A collective gasp rippled through the group as my challenge hung in the air. Sergeant Ford’s face darkened, his eyes narrowing to slits. The other freshmen backed away from me like I was radioactive.
“Fine,” he said finally, his voice dangerously quiet. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
The tension was palpable as we walked to the starting line. I could feel dozens of eyes burning into my back. Other instructors from different departments had paused their activities to watch. I removed my watch and held it up, then deliberately slipped it back onto my <b>wrist</b>, making sure everyone saw the gesture of defiance.
I’ll give you a thirty–second head start, Ford offered, his tone patronizing.
“That won’t be necessary,” I replied coolly.
His lips tightened into a thin line. I could see he was internally fuming at my audacity. Good. Anger makes people sloppy.
“She’s so desperate for attention, Megan whispered loudly to Jennifer, making sure I could hear.
“Give her a break,” one of the guys responded. At least she’s got the guts to stand up to him.”
“Standing up to a drill sergeant doesn’t make you brave–it makes you stupid, Megan shot back.
The whispers continued until Ford raised his hand. ‘On my mark. Three… two… one… GO!”
We both shot forward like arrows. I could have easily outpaced him from the start, but I stayed just half a step behind him for the first hundred yards. I wanted to study his form, his breathing pattern, his stride length. Military training had taught him efficiency, but years of instruction had slowed him down.
After we rounded the first corner, out of sight from the main group, I elerated. The sensation of my muscles working at their full capacity felt glorious after months of restraint. I quickly put distance between us, my feet barely touching the ground as I flew past the barracks, made a perfect turn, and headed back.
When I came back into view of the waiting students, their jaws dropped collectively.
“Holy shit! She’s actually outrunning him!” someone shouted.
I maintained my pace, crossing the finish line a full thirty seconds before Ford even came into view. I walked calmly to the collection box, reached in, and retrieved my phone. The students watched in stunned silence as I pocketed it.
Ford returned, his face flushed with exertion and humiliation. He didn’t look at me as he barked, “Everyone form up!
Count off!”
The students scrambled into lines, counting off in sequence. When it was my turn, I said “Twenty–three‘ in a clear voice.
12:20 Mon, Sep <b>22 </b>
“Name?‘ Ford demanded, finally looking at me.
“Jade Morgan, sir.”
A ripple of recognition passed through the group.
“Wait, <i>that’s </i>Jade Morgan?” someone whispered.
:
“The one who got perfect SAT scores without writing the essay?”
“I heard the university president personally went to her house to recruit her.”
“Silence!” Ford bellowed. “The military training begins now. First exercise: standing at attention!”
<b>62 </b>
The basic drills were child’s y. Standing at attention, parade rest, about–face–movements I’d mastered before <b>I </b>could drive. Ford walked up and down the lines, finding fault with everyone’s posture, everyone except mine. I could see it infuriated him that he couldn’t criticize my form.
“First phase of physical assessment includes five events,” Sergeant Ford announced. “Two–mile run, push–ups<b>, </b>sit- ups, pull–ups, and obstacle course. You’ll be divided into groups.”
I was ced in the same group as Megan and Jennifer. Perfect.
The two–mile run was first. I set afortable pace, staying just ahead of the fastest male student. I could have gone much faster, but drawing too much attention would be counterproductive. Still, I finished well ahead of everyone else, barely breaking a sweat while others copsed on the grass<b>, </b>gasping for air.
“Fifty push–ups, as many as you can do without stopping,” Ford instructed next.
Most of the girls managed between ten and fifteen before their arms gave out. I dropped down and executed eighty perfect push–ups, maintaining the same rhythm from first tost. Ford’s expression darkened as he watched me.
‘Damn, she’s making us look bad,” one of the guys muttered, havingpleted only forty–eight.
The zing sun beat down on us as we continued through sit–ups and pull–ups. Several girls looked close to heat exhaustion. Ford reluctantly called for a water break before the obstacle course,
The obstacle course featured low walls to vault over, a section where rubber tires were arranged in rows on the ground, and a rope to climb. The tire section required quick, high steps through each tire opening, a test of agility and coordination.
<b>As </b>we lined up, Megan and Jennifer exchanged meaningful nces, positioning themselves in the tirenes adjacent
to mine.
I knew what they were nning before they did. As I navigated through the tire section with ease<b>, </b>carefully cing each foot in <b>the </b>center of each tire, Megan suddenly shifted sideways, extending her foot into my pathway<b>. </b>To an
observer, it would look idental–a simple misstep as she struggled with her own tire sequence.
￠????6?)
62
But I wasn’t an ordinary observer. With minimal adjustment, I made it appear as though I was simply avoiding her foot, while actually using my ankle to tap her extended leg just enough to disrupt her bnce.
Megan’s foot caught on the edge of a tire, and she went down hard, her knee striking the rubber edge. She howled in pain, clutching her leg which was already starting to bruise.
“She pushed me!” Megan shrieked, pointing at me. “She deliberately tripped me!”
Jennifer immediately backed her up. “I saw it too! She pushed Megan when no one was looking!”
I stopped and turned, my expression neutral. “Wasn’t it you trying to trip me, but ended up falling yourself?<b>” </b>
I nced at Jennifer, whose foot had quickly retreated back to herne. “You pulled your foot back pretty quickly, didn’t you?”
Jennifer’s face flushed red, giving her away more effectively than any confession could have.
Sergeant Ford approached, his face unreadable as he assessed the situation.
“What’s going on here?” he demanded.
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