a/n: hi all,
I hope everyone stateside (and beyond) had a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
There's a nice ease of writing the flashback chapters, and more often than not they wind up being more than I planned. In this case the chapter ended up being twice as long as I anticipated when I started it, and I see this trend showing up in the next few chapters. Hopefully I can wrap it all up with a bow by Christmas.
A sincere thank you for everyone who is reading this every week, and a special thank you for the reviews: it makes me feel like I'm not writing into a void all the time.
Cheers,
EQT.95
"Hey," Kate whispered in Sophie's ear, causing her to nearly bolt out of her chair.
"Wh- Kate, how many times-"
"Sorry, I know, I know. You're just…just-"
"Studying? Working diligently? Clearly not looking to get a heart attack?"
"I was going to say 'you're just so attractive when you're studying and you have that little scowl of concentration that I can't imagine disrupting until it's too late'..." Kate smirked. "But, sure, those work too," she finished, sliding into the chair next to Sophie.
"That's not going to work every time," Sophie said of Kate's attempts to flirt her way out of being chastised.
"Yea, but… did it work this time?" Kate asked, before breaking into a wider grin.
"Barely."
"I'll take it."
"I'm trying to study," Sophie finally said, transitioning away from Kate's unexpected greeting.
"And that's why I'm here," Kate replied.
"Funny, last I checked, studying involved books-"
'Well, what I meant was-"
"-maybe a notepad-"
"Soph, obviously I-"
"Even a scrap of paper and pen. Anything, really," Sophie continued, breaking into a smile that replaced Kate's fading one.
"I like you-"
"Well thank you-"
"Which is why I let these comments slide-"
"Oh, you let them slide? How should I thank you for that? A fruit basket? A throne? Maybe one of those little medals?"
Kate groaned as Sophie's playfulness outwitted her own. "You win," she said, conceding.
"What do you want?" Sophie said, basking in the success of besting an unprepared Kate Kane.
"A few things-"
"A few?"
Kate nodded before continuing: "But I can only talk about one of them in public," Kate explained, easily setting Sophie's cheeks ablaze, and mentally marking a quick point under her name on the scoreboard that tracked their banters and volleys.
"Go on," Sophie replied, trying to ignore Kate's insinuations.
"You know how we don't room together anymore?"
"Now that you mention it-"
"That was rhetorical."
"Fine," Sophie chuckled.
"And how we spend way too much time in Melvin and James' room?"
"Mhm."
"And how your favorite hobby is, well… this," Kate gestured at the array of books and notes littering the table.
"Yes…"
"Well, did you know that the library has study rooms?"
"Mhm, I'm aware," she said, nodding toward the all-glass boxes populating the library floor.
"But did you know you can reserve them?"
"This is far less exciting than I expected," Sophie said, her enthusiasm waning into a small sigh of impatience.
"I'm not finished," Kate continued, unwilling to let Sophie's lackluster reply sway her mood.
"Yes, Kate. You can reserve them. We both know this. We both also know they're impossible to get because seniors get first priority. What does this have to do with-"
"But did you know they have them in the basement?"
"Yea, but they're dingy and windowless and no one…"
"Yes?" Kate encouraged with a grin.
"No one uses them," Sophie continued, sensing where Kate's master plan was headed.
"And why is that, my beautiful, smart, and witty girlfriend?"
"Because they're practically windowless," Sophie continued eagerly, bypassing the blush-worthy compliments that spilled from Kate.
"And what better way to have a little extra focus for your favorite hobby than in a private room free of distraction from passersby?"
"You might be a genius."
"Might?"
"Even a broken clock is right twice a day," Sophie smirked back, and Kate fought a scowl as she mentally tallied a point under Sophie's name.
"Cadet Kane!"
Kate sighed as a familiar frustration began simmering through her bloodstream. She was beginning to feel like only the minority of her time was spent feeling anything but annoyance since the semester had started. Between Reyes and Riley, she was finding it harder and harder to cap her temper.
"Yes, sir?"
"You're late," Lieutenant Reyes said, approaching her.
"Wh- it's not even four," Kate countered, her eyes widening in confusion.
"And I distinctly recall saying 0300h."
"And I distinctly recall hearing no such absurdity," Kate shot back before her brain could catch her mouth.
"Twice." The word was immediate but slow, and it trailed off Reyes' tongue with an air of pleasure.
"What?" Kate asked, perplexed by the word.
"You'll run twice today."
"But sir that's-"
"Absurd?"
Kate faltered, unsure how to respond. The course was designed to be grueling and exhaust each cadet who ran it, regardless of fitness. There hadn't been a single weekend she didn't feel every muscle crying to collapse into a two hour nap from running it once, and the thought of having to do it a second time felt virtually impossible.
"Failure to complete either within the allotted time can be made up in a double run next Saturday," Reyes smirked, and Kate. "And on, and on, and on, should your failings continue. Do I make myself clear Cadet Kane?"
Kate swallowed the words she wanted to say, simply responding with the two words she knew would end the conversation: "Yes, sir."
Her anger remained as she watched him walk away toward the start of the course with a growing mix of looming exhaustion and frustration at what the next three plus hours were going to be like.
"He's really got it out for you."
Kate turned to see Cadet Bradley from the Bursar's Office standing within earshot of her and Reye's conversation.
"I told him his hairline wasn't aging well," Kate replied coolly which sent Bradley into a small chuckle.
"Come on, you can run with me and my roommate," he offered.
"What?" Kate eyed him suspiciously.
"If you're going to actually run this thing twice, you're going to need to tag through first on these things," Bradley continued, making reference to the various obstacles like the tapering wall that required all three users to maintain a level of strength and stamina to get through one at a time. "We'll make sure you can do that."
"That… that's ok, I-"
"It's Kate, right?"
"Yea."
"Tim Bradley," he introduced. "That ginger over there is Alex, and he's the second fastest time on the course."
