High School Military Training

Day 1: What the Hell is a Platoon?

I immediately regretted my decision when i walked into the rowdy classroom. So many things were happening, i didn't know where to look first. In the corner by the back door, a kid was getting dragged out by his feet. By a set of two doors on the back wall, a girl had pinned a smaller female to the wall and the short boy next to them started screaming about something called "pda". In front of me, kids were running around, chasing each other with what looked like a belt. There was a group of boys sitting on the old desks by the windows, screaming. I heard one of them, "I'm a Po3, you numbnut!" And then another, "Suck my toes, Jackson!" What had I gotten myself into? This was a mental asylum, not a classroom. I mean, it was early in the morning. Maybe these kids weren't the ones i had a class with. "You're in the way." The voice was so deep and low, i was surprised i was able to hear it over the chaos. Turning as i stepped to the side, i came face to chest with a tall burly black man. "Sorry." i whispered as i looked up. His face was as grumpy as his voice when he spit out, "Sir. You are to call me sir, cadet." Cadet? Is that what they called us? "Sorry, sir." I don't know why my back straightened and i spoke clearer when he was looking at me. It was strange. Almost as strange as it was when he busted out a laugh and a smile while he held his hand out to me. "Master Gunnery Sergeant Han Thomas, Marine Corps. Sorry to startle you. What's your name, little one?" Did this little effer call me "little one"? I was glad he couldn't hear my thoughts when i remembered that this man was no where near little. I shook his hand. While more of stuck my hand in his as he shook my arm out of socket. "Kai Fulton." He raised a bushy eyebrow at me and asked the famous question, "Isn't Kai a boys name?" I had to contain my signature teenage eye roll. "What can i say? Ma and Pa wanted a boy." He chuckled and began to walk away. I almost didn't hear him when he said, "Well boy, you might wanna fall into platoon." What the hell is a platoon? That was my first mistake of the day. 

I watched in slight confusion and awe as the rowdy kids ran to the empty back half of the classroom. They organized themselves in a distinct order and came out of the madness looking like the hyenas from The Lion King. I felt the urge to join them but i had no clue as to where to go. No one else stood outside their perfectly made box. Except for one or three older looking students. A tall pale one stood in front of the human box with a devilish grin on his face. Id never seen him before, but his confident stance and posture made me feel like i had to listen to him. Like i owed him my respect off the bat. I did not like this feeling. "Yo Junior, you forgot one." My attention then went to the other two loners. One a short, buff looking african american boy. His squeaky voice was the one that had spoken. Was it wrong i'd assume his voice would be deeper? "Holt, would you mind explaining to our new cadet what she's supposed to do?" The pale one asked. The second loner moved away from buff boy and came towards me. A sheet of paper and gangly, he was buff boys ying to his yang. Were they all this tall or was i just really that short? Either way my neck did not appreciate looking up like this. Neither did my make believe pride but that was for another time. "Hi, i'm Holt, and you are?" Again, another surprise, gangly Holt had a Morgan Freeman voice. "Kai Fulton." His eyes ran me over as if to check i was girl. He shifted and pointed as he spoke, "Ok Fulton, in ROTC, when someone calls 'Platoon, fall in', you will go and join the platoon. Since you're small, you'll be in first squad." I really hoped he meant the first row in the human box because that's where i decided to go. Pale one smiled slightly so i guess i picked correctly. The boy next to me didn't seem as content as pale one for he stiffened when i came into his view. Or what i think was his view. His left eye was completely white. Pale one pulled me from further observation as he started to call out names. Each 'cadet', as i believe we were called, shouted out a very loud "Here, sir!" So when pale one, or sir i suppose, bellowed out, "Fulton!" I tried to copy my classmates best i could. I realized my voice had cracked once the rest started laughing. I felt myself flush slightly, saw pale one smirk and laugh and wished my hoodie could hide all of me.