Read Online Back To You by Jessica Mastorakos - Free Book Online

the music over the excited
cheers of the crowd as the Marines came marching into view. The precision of
their movements was something of an art. I counted seven groups of men, each
lead by a Marine holding a red flag. The flag had platoon numbers printed in
yellow, and I squinted as I tried to find 2109. I located the group of men that
Spencer was in and watched as they continued to march in formation until the
platoon was centered right in front of my section on the bleachers. At the
direction of the Drill Instructor closest to the group, the Marines turned to
face the crowd and were met with an even louder cheer than before.

 
    Chapter Six
    Spencer

 
    My eyes were
zeroed in on the back of Mills’ head like so many times before. This time was
different, however, because on the other side of Mills’ head was a crowd of
people cheering for us. Even though it was Family Day and we weren’t
technically graduating until the following day, I felt more pride in that
moment than I ever had.
    A few days before,
we had completed The Crucible. It was three days of hell that tested us on all
of the skills that we had learned throughout boot camp. At the end, we were
rewarded with the Warrior’s Breakfast and a ceremony in which our Drill
Instructors had awarded us with a pin in the shape of the Marine Corps emblem.
At that ceremony, after we received our pins with the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor,
we were officially Marines. Many of my peers had gotten choked up during that
ceremony. There we were – sweaty, covered in mud, sleep deprived, and
absolutely starving – being awarded the right to call ourselves United
States Marines. That was one of my proudest moments. And now, as I stood in
formation in front of a screaming crowd, I couldn’t feel any better.
    The rest of the
ceremony went by in a blur. I hadn’t heard a word that was said over the sound
system, though I knew it was a motivational speech given by a Lieutenant
Colonel. All I could think about was getting released from the formation and
having some freedom. Even though I wouldn’t be able to leave base until after
the ceremony the next day, I was pumped to be able to spend the afternoon
without getting screamed at by a DI.
    The command that
brought us from Parade Rest to Attention came. I dropped my arms from behind my
back and snapped my feet together. The rest of my platoon made the action at
the same time. Having seen other companies practicing for graduation, I knew
that the effect of seeing that many men move in sync was a really powerful
sight. My chest swelled with pride and excitement as I thought about what would
happened next. After a short pause, the DI gave the order for us to be
dismissed. My platoon about faced in unison, and the crowd went wild.
    Mills slapped me
roughly on the shoulder. “We did it! This hell is finally over!”
    “Congrats, man.
You did great.” I grinned and grabbed my friend into a quick hug.
    “Thanks, you too.”
Mills looked over his shoulder and I followed his gaze. The family members were
making their way off the bleachers to greet the Marines on the Parade Deck.
“I’m nervous as fuck.”
    I laughed. “You’ll
be fine, bro. I still think you’re crazy, but I’m happy for you two lovebirds.
Here she comes, I’ll meet you by the restaurant?”
    Mills nodded
shakily. “Yeah, the plan’s still on. See you there.”
    I watched as Mills
made his way toward his girlfriend, or soon-to-be fiancé. Ellie was supposed to
meet up with Mills’ family, so I searched the faces in the direction that I had
just seen Olivia. I saw her through the crowd and my stomach flipped painfully.
I had known that my feelings for her had grown to be more than merely
friendship, but seeing her after all that I had been through over the past
three months seemed to cement those feelings for me.
    I made my way
through all of the embracing families and paused when I was right in front of
her. She was smiling up at me. I could feel my heart