a/n: hi all,
I'm going to play the next set of chapters pretty fast and loose. I've been obsessing over this next Point Rock term for the last week and have managed to build out a good chunk of it at this point - definitely faster than I've output any previous part of the story. With a few days off for New Years, I imagine I'll be in polish-mode pretty quickly.
That said, once this next term is wrapped, I plan on taking a couple weeks off to pick up a few neglected side projects because I've sort of let this story rule much of my free time for the last few weeks. This is still a couple weeks off as I finish these next batch of chapters, but wanted to give notice now.
As always, a huge thanks for sticking with this; hopefully hanging out at Point Rock for a bit longer gels with y'all.
Cheers,
EQT.95
Kate burst through the main office door, glancing at the clock hanging on the wall and letting out a small curse. She was eight minutes late and could already hear Reyes' prepared lecture about timeliness as he reprimanded her for being tardy yet again. Unlike previous semesters, her delinquency these days rarely had anything to do with her own actions. Now that she was working with a slew of underperforming cadets, her days were spent coordinating and overseeing breakout sessions that often ran over.
On the first day of the sessions, she walked into the gym and thought Reyes had set up some elaborate scheme to pull one over on her. The second year group had grown to thirteen by the end of term. Kate expected maybe a handful from each of the first and third years. Instead, what she walked in on was nearly three dozen students who had been assigned additional training; training that was now on Kate's shoulders to administer.
She understood immediately there was no way thirty-six cadets on top of the baker's dozen she was already working with could be contained into a single evening together. It clarified why Reyes had insisted on using the first two weeks to set up a programme for the semester: between this and coursework, practically every free minute was now scheduled with little wiggle room to breathe.
It was the rare occasion that she called Jacob Kane with a problem. She'd spent her teenage years fairly independent which worked with Jacob's travel schedule and parenting style, but in the first week she'd called him twice, threatening to drop out of the Academy. He talked her away from the ledge both times, reinforcing his support for Reyes' assigning her such a monumental task.
"It speaks to his confidence in your ability to lead."
"And what exactly are the professors and drill sergeants supposed to be doing?"
"Let me put it bluntly for you, Kate: I need leadership in the Crows. Right now I have a slew of ex-military who are all trigger-happy, but not one of them could lead a blind elephant to water if I set up a pool next door. Succeed at this and you'll be exactly what I'm looking for."
She took Jacob's words and tried to find solace in that, but for the first week she truly hated it. The first years were rowdy and undisciplined and the third years were clearly perturbed that their junior was giving them commands. Her voice had gone hoarse within days, and she found herself negotiating sleep with her studies.
She barged into Reyes' office by the end of the week demanding he relieve her of the assignment. Instead of acquiescing, Reyes advised three additional cadets had approached him about joining the sessions.
Kate Kane could count on one hand the number of times she was speechless from anger. Over the next two weeks, her clashes with Reyes rolled that count over to a second hand.
By the third week though, something shifted. The routine of working to exhaustion every day became the perfect distraction for the one thing that wouldn't leave her mind. Since the beginning of term, she'd managed to evade any unavoidable run-ins with her ex-girlfriend. It helped that she was keeping unreasonable hours and had managed to carve out a lesser-known spot at the library for studying, but that didn't eliminate the fact that classes were still scheduled together. That alone meant she was still a very tangible part of Kate's life, and any opportunity to ignore it was a small reprieve.
That said, it was an uncommon occurrence for Kate to avoid an ex. On no previous occasion had she sought to eliminate one from her life, and generally she still actively communicated or at least was on good terms with most. But there also wasn't precedent for the feelings Kate had for this one nor for how shattered and betrayed she'd felt at the end of term. She had hoped a month apart over winter break would be enough, but the first day of classes brought front and center the fact that she was still very much not over Sophie Moore.
Kate saw that Lieutenant Reyes' door stood ajar and, not bothering to knock, pushed it open, an apology spilling from her mouth when her eyes landed on the one person she'd spent the last month avoiding. Standing across from Reyes was none other than Sophie Moore who clearly looked just as surprised to see Kate standing in the doorway.
"I… uh, sorry I-"
"Late as usual, Cadet Kane."
"I can come back," Kate stammered, already stepping backwards out of the room.
