"And you're doing PT tomorrow, right?"

"Uh-huh. We're going for a nice long run. Excuse me." Carey covered her mouth as another yawn hit.

"You should go to sleep."

"I am," Carey said. "Right now. Lie down. I'll get the lights."

"Okay, thanks," Grace said, slipping between the covers. "Good night, ma'am."

"Good night, Grace."

"Um..."

"What?" Carey said.

"When you say a nice long run, you mean three miles, right?"

Carey chuckled and made her way through the dark to her bedroom door. "Good night, Grace."

"You know you have an evil laugh, Instructor Carey?"

"Do I? Good. Save your strength for tomorrow. You'll need it."

"All right, girls, enough chatter," Instructor Donaldson said, causing them to come to attention. "You've had a month of three-mile runs. Those days are over!" Blue eyes darted from girl to girl. "You have grown both in body and spirit. I know you can do five miles." Several groans went up from the group. "And after everyone does twenty and stretches we'll get started."

Instructor Carey stepped forward, her eyes hidden behind mirrored glasses. "Now drop!"

Oh sure, Grace thought as she hit the ground. Not bad enough we have to run five miles, let's wear our arms out first.

Since Grace ran faster than Latisha and Jan, they quickly became separated as the line moved up the slight incline. She paid little attention to those behind her, concentrating instead on the tall figure in camouflage leading the pack. Oh sure, it's easy for you. You didn't have to do pushups first. She passed the three-mile mark, the crystal blue lake taunting her as sweat rolled down her face. Two more miles to go. I'll never make it.

Reaching the finish mark, Grace slowed down, then walked around to cool down as the other girls began trickling in. Bit by bit, everyone crossed the mark but one who was still out of sight. "It's Jennings again," Latisha said. "That fat ass ain't gonna make it."

"She's still at least ten minutes away," Grace said, looking down the road and seeing no one.

"Yeah, and every fucking minute we have to wait here is that much less we have once we get back to barracks," one of the girls standing near her said.

Grace turned to face her. "You try running five miles with an extra forty pounds strapped to your ass and see how easy it is, Rosetti."

"Suck my left tit, Waters."

"You gotta get Grenner to let go of it first," she said.

"Are you kidding?" Rosetti snorted. "I'd become an Amazon and cut it off before I'd let her near me. Besides, I'm not into dykes."

"Amen to that," Latisha said.

"I'm going.to go see where she is," Grace said, kneeling down and making sure her laces were tied securely.

"Why bother?" Jan said from her position lying on the ground. "Save your energy. Donaldson will get her here sooner or later."

"Yeah, well..." Grace began running down the trail, finding Jennings half a mile down the road with Instructor Donaldson barking at her heels.

"Hey...Grace," Jennings huffed. "What are you...doing here?"

"Thought you might want some company," Grace said. "The finish line is just over that hill." She ran alongside the overweight girl, slowing her pace to match.

"Let's go, Jennings," the blonde instructor said. "Waters, five miles isn't enough?"

"Just giving Christine a hand, ma'am," Grace said. "Come on, it's just a little more."

"I'll never make it," Christine huffed.

"Yes you will." Grace moved ahead slightly to keep herself in the other girl's vision. "Really, you're almost there." Once she matched the larger girl's pace, she sped up just a little bit. "Stay with me, just a little further." She smiled when Christine matched her pace. "Don't take a breath with each step," she said. "Try to slow your breathing down or you'll pass out."

"Let me...stop here," Christine practically begged, her breath coming in short pants.

"Come on, you can make it," Grace said, slowing down just a bit. "Listen, you don't want Grenner to have any more excuses to hassle you, do you?"

"That...damn...bitch," Christine huffed.

"Yeah," Grace encouraged, turning backwards to face the other girl.

"Just a little more." They crested the hill. "See? I told you," she said when the finish line came into sight. "After all you've done so far, this last little bit is a piece of cake."

"It's about time," Grenner complained as Christine crossed the finish mark.

"Doesn't matter how long it takes," Grace said. "She did it, that's what counts."

"Stay out of it, Waters."

"Make me, fat ass." Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Grace turned and walked away from her adversary. "Christine, you did a great jo—oof." She went face first into the ground, aided by a solid shove from Grenner.

"Grenner! You drop and give me twenty right now," Carey said as she approached. Grace stood up and brushed herself off. "Someone want to tell me what happened?"

"Lauren was giving me a hard time for being last, ma'am," Christine said.

"So why were you the one eating dirt?" Carey asked Grace.

"I told Grenner to stop picking on her, ma'am," Grace said.

"And what were you doing over here?" the dark-haired instructor asked. "I saw you sitting with Bowen and Jones ten minutes ago."

Instructor Donaldson walked up to them. "What's going on?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Carey said, looking pointedly at Grace.

"I went back to see how Jennings was doing, ma'am."

"She did," Donaldson said. "Last half mile or so."

Carey's features softened. "Why?"

"Um..." Grace looked around, seeing everyone in the near vicinity paying attention. "I just...I thought it was a good idea at the time, ma'am."

"Marilyn, can you...?"

"Sure," the blonde instructor said. "All right, girls, let's go."

"You stay," Carey said, putting her hand on Grace's elbow.

Guess it wasn't such a good idea after all, Grace thought as she watched everyone else depart.

"Now, the answer you didn't want to give in front of everyone else."