"Who's the first?"
"Me," he smirked back.
"What's the catch?" Kate asked. After weeks of dealing with Riley and Reyes, she wasn't willing to accept anything at face value.
"No catch," Bradley replied, raising his hands in surrender. "But…"
Kate sighed, hearing the qualifier coming.
"But, I would definitely love to see the look on Reyes' face when you make two successful runs at it today," Bradley continued with a mischievous smirk.
Sophie stared at the piece of paper in her hands, reading and rereading it as a sinking sensation took hold. It was only after the fifth time through that she considered it real. It had shown up overnight, slipped under the door, and Sophie half wondered if it was a prank, but the letter was signed. If there was one thing Sophie didn't doubt, it was that no one on campus would risk expulsion over forging Lieutenant Reyes' name for a prank.
Cadet Sophia Moore,
Effective immediately, you will allocate half your time committed to the Scholar's program toward tutoring and mentoring Cadet Riley Thomas. It is expected that your fortitude and patience be exercised to ensure Cadet Thomas' growth and success under your guidance. Weekly reports of her progress are to be submitted for review. Note with caution that failure to enact change in Cadet Thomas' performance will warrant review and potential probation of your status as Scholar.
Regards,
Lieutenant A. Reyes
She sighed just as the first sounds from Riley's bed indicated she was awake. Sophie glanced over at Riley's side of the room, taking in the messy state of affairs: food wrappers were entwined with dirty clothes on every surface. It made deciphering where furniture was and wasn't impossible. She scanned a moment longer before her eyes settled on the stack of uncracked textbooks under its own layer of clothing. This was not going to be easy.
Kate gasped for air as her legs fought the last few steps of the final stretch. She felt her cheeks break into a small smile as she crossed the line, reflecting on all the near misses that had almost stripped her of finishing the second run. She rested her hands at the top of her head, taking in deep breaths as she scanned the course one last time.
"Fail."
The word came seemingly out of nowhere and sent Kate's screaming muscles into a pit of despair as she wordlessly gaped back. She didn't try to hide her surprise as she looked oversand saw Reyes' face in front of her.
"Wh-? But, b… I don't understand," Kate finally managed, the feeling of success from moments earlier being robbed from her.
"I'll see you next Saturday," Reyes replied without explanation.
"But I did what you asked," Kate sputtered back, the seeming insanity of Reyes' words leaving her beyond flummoxed. "I did… I… I ran it; every obstacle."
"I'll see you next Saturday, Cadet Kane." The words were said without remorse and with a finality that left Kate's mind pleading for clarity.
"She ran it twice, sir."
The voice behind Kate caught her by almost as much surprise as Reyes' from moments earlier, and she turned to see Tim Bradley standing at the perimeter of the conversation.
"Cutting corners isn't acceptable: the cones aren't guidelines," Reyes replied coolly.
"I watched her whole run. It was flawless, sir," Tim challenged, giving Kate a brief feeling of pride before shaking herself back to the conversation.
"Keep that up and you'll be running it twice alongside Cadet Kane next week."
"Perhaps I'm failing to see the lesson, sir," Tim replied coolly, standing his ground.
"Tim don't-"
"Congratulations Cadet Bradley. You've just won a second run."
"Wait, stop; he didn't do anything wrong," Kate argued, glancing between the stoic response from both men.
"This no longer concerns you, Cadet Kane."
"What? Yes… it - yes it does," Kate continued, feeling her frustration for Reyes boil.
"And why is that, Cadet Kane?"
"Wh-because you're only punishing him because of me… sir."
"Kate-" Tim began, seeing the glimmer in Reyes' eyes before Kate did.
"Your point?" Reyes asked, ignoring Tim's insertion.
"It concerns me," Kate reasoned.
"So what do you suggest?"
"What?"
"You two seem so eager to involve yourselves in business that isn't yours. Perhaps you should volunteer to take Cadet Bradley's run for him," Reyes said with an antagonistic undertone.
"Ok."
The response was instantaneous and sent a look of shock across both Tim and Lieutenant Reyes' faces.
"Excuse me?" Reyes replied, clearly surprised at Kate's response.
"I assume your offer wasn't rhetorical, sir," Kate replied, not breaking eye contact with Reyes. The staredown lasted only a moment before Reyes blinked and gave a terse nod.
"I'll see you next Saturday, Cadet Kane. I suggest you get some rest."
Kate watched Reyes retreat toward the course offices as Tim walked toward her.
"You're an idiot," he offered apologetically.
"Probably," Kate smirked. "I know at least one person who is going to agree with you."
"You what?" Sophie asked, not believing Kate's explanation. It had taken only a few minutes for Kate to get her up to speed when she rolled into the basement study room nearly two hours later than planned. Sophie had assumed Kate simply returned to the dorms for a post-course nap when she came barreling into the room; her annoyance clear.
Kate sighed as she watched the imagined look of bemusement on her girlfriend's face play out in reality. "I said I'd do it."
"You're an idiot."
Kate couldn't help but laugh, breaking the severity of her mood before quickly grimacing as she clutched at her overworked abs.
"Are you a masochist? I don't understand how you can be laughing about this."
"I'm not laughing about this. I'm laughing about being right."
"I don't understand," Sophie said, missing the context from an earlier conversation. Kate waved her hand to dismiss the digression, picking a different path to pursue.
"Can we watch a drama? I don't think I can handle a comedy tonight."
"That stubbornness of yours is going to get you permanently injured. Or-or worse."
"Expelled?" Kate joked back, regretting it as another wave of pain shot through her stomach from breaking into laughter.
"I'm serious, Kate."
"I know, I know," Kate sighed. "Tim didn't deserve that from Reyes though."
