Rebecca Chambers hugged her books tighter as she made her way down the hallway. The chatter of students echoed behind her—everyone was buzzing about the recruitment speech from the military branches.
She wasn't against the military. She respected soldiers. But when she thought of Jack Hale sitting in those bleachers, eyes half-hidden behind those thick glasses, her stomach tightened.
Jack was reckless. Restless. Sometimes funny. He wanted more out of life than this town, and the recruiter's speech had been aimed squarely at Jack's dreams—his goals.
Rebecca sighed as she entered the science lab. The familiar smell of disinfectant and glassware steadied her. She unpacked her notes, but her mind refused to focus.
She could still hear Jack's voice earlier:
"Hey, Rebecca, can we go to the library after your internship? I really do need your notes… please."
Her cheeks heated all over again. He hadn't even noticed how flustered she'd been. He never did.
Rebecca tapped her pencil against the desk, muttering to herself. "Idiot…"
Not because he was stupid. Well… maybe a little stupid when it came to reading the room. But far from it—Jack was smarter than he let on. He just never applied himself. He'd rather spend hours doodling in his notebook or arguing with TJ at the arcade than think about his future.
And now the Marines had shown him another path—one Rebecca didn't want for Jack.
Rebecca closed her eyes, trying to push the thought away before it could dig deeper.
A knock at the door pulled her back. One of the professors leaned in.
"Chambers, you ready? We're running blood culture tests this evening. Good chance for you to learn."
Rebecca straightened, slipping into her lab coat. "Yes, sir."
The lab was cool and quiet. Rebecca pulled on her gloves, standing beside the professor as he laid out the evening's assignment.
"Blood samples. Detect any signs of bacterial infection. Use the control sample as a reference. Miss Chambers, I'll let you handle this."
Rebecca nodded quickly, setting down her notebook. She moved with steady hands, labeling tubes and preparing the samples. Work like this always calmed her—precise, controlled. But her thoughts kept slipping away.
Jack… always Jack. He's probably getting hyped up by TJ to join. Koa's probably laughing in the background. And Jack? He'll just go along with it because he never thinks past tomorrow.
By the time the lab session ended, the sun had already dipped low, painting the sky orange. Rebecca packed up her things. She was tired, but her steps were quick, almost eager, as she ran across town to the local library.
And sure enough—there he was.
Jack Hale sat slouched at a corner table, books spread out in front of him, pencil tapping restlessly against his notebook. His glasses slid down the bridge of his nose as he flipped through pages with a frown that told her he hadn't absorbed a single word.
Rebecca stopped near the table, just watching him for a moment. For all his lazy bravado, there was something about him—something unshakable that kept her coming back.
She sighed, adjusting her bag on her shoulder before walking over.
"You didn't even open the right book," she said, sliding into the chair next to him.
Jack looked up, surprised, then grinned sheepishly. "That's why I was waiting for you."
Rebecca shook her head, pulling the correct textbook from his pile and flipping it open.
"Honestly, Jack… what are you going to do without me?"
His grin softened, just a little. "Guess I'll just have to make sure you're always around, huh?"
Rebecca froze, her heart skipping, cheeks warming before she quickly buried her face in the book.
"Idiot," she muttered under her breath, though the words came out softer than before.
Jack leaned back in his chair, clearly amused. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Rebecca said quickly, flipping to the chapter they were supposed to be studying.
Jack leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Sounded like you called me an idiot again."
She shot him a glare over the top of the textbook. "One more word, Mr. Hale, and you're turning into my lab rat…"
Jack grinned, unbothered. That was Jack all over—never taking things as seriously as he should, and yet somehow making you want to smile despite it.
Rebecca sighed and started pointing out the notes he needed to copy. "Okay, here—this section on economic reform. And no, you can't just copy word for word. Actually think about it this time."
Jack clutched his chest dramatically. "You're so ruthless, you know that?"
"Someone has to keep you from flunking," she replied, though her lips twitched as she tried not to laugh at his antics.
For a moment, the library was quiet except for the scratching of Jack's pencil. Rebecca watched him from the corner of her eye. His glasses had slid down again, and he pushed them up with the back of his knuckle, eyes narrowing as if he were finally—finally—paying attention.
It was rare to see him like this. Focused. Determined. And she found herself smiling despite herself.
"You know," Jack said suddenly, breaking the silence, "I don't think I'd hate studying so much if you were always around."
Rebecca blinked, caught off guard. Heat rose in her cheeks again, and she quickly ducked her head. "D-Don't say stupid things like that in public."
Jack chuckled, leaning back in his chair, clearly enjoying her flustered reaction. "What? It's true."
Rebecca shook her head furiously, trying to get her thoughts back under control. "Just… finish your notes."
But then Jack set his pencil down with a somber look on his face. "Hey, Becca."
She blinked. Becca? He almost never called her that unless it was bad news. Her pulse quickened, dread creeping up her spine. "What?"
Jack's expression was serious now. He wasn't joking anymore. "Me and TJ… we've been talking. After graduation… we're enlisting. Marines."
The words hit her like a punch. Rebecca's throat tightened. "…You're serious?"
Jack nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah. I mean, think about it. You've got your future figured out—college, med school, whatever comes next. But me? What do I have here? Nothing. No path to take. I might have family, sure, but that only takes me so far… The Corps, though? They're offering me a way forward. Maybe I'll find purpose. A chance to see the world."
Rebecca's hands clenched around the edges of her textbook. "You… you don't mean that. You do have something here. You have Koa. Your family. You…" she hesitated, heart hammering, "…you have me."
Jack blinked at her, surprised. For a moment, his usual cocky mask slipped, and Rebecca felt exposed under his gaze. She looked away quickly, biting her lip.
"Becca…" Jack said softly. "I know. But I can't stay here forever. Besides, I don't want to be the one holding you back."
Her chest ached. She wanted to argue, to scream at him that he wasn't holding her back, that he mattered more than he realized—but the words stuck in her throat.
So instead, she muttered, "You really are an idiot."
Jack chuckled, though it sounded a little sad. "Yeah. Probably."
The two of them sat in silence after that, the library clock ticking away the seconds.
Jack was leaving. And no matter what she said, she couldn't stop him.
Somewhere deep down, a chill crept into Rebecca's thoughts—an unease she couldn't explain.
Jack Hale… if you go down this path, you'll regret it. Someday, this choice will break you.
Rebecca shook her head quickly, forcing herself to focus on the book again. But the shadow of that thought lingered, heavier than she wanted to admit.