Page 11 of Undone
Amber
We were put to work right away. Rylen was whisked off into the secret places. At this point I couldn’t understand why there was any secretiveness, but whatever. There were so many sick soldiers that I didn’t have time to wonder too much.
Most of the guys were suffering from malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies, which began to lower their immune systems. First Sergeant had a box of multivitamins in his surplus of goods, so I gave each soldier one pill. They had to be rationed, so they could only have one every two days, and they had to get them from me. I had a list of names. After a couple of days, though, I started to wonder if some of the guys were coming for the vitamins, or to stare at my tits. It’s not like I had them on display. I was wearing a loose T-shirt. But these guys were seriously deprived. Even their flirtations were weak and desperate. I decided that as long as everyone kept their hands to themselves, I wouldn’t tell Rylen.
To be honest, everyone seemed on edge. A constant state of tension loomed over the ranks. Not enough food. Not enough space. Not enough sleep. According to Texas Harry there was “a lot of monkey business” going on in the men’s room, and even the sleeping quarters. And by that, New York Josh helpfully clarified that he meant “a lot of monkey spanking business.”
Gross.
I’d always gotten along well with guys, so as much as I didn’t want to flirt or lead anyone on, it was hard not to be friendly to them when they were nice to me.
“A Señorita, am I right?” asked a dark-haired guy when it was his turn in line. He appeared Hispanic, like me. Well, half of me.
“Yep,” I said. “What’s your name, soldier?”
“Corporal Luis Rodriguez, at your service.” His grin was cute, and his cockiness reminded me of my brother, which made my heart twinge.
I found his name and checked it off, handing him a vitamin. He grabbed hold of my hand, and I gently pulled away.
He tilted his head, not giving up. “Una muchacha hermosa com ousted necesita un amante latino.”A beautiful girl like you needs a Latin lover.
I smirked and rested my palms on the table between us. “Lo siento, Cassanova, but I have a man.”
“That gringo pilot I seen you with? What’s he got that I don’t?” He stood back and motioned down his body, making the guys behind him laugh.
“My heart,” I said, giving him a wink. “Now, move along.”
He grabbed his chest and the other guys pushed him out of the way. At least Luis Rodriguez took his rejection with grace. Not all of them did.
I was happy to see J.D. show up to my designated medical table on the third day. I went around and hugged him, but his shoulders were stooped and he was frowning hard. I glanced around but didn’t see Sean.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
He gave a shrug. “You know they’ve made me the barber, right?”
“Yeah. That’s good, right?”
“I mean, that’s fine and great. I don’t mind. I want to be useful. But . . .” He looked away.
My heart rate shot up. “Is someone giving you a hard time?” None of our group would put up with it if someone was pushing homophobic hate on him.
“No,” he said. “It’s not that. It’s just weird.” He swallowed and I could see his hands shaking. “A lot them are . . . hitting on me.”
My eyebrows hiked up. “Oh! That’s flattering, right? Have you told Sean?”
“Hell, no. I don’t answer to him.” He put a hand on his hip, and I held back a smile. “And it’s not exactly flattering because they’re not gay.”
“Wait, I’m confused.”
“Men are vile creatures, Amber, surely you know that.”
“Yeah, but I need some details here.” I crossed my arms.
“They’re not gay, they’re just extremely horny. And they think since I’m queer, any dick will do.”
“Oh.” I shriveled my nose. “What are you telling them?”
“To fuck off. I’m not scared of these jarheads.”