"No, this concerns both of you."
"Sorry?" Kate asked, a chill of discomfort running down her spine.
"Please close the door."
"I… ok," Kate replied, her hesitation evident.
"Take a seat," Reyes said, gesturing at the two vacant seats.
"I'll stand, thanks," Kate said, lingering as close to the door as possible. She refused to look directly at Sophie, but she could see in her periphery that the hint was taken as she causally stepped toward the other side of the office, ensuring the largest possible space between them.
"Fine," Reyes said, leaning back into his own and surveying the two cadets standing in front of him. "Weren't you two roommates?" he asked, noting, quizzically, the office-wide distance between them and chilliness in the disposition toward the other.
"Last year," Kate said simply.
Reyes took Kate's answer to move on, shuffling a few papers on his desk as Kate noted he was prone to do; generally the more ridiculous the request the likelier he was to shuffle them. This wasn't a good sign for Kate.
"Cadet Kane, you have been doing a fine job with the cadets this semester. I've been told by a number of drill sergeants that they can already see improvement in overall performance," he began, and Kate knew better than to respond. Her eyes were already narrowed in suspicion. The only time Reyes led with a compliment was when he was about to deliver another assignment. "I understand much of your time has been devoted to the small groups we established at the beginning of term."
"Is there a point in any of this, sir?" Kate asked, not caring for the politics of how Reyes spoke.
"While those have been successful and I recognize the time commitment required in doing so, I'd like you to also begin a one-on-one training session. This will be a weekly activity and-"
"Excuse me?" Kate gaped, her jaw slack in surprise. Reyes, on the other hand, was not dissuaded by this interruption. If there was one thing Kate had begun appreciating about Reyes, it was that his tough-guy attitude had relaxed around her and, for better or worse, she was given the freedom to break from military norms while in his office. That didn't resolve him of the anger she felt toward him at the moment.
"The session will be weekly for an hour."
"Wh-"
"It will-"
"Sir."
"It will be up to you to negotiate your schedule," Reyes finished, ignoring Kate's outbursts.
"Permission to speak freely?"
"Granted. Not that my lack of permission has stopped you before," Reyes retorted. If she weren't so surprised by the request she might have noticed the slight smirk play at the edge of his lips.
"I think this is complete bullshit, sir," Kate said. "I've been busting my ass for weeks to do what you and your fellow drill sergeants can't or won't. And now I'm supposed to offer one-on-one sessions?"
"Yes."
"That's insane. Like, actually insane. I'm barely keeping up with my own studies on top of everything else," Kate said, her voice raised in obvious frustration. "Who is making these decisions? How am I supposed to pass anything if I'm constantly babying a bunch of underperforming plebes?"
"I agree, sir. It's an unreasonable request."
Kate turned in surprise. For a moment she'd forgotten Sophie was even there. More than that, Kate was failing to understand what she had to do with any of this.
"Cadet Moore, please wait in the hall."
"But sir, I-"
"That's an order."
Silence followed as Sophie hesitated for a moment before walking the length of the office, taking care to maximise her distance from Kate. A staredown between Kate and Reyes lasted past the time it took for the door to latch shut, and it was Reyes who finally spoke first.
"What have I said before?" Reyes said, his gaze unwavering from Kate's own fuming face.
"Which time?"
"Last term."
"I probably wasn't listening," Kate admitted dryly.
"Sometimes the best way to serve is to take the direction given and accept that you don't always know best."
"But sir, I-"
"You will be training with Cadet Moore."
Kate's mouth fell open, unable to comprehend Reyes' words.
"I don't understand. I… wait, no, I don't understand. Why?"
"Because your commanding officer says so."
"No, that's not reason enough this time," Kate said, shaking her head. "Sophie doesn't need help or training. This is a pointless exercise."
"I'm surprised, Kate."
"You're welcome," Kate offered sarcastically.
"You're sure you two were roommates?"
"Yes, why?"
"And you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"The Academy carries high standards on paper, but is known to turn a blind eye when certain benchmarks aren't maintained."
"Why are you talking in riddles?"
"Underperformance can't be ignored for long, Kate."
Two weeks earlier
"Kate? Are you in there?"