"She's always getting picked on for being fa-overweight, ma'am.” Grace said. "I just thought if I went back and ran with her that she wouldn't feel so bad."

"You mean you thought about someone else instead of yourself for a change?" Carey said. "Mark it on a calendar. Could be the start of bigger and better things." At first Grace thought her mentor was picking on her until she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. "Good job, Grace."

"Um, thank you, ma'am," she said, pleased at the compliment.

"All right, let's go before you miss calisthenics."

"Yes, ma'am," Grace said. Wouldn't want to miss that, she thought sarcastically as she followed Carey.

Carey poured a cup of coffee and walked to the table where Grace sat with her nose in one of her books. "How was AM today?" she asked as she pulled out a chair and sat across from the girl.

"Okay," Grace said, looking up from the textbook she was studying.

"Hmm, you must not have had to say anything," Carey said.

"Christine did most of the talking today," Grace said.

"Lucky you," Carey said. "What was the topic?"

"How anger is used to hide fear," she said.

"And you didn't have anything to say?" Carey took a sip of her coffee. "Of all the topics, I would think that would be an excellent one for you to take a closer look at."

"Yeah, well, we ran out of time so..." Grace shrugged.

"And you're not going to fool me into thinking whatever you're doing is due tomorrow," Carey said. "You think I don't know you're ahead in everything you have a textbook for?"

"I-I-I...how did you know?" she asked in a resigned voice, knowing it was useless to deny it.

Carey smiled shrewdly and laced her fingers. "I didn't." She paused. "Until now."

"What made you think so?"

"You're too bright to have to spend that much time with your nose in a book," Carey said. "Have you always done that? Read ahead?"

Grace nodded. "It made it easy for me with class because I knew what the teacher was going to talk about so I didn't have to pay that much attention. As long as I didn't disrupt class, the teachers left me alone."

"Instructor Donaldson said something to me about that," Carey said. "Shame I don't let you get away with hiding in the back of the room in my classes, hmm?"

"Can't hide in SD," Grace said. "Though I think you pick on me more than anyone else."

"You do, do you?" Carey reached for her coffee. "I wasn't aware of that. Why didn't you say anything before this?"

Grace shrugged. "I don't know. I figured you did it deliberately."

"I'll try not to single you out so much," Carey said apologetically. "Do I do that in SR?"

Grace thought about it. "Maybe a little."

"And maybe you'd love to be called on less often," Carey said. "I think I give you some breaks in SR." She smirked at the teen. "I've seen that panicked look on your face when I've asked a question and was deciding who to call on."

"Thanks," Grace said, watching as Carey finished her coffee in several long swallows.

"I need to get one of those things that you put the mug on and it keeps the coffee warm," Carey said as she put the empty cup on the coaster. "So why do you look like a deer caught in the headlights whenever the subject of sex is brought up?" She pointed at the teen. "Just like that."

Grace looked down. "It's embarrassing."

"You don't have to be embarrassed to talk about sex," Carey said. "It's part of life."

Staring at the table, Grace smiled nervously. "I've never talked to anyone about it."

“Well, Grace, your mother—"

“Asked me when I got my period if I had any questions," Grace answered before Carey could finish. "I told her no, she handed me a box of pads and that was the end of it."

"What about your father?"

"He left when I was seven," Grace said.

"Oh." Carey was quiet for a moment. "So what you know you've learned from health class and your friends?"

Grace leaned back and looked at her mentor. "Pretty much. I've seen some magazines too," she said, feeling a blush coming to her cheeks.

"You're seventeen and it seems silly to ask, but do you have any questions?" Carey asked.

"Um, no. I don't have any questions," Grace said, knowing she'd be too embarrassed to ask even if she did.

"Grace, I know it's easy to get wrong information from your friends," Carey said. "That's why you have SR three times a week."

"I know."

"Then also know if you do have a question, I'd rather you come to me and ask than to rely on what girls your own age think, or even worse, to do something you might regret later because you were too afraid to talk to me."

Grace nodded. "Okay."

"Did what I said stop at all before it went in one ear and out the other?" Carey asked. "I mean it, Grace. Believe it or not, I was seventeen once and I do know how scary it can be. I'm your mentor and that doesn't stop once you leave my office."

Grace smiled. "I'm well aware of that, trust me," she said.

Carey returned the smile. "You're a tough nut to crack. I need all the time I can get with you." She rose from the table and picked up her coffee mug. "You need to look at why the topic of sex bothers you so much." A devilish grin came to her lips. "Maybe I'll have you write a paper on it."

"Oh, please don't," Grace asked. "I'll be good, I promise."

Carey chuckled and walked to the coffeepot. "Now I know what to punish you with instead of pushups," she said. "Don't have a heart attack, Grace; I'll let it go for now, but seriously, you need to take a look at your fears. More coffee?"

"No thanks," Grace said, hearing the sound of Carey rinsing out the coffeepot seconds later. Now can we please change the subject? "So what's for PT tomorrow?"

"Ah, speaking of fears." Carey returned to the table. "You're going to conquer your fear of heights tomorrow."

"Huh?" She was sure she did not hear correctly. "Heights?"

"Heights," Carey said as she settled into her chair. "We're rappelling off the wall behind the ball field."

Grace's eyes-widened. "That big wall?"

"It's not that big," Carey said. "Four stories."

"And you want me to jump off the side of it?" She shook her head vehemently. "I can't do that."