𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐔𝐒𝐀 [𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫]

08

Sydney spent the night with Phoenix by her side and Rooster in the room across the hall. In and out of sleep, Sydney grew thankful to have two good friends by her side. "Tell me stuff." Natasha said as she turned down the tv to talk with her.

"Whatcha wanna know?"

"What's his deal?" She nodded across the hall to Bradley.

"Bradley?"

"Yeah. I know you said you guys used to be friends but he seems to take it as more than that." Natasha wanted all the details. She had heard plenty of stories of the two of them but wanted to know why he was so into everything she did.

"When I was 17, Roos-" Sydney looked to Natasha, "Bradley, drove 8 hours to Georgia for my prom. We had been talking about it for a whole week before and how I didn't want to go because I was the only one that didn't have a date. He drove from Virginia Beach to be my date. He showed up an hour before prom started in an old tux that was his dads. I didn't even have a dress. We rooted through my closet and finally found something from my moms to wear." Sydney laughed to herself as she remembered the day. It was so perfect to her. Nothing had come close to how perfect that day was.

"I didnt even care if we were at prom or not. Just having him with me meant everything to me."

"You never told me that one." Nat said.

"It's always just kind of been ours to know." She looked across the hall to the room Bradley sat in. After the jet wash, he thought she was gone. They had spent the last week and a half at each others throat. But this, this is what it took to have them in the same room without wanting to yell at each other.

The girls talked for a little while longer before Natasha was asked to leave to allow Sydney to get some sleep. Sydney tossed and turned throughout the night and hated the uncomfortable infirmary bed. When morning came she was up before anyone else on the base, besides the admirals she passed on her way to get some coffee from the cafeteria.

"Lieutenant Wolfe, everything okay?" Warlock asked as he came up beside her at the coffee bar.

"Yes. After yesterday, I'm ready to get back out there."

"Good to hear it. I know we were all worried for you." He smiled at her before walking away. She believed he was leaving her alone but when she turned to leave she bumped right into Bradley.

"Well, I'm glad to see you up and moving." he was cautious with his words and how he spoke to her. He was unsure of how she had felt about the whole situation from the night they were all at the beach.

"Glad to be up and moving." she grabbed some food and sat a table. He joined her and they ate their meal in silence.

"Are we just not going to talk to each other?"

"I don't know Roo, you tell me."

"Look, I'm sorry for not hearing you out after the bonfire. Just the idea of Jake and you-" Sydney raised a brow in his direction, "Grinds my gears. Like seriously? The guys a total tool." and suddenly they were in high school again and they were on the phone talking about the boys that Sydney thought were cute.

"Jake was not a tool back then." she defended, but it was true. He wasn't a jerk. He was new to everything and just like everyone else, doe eyed about it all. They were friends and they were drunk. Obviously nothing major really happened, he barely reached penetration before he had finished. Sydney was just there to make it seem real to him. "And nothing really happened anyway. But if you let me tell you the other night, you would know that."

"But I'm sure he claims that shit like its his job." Rooster said with a straight face.

"Hey, if I had the chance to say I slept with me I totally would. You see how hot I am?" Sydney got him to laugh and they were finally getting back in their old rhythm.