In Love with the Sergeant

Punishments

“Okay… alright,” I accept, sitting to wipe my face and put myself in the proper position. I'm willing to do what he asks... however, I've never done push ups. I mean, I've never done any kind of exercise, that's why I can't do more than two push-ups and my whole body starts shaking, “No... I can't do it.”

“Of course you can” Hawke ducks beside me to look at me, and for a second I wait for a nice motivational speech. Silly me, “You better find a way to do it. Eating paste is almost worse than starving to death. Also, I don't think you want to deal with the hate of 9 people who sleep in your cabin where no one can help you if they decide to do something to you.”

It wasn't a nice speech, but it still motivates me.

That's why I try one more time, but when I do five, I start shaking again, and that frustrates me so much that my tears start coming out. Hawke only gives me a few seconds to rest and then he's ordering me to move again. He screams at me how useless I am and how much he doesn't care about my ‘fake’ tears. This is what I earn by talking to him like that, he says.

I do not understand how anyone can watch a woman suffer this way and do nothing about it. I can’t believe I’m being tortured and all of this people are just watching.

About half an hour later, I'm barely finishing twenty more push ups. I’m crying like a fat baby, with sobs and all, and I'm sure I'm dehydrated. Exercising under this sun can't be healthy at all.

I'm sweating and crying so much, I can no longer tell if all the water on my face is sweat or tears.

“Asher, come on... it's the first day,” Says the ugly-named sergeant, giving me a pitiful look. I thank her mentally for her help.

And after all this abuse, I don't even care about the name of the evil man next to me.

I imagine his poor mother naming a cute, sweet, chubby baby who would soon become this emotionless machine that enjoys hurting women.

Asher Hawke. I hope you die soon.

“Everyone can head off to the cafeteria to eat lunch and chill for the rest of the day. Thank Angelo for the punishment you’ll receive tomorrow. And get ready for it,” Asher warns, earning absolutely no verbal response, just several moans and hateful looks at me.

I sigh with relief and try to get up, but Asher steps on my delicate back and forces me to fall back to the ground.

Since my face is wet as fück, the dirt becomes mud immediately on the left side of my face, “Not you. You’ll stay here until you complete your punishment… or die in the process.”

“I hate you!” I scream, and I go back to doing those push-ups, but I can only do three more and I collapse again, “Please, please, just let me go.”

“No. You're 123 short.”

I growl and cry and try again, but it's impossible for me to do more than two at a time. My arms are cramping, my beloved Salvatore sandals have been broken for a while now because of the strange position of my feet and this humiliation is a new experience I don't like.

If this were happening outside of here, with any other man, I would scream a lot of things about how my daddy could track him down and destroy him for even speaking unkindly to me, but that would be useless in this case because even though Asher is young and not a Marine, he’s still on the army and receives the same kind of training… and let’s be honest, my daddy is no longer at the peak of his youth and I doubt he can scare Asher, so I couldn't make that threat.

I have absolutely nothing to defend myself with and that makes me cry even louder.

Asher

I wouldn't usually be so cruel to a woman on her first day of camp.

I very much understand that a common troubled teenager is not prepared to follow the rules on the first day, let alone perform 150 push ups, but there’s something very special about this girl, I don't know what it is, that makes me completely dislike her.

It's not that she's ugly or something like that. She could even be attractive, I guess… on a good day when she's not sweating, crying and dirty.

There’s just something about her presence; perhaps the way she speaks, her gaze, or her posture, that causes in me a repugnance I’d never felt with another person before. I'm usually very friendly, actually.

I’m not used to feeling this kind of instant rejection towards anyone, but I guess it comes from my great ability to read a person. And let me tell you, I can read perfectly this fake redhead... or blonde. I don't know what that ugly mess she has in her head is called.

She’s narcissistic, selfish and used to doing whatever she wants without any kind of consequences. Im used to this kind of kids, but somehow she’s worst because her dad must be a veteran if she’s in my group, so she should know the basics of human discipline. The fact that she doesn’t just irks me way too much and I want to make her really learn how to behave decently.

