Avalanche

| the before |

They starts the climb over the mountain, inverting to be as close as possible so they won't set off enemy SAM's.

Fanboy calibrates the laser, and Hangman hits the center of the target. Payback pulls his trigger, and hits it again.

They're going to have a completely perfect run.

Hangman is flying up, up, up the mountain. It's going to be a perfect run, I have no doubt that Maverick will choose him. After all, the navy was asking for the best of the best.

Until Hangman swerved to the left.

He hit the imaginary mountain, while Payback and Fanboy completed the course.

I could imagine his eyes glaring into his instruments, as they flashed red, reminding him of his failure.

But it felt off. Jake had been doing this course for weeks, that maneuvering was on purpose. He hadn't gone into G-LOC either, if he had been, it would've happened at the start of the detachment. Which meant, that he failed on purpose. But why?

I stayed in the air, while he went back to base and landed, but even while he was out of sight, my mind was occupied by the thought of him.

Why had he messed up on purpose?

❅

I don't know what I was thinking, but I was trying to escape, to avoid interacting with Hangman. I don't know if I could face him, and I don't want to know why he threw his chance away at going on the mission.

"Zoe, what's up? How are you doing?" Phoenix asks carefully, catching up to me in the parking lot.

"I'm fine Natasha. Actually, do you think I could get a ride—"

"Zoe? You coming?" Jake calls, and my eyes turn into a little glare. It's all a front, because on the inside, I was confused and nervous. After today, I didn't know what to expect during the car ride. But I would face him, I couldn't run away from all of my problems.

"I gotta go. Bye Phoenix!"

"Bye Avalanche. Make sure to wear pro—"

I interrupt her, "Shut up or else I'll tell Rooster that—"

"You will tell him nothing." She seethes, annoyed that I had caught onto her crush.

"That's what I thought. Bye!" I said cheerfully, and she left with a chuckle.

"Hi," I greet Hangman, not sure of how I should act.

"Hey," Jake says, as he still opens my door for me, but his blue eyes have a dull tint to them, unlike the usual brightness I see in them.

He shuts the door, and gets in, driving towards my condo on the beach. It was quiet, just the revving of his car's engine, and the cars passing by us on the opposite side of the road, not even the radio was playing.

What is it with us and awkward car confrontations?

I take in a shaky breath, and break the silence.