“Cassie, oh my god! I feel like it’s been forever! You look hot. How are you?”

“I’m great, Adriana, thanks. You look great too.”

Adriana was wearing a tight-fitting black dress, and I fucking hated it. It showed off way too much, but she was grown and made sure to remind me of that when I told her the dress didn’t cover enough. I was losing on every front with the women in my life.

I snaked my arm around Cassie’s middle, placing my lips on her neck and kissing her softly.

“Ugh! Alex, you can totally wait for all of that shit,” Adriana whined.

“And you can let me have my girlfriend. I’m going to be without her, remember?”

She rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to Cassie. “It’s good to see you, Cassie. We’ll catch up once Alex gets drunk, and you’re free.” She winked before turning and strutting off in four inch fucking heels. How females walked in that shit, I would never understand.

A while later, Riley and Smith challenged a few people to a beer pong tournament. It wasn’t the smartest thing I had done, considering I had already drunk four or five Jack and Cokes—heavy on the Jack, light on the Coke. Cassie kept trying to get me to slow down, but it was to no avail. I was in my element, the drinks were flowing, and it was my last night of freedom for what felt like a long fucking time.

Nat went behind the turntables and played with the records as the DJ played Nelly’s Grillz. Riley took a gum wrapper and folded it up, fitting it to the top row of his teeth and pretending he had the grill that they sang about in the song. He was probably about as drunk as I was, so it didn’t come off as ridiculous to me. In fact, I found it downright comedic and followed suit, much to Cassie’s embarrassment.

“To our motherfucking brother. May you kick some insurgent ass and bring your ass back home, safe and sound!” Riley yelled above the crowd.

Mass “oorahs” filled the house, beer bottles clinking in unison. I drank the last of whatever was in my cup. I was to the point where I had no clue what I was drinking anymore. I had reached that level where everything ran together, and it all tasted the same. The more drunk that I got, the looser that I felt.

Smith asked for Garth Brooks’ Friends in Low Places, then handed me a microphone and sang along with me as we both drunkenly slurred our way through the words. Adriana, Cassie, and Nat filled the room with “boos.” It was all in good fun until Jensen strolled in with Newsome and Castillo by his side.

My eyes fixed on the three of them, and while I really had no problems with Newsome, he was with two people who I couldn’t imagine having around me at the moment, and I wondered why the hell they would show up anyway.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growled, storming over to where they stood.

“Damn, Alex. Can’t even properly greet us as we come to say goodbye?” Jensen asked, smirking at me. “Is that Adriana?”

“Don’t worry about my fucking sister. Why are you here? And why the fuck did you bring her with you?”

I looked over to Castillo who looked as if she felt the wrath of my greeting. She had fallen long and hard as far as I was concerned, and I could have gone without seeing her before leaving for some shit that I really didn’t want to see. Jensen waved at Adriana who marched over, throwing her arms around him as he picked her up off the ground. The sight of it all incensed me. I hadn’t filled Adriana in on everything that had gone down between us, but he knew we weren’t on good terms and his little act would do nothing but further piss me off. He placed her back down, and they made small talk right in front of me as if we were done speaking.

“How fucking long do you plan on being here, man?”

“Alex!” Adriana shrieked.

“They aren’t fucking welcome in my house. He knows it, and she damn sure knows it,” I said, lowering my eyes and glaring at Castillo. She shook her head and began to speak, but was cut off by Newsome.

“We just wanted to come and see you off, man. Forget all the bullshit. You’re going where a lot of brothers never make it home from. Chill, man.”

“I can’t fucking chill when I have snakes slithering around me. I don’t know whether to hug these fuckers or watch my back. That’s worse than where I’m going. At least there I know who my enemy is.”

“Alex, we aren’t your enemy!” Castillo shouted above the music. “We care about—”

“Don’t even. Fuck all of you. Every single one of you.”

“What’s your problem, man?” Newsome asked, looking absolutely stunned.

Riley walked up behind me with Cassie and Nat in tow, both cautiously approaching, unaware of what they might be walking in on.

“Jensen is a little bitch, and his side chick, Castillo, is a fucking con. That’s my problem.”

“She hasn’t done shit, Alex. Damn, dude. You are a paranoid fucker. Your shit is out in the open, you and Cassie are a couple, and no one is out to get you. She’s a long-time friend that you did wrong, and if anything, she should be pissed at you.”

Fire was raging inside of me. Not only was Jensen one of the last people that I wanted to be spending my night with, but he was spouting off shit that did nothing but further piss me off. This guy had fucking balls, I’d give him that, but I couldn’t be sure that I wouldn’t forcibly remove him and Castillo if they didn’t turn the fuck around and escort themselves out.

“You must be fucking her. That’s why you’re so protective.”

“Alex!” Cassie yelled, gripping my shoulder.

“No, it’s all good. I don’t care. Sloppy fucking seconds, thirds, whatever you want to call it. I don’t give a shit. Just take her back wherever you came from. And see your asses out, you’re no longer welcome in my fucking house.”

I turned and walked away. Cassie came storming behind me, pulling my arm and turning me around.

“What, Cassie?” I yelled, fueled by rage and mass amounts of alcohol. “I’m done with this shit.”

“Alex, that fucking Vernon guy is here.”

Those words were my undoing.

I charged like a raging bull stuffed with steroids.

