“Ten cities,” I think. “I was born in North Carolina when my dad was stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point. Then, we moved around the U.S. until I was around ten years old before my dad got a promotion and moved us to Panzer Kaserne in Germany. Of all the places I lived, that was my favorite. The Exchange was really big, sort of like a mall in the U.S. Every Friday after school, my dad would take my brother and me after work.”
Shannon shoves a piece of waffle in her mouth and stares at me intently. “What’s school like on a military base?” She chews her food and then finishes, “I bet it’s different than here.”
I shake my head. “No, not really. In Germany, they still have elementary, middle, and high school on base. It’s like a small city in its own right. You don’t ever have a reason to leave. But not every base is the same.”
“That’s also where Taylor learned martial arts,” Bex interjects.
“Oh, really?” Shannon’s voice creaks. “Was that part of your schooling?”
“No, it’s required in the Marine Corps. My dad taught my brother and me. At one point my dad was real big into boxing.”
Bex snorts. “He was on the All-Marine Boxing Team. I’d say he was a little more than into it.”
“You’re kidding me?” Preston says. “That’s no joke. Some of the best boxers in the world were on that team.”
I nod. “Yep, he’s a three-time All-Marine champion. My dad doesn’t mess around.”
I glance over at Drake, who’s rubbing the back of his neck again, this time looking worried. Drake might be a big guy, but my dad could outwork him no problem. He should be concerned, especially if he ever meets my dad. My dad would whoop his ass up and down this campus if he ever did anything to hurt me.
“Taylor could easily take all of you,” Bex says with laughter in her voice. “Don’t let her fool you, I’ve seen some of her moves.”
“Well, I don’t know about all that,” I say. “But I do know jujitsu, Muay Thai, Judo, and Kung Fu.”
“Oh, is that all?” Drake deadpans.
I shoot him a wicked look. “You better be careful, buddy. You never know when I might surprise you.”
He stuffs some bacon into his mouth. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“So, what’s the deal with you two?” Shannon points at Drake and me.
She’s full of questions today. Damn, I feel like I’m in a police interrogation room right now. Everyone is staring at us, and when Trent and Tucker stroll into the kitchen, we have two more sets of eyes on us.
Tucker stares hard at me, and then gives Drake a thumbs up paired with a cocky smirk. At least he didn’t slow clap. I would have shown him my moves real fast if he tried that shit on me. Trent just nods and then grabs two plates from the counter before taking his place next to his twin at the table.
With the growing number of people in the kitchen, I start to worry the entire house will be here any minute. I’m a little bit panicked about dating Drake. He draws so much attention at all times.
“We have practice in a few hours,” I tell Bex.
She nods. “Yeah. Jackie already texted me to say she’s gonna be late.”
“Jackie…” I say while turning to Drake, “… is the girl you thought was Becky. You know, that girl?”
Tucker laughs. “The one you made me stop—” He doesn’t finish his thought as Drake shoots daggers across the table at him. As if nothing happened, Tucker chuckles and then shrugs his shoulders.
“You made him do what?” I ask Drake.
He sighs, dropping his fork onto his plate. “Wait for me to send those pics to Becky… Jackie… whatever the fuck her name is.”
All eyes are on me. Eek. They’re waiting for me to react, so I won’t. I already knew about the dick pics he sent to Jackie. She’s the one who showed them to me, tongue hanging out of her mouth in awe. Mine was too, to be honest, so there’s nothing to get jealous about. I can see every part of Drake whenever I want now that he’s mine.
I roll my shoulders against my chair and go back to eating my breakfast. Drake piles more waffles onto his plate and shoves a handful of bacon into his mouth. He sure can eat.
The table erupts into a fit of laughter once Tucker starts telling jokes. He’s a real character, that one. I don’t bother offering anything to the conversation, we’ve already discussed enough of my personal life.
“Walk me home,” I whisper to Bex.
Without looking over at me, she nods. “Give me five.”
We have a lot to talk about on our way home. And even more for me to think about when it comes to Drake.