Sophie knew Kate was right, but the selfish part of her didn't want to see Kate throwing herself into the crossfires of more conflict. It was bad enough that her experience with Reyes, with the exception of anything to do with Riley Thomas, was a polar opposite to Kate's. Even then, Sophie knew there was a lesson to be learned in his assigning Riley to her. If there was one thing the first few weeks of term had taught her, it was that Reyes had a soft spot for the scholars and offered up one-off challenges to better themselves. That her latest assignment to tutor Riley replaced a portion of her duties as a scholar and wasn't additive spoke to that.
The same couldn't be said for his treatment of Kate. If anything, it was blatantly antagonistic and an abuse of power. To be forced to the sidelines and watch the physical impact that experience was having on Kate's body and the toll it was taking on her mental state only made it harder. Kate's knack for not biting her tongue and maintaining an impossible streak of stubbornness had caused the first four weeks of the semester difficult to navigate. Knowing this, Sophie didn't doubt next week's triple run wasn't going to end well either. She considered saying as much but knew Kate's mind was made up: she was going to do this if it took her the rest of the year to prove it.
She watched from across the table as Kate rolled her quickly tightening neck in a failed attempt to loosen it; she was good at hiding the soreness and exhaustion that came with the course, but this morning had clearly toppled even the fearless Kate Kane.
"Where is it the worst?"
"Everywhere?" Kate sighed in exhaustion, letting her eyes close as her head fell against the chair back.
"Well I've only got two hands," Sophie whispered, causing a startled Kate to flinch in surprise that her girlfriend had just snuck out of her own chair to stand behind her.
"That's supposed to be my thing," Kate muttered grumpily to Sophie's ninja skills before melting into a sigh of surprise as Sophie's fingers reached out and danced to find the knots of muscles in her shoulders. She let out a soft hiss as Sophie's thumb quickly found a particularly harsh offender.
"Sorry," she said, quickly backing off.
"No, no it… it's great," Kate replied, taking a deep calming breath to offset the pain. "I should get in trouble more often," Kate continued between knots.
"Definitely a masochist," Sophie smirked before a knock at the door caused her hands to retreat. "Wait, what time is it?"
"Uh…" Kate replied dumbly, noticing the nervousness around Sophie's demeanor. "Why?"
"You were late," Sophie sighed as she realized the time.
"Did you accidentally double book with your other girlfriend?" Kate joked quietly.
"Very funny," Sophie muttered as a knock came again and an exaggerated sigh of annoyance set Kate's sensors on high alert.
"No."
"It wasn't my idea-"
"Soph, wh-"
"You don't have to stay," Sophie continued, reaching for the door to reveal a bored looking Riley on the other side. "Hey Riley."
Riley glanced at the dingy windowless interior and scoffed in disappointment. "I thought Guantanamo was shut down," she muttered grumpily as Sophie forced a friendly smile and stepped back from the door, revealing Kate to Riley for the first time. Suddenly Riley's face lit up. "Well hello Kate. Are you failing Tactics, too?"
"Uh, no," Kate said, offering as casual a tone as she could muster given the surprise circumstances.
"Oh that's right. Didn't you set the curve on the first test?" Riley pressed, taking joy in the fading smile on Sophie's face as Kate's reaction soured.
"It wasn't a real test," Kate explained lightly, avoiding Sophie's gaze. The truth was that Kate had done more than set the curve. The professor had surprised the entire class with a two-hour pop-exam on day one, and no one else in the course came remotely close to passing. In contrast, Kate breezed through without a problem. Fortunately for everyone, Sophie included, the exam was intended to gauge the class's preparedness and instinct for the subject. That everyone failed so miserably wasn't a surprise; what was a surprise was that Kate aced it.
"Right, but you set the curve."
"I didn't-"
"Aced it, actually," Riley continued, taking joy in seeing Kate negotiate around the truth. "So really, shouldn't you be the one tutoring me?"
"Actually, I was getting ready to leave-"
"But if I'm going to pass, shouldn't someone who knows what she's talking about teach me?"
"You don't exactly set the bar too high. A housefly would be qualified to tutor you-"
"Kate," Sophie interrupted with a warning look.
"Which makes Sophie far and above more than qualified," Kate continued, unphased by the scowl Sophie was shooting at her over Riley's shoulder. "One might even say her time's being wasted."
"Oh, I'm sure you know where you'd like that time put," Riley replied coolly, flashing her a knowing grin.
"Well, you two have fun," Kate said, leaving Riley's remark hanging as she cautiously lifted herself from the table, ignoring the look of confusion that replaced Sophie's scowl. "If I come across a gnat, I'll bring it down as Sophie's replacement. I'm sure it'd be more on your level of thinkin-"
"Kate," Sophie shot through the staredown between Kate and Riley. "You can go now."
"Your jealousy is showing, Kate," Riley whispered as her head gave a small nod toward Sophie. Kate felt her jaw clench in anger and a twitch of her brow let Riley know she'd landed the blow perfectly.
"Hey, can I check out your notes for Tac?"
"Uh…" Kate stalled.
"Uh, what?"
"I sort of misplaced them," Kate offered in apology.
"Where did you 'misplace' them?"
"Well, if I knew they wouldn't be misplaced, would they," Kate retorted. It was the following Monday, and Melvin and Kate were holed up in the library together. It was an infrequent occurrence that they studied together. In fact, it was infrequent that Melvin even studied. He'd put on a show of it with Sophie to maintain the illusion of their relationship, but his time was more often spent searching out any one of a hundred other activities around campus. It had struck Kate as odd when he asked her to join him for the afternoon.
"Maybe ask Soph? They're probably better anyways."
Melvin broke into laughter.
"What?"
"It's just cute."
Kate frowned back in annoyance at Melvin's ambiguity, her face set in a glare at the use of 'cute' to describe anything about her.
"Sophie is many things," Melvin continued, treading carefully under the watchful gaze of Kate. "But tactics… are not her strong suit."
"What? She's great at them," Kate challenged which only encouraged Melvin's nervous chuckling.
