Soldier On by Sydney Logan Read Free Book Online Page A

in one week? Why do you assume something’s wrong?”
    “Because I know you.”
    I roll my eyes. That’s her answer for everything these days. The sad part? It’s totally true, which is probably why I’m calling my sister to get advice about a girl.
    “Maybe I’m just homesick. That’s possible, you know.”
    Dead silence.
    “Fine. I need your advice.”
    For the next ten minutes, I spill my guts. I tell my sister about the New Year’s Eve kiss and meeting Steph again in class. I tell her about The Princess Bride and Steph’s big brown eyes and how she’s literally all I can think about. And then I tell her about Steph’s dad, and the war, and how she despises anything that has to do with the military.
    “Brandon, surely you can understand why.”
    “Not really, no. I think it’s immature and irrational to hate soldiers who put their lives on the line for her each day.”
    “Lord, now you sound like Dad,” she mumbles. “Did she say she hates all soldiers? Did those words actually come out of her mouth?”
    “No. She just said she could never date one.”
    Dead silence. Again. My sister is never speechless.
    Finally, she sighs. “Oh. I see.”
    “You see what?”
    “This is not good, Brandon.”
    “What? What’s not good?”
    “You really like this girl.”
    “And that’s bad?”
    “I think it’s terrible.”
    Unbelievable.
    “Thanks a lot, Christian.”
    I hang up without even saying goodbye.
    Now that I’m completely pissed off with pretty much everyone and everything, I toss my uneaten muffin in the nearest garbage can and head out into the chilly January air. What I really need to do is study, but the textbook I need is back at the apartment, and I’m in no mood to deal with my roommates. A run would be good, but since my kickboxing workout kicked my ass, I decide to walk up to Rainbow Rock instead. It’s the one place on campus where I can find a little peace.
    I walk . . . slowly , and I’m sort of regretting my decision to hike up the mountain until I reach the top of it.
    She’s there, sitting against the rock. Her hair is in a ponytail, which gives me a perfect view of her neck.
    I really love her neck.
    Our kisses have been fairly innocent, but there was this one spot along the column of her throat that, when I kissed it, she would sigh softly. If I kept kissing it, those sighs would eventually turn into moans.
    I really love the moans, too.
    “Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?”
    Steph turns her head in my direction. Her brown eyes are sad and tired, and I know I’m the reason. I also know that, in this moment, at the top of this mountain, it doesn’t matter if she hates the color of camouflage.
    I want her, and just maybe, she wants me, too.
    “I can think of worse things to do than to stare at the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”
    “Right.”
    “You are, Steph.”
    “Then why do you keep running away from me?”
    I walk closer to the rock and sit down beside her. “I just . . . needed some time to think, that’s all.”
    She pulls her knees close to her chest and places her cheek against them, gazing thoughtfully at me. A lock of brown hair has fallen into her eyes. I reach over, gently brushing it away.
    “I guess I owe you an apology. I know I offended you in some way, and for that I’m sorry.”
    “It’s okay, Steph.”
    “No, it’s not. I get a little worked up, and I’m well aware that my opinion of the military isn’t a rational one. But I can’t help how I feel. I just can’t support something that stripped me of the chance to know my father. Can you understand that?”
    And for a moment, I can.
    It’s a memory—deep, dark, and filled with grief—but it’s important I tell her. Because in a weird way, I do understand. I get how you can attach an irrational response to childhood trauma, even if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.
    I clear my throat. “I loved caramel apples when I was a kid. It was the night before