explosion (jay halstead / one chicago)

chapter 31

liz's pov

My first day at the academy was a long one. Jay and his friends had told me that it was hard and that it was exhausting, and after the past few hours I could tell they were absolutely right. There was a lot of exercising, a lot of shouting, and little breaks. If you weren't focussed one hundred percent, you were screwed, and usually, whoever you were partnered with was screwed as well.

The guy with the dirty blonde hair – I had learned by now that his name was Kyle – had so far stuck to his promise of trying to make time at the academy hell for me, and his friends followed suit. They picked on me whenever they got a chance, and while I tried my best not to let any of it get to me, that was easier said than done. I was good at pretending everything was fine, however, and thus I hoped they would simply lose interest in bullying me if I just kept it up for long enough.

For the last exercise of the day, long-distance running, I was lucky not to be partnered with one of these jerks again, but instead with a Hispanic guy named Silvio. He appeared less muscular and rather quiet, and so far, he seemed like a nice person to me.

"Too bad we don't get to work together this time," one of Kyle's friends noted sarcastically. "You and I, we just click, you know?" He winked. I ignored him and turned around, only to find Kyle himself standing behind me. "You were lucky this time," he said, then let out a nasty laugh. "But watch your back, sweetheart."

Once we were running our rounds, Silvio glanced over at me occasionally. "Whatever it is you wanna say, just say it," I finally asked. He seemed unsure for a moment before he answered reluctantly. "I'm just curious," he confessed. "Is it true what they say? Do you have a detective boyfriend?" I had expected something along those lines. "Yeah," I replied in between breaths. "Why is that such a huge thing?"

We ran in silence for a few seconds as Kyle passed us, followed by one of his friends. "Nice ass, pretty girl," he shouted. "Bet shaking it in front of the right people will open many doors for you." I didn't answer, and we stayed quiet until they were a few feet in front of us. We had settled into a slightly slower speed since Silvio was running out of breath. "I don't know," he replied. "I guess many people here have a father or a brother or some other kind of family member who's police. Boyfriend might be slightly unusual, though."

I understood what he was implying, and it made sense to me, but it was certainly no reason to pick on someone. "I'm not saying that's bad," Silvio defended himself before I even got a chance to speak. "How do you guys know each other?" he then questioned. He seemed genuinely interested, so I didn't mind him asking. "It's a complicated story," I confessed. "But very simply said, I'm a paramedic with CFD at a firehouse around the corner from 21st district. You run into each other from time to time, people hang out at the same bar... It just happened."

We continued talking for a while until Silvio's breathing difficulties got worse during our second to last round. "I'll completely fuck up your time," he managed to choke out. "Just go ahead." I looked over at him as we slowed down to almost walking speed. "No way," I answered. "We'll get there together, no matter how long it takes." I smiled at him, and he smiled back weakly. If I had learned one thing from working with the fire department, and working with Intelligence as well, it was to never leave your partner behind.

When we reached the finishing line, we were last by far, but I didn't mind. I high-fived Silvio for making it. There was plenty of time for him, or for us, to get better before the final tests. "Look who made it," Kyle mocked. "Seems like these running exercises are a bit harder than what you practiced in bed." Silvio was about to answer something, probably that it was his fault, but I held him back. "It's of no use," I hissed, although I was grateful he was willing to defend me.