"You are so blinded by-" Melvin began before halting mid-sentence at a look from Kate. "No, Sophie Moore survives tactics. You on the other hand, were born for them," Melvin explained.
"It wasn't a real test," Kate waved her hand dismissively. "Why do you even need them?"
"I missed today's lecture."
"Really?" Kate said before falling quiet, trying to recall whether she had seen him in the hall. It suddenly explained his want to study. "Why?"
"I had to take a call."
"Oh? Anything your girlfriend should be worried about?" Kate joked, her eyebrows raised in mock seriousness.
"No."
The lack of banter made Kate's face fall, and she found herself questioning Melvin's sober tone.
"Does this have anything to do with you leaving?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to talk-"
"No."
Kate waited a beat for Melvin to say something more.
"Melvin, you know you can tell m-"
"I… I know, Kate," Melvin interrupted, his voice cracking, and while nothing more was included, Kate caught the familiar petrified fear in his voice that she'd known for years of her own life. "I just… if I say it…"
"It's true?"
Melvin nodded, and Kate noticed his eyes were glistening.
"Look, I don't want to pressure you… but whatever this is, you shouldn't walk around with it alone. I'm here for you. Sophie is here for you. Heck, even James for all his lack of subtlety is h-"
"It's Monica."
Kate paused in surprise at Melvin's admission.
"She's sick."
"Melvin…"
"My parents can't afford the bills and help with school."
Kate set her notebook aside and shifted closer to Melvin, placing a comforting arm around his shoulder. In those three sentences Melvin captured the essence of the last four weeks of misery that Kate had watched play out.
"How is she doing?"
Melvin smiled as a tear fell down his cheek. "She's still such an asshole."
Kate smirked as Melvin broke into a sigh of disbelief at the situation.
"After everything she went through this summer… she's the strongest person I've ever met."
"Well she had to be."
Melvin glanced up, giving her a quizzical look.
"Youngest Bennett daughter? Had to keep you on your toes? What did you expect?"
A smile broke through the glistening tears in Melvin's eyes.
"Thanks, Kate."
"I mean it. We're here for you. Just say the word-"
"I know. It's just… I can't even imagine what I'd do if… if…"
"She's the strongest person you know?"
"Yea."
"Then you have nothing to be worried about."
"I hope you're right."
"When have I ever been wrong?"
Melvin's eyes rolled. "Where should I start?"
"About this," Kate clarified.
"That… that is the worst logic…"
"This isn't logic, this is tactical strategy," she winked.
"Here."
"What's thi- hey, my notes," Kate exclaimed, flipping through the crumpled pages. "Where, uh, where'd you find them?"
"Riley's desk," Sophie explained simply.
"What? Really?"
"Yea… any idea how she might have gotten them?"
Kate shook her head as she tried smoothing out the wrinkles, scoffing as she noted a foreign stain had appeared on one of the sheets. Upon closer inspection she decided it was ketchup.
"You didn't… I don't know, you didn't accidentally leave them somewhere?"
"Soph, it was like, a month ago. It could have been anything," Kate reasoned.
"It was two days," Sophie scowled skeptically.
"I'm just glad they're back."
"Yea, but-"
"Hey, Detective Sophie, give it a rest," Kate teased as she shoved them into her bag. Sophie scoffed lightly before settling into the chair next to Kate.
"What are you working on?" she asked in slight confusion. "Actually… wait, why are you even here? Aren't you supposed to be whipping half our class into shape?"
"I had to postpone to work on that history essay for Chambers," Kate moaned.
"I thought you were done with that?"
"Hm? No, just starting," Kate replied, her gaze honed in on the lackluster set of paragraphs glowing back from her laptop screen.
"But I saw you working on it the other day."
Kate gave her a quizzical look. "I don't think so."
Sophie's face was contorted to mirror the confused look Kate was offering. "I… are you sure?"
Kate let out a small chuckle. "Soph, when have I ever worked ahead on any assignment?"
"I…" Sophie began before she nodded her head, accepting Kate's response. "Yea, I guess."
"I think you've been stretched a bit thin," Kate continued, a look of apology on her face. "You should take the night off. They're doing a social in the quad tonight. Maybe th-"
"But you had your book with you," Sophie interrupted, clearly not ready to let go of the conversation. "You made a joke about how you'd accidentally been spelling 'Desert Storm' as 'dessert storm', and then you went on some monologue about ice cream and how 'Dessert Storm' should be a flavor."
Kate stared uncomfortably back at Sophie.
"And then you spent thirty minutes googling ice cream flavors," Sophie concluded, her memory becoming clearer by the second.
"It was ten at most," Kate countered.
"What's going on?"
"I lost it," Kate admitted simply.
"What?"
"Well," Kate sighed in frustration. "I didn't 'lose it'," she said, pointing at the obvious difficulty of losing a digital document. "I just… didn't save it," she finished lamely.
Sophie gaped back. "Not even like… like a draft of it?"
"It was late, and I went to exit and didn't think and clicked 'no' when it prompted me to save, and then it was gone and… obviously not my best move."
"I'll say. And you think I'm stretched thin. Between this and your notes - not setting a great track record this semester, Kane," Sophie joked before catching herself digressing. A look of seriousness took hold as she analyzed Kate again. "Why didn't you just tell me?"
"And let you think I was working ahead?" Kate joked back. "That would destroy my reputation."
When Sophie didn't take the bait Kate sighed into admission. "Because it's embarrassing… and dumb, and you're right. Next time I manage to write an entire essay and then lose it, you'll be the first to know."
"Much better," Sophie replied, her critical gaze breaking into a familiar grin.
"So you're really going to run it three times?"
"Who told you that?" Kate asked, slightly out of breath.
"Kid in my economics class," Miller replied, more out of breath. "So you doing it?"
"Who told him that?"
"His roommate," he heaved, unfamiliar with the task of talking and running at the same time. "So is that a yes?"
