Farm Girl Has Bad Boy (#3)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“River, let’s go!”

I roll my eyes at my mother’s impatient voice and trudge down the stairs. The last few weeks had gone by uneventful, and I blame that on Emery’s sake considering he’s gone. If it wasn’t for the baby growing inside me and Patch’s worried cries at night, I’d say things seem like they’re back to normal; almost like what it was before Emery showed up in my barn.

“Don’t look so unenthusiastic,” my mom frowns, placing her hands on her hips. “You should be excited. I bet Emery’s excited!” She watches me closely and I shoot her a look. Of course Emery is probably excited. After all, he’s the one trying to get me back by going off to military school in the first place. But me on the other hand, I’m practically dreading today.

“The last time I saw Emery, I broke up with him,” I mutter angrily, walking past her. “So please stop.” I hear her sigh behind me as I open the front door and slump towards my dad’s truck. The ride there is long in boring and falling asleep doesn’t seem like an option considered I’m squished in between my parents. Once Redwood Valley appears in the distance, my dad takes a right turn down an unfamiliar road and we start to drive through a thick forest.

“I hope they have coffee,” my mom yawns. “I didn’t have time to make any before we left.” She looks to my dad who went to the exact same school over twenty years ago.

“I’m sure they will in the common room,” he nods, barely glancing her way. “I think we’re here.” I look at the road in front of us and see a metal gate with two men on either side of it, wearing camouflage clothing head to toe. We slow to a stop and the one on the left walks towards my dad, not smiling.

“Can I help you, sir?” Looking at him almost freaks me out. He doesn’t smile, or even sound remotely friendly.

“Lieutenant Thomas Snow,” my dad says with a nod. “I’m here for visitation with Cadet Emery Hastings.”

The young man looks surprised for a minute and then nods back, giving my dad a salute. “We’ve been expecting you. Drive on through, Lieutenant Snow.” He walks back towards the gate and signals for the other man to open it. They both salute my dad as we drive through the gate and along the dirt path.

“Honey, look!” My mom grabs my arm and points out her window. In the forest surrounding us I see men in their uniforms, jogging through the forest in three, perfectly spaced rows. “I wonder if one of them is Emery.”

“Doubt it,” my dad replies, shaking his head. “He’ll be waiting to greet us with the Commander.”

I stare out the window, watching the men slowly fade into the forest behind us. We have to slow a few times for people crossing the small path, but eventually the forest opens up to reveal a large campus.

“Does this ever bring back memories,” my dad sighs, looking around the place. To our right is an obstacle course with men running through tires, climbing ropes and jumping over lean-tos. To our left are a few small buildings that must be where the cadets sleep.

“How old are these boys?” My mom asks curiously as a boy who can’t be older than me runs by.

“Enrollment starts as young as fourteen and goes as high as twenty,” my dad explains, causing my mother’s eyes to grow wide just as we start to pull onto a new path, leading us towards a larger building in the distance. Around us there’s tons of boys in camouflage uniforms, walking by or jogging in groups.

“I think I see the Commander,” my mom smiles at me, pointing through the windshield at a figure in the distance. I avoid my eyes as we turn and pull into a parking space. “Ready?” She squeezes my hand and doesn’t wait for me to respond as she opens the door.