Unfortunately she was. In addition to Sophie, Melvin had also been on her list of people to avoid. Things had been cordial enough, but not to the extent that everything from their argument at the end of term had blown over, and after a full day of classes followed by four hours of training, her mood had soured and the last thing on her mind was finding the patience to mend fences. It was a Friday night and she had no intention of doing anything but collapsing into bed and getting some rest.
"Kate, I see the light on. Open up."
"Not interested, Melvin," she called back. And she really wasn't. She'd just returned from the showers and was in no mood to open the door. For added emphasis, she latched the spare deadbolt.
"I'm not leaving until you open the door."
"Sounds like a shit way to spend a Friday night," she shot back.
"Kate," he sighed, rapping his fist against the hollow door. "I'll knock it down."
The knocking continued for another handful of minutes before Kate's patience snapped and she pulled the door open to reveal a surprised Melvin on the other side.
"What?"
"Hi."
"What do you want Melvin?" Kate asked, making her annoyance clear.
"It's Sophie."
"Did you change your name?"
It took half a beat for Melvin to understand Kate's response before he shook his head.
"This is the third time-"
"I don't care-"
"Yes, you do," Melvin interrupted. "Look, I know you're hurting-"
"No I'm not-"
"Hang on," Melvin quickly interrupted again, anticipating Kate's denial. "I know you're hurting. I know that's why you've gone AWOL. But she's hurting, too. She's… she's not herself. She's aimless and-"
"She has no one to blame but herself," Kate said coldly.
"Kate," Melvin said, his face falling. "You don't mean that."
"Except I do. Find someone else to help her," Kate said, swinging the door shut on Melvin's shocked face.
Sophie stared blankly at the closed door in front of her as muffled disagreements between Kate and Reyes continued. Reyes' proposal was a surprise to her and certainly not something she was prepared to sign on for. It was clear from Kate's initial reaction that she felt the same.
Sophie didn't know what she expected when the spring term started, but cold indifference from Kate was not it. They'd ended things in worse shape than she could have imagined but hoped the break would have softened the latest blows. It became obvious very quickly that Kate was not as forgiving as she had been of past transgressions when the first day of term arrived and Kate bypassed her and Melvin in the hall without a second glance.
"I get why I'm getting the cold shoulder, but even you?" Sophie asked miserably.
"We may have said some things at the end of term," Melvin offered cryptically.
"Oh?"
"I don't remember the specifics, but I may have called her bitter-"
"Ouch."
"And maybe something about her pride getting in the way of well… everything."
"That doesn't seem so bad though."
"Maybe."
"At least you didn't tell her you loved her and then turn around and reject her."
"Yea. You definitely beat me there."
She had spent winter break miserable, feeling the lingering impacts of her decision weigh on her mind every quiet moment she had. It was only when she'd returned home at the beginning of break that she allowed herself the breakdown she'd spent the last few weeks of term fighting.
When her mother appeared at her side she blamed it on her breakup with Melvin and received soothing remarks of sympathy which only made her feel worse. Her parents permitted her space, and with that space she dwelled in all of the 'what ifs' that had been pushed aside for months. What if she just told her parents. What if she'd waited to break up with Kate. What if she'd done it sooner. What if Kate had never said those three words. What if she let Kate take those words back. What if she never had these feelings.
It was an endless list, and Sophie was not without time to mull everything over. She convinced herself she didn't regret her decision. It was for the best; she couldn't imagine a world where her parents would ever forgive "that kind of lifestyle" nor could she imagine a life without them in it. But no matter how much she convinced herself it was the right choice, it didn't mend the heartache she felt.
She'd also convinced herself that there was a chance to salvage a relationship with Kate; that they could overcome this and be friends again. She knew anything more would never happen, and the prospect of rooming together again was all but impossible, but she was willing to bend over backwards for anything that reflected more than a forgettable acquaintance. It was a stretch of the imagination to think it would happen overnight, but it was that thread of hope that got her through the break and to the beginning of term.
That's why Kate's reaction to her on that first day sent her spiraling and undid weeks of optimistically naive thinking. Kate's indifference made it worse than if she had simply told her to take a long walk off a short pier. At least then Kate and her would be on speaking terms.
