The New Girls: The New Trouble

Chapter 25

"Hey." There was a sigh from the front of the room, causing me to open my eyes and look up. I saw Lisa above me, but she was still asleep. I looked to the side of her and saw Lena at the door, a robe wrapped around her loosely, showing the loose, light blue tank top she had on.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I gently laid Lisa on my side and slowly got up, stretching and flexing just a little bit. I heard a slight sharp intake of breath from Lena across the room.

"Can I talk to you outside?" She asked, rubbing up and down her arm.

"Yeah, but uh, put on something more, because," I walked over to the window and opened it to show Lena, "it's snowing." She nodded in response and walked out of the room. I walked into my room and changed into some joggers and a long sleeved shirt. I grabbed my big jacket and met Lena in the living room. She had changed into loose fitting sweatpants and a long sleeved baby blue shirt with a puffy white vest over it. We stepped outside and she began to talk with a glowing expression of pain, or, or something. I couldn't tell.

"So, first of all, I'm really really really sorry YN. I liked you too, but I thought you liked Lisa, so I moved on and started to date Cas. I didn't know you liked me. You and Lisa spent everyday with each other."

"I did that because she was trying to help me come up with a plan to ask you out. You knew I liked you and there was no stopping that. I could never like Lisa in that way. She's like my best friend. You, you're more than that to me." See seemed taken aback at my sorta-speech. She just stood there, looking for the words to say. I knew what she was trying to get at. "I know, I know, you are dating Cas and you like him a lot. I know it's too late for me. I'm sorry for bringing the flowers. I'm sorry for waiting so long. But don't break up with him. He seems to really like you." She just nodded back and gripped around my mid-chest, hugging me tightly. We were about to walk back inside, but I stopped her by grabbing her forearm. "Hey, I'll be waiting. I still love you and if you and Cas somehow don't work out, I'll be here. I'm never going to stop loving you Lena. No matter how hard I try and just move on, I'll never be able to. Even if I'm married and it's not to you, I'll think of you still. Okay? I'll always be there, waiting for the day you come back. And if it never happens, then oh well, I guess some things never get old." I pecked her check and followed her back inside. My nose was numb and my hands were still trying to thaw out by the time I made it back upstairs. I walked in and saw Lisa on her phone.

"Hey, where'd you go?"

"Lena wanted to talk outside, so we did." Her face changed and showed all empathy.

"How'd it go?"

"Well, I did most of the talking. I just told her I'd always love her and I'll be waiting if it somehow, someway doesn't work out with Cas. And that was it. I kissed her cheek and I came back." I shrugged a little, lying back down. I looked over at her. "Remember last night, when you kissed me?"

"Yep."

"That was just to calm me down, correct? Nothing more?"

"Nothing more. I think you're cool and all, but you're more of a best friend to me."

"Awesome, because I told Lena the same thing. I didn't tell her about the kiss though."

"Don't. I know she already feels bad about dating Cas." I just nodded in response and looked back to the ceiling.

"Oh, I completely forgot." I smiled, looking over to Lisa.

"What?" She smiled back.

"I'm 18 today." I laughed. How could I forget it's my 18th birthday.

"Well birthday boy, what are you doing still in bed!? Get up and let's go grab some lunch!" She laughed and sat up, pulling me up in the process. She jumped out of the bed and ran to her closet to grab some clothes. I just chuckled at her rush, thinking it was adorable, and walked to my room to change. I threw on some dark jeans and a navy blue button down and walked downstairs to wait on the couch. I looked up at the Lenas room above me and heard the twins talking. 

"Wait? Seriously? Okay okay! I'm getting ready! Jesus Christ Lisa." I heard Lena laugh, then her door closing before two feet thumped down the stairs. Lisa hopped over the couch and sat next to me.

"So, 18 huh?"

"Yup." I chucked, sliding my phone into my back pocket. "Oh, I'm gonna grab the mail real quick." I smiled, messing up Lisa hair and walking to the door. I opened it and grabbed the mail from the porch. I looked through it. Most was for my dad, so I left it on the counter, but I saw one wth my name on it. "What the hell?" I whispered to myself. I ready the label again, this time out loud to make sure I saw it correctly. "US Army Corps." I read through it, my teeth tugging at my bottom lip, causing me to taste the oh so familiar metallic taste on my tongue. Me? The army? This has to be a prank. I never even signed up. I walked slowly up the stairs, the letter still in hand. "Lisa?" Her head popped up from her phone as she gave me a confused look.

"Mhmm?" She asked as I handed her the letter. I saw her eyes widen as the scanned the page quickly. "What?"

"I don't know. I never signed up for the army."

"Ah, it says here that you were selected out of 2,000 boys to be scouted through school. It says your grades were outstanding, so you've been drafted into the Army at age 18. You'll be leaving in 3 weeks for Afghanistan. YN, no." She looked up at me, her eyes shining.

"I'll just say no."

"It says at the bottom that since it's a government assignment, you can't deny. You'll be stationed there for two years. It also says your father was contacted before the letter was sent out."

"I-I can't believe it. I don't want to go into the military. Well, not yet at least."

"What are you going to do then?"

"Go I guess. I have no choice. Please don't tell Lena. I want to spend there three weeks with you, her, and Cas."

"Should we tell Cas? He should know." I let out a long, shakes breath and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll tell him later today. Let's go get some lunch though. I don't want to think about this anymore." I shook my head as two feet thumped down the stairs on the same pattern and speed as Lisa. I quickly shoved the paper in my back pocket.

"Hey." Lena smiled, hugging her sister, then hugging me. "Happy 18th birthday."

"Uhh, thanks." I stuttered a little bit. Her head cocked to the side.

"What's wrong?"

"It's-"