Crack! The bright red flesh split open in the sunlight, letting off a sweet, cool aroma.
Ethan skillfully cut the two thickest slices and handed them to Ashley and Taylor. "Eat up, cool down."
Ashley took her slice, the coolness spreading from her fingertips. She looked at Ethan, that gentle smile returning to her face. "Thank you, Ethan. And just now... I'm sorry about that."
Ethan waved it off. "It's fine. Big world, all kinds of people. And given how we are, you don't need to apologize for anything."
Then he pointed to the remaining half of the watermelon and the bottles of ice water. "There's way too much here for just the two of you. Why not call your close dorm friends over? If it sits out much longer it won't be as cold, and that defeats the whole point."
"Yes!"
Taylor immediately transformed into a watermelon ambassador, waving over at a few of her roommates still standing in formation, shouting, "Girls!! Get over here!! Chilled watermelon!! Ethan's treat!!"
Ashley smiled and waved over the roommates she actually got along with from her own formation.
Within seconds, four or five girls had gathered around.
Taylor volunteered to take over slicing duty, cutting the rest of the watermelon into pieces.
Ethan picked up the chilled water bottles, twisted them open, and handed one each to Ashley and Taylor. "Here. Ice water."
The whole vibe shifted — relaxed, easy, cheerful. The girls sat eating cold, sweet watermelon, chatting and laughing quietly, soaking up the rare moment of shade and comfort.
Only Rachel stood far away from the group, watching the whole happy scene from a distance. Her face was ashen. She stomped her foot once, hard, then turned and walked off alone without looking back — her whole posture radiating embarrassment and resentment.
The twenty-minute break was over in a blink.
Beep — beep — beeep——! The assembly whistle sliced through the noise on the yard.
"Everyone assemble!!" The instructor's voice boomed out.
The girls, who'd just been basking in watermelon bliss, immediately started groaning, but quickly cleaned up the rinds and wiped their mouths.
Taylor knocked back the last of her ice water, felt her strength return, vitality recharged.
She made a goofy face at Ethan, fully energized again, and hollered, "Ethan!! Back to being statues first!! Bye!! The watermelon was amazing!!"
And with that she hopped and bounced her way back toward her formation.
Ashley stood up too, straightened her camouflage cap, and gave Ethan a gentle but slightly helpless smile. "We're heading back. Thank you for the watermelon and water."
Her clear eyes carried a quiet kind of strength — the look of someone mentally preparing for more suffering.
Ethan nodded and waved them off. "Go on. Hang in there — we're not done yet." He watched them disappear back into the green formation.
...
The brutal sun kept hammering down, and the non-stop commands and footsteps on the yard seemed like they'd never end.
Ethan, meanwhile, acted like a man on vacation. He stayed under the shade of a tree near the formations where Ashley and Taylor were training.
He leaned back against a thick tree trunk, long legs stretched out, fingers scrolling lazily across his phone screen. Every now and then he glanced up at the two of them suffering in the distance, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
The cool shade versus everyone else's soaked-through shirts. The contrast was genuinely offensive.
Time moved fast though.
Finally — the whistle.
"Attention, all units! Morning training concluded! Dismissed!"
That word hit like a gift from God.
The entire yard came alive instantly. Exhausted students let out cheers and groans all at once, dragging their lead-filled legs toward the dining hall or the dorms.
Ethan pocketed his phone, stood up, and stretched