“Good. Great progress. Now you only have 100 more to go,” I mock, trying my best not to laugh in her face. She did 50 push ups in two and a half hours, without ever stopping crying or whispering insults, and even threats, towards me.

I don’t pay attention to what she says because I won’t lose my time punishing her again. There’s no point in adding more push ups that I know she won't be able to do.

My throat feels dry and the sun is truly awful today, but I can endure it. I can stand a few more hours here, I've stood much longer in worse places. Although, I'm not so sure about her.

I don't like the girl, but I don't want her to die either.

“I can’t. I swear I can’t. Please let me go. I learned my lesson. I beg you, have mercy on me,” She cries, and I feel a tiny pinch of pity for her.

Poor thing, she’s really struggling there.

Unfortunately, I’m quite capable of ignoring my feelings, especially those that are minuscule.

It's also very interesting how she acts so superior and at the same time she finds it so easy to beg pathetically.

“Did you learn, really?” I ask, although I know she didn't. At this moment she'll say whatever it takes to leave. But as I mentioned before, for personal reasons, I’m now making it my goal for this summer to make this weak, ungovernable, useless girl really learn a lesson.

Not because I'm interested in her becoming a good person, but because I think seeing her like this every day will bring me a little fun in this hellhole called camp, “Well, you can get up now.”

She sits down and tries to clean her dirty face, still hyping dramatically. I roll my eyes and wait for the girl to get herself together.

“Go drink a lot of water and eat something,” I order once she’s standing. She looks at me with hate in her eyes and nods before she starts walking with shaky legs, “Think twice before you speak next time. You won't survive here if you keep that attitude.”

“Yes, sir!” She answers sarcastically, walking away.

Crystal

I start planning my revenge as soon as I start walking away from him.

I take back what I said about him being heavenly. He is demonic. The lord of darkness. Never before has anyone been so inhumane and hurtful to me. I don't deserve this kind of treatment, I'm a good person. I’ve even gone to church once or twice.

I'm still crying when I get to the cafeteria, after a quick run to the restroom to wash my face and arms. My nine teammates are sitting at a long, ramshackle wooden table and they all look at me as soon as I step inside, but only one person dares to approach me.

A small little tomboy. Thinner and shorter than me, with dirty blond hair up in a ponytail and gym clothes.

Boring lesbian tomboy with no sense of style, but some potential. She’s probably in love with me already, and maybe at the right time and place I could be into this whole flirting thing, but this is definitely not the right time and place.

“I’m so sorry, but right now I don't have the energy or the desire to communicate with any of you,” I tell her kindly, before she has the opportunity to give me a piece of her mind.

“Look, I don't like to communicate with hollow princesses either. I just want to tell you to shut your mouth next time. Like it or not, we're a team and if you do something that stupid again...”

“Stop talking, my head hurts. But thank you for the princess recognition. It's good to know you realize our differences,” I say, with the most annoying voice I can master. The cheeks of the tomboy turn red. She's definitely in love with me... or maybe she's mad, “But I think you should know... I do whatever I want. And that's not going to change. If I feel like opening my mouth again, you’ll have to deal with it. Sorry.”

She stays quiet for fifteen seconds and then just shakes her head.

“Wow. I can't believe people like you exist,” the little tomboy whispers, almost to herself, and walks away to sit at the table again. I follow her, so she has the chance to continue, “Do whatever you want, then. After all, you’re the one who’s dirty and crying like a baby. Not us.”

“For your information," I push a redhead girl so she can make room for me, even if they don't like my presence, “Perfect people do exist. Tears and dirt are just part of the drama and fun.”

Not really, but they don’t know that. And I won’t tell them how much this situation absolutely sucks balls.

No one says anything after my statement. They don't even eat, they just watch me. I roll my eyes at them because I was hoping some fight would start, but they’re lame as f**k, so I go get some food.