"When?" Kate asked.
"Kate," Miller gasped, stopping mid-stride. "Are you or aren't you?"
"We're not done," Kate called back, leaving him to fall further behind the group as the sun set on campus. "And don't forget, last one back has to spar with me," she called with a smirk.
She chuckled as a groan of realization and disappointment struck Miller. It was clear summer had not been kind to his stamina, and he was barely keeping up with the rest of the squad she'd set up weekly training sessions with. What had started with Miller and Erwin Rice in the fall semester of their first year had grown into a decently-sized group of ten, excluding Kate. The even number made partnering up easy and gave Kate a chance to provide feedback on form and execution. Growing up with an ex-Colonel had already put her through this level of training, and she found coaching to be a great way to solidify that knowledge. It didn't hurt that the once straggling cadets of her year were slowly fighting their way toward the middle and top of the class in their drills.
Entering second year, tactical training was added to the course load which included training in Army Combatives. Over the next three years, various levels of combat would be taught, but the fall semester of year two was where the concept and initial training was introduced. For Kate, there was again the added bonus of growing up around a father who actively sought to prepare her with such training.
She'd breezed through the first few weeks, already well-versed in the Modern Army Combatives that were being taught. The concept was straightforward enough: it was a strategy of combat that didn't require perfect form. Instead, it focused on learning core principles that, with practice, would become intuitive. It typically involved the use of a mock weapon, with the goal being to disarm your opponent, take control with position, and close the distance to finish the fight. For the purposes of their training sessions, Kate excluded use of weapons, instead letting the focus be on methods of takedown.
While much of the in-class sessions had focused on the principles of takedowns, the group had been far more receptive to Kate's method of training. It was very clear early on that setting everyone loose on each other wasn't making an impact. Instead, Kate adjusted her strategy in the second week, focusing on a single pair at a time. One-on-one spars would be set up in the middle of the gym with the rest of the group observing. Kate would actively coach as they went along, often slowing down or pausing the spars to stop a potentially dangerous act or poorly executed technique. The spars weren't about winning, and more often than not the loser walked away with more knowledge and was the better for it. The other eight observers gained the opportunity to watch their peers and focus on skills that the Drill Sergeants glazed over because their focus was on an entire class.
After three or four rounds, Kate would close out the night sparring with whoever came last in a randomly assigned drill that evening. This week, the winner was their 5K run, and the loser was Miller. She never went full-strength or speed on anyone in the group when they sparred, and she was relieved that she was facing Miller tonight. Even days on, she was feeling the effects of the second run, and with only two days until her next run, she was eager for an easy win. She glanced at her watch, noting with relief that they might even finish early as the remainder of the group trailed into the main gym space.
"Am I late?"
The voice sent a chill down Kate's spine as she shot around in surprise, turning to see Riley leaning casually against the boxing ring in the far corner of the gym. She was not dressed for training, and Kate mentally groaned in anticipation of Riley's antics. During the first week of term, back when Kate and others were still trying to make an effort with Riley, she had invited her to join the evening sessions. Riley scoffed faster than Kate could finish asking, and, as weeks progressed and Riley's character crept out of the woodwork, Kate had been relieved Riley turned her down.
"I'd have been here sooner, but someone didn't tell me about the date change. It must have been an honest mistake, because, from the looks of this group, it doesn't discriminate about who it does or doesn't let in."
"Uh, actually we're almost done." Martha replied with a slight hesitation in her voice.
"Almost? Oh good, so there's still time! I want to be a big, strong, tough cadet like all of you," Riley called out, her voice high and soaked in condescension.
"Maybe next week Riley," Kate called out casually.
"But Marsha just said you were still going. So what's next? A big aspirational speech about how trying our hardest is all that matters?"
"It's Martha," Kate corrected, "and no, that's not what we do here."
"Well, I'm all ears," Riley said, leaning against the flexible ropes behind her.
"Look, there's only one drill left. Maybe come back next week," Kate offered, her tone empty and disinterested.
"Oh! What is it?" Riley called out, ignoring Kate's subtle request for her to leave.
"She's sparring with me," Miller called back.
"I do love a good bar brawl," Riley smirked with a wink. "That's all you're good for, right Miller?"
"It's… it's not-"
"Hubbda, blubda, smubda," Riley called back in mockery, causing Miller's face to go red in embarrassment.
"Riley, while I'm normally happy to ignore your half-assed attendance and shitty attitude," Kate began calmly, interrupting Miller before he could respond, "this isn't really the time or place for those distractions."
"Oh, but Kate, if I don't learn, how will I ever pass Tactics?" Riley mused out loud.
"I heard you've got an over-qualified tutor."
"She's certainly qualified for a few things if you know what I mean. In Tactics though? Not so much."
Kate had to force a slow breath to keep from crossing the gym and sending Riley straight into next week.
"I have an idea!"
"That would be a first," a small voice came from behind Kate, and she had to stop herself from joining into the small wave of laughter that swept the rest of the group. She glanced back and noted Erwin's face was especially red, even for his standards, and knew immediately he was the culprit.
"Why don't I spar Kate?"
"Because that's not how this works," Kate replied casually, feeling the support of the group behind her which made her as relaxed as she could be given the circumstances.
That moment of relaxation evaporated when Miller found his voice again: "she'll take you."
Kate turned and shot him a look of annoyance.
"What?" he asked genuinely. "Teach her a lesson."
"Yea, Kate. Teach me a lesson," Riley called back, already skipping across the space to the mat. Kate stared lamely back, not wanting to engage for two reasons: the first was that, while she wasn't versed in Riley's proficiency, she didn't have the energy to engage her antics, and the second was that she didn't want to add fuel to the Riley Show. As much as she could easily rail into her, Kate realized more exertion in self control was going to be required than anything physical.
Kate felt a shove to her right side and watched as Riley bounced off her feet, her hands raised in a boxing position.