I made contact with Vernon as he stood at the front door, and sent both of us hurdling to the floor before he’d had the chance to see me coming. My fist connected with his face over and over again, and he held his hand up, trying desperately to fend off the menacing blows. Every piece of irritation was boiling over, and I could no longer contain it. It needed a release, and he was the target. He was behind so much of my antagonism, and there was no way that I was going to try and stifle what so badly needed to come out.

The alcohol swirled around inside of me, causing me to lose my balance temporarily. It gave Vernon just enough of an edge to push me off of him, sending me barreling to the floor as he stood and adjusted his clothes in front of me.

“Alex, man, what the fuck is going on with you?” Newsome asked, helping me to my feet.

I yanked my arm from his grasp, glaring at Castillo. “Did you fucking bring him here? You dirty whore. How many guys are you fucking?”

“I didn’t bring him here!” she yelled, looking fed up with my antics. “I didn’t even tell him I’d be here tonight.”

“That’s right, I had to ask around because all of a sudden Leti wants to act like she doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Alex, you’re fucked up. Leti didn’t bring Vernon here. Fuck Vernon,” Jensen defended.

“Yeah, fuck me,” Vernon condescendingly added, stepping into the middle of us all. “That’s exactly what’s been going on. I’m tired of being a scapegoat here. Fuck everyone involved in this shitty situation.”

This guy was one of the worst people that I’d ever had the displeasure of knowing, but there was something about the tone of his words that struck me… made me want to hear more.

“What the hell are you rambling about, Vernon?” Riley asked, looking pissed off and overly annoyed.

“You all fucking hate me, and I embrace that, but I’ll tell you what, I couldn’t have possibly gone to First Sergeant without the help of Leti.”

“He’s a damn liar,” Castillo defended. If I didn’t know her sly, conniving ways, I would have softened towards her charade for a bit. The conviction in her voice was almost Oscar worthy.

“Oh,I’m a liar? How the fuck would I have known to go fishing for information at that tattoo shop? How would I have known who the fuck Pfc. Bennett was? How would I have known about any of this?”

Castillo stood stunned. Looking around the crew, I could tell that the allies she had were slowly leaving her corner. Eyes bulged as heads shook with the realization that she was the mastermind behind my downfall. She had been backed into a corner, and there was no way out.

“What the fuck would you have to gain from this, Vernon?” Jensen asked, stepping away from Castillo.

“She’s a pretty girl with a sweet pussy and a convincing mouth. She gave it up because I did her dirty work, but now she’s ditched me. I couldn’t fucking figure out why until I realized that Alex had somehow won his case, and him and Cassie were on the ropes. I saw that I had been fucking played again, and I wasn’t letting that shit go easily. I’m tired of her shit.”

“You’re such a bitch!” Cassie lashed out.

I quickly threw my arm out and caught her before she could physically assault Castillo. She was still a Marine, and a subordinate at that. There was no way I was about to let her throw everything we had managed to gain down the drain.

“Alex, she was angry. I think we’ve all done dumb shit out of anger,” Jensen said, fueling my rage once again.

Suddenly, Nat lashed out and bitch slapped Castillo. The smack of her hand meeting Leti’s face stunned the room. Sharp gasps and even a bit of awkward laughter filled the room. “I don’t even fucking know you, but you dragged me into this. Fuck you!” she yelled, small but full of rage.

Leti held her face, then turned to go after Nat, but Jensen stepped in front her, effectively cutting her off.

“Fuck you, little girl! You’re a fucking dead girl!” Leti screamed, unable to break free from Jensen’s grasp.

The sight only further pissed me off. “Are you out of your goddamned mind?” I yelled. The party was focused on the spectacle that we had all become, and sadly, I couldn’t care less. “You refuse to see the damage done here. You refuse to see that a friend was willing to destroy me because of her anger. And you still find a fucking way to defend that?”

“I’m not defending her!” Jensen roared back.

“Fuck you! Fuck you, and damn sure fuck you!” I yelled, knife handing Vernon, Jensen, and Castillo. “You all better see your way out before I go fucking ape shit in here and make you wish you had left on your own accord.”

“I don’t know, I’m kind of enjoying—”

I punched Vernon before he could finish his sentence. His smug smile couldn’t be tolerated any longer. Regardless of the fact that he had spilled the beans and confirmed that Castillo had set all of this in motion, he had been all too willing to play the part, and I hated him for it. Probably as much as he already hated me.

My hand throbbed as I connected with his face.

He charged me, throwing me down on the ground and punching me twice in the face. Screams and yells filled the space as I overpowered him and rolled us over, me on top of him as I connected with body blows and a solid punch to the nose. Cassie yelled behind me, trying to get me off of Vernon, but this had built up for far too long. He had an ass whoopin’ coming, and I wasn’t about to relinquish the opportunity.

“Stop, Alex… please stop!” Cassie yelled hysterically.

I looked down to find blood on my hands. Riley and Smith pulled me off Vernon as Newsome helped him up.

“Get these bitches out of my house, right the fuck now. Right now!” I yelled, still raging on pure adrenaline.

“We’ll get them out. Cassie, take him to the room. Now!” Riley barked, trying to diffuse the situation.

“Thanks for the awesome going away present, Vernon. Your face—”

“Shut up, Alex,” Cassie scolded, pushing me back. I passed a very concerned looking Dalton on the way to the room. Cassie slammed the door behind me, then stormed into the bathroom and reemerged with a wet face towel and proceeded to wipe off my hands and face. She didn’t say anything, just wiped furiously, breathing excruciatingly hard.

“What’s the matter with you?” I asked, studying her angry disposition.

“You aren’t really asking me that are you?”