Keep Your Eyes On Me

- 8 -

"You used something I told you in confidence against my father and against my brother! Go fuck yourself, Jake!" she shouted as Jake looked at her, still holding his face. His face was already beginning to swell. She hadn't held back at all.

"I'm sorry," he breathed out, causing her to soften a little.

"Lieutenant Mitchell, my office, now," the voice of Admiral Simpson rang through the halls.

She hadn't noticed that her father had opened the door and had seen the whole thing. She glanced over at him before walking past Jake and towards Admiral Simpson.

--------------------------------------------

Elizabeth stayed on base, unwilling to go home to face Bradley. She was ashamed she had told Jake anything at all. Her music blared in the gym as she pumped up and down on the bar, watching her form through the mirror. Her arms were bare as the top part of her jumpsuit was tied around her waist. She was angry. She had been grounded for a day while the others did basic flight maneuvers. Her father got orders to report elsewhere. She dropped to the ground, unaware of just how menacing she looked. Her RBF was amplified, causing any of the others in the gym to go to the other side where she wasn't.

She hadn't known how long she was there. She had no orders, so she got there at about 0800. Looking at the clock, it was now noon. She sighed softly as some of her fellow team members trickled into the gym. Her eyes met Jake's for only a moment. Long enough to get a look at the nice-sized bruise around his eye.

"Damn Seresin! Where'd you get that?" one of the others in the gym as she walked over to the punching bag.

She looked down at her phone, seeing the unopened text to her uncle.

Yes, I know I shouldn't have punched someone in the face, but I still really need to talk to you. As an uncle, not an admiral.

She sighed softly as she wrapped her hands and began punching the bag, the muscles in her arms glistening. Many female aviators were muscular but in a slim way. She was a brute of a woman. The army made her strong. She kept herself that way. She bounced around the bag as 'It's just one of those days' by Limp Bizkit played.

She was too focused on the bag in front of her for her to notice that Jake had walked over to her. His hands gripped the bag to stabilize it for her. He leaned his head to the side to watch the woman in front of him.

"Liz, I'm sorry," he said softly, only to be met with her hitting the bag harder. The fire in her eyes caused the hair on his neck to stand up. "I shouldn't have said what I said. It was a dick move. Please, can we just talk?" he pleaded gently.

She felt the phone in her pocket vibrate, causing her to pull away to look at it.

Meet me at the diner. We can talk there.

"Just leave me alone, Jake," she said, meeting the man's gaze briefly before grabbing her water and turning to go to the locker room.

--------------------------------------------

She got to the diner she and her uncle frequented occasionally. He usually made it a point to meet with her at least once whenever she wasn't deployed. She noticed a bike already parked in the parking lot and decided to park next to it. She climbed off her own as she slipped her helmet off, stretching before walking up the stairs. Not having any civilian clothes, she wore her tans.

"Hey Frank, Ice here yet?" she questioned with a smile.

"No, I haven't seen him. Some guy took your usual table though," the man said.