She was steeped in renewed regret for the first week of class which made Riley's invitation to go to Wilfred that first Thursday night unusually tempting. It took both of them by surprise when she agreed to tag along. Part of her hoped she'd run into Kate. After the first hour and three drinks, her vision was blurred but it was becoming clearer and clearer that Kate wouldn't be making an appearance. It was on her fifth drink that Melvin intervened and dragged her back to the dorms.
After that she started skipping class. She wasn't sure why, and it wasn't like the isolation and loneliness of being in the dorm or library alone made the time spent more compelling or distracting. She still kept up with her studies and was on track with each syllabus with the exception of Tactics. In an uncharacteristic slight, she'd missed the part of the first day where they were advised missing more than two days would result in a full grade deduction. Every two days after that would see another drop. It was on her third missed day that she was called to Lieutenant Reyes' office and advised she would be put on probation if she didn't get her act together.
That didn't solve the fact she'd missed more than the allowable number of days meaning her GPA was shot. She realized this one move might have just cost her the Wayne Tech internship and her scholarship. This translated into another poor decision and a night at Wilfred Hall.
Misfortune followed her when she was picked up by campus police on her trek back to the dorms and issued a citation for underage drinking. She didn't leave bed the next day. Unfortunately that marked her fourth missed Tactics class, and Reyes had had enough. He summoned her to his office and briefed her with just enough information to know he had a plan for how she would make up her missed days over the rest of the semester. It was then that Kate arrived, and Reyes' words sank in.
The door across from her opened with surprising force, and Sophie jolted at Kate's look of annoyance as she exited the office. Kate froze when she caught sight of Sophie, moving only to close the door behind her.
Sophie opened her mouth to apologize, but Kate spoke first.
"Wednesdays at four," she said simply, avoiding eye contact and brushing past Sophie toward the main office's exit.
"I can't."
Kate froze and slowly turned back to Sophie. "What?" The tone sent a chill down Sophie's spine.
"Riley."
"Change it."
"Kate."
"I literally don't have any other availability, Sophie," Kate shot back. Sophie flinched at Kate's tone but nodded in understanding.
"Ok, I'll ask."
Kate had already turned to leave and was a handful of feet from doing so before she paused again and let out a sigh. "Don't ask her. I'll ask for access to the gym outside working hours."
"You can do that?"
"So I can do before seven or after nine," Kate continued, ignoring Sophie's question.
"Morning or evening?"
"Before seven in the morning or after nine in the evening," Kate clarified.
"Evening," Sophie said, knowing Kate's life preference was never to do anything before ten in the morning.
"Thursday or Friday."
"Thursday."
"Fine," Kate said, already at the door.
"Thank you," Sophie called out but knew the words missed, landing instead in the closed door.
"Cadet Moore," Reyes said from his doorway.
"Yes, sir?"
"I'm taking a risk on you. So is Kate. Don't mess this up."
"I know, sir."
"You're a decent teacher."
"You could be a better student," Kate said dryly.
"I'll be sure to archive that feedback. Have you gotten tenure yet or still stuck kissing ass?"
Kate froze and glanced at the girl smirking back. "The review is over spring break."
"Nice. You gonna take it?"
"Depends on the pay."
"I'm sure it'll be ten times your current salary," the girl winked back, and Kate felt her eyes roll. "I'm Sarah, by the way. I'm guessing you don't bother remembering names."
"I actually make cards: one for faces and one for names and then make it into a nightly game of memory," Kate replied easily.
"Really?" Sarah asked in surprise before a smirk of satisfaction on Kate's face revealed her sarcasm. "Well, don't forget this face."
"I'll try not to. Can't say the same for the name. Sam, right?"
"Sheila, actually. Super close though," Sarah replied, taking Kate's quips in stride. "Need any help cleaning up?"
"No, thanks. I'll just finish it up while I wait on my next appointment."
"But doesn't the gym close?"
"Not for tenure-track professors," Kate winked.
"I'd say that makes you lucky, but… your life seems pretty shit."
"Not far from the mark. Unlike your shooting skills," Kate muttered, causing Sarah to laugh.
"See you next week, Professor K."
Sophie felt her elbow strike the mat before the rest of her weight followed. She stared up at Kate, unphased by what had just occurred for what felt like the tenth time in as many minutes.
