Page 38 of My All American Girl

17

SARAH

My muscles screamed in protest with every movement. It didn’t matter if I was sitting, standing, bending over. Even breathing hurt. My ass felt like it was on fire. I could barely feel my arms anymore. Dean really pushed us to the limit, almost to the point of oblivion. He thought he was going to break me. There was no way in hell I would cave in front of him.

Kylee was stretched out on her bed, moaning. “I hate you,” she muttered.

“Me?”

“You just had to challenge him. What is wrong with you?”

I laughed, which hurt. “Did you want him to think we were weak?”

“I’ve decided I am weak.” She sighed. “I think I’m dead. No, scratch that. Dead wouldn’t be this painful.”

“Hush.” I chuckled, reaching for my water bottle and taking a long gulp. “At least we survived.”

“For now.” Kylee hugged her pillow. “How are we going to make it through tomorrow? I don’t even think I’ll be able to get out of bed.”

There was a knock on our door. Neither Kylee nor I made any attempt to answer it. “Come in,” I called out.

It wasn’t like we had to worry about someone busting in and murdering us. We were on a base.

Rolley limped in. His face was ashen, his sweaty shirt clinging to his lean body. He collapsed onto the hardwood floor with a groan.

“I’m never doing that again,” he declared, staring up at the ceiling with a haunted look on his face.

“You say that now, but Dean will have us back there tomorrow bright and early,” I reminded him lightly.

“There’s no way.” Rolley groaned and curled up into a fetal position on the floor. “I won’t be able to move by tomorrow.”

“Suck it up, Rolley,” Clay’s voice came from the hallway before he too stumbled into the room. Unlike Rolley, he mustered the strength to throw himself onto my bed, causing me to wince as my sore muscles were jostled around.

Kylee let out a soft whimper from her own bed. “Why did I sign up for this?”

“Because you’re a masochist?” I suggested, attempting to make light of our collective agony.

“No,” Clay murmured from somewhere near my feet. “She signed up because she has something to prove, just like the rest of us.”

There was a pause. I looked over at Kylee, who stared back at me, her eyes filled with exhaustion and misery. “I don’t think I have anything to prove.”

As much as my body ached, a part of me knew it was worth it. Survival training was just around the corner, and if I wanted to stand a chance, I needed to be in peak physical condition. Dean may be tough as nails, but he knew what he was doing. I just had to trust his methods, even if they left me feeling like I’d been run over by a truck.

“We should go out,” I said.

“You’re nuts,” Clay said.

“The alcohol will soothe our stiff muscles,” I said. “We’ve been busting our asses all week. We need to blow off some steam.”

“We’re on death’s door,” Rolley said.

“We’re fine. If we lay around all day, we’re going to be solid stone tomorrow. We have to stay limber.”

“I think I’m calling in sick tomorrow,” Clay said. “I don’t want to go through this again.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” I warned. “He will make you pay.”

“She’s right,” Kylee said.