"That's not how we-" a swing from Riley forced Kate to sidestep to avoid a fist to the face.
"Riley, we-" Kate tried again before she was forced to lift her forearm to block another strike.
"What's wrong Kate?" Riley cackled between blows. "Can't keep up?"
"She's going easy on you," came Erwin from the group. He wasn't wrong. Having taken up boxing the semester before, he'd been especially fun sparring with a week earlier when Kate had a chance to up her execution to match his skills. That didn't stop Kate from letting out a small groan in frustration as Riley double-down on her blows.
"This isn't an alley fight," Kate muttered angrily.
"Oh-" Riley began, breathing heavily as she threw her body into another punch, "I didn't realize you all were being trained - to be - a bunch - of pussies," she called out between swings.
The sheer speed with which Riley swung forced Kate to maintain a defensive stance.
"Ha! The great - Kate Kane," Riley continued, her throws growing in ferocity. "You always - this pathetic?"
"This - this is about - Riley!" Kate called, her voice raised to a level that made the others stare in pause as Kate blocked and let her elbow strike Riley's ribs, sending her back a few steps.
Riley gave a sinister grin as she rubbed her side. "What's that? This is about what?"
"Control," Kate finished, her eyes set in anger.
"Seems you've lost yours," Riley snickered before closing the gap. Riley persisted, throwing punch after punch for a surprisingly endless string of minutes, and Kate found herself on the defensive, navigating the path toward disarming Riley without causing injury.
A well-timed block knocked Riley off balance and sent her to the ground. A giggle and cheers from the group set Riley's cheeks ablaze in embarrassment. Kate stood between her and the group, noting that they'd managed to navigate beyond the extents of the mat and were now easily twenty yards from everyone else.
Riley lifted herself back up, and Kate noticed something different in Riley's expression. Her eyes glowed with a new kind of danger.
"You're just soo loved, aren't you?"
"What?" Kate asked, barely able to make out the volume Riley was speaking at.
"Your little fan club. Surrounding yourself with the weak to feel exceptional. Is that how you elites become so good at it as adults?"
"Riley, I-"
"Lose or everyone here finds out." The whisper resonated in Kate's ear just long enough to register the request. Her reflexes blocked a strike to her ribs as she let the words sink in. She fell into autopilot, sidestepping and cutting through each wild and untrained strike before it could land.
"No," Kate replied, knocking Riley back.
"Do it," Riley hissed between attacks, her eyes filled with venom. Her hand slipped into her pocket, pulling out a folded up, aged clipping. "Or I tell them."
"Riley-"
"Not so tough now? Interested in seeing how loyal that little group is to you once they get a look at this?"
"Fail, Cadet Kane."
Kate didn't bother responding. She didn't have the energy to. She glared up at the top of the tapering wall, her lungs heaving in deep gasps as her arms fell fatigued and useless to the side of her body. She'd been doing well. Surprisingly well. Until the roped mud pit drained much of her reserved energy. It was typically navigable in no time: a mud pit with a roped net stretched over it. The goal was to crawl between the mud and rope. It generally was considered one of the easiest obstacles on the course and meant to give cadets a break before facing the tapering wall. Unfortunately for her, it had begun raining in the middle of her second, stirring up a wetter mud that clung to her and the rope, making each crawl all the harder to power through. This made the third wall climb nearly impossible. She made it less than halfway before her arms gave out and she dropped.
She glanced across the course to the small group of fourth years huddled under umbrellas who had been lingering on the sidelines, intrigued by the punishment Lieutenant Reyes was doling out. She felt a pang of disappointment as she returned her gaze to Reyes.
"It's not too late to give up."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sure Cadet Bradley wouldn't take it personally if you forfeited the run back to him," Reyes said. It was a challenge, and it was one Kate wasn't going to take on.
"I'll see you next Saturday, sir," she replied coolly.
"Did you submit your paper for Chambers?"
Riley stared, unmoved across the table, her arms folded in stubborn refusal to engage with Sophie.
"Mind if I take a look?" Sophie continued, not letting Riley's nonanswers turn the dialogue stagnant.
Riley continued to scowl silently back. It was their fourth session together, and Sophie was struggling to keep her cool which was saying something.
"Look, you don't want to be here. I get that," Sophie sighed.
"Great observation skills. Except you'd have to be pretty dumb not the notice," Riley shot back.
"I have to write a report of your progress every week and submit it to Lieutenant Reyes."
"So you've mentioned," Riley groaned.
"And I won't lie. If we don't make progress I'm going to have to tell him."
"Go ahead."
"Do you not want to be here?"
"For being the 'smartest person' in the year, you sure can be pretty dense."
"I know you don't want to be here," Sophie replied, gesturing at the study room as her patience waned into frustration. "I'm asking if you want to be here at this school."
"Of course," Riley replied easily, but her tone was oozing with condescension. "Who wouldn't feel honored to be a part of this great establishment?"
"So why did you take a year off?"
"That doesn't sound on topic," Riley shot back defensively.
"Oh, right, because we were making so much headway talking about history," Sophie replied sarcastically.
Riley's scowl broke for a moment as a glimmer of surprise took hold. "Hmm, feisty. But I only play twenty questions if it's tit for tat."
"That's not how this is going to work."
"Suit yourself," Riley sighed. "Tell you what," she began, sliding her back toward her and digging around inside. "I'll give you my paper if you let me leave an hour early."
"You're not in a position to negotiate, Riley," Sophie sighed as Riley flashed a thumbdrive at her.
"You sure? Because if I had to guess, your performance is tied to my performance. It'd be a real shame if you had to admit you're not up to the task of tutoring Riley Thomas. At least with this you'll have something to report on," she said, the thumbdrive held delicately between Riley's thumb and forefinger.
Sophie's eyes narrowed slightly. "Thirty minutes."
