kisses him after fourteen weeks of hell.

“Okay, both of you stop,” Eric says. “There’s no need to get anyone involved because I’m not going. End of story.” There’s a pause and then his voice sounds again. “I met with a recruiter and I’ve decided to enlist in the Army right after graduation.”

I close my eyes and recall the way he looked when he told me. I picture his parents staring at him the same way I did, blankly.

“The fuck this kid just say?” Riggs growls, but no one responds. The silence is deafening, and I find myself holding my breath, waiting for someone to say something.

“You can’t be serious,” Lauren croaks.

“Don’t worry, Kitten, it’s not happening. I’ll kill him before he laces his boots. Are you out of your fucking mind? You’re not cut out for war.”

“Maybe not yet, but I will be.”

At that, goosebumps spread across my arms like wildfire.

“You can’t even take a piss without spraying the bathroom, you’re going to hold a fucking rifle? Over my dead body,” Riggs continues to roar.

“As far as the pissing thing goes, I’ll work on that too.”

“He’s kidding, right?” Lauren asks. “This is just one of those things kids say to drive their parents crazy.”

No, Lauren. He’s dead serious.

I wish he would tell them the story about the flag and how he feels whenever he looks at it, maybe then they will have a better understanding.

“I don’t know, call your mother and ask her,” Riggs suggests. “Wait—don’t do that. That’s the last thing we need.” Another pause. “Eric, tell your mom this is a joke, or so help me God if she starts crying, I’ll…well, I don’t know what I’ll do but it will be bad. Very, very bad.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. Look, I know this isn’t the future you envisioned for me, but it’s the one I want for myself. I leave in four months—well, one hundred and thirteen days to be exact. I probably should’ve told you guys sooner, but I didn’t know how to. Then Joss and Brooklyn showed up and…”

A lump forms in my throat.

“You’re serious,” Lauren murmurs, her voice crackling. “He’s fucking serious.”

“What about Brooklyn?” Riggs snaps.

I push off the wall and turn toward the living room.

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