Page 80 of Forever Fickle

Anything you need – call, text, or email.

Love,

Lindsey, Jim, and Jana

CHAPTER22

HOT CAKES

Ghazni, Afghanistan

Jace lookedup from his phone where he was scrolling through the photos of Karen, when he heard a loud noise that caused everyone to start in surprise. He glanced up, seeing Reaper shake his head before he went back to polishing his shoes, just before Caboose and Handsy sat up.

They were the last of the original team and closer than ever… while the other ‘boys’ were…annoying… to say the least.

“How in the world did you get Reilly to approve Thanksgiving for you, Sorensen… especially when you just got back from vacation?” Vapor snarled angrily, bursting into the barracks and kicking a locker nearby… again.

X-Ray, surprisingly, stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the hotheaded man evenly.

“He probably put in right away, just like any of us would, the moment that we knew a date for vacation requests. You realize Thanksgiving is in three weeks and it’s a little late now, Vapor…”

“He just got back…” Vapor growled, his hand extended in frustration, pointing at Jace.

Jace looked up, almost bored, and realized he wasn’t going to egg on the other man or get in trouble, because he didn’t want to lose his approval for his time off request.

He was grateful to have Thanksgiving approved, because his Christmas request for time off got denied as of this morning and he hadn’t told Karen yet.

“Reaper, then Hot Cakes, Handsy left… and even Caboose has time coming, but I got denied?”

“Maybe it’s your attitude towards Reilly,” Jace muttered before he could bite his tongue… and both Reaper and Caboose laughed softly from their bunks, setting Vapor off.

“You got something to say, Hot Cakes? Be a man and say it…”

“Vapor, cool it…”

“Hey man, we’re a team…”

“Act like it,” Caboose snapped, getting to his feet, causing everyone to go silent as Handsy stood up slowly – and Reaper got up.

Jace put his phone down and slowly stood, praying to God that what he thought was about to go down… didn’t.

He couldn’t miss his time off with Karen.

“A team?” Reaper spat angrily. “You bunch of newbs do whatever you want, when you want… a team doesn’t do that. Houdini, you’ve abandoned your wingman more than once – yet Hot Cakes hasn’t said a thing – but the rest of us have certainly noticed.Who does that, man?He’s got no one at his back and keeps his trap shut to protect your butt!...And you leave him?Repeatedly!”

“Vapor… you’re a hot head,” Caboose snarled. “Just look at your disposition and your attitude. It’s not all about you, man… it’s your team – as a whole!”

“None of you have bonded… none of you are brothers,” Handsy growled angrily, stepping forward, and Jace swallowed painfully.

Yep.

It was going to get ugly in the barracks.

“You would rather attack someone who is going home with his girlfriend to meet the parents,” Handsy continued on.

Jace winced at the slip that he’d just revealed this morning to his friend, causing several sets of eyes to look at him in shock before Handsy continued addressing the newest pilots in the room.

“Instead of asking how things are going, talking about your families, or sharing what is going on? What kind of team is focused on selfishness instead of putting others first?”

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