"Again," Kate said simply, retreating a few steps as Sophie rolled to her feet.
This takedown was even faster than the last. Sophie barely had a chance to react as she felt one of her legs knocked out from under herself, sending her off balance and allowing Kate to easily topple her over. Sophie blinked as the ground met her again.
She'd spent the better part of her life being the best. Nights and weekends were devoted to studying to be at the top of her class; to be perfect, but for the first time she was unprepared and nowhere near that.
"Again."
There'd been talk about Kate's sparring abilities. It was always said with an air of mythology to it, and since their combat courses involved limited room to show off, it had always remained an abstract idea for Sophie. She half-imagined Miller was just so uncoordinated that anything was magic to him. Seeing it now first-hand removed any doubt that the stories were true: Kate Kane knew how to fight. More than that, she did it with such precision that beating her felt like an impossibility.
She'd nervously arrived in the gym to find Kate clearing out standardized physical training equipment that all Tactics sessions began with. Sophie had limited knowledge of what all went on in these supplemental training sessions, but it was clear that they took direction from the standard training. When Kate caught sight of her it was almost an unrecognizable stare that met her.
"Put those on," Kate said, pointing to the set of sparring gear they'd used in the spring term of their first year.
"I'm not wearing that," Sophie said stubbornly, noting only one set was laid out. If she was going to train with Kate, it was going to be as equals.
"Yes you are," Kate said again without emotion.
"That wasn't part of the agreement."
"The agreement was that you listen to me," Kate said, a flare of annoyance permeating from her voice. "That means you put on the pads."
"No."
Sophie thought she had gotten away with a win when Kate finally backed off. Unfortunately, that victory was short-lived when she realized the rigor with which Kate would be taking the running this training session.
Sophie sighed, hopping to her feet. She stepped back defensively, increasing the space between her and Kate. She watched as Kate casually closed that gap but didn't move to strike. Sophie's hands were lifted while Kate's remained at her side. She hesitated briefly before adjusting her weight and felt her right arm extend toward Kate. In the flash of a moment she immediately recognized her mistake. Kate slipped past the strike and brought her left hand up and around Sophie's now extended arm. In another flash Kate easily manipulated her arm with a single twisting motion around her back, stopping just short of hurting Sophie. Kate held her for half a moment before releasing.
"Again."
A sense of growing frustration filled Sophie as she watched Kate step back to give Sophie time to recover. She wasn't winded, but compared to the relaxed way Kate was approaching the spars, she might as well have been gasping for air. She surveyed Kate's stance as she had every time before in hopes it would shed light on what her strategy was. Instead, as with every other time, Kate gave no indication. Sophie's memory scanned the last handful of attacks, searching for reactions she could build into her moves, but by the time she could formulate even an iota of a strategy, she was already back on the mat.
"Again."
Sophie lifted herself up, her frustration eating at her wounded pride.
"Am I supposed to be learning something from this?" Sophie asked, standing a little too casually.
This casualness left her in a headlock two moves later. Kate released her with a small push.
"Again."
Sophie felt herself visibly shudder at Kate's indifference. She turned to see Kate staring back at her, her face devoid of emotion. She felt her pulse heighten at this, a low beating in her ears drowning out her ability to think. She watched as Kate stepped toward Sophie, this time seeing Kate's arm before it could land and blocking it. Instinctively, she let her other arm extend and land with surprising strength into Kate's stomach. The punch caught Sophie by surprise which gave Kate just enough time to recover and knock Sophie's feet out from under her.
"Better. Again."
It was one word, but it delivered a small wave of confidence through Sophie as she rose to face off again. Unfortunately, it didn't improve her performance in the next round as the familiar mat absorbed her fall.
"Again."
This went on for another twenty minutes. Sophie lost track of how many attempts were made. All she needed to know was that every one of them resulted in her cosying up to the mat.
"We're done for tonight," Kate said finally.
"What?" Sophie asked in confusion, trying to calm her strained breathing. She picked herself up from the mat, watching Kate step away from her toward the locker room. "Wait but-"
"It's ten," Kate called back, not changing her trajectory, and in a moment Sophie was alone in the expansive space, staring back at the closed door of the locker room Kate had just closed behind her.