A smirk broke over Riley's face as she slapped the drive onto the surface and slid it across the table. "Deal."
Kate opened her eyes with a surprised blink, realizing she'd begun dozing in the darkened room. Voices filled the space, and a glow from the screen cast the slightest of illuminations on the familiar surfaces around her. She quickly shook her head of the sleepiness pulling at her eyelids as she refocused on the story playing out on the screen. She felt a soft squeeze on her thigh and looked over to see Sophie giving her a reassuring grin.
"We can call it early if you want," she offered sympathetically, knowing Kate hadn't rested from the morning's early start.
Kate stubbornly shook her head in defiance.
"Kate-"
"After all the monologuing it took for us to get here? Not a chance," Kate replied easily, slipping a hand over Sophie's. She gave a reassuring smile as Sophie cautiously returned her gaze to the screen.
Kate spent the next few minutes trying to catch up to the plotline, unsure what relationship John Cusack had with Julia Roberts. It only took a few minutes for the missing pieces to make sense and she glanced to her right where Sophie's gaze was focused intently on the screen.
The next few moments were lost as she watched Sophie's silhouette against the soft glow of the movie, and Kate felt herself relax as she did. For as exhausted as she was, she wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste.
After weeks of pleading, Kate had finally convinced Sophie that spending time alone in their rooms would not end the world. As Riley was prone to never leaving 419 except to cause mayhem, that left Kate's room as the obvious choice. Kate casually confirmed with Chelsea that she'd be spending the day with Tony and company over at the student union followed by a night at Wilfred which confirmed a window of time to make their own plans.
Unfortunately, neither Kate nor Sophie's schedules allowed a daytime hangout. Kate was once again facing grueling hours on the fourth-year course, and Sophie was off tending to her newly bestowed obligations of tutoring Riley toward passable grades. This made plans before nightfall nearly impossible as Kate's tasks filled the morning and Sophie's the afternoon, and even now the last traces of the sun were barely visible as they faded over the tree line.
Kate felt her mouth turn into a small grin as she watched Sophie's intense concentration furrow into a frown.
"What?" Kate asked, calling out the scrunched look of disappointment stuck on Sophie's face.
"Huh?" Sophie asked, tearing her eyes from the screen to gaze back at Kate.
"What's up over there?" Kate smirked, lifting her hand to gesture at Sophie's face. "You look like it's your first day working for Gotham Sanitation."
"She's… she's just such an unlikable character in this one," Sophie complained.
Kate let out a laugh of surprise as she registered Sophie's upset.
"What?"
"I just… I just assumed it was going to be something real," Kate said through her dwindling chuckle.
"What isn't real about this?"
"Well, normally you reserve this particular scowl for world-level problems."
"What? That's not true."
Kate laughed.
"I scowl for normal things. It's not always 'world-level,'" Sophie replied, using her fingers as quotes for emphasis.
"Yes, but you have three levels of scowl. This is a level three."
"Oh, well, I'm sorry I don't have a universal scowl like you do," Sophie glared back.
"Yea, see? That's a level one scowl," Kate smirked.
"It's nothing."
"It looks like something."
"It's… It's Catherine."
"Sophie."
"Kate."
"It's a movie."
"Yea, but…" Sophie sighed in disgruntlement, crossing her arms in frustration at the character on screen.
"What's this really about?"
"Why does it have to be something more? Why can't I just be annoyed at the way Catherine treats her sister. She makes her walk around on eggshells. She makes everyone walk around on eggshells."
Kate watched in growing amusement at Sophie's outburst. "So this is about Riley."
Sophie shot Kate a look that made her annoyance at Kate's ability to read her clear.
"Soph, you can tell me."
Sophie looked like she might not answer, staring back at the screen but not absorbing anything flashing on it.
"Riley is…" Sophie finally began.
"The worst?"
"There's something about her. She just… I don't know; she makes me feel uneasy. Like everything she says has some double meaning, and she's just baiting me along. And she's always so… so mean; unwarranted and unsolicited," Sophie began before pausing in thought. "Like, today, she spent an hour unresponsive, then tried to make it a game before negotiating early release."
"Early release?" Kate snickered.
"She wanted to leave an hour early in exchange for a copy of her essay for Chambers."
"What? Did… did you let her?"
Sophie shook her head in annoyance as she reflected on the afternoon's conversation. "I let her off thirty minutes early. And don't give me that look-"
"What look?"
"I know I shouldn't have."
"There was no look," Kate replied.
"But I just…"
"Soph, I didn't give a look. I get it," Kate offered by way of apology. "She's not the easiest person."
"Such an understatement," Sophie muttered, and Kate let out a small chuckle of understanding. "But honestly it's not even just her. I mean, it is and it isn't," Sophie continued. "It's this school and this policy. It's so backwards that we're literally being trained to face life or death scenarios, but I'm more worried about the fact that I don't trust myself around you in public because what if someone sees or catches us or… even now, there's an entire couch between us because Chelsea might stumble in any second."
Sophie sighed, exhausted by the act they'd been playing for weeks.
"We can change it," Kate offered.
"No," Sophie replied stubbornly.
"It's not too late."
"It's fine."
"We're only thirty minutes into it. Could end the suffering now-"
"I said it's fine," Sophie scowled grumpily.
Without a second thought, Kate slid across the couch, breaking rule number three. Sophie reacted like she might jump out of her skin in terror as she glanced at the closed door to Kate's dorm.
"Kate," she hissed, crawling away from Kate's reach.
"Sophie," Kate whispered in mock seriousness as she closed in on her target.
"Don't- don't you dare-"
"What?" Kate asked innocently, pinning Sophie against the arm of the couch.
"We agreed-"
"But what's life without breaking a few eggshells?" Kate replied, her eyes sparkling in excitement.
"A degree. It's called a… a… de..."
"Hm?" Kate asked, her lips grazing Sophie's neck.
