Avalanche

| the past |

This was very bad. There was no one else who brought out Rooster's temper like Maverick did.

"I'll go find him." I offer, and Phoenix thanks me.

Phoenix and me, we were fire and ice. Always hot or cold. She was born out of the flames and ashes, and I had built walls of ice around myself. We couldn't be any more different, but thankfully, we were still best friends.

I found Rooster next to his plane, as all of our other classmates were already doing their push-ups, more than halfway done.

"What happened up there?" I asked Rooster.

He ignores me, which validates what Phoenix has said even more.

"Bradley, do you want to get a court martial!" I yelled at him.

"Of course not!" He roared back.

"Then cut the crap! I get that it's Maverick—"

Rooster yells in return, "Then you of all people should know why I'm reacting this way!"

"It's still not right! We have a job to do, a mission! Why are you letting him get in your head! He was your fathers best friend!"

"And look what happened!" Rooster said.

"Fine. I tried to help, but I don't deserved to be yelled at this way." I don't think I've ever been more mad in my entire life. I flip around, ready to go home and drop dead.

Rooster grabs my arm, and says, "Zoe, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you. There's just too much going on between me and Mav."

"I know but—"

"Hey, is everything alright over here? I heard yelling." I'd recognize that voice from anywhere.

"I can fight my own battles, Bagman, thank you very much." I said, venom dripping from my voice.

I nod at Bradley, and ignore Jake altogether.

❅

I guess I have the worst luck in the universe today. Some people just can't help but annoy and get on my nerves today. Currently in the worst mood of my life, Hangman decides to try and squeeze his way back into my life again.

It's working, unfortunately.

"Zoe!" I turned around, after shoving my gear bag into my trunk.

"What, Jake?" I asked, closing my truck with a large thud!

"How—how are you?"

What do you think?

I practically sneered at him, "Peachy."

Jake chuckled, "He's not what I expected for our instructor." Referencing Maverick, anything to make our situation less awkward.

Maybe he should've thought about it before he pulled all this crap.

"Oh, the guy you threw out of the bar?" I brought up, leaning back on my car, picking at flawless nails instead of looking at him.

"If I had known it was him, I would've let Coyote and Payback handle it." Hangman explained.

This draws a laugh out of me. "It's Uncle Mav. He does the unexpected. Always."

"Uncle Mav?" He questioned.

"He and my father were at Top Gun at the same time. They're good friends, remember?" I say clipped.

"Do you know what happened between him and Rooster? They were going at it today."

"No, I don't." I lied. I sighed, because I was really getting annoyed at his presence, because as much as I hated him I also wanted to kiss him—no, no, no, that came out on accident. Focus, Zoe. "What are trying to do? Get you on my good side again?"

"No, I came to apologize." He admits.

"Keep going." I finally look up at him.

"I know you can fight your own battles, Zoe, I  was just worried that Rooster was screaming at you. Everyone stopped in the middle of their push-ups to watch you two, and I just thought—well, I didn't think. And I'm sorry about the dogfight today."

I can't think straight around you.

"I would've switched if you asked. You know, communication is the only thing that keeps a team together." I remind him.

He looks awkward as he scratches the back of his neck, which shows off his jacked arm muscles. "Yeah." He says.

Before I get caught for checking him out, I quickly said, "Bye!"

I had to get out of here before I did something stupid. Or something I would regret.

"Wait!" Jake calls out.

"What?" I really wanted to go home. Let me go to bed.

"You left your leather jacket in my car. After I took you home after the Hard Deck for the first time at Top Gun. I didn't find it until after Top Gun, let me go grab it."

My eyes widened, I totally forgot about that... I must've been so drunk that I didn't even realize it.

Jake motioned me to follow him to his car. He pulled it out of the backseat and handed it to me. Our hands brushed as I grabbed it back.

"Thanks." I said, ignoring the thrill that went up my arm.

"Yeah, sorry it took so long to give it back. I just didn't have anyway to contact you after we left."

My heart softened, did he want to talk to me after Top Gun?

For a moment, I forgot why I was so mad at him. But then I remembered, and it would take him a minute to earn my trust again. If he ever got it back.

Then I realized what position we were in, or rather, the lack of space between us. I was leaning back against his car, and he was standing right in front of me. Close. I could feel his body heat pumping through the air, and I was lost in his eyes.

"Zoe?" He says, and my thoughts are immediately interrupted.

"Uh— yeah, no worries. I honestly forgot about it." I say nervously.

Subconsciously, we both began leaning closer and closer.

No Zoe. No feelings is what keeps you grounded. You have a mission to do. My head told me.

But my heart was telling me to kiss Hangman so hard I would forget my name.

I didn't listen to my heart anymore.

I pushed back on his shoulder. "Goodnight Jake. I'll see you tomorrow." I slid out between him and the car and walked back to mine.

"Tomorrow." Hangman said in a daze.

So close. We had been, so close.

I couldn't make it that easy for him.

❅