"Kate…"
"Yes?" Kate continued.
"You're not playing fair."
"Fairly," Kate corrected, grinning softly against Sophie's skin, feeling Sophie squirm in distracted frustration.
The sound of laughter and keys on the other side of the door sent Sophie bolting off the couch and back to the opposite side where Kate had previously been sitting. She glanced in anxious-ridden surprise as Kate didn't budge. Instead, she offered a hesitant glance and sheepish grin back.
The laughter quickly turned into scoffs of frustration as Kate slowly rose from the couch, her eyes now focused intensely on the door. A small smirk broke out when she saw the knob catch lamely with every attempt Chelsea made to enter.
"Kate, what-"
"Uh…" Kate began, turning back toward Sophie with a familiar look of apology on her face. "Ok… don't be mad," Kate pleaded briefly.
"Name one time you've begun a conversation with that line that's ever ended well," Sophie gaped back as Kate walked across the room to the door.
"Hey, Chelsea," Kate said at normal volume, ignoring the scowl of disapproval coming from Sophie.
"Kate? Is that you?"
"Yea," Kate rolled her eyes, not sure who else Chelsea expected on the other side of the door. "Sophie, too," she confessed easily which only caused Sophie's scowl to double down.
"The door won't open."
"I know. There's… there's something wrong with the handle. We've already spent over an hour trying to get it to open, but no dice," Kate replied with practiced reasoning.
"What did you do?" Sophie whispered from the couch, her tone a mix of annoyance and curiosity.
Kate lifted her hand in a 'hold on a second' gesture.
"I called maintenance but they won't send anyone out this late. They said they'd have someone check it first thing tomorrow."
"So you're trapped?" Chelsea balked.
"Looks like it," Kate sighed dramatically, winking at Sophie's slowly fading scowl.
"What if we just bust down the door?" It was Tony's voice.
Kate opened her mouth to deflect the option, but Chelsea beat her to it. "And then what? We just sleep without a door?"
"What about the windows?" Tony offered, clearly looking for an action story to fill his Saturday night.
"They've got the screens in them," Kate called back with feigned exasperation. "And even still, we'd have no way of getting back in the room."
"Exactly, and then where would Kate sleep? The lounge?" Chelsea scoffed at her boyfriend, already factoring in that she had a place to crash.
"Look, we're fine hunkering down for the night-" Kate began, smirking at Sophie who remained perched on the couch beginning to catch up to Kate's masterplan. "Sophie is a bit peeved she won't get to do anymore studying, but-"
"Ugh, she shouldn't be studying on a Saturday night anyway," Chelsea scoffed through the door. Kate raised a thumb toward Sophie in support of this. "But if she really needs to, she can use my books," Chelsea added, clearly amending her words in response to the scowl of disapproval Tony was likely offering. A quick scowl of disapproval from Kate sent Sophie's eyes rolling.
"Uh, thanks," Sophie called through the door. "Kate has copies too, but I might take you up on that."
"Well don't do it for too long. You're already setting the curve in every class," Chelsea admonished back, causing a small smile of success to grace Sophie's face.
"Yea, so… I guess maybe just crash with Tony tonight?" Kate offered up as the obvious solution, pivoting back toward her larger agenda.
"Yea, totally. And Sophie, feel free to use my bed. No need to suffer on that couch all night."
"Thanks, Chelsea."
"If you need anything just shout."
"Yea, I'm happy to kick this thing in," Tony offered.
"Noted, thanks, man," Kate replied, holding back a heavy layer of sarcasm as she feigned relief at the thought of a big, burly man offering to save them.
Sophie waited until the sounds of bickering faded before speaking.
"What did you do?"
"Wha- me?" Kate asked innocently. If not for the slight glimmer in her eyes and the smirk playing at the edges of her mouth, Sophie might have believed her.
Sophie rose from the couch, slowly making her way toward Kate who was struggling to hold her poker face steady. "Yes, you."
"I… was… you know these old dorms aren't-"
Kate's pathetic excuse was interrupted by Sophie's lips, settling softly against Kate's. Kate tried desperately to restrain herself from melting into the softness of them, sensing a trap. Just as she began to let her guard down, Sophie pulled back, and Kate cursed softly at Sophie's ability to sense the slight changes in Kate's demeanor.
"The old dorms are what?" Sophie whispered against Kate's mouth.
"They are… uh… uhm," Kate began, struggling to form words as Sophie's lips forged a path along her jawline, mimicking Kate's actions from minutes earlier.
"Hm?" Sophie teased as Kate's breath caught again.
"Old," Kate finally formulated. "Old handles and - and things."
"So articulate."
The next set of countless minutes were spent with Sophie slowly teasing Kate toward a passionate make out session which ended with them falling into each other's embrace on the couch, gasping for air.
"So how'd you do it?" Sophie asked again, laying on top of Kate as the white noise and light of the movie play forgotten in the background and her lips played against Kate's neck.
"A magician never reveals her secrets," Kate snickered back.
"So... if there's a fire…" Sophie asked between kisses.
Kate shrugged, unable to find a clever retort.
"Or... I don't know… one of us has to… to go to the bathroom."
"You are very distracting," Kate muttered, her focus entirely on Sophie's movements.
"The door does still work, right?" Sophie asked, stopping her progress with a hint of concern about how far Kate might have gone for a night alone.
"Well, that depends," Kate replied, enjoying Sophie's sudden leap of logic.
"On what?" Sophie asked, lifting herself to meet Kate's gaze.
"If you behave."
It was meant as a joke, but something about the tone in Kate's voice, their sudden access to privacy, and weeks of limited contact sent Sophie in a tailspin as she looked down into her girlfriend's eyes.
"And if I don't?" she offered back, Kate's eyes widening as a small grin unfolded across her face.
"Then you may be stuck with me forever."
"You'd make a terrible villain."
"Why's that?"
"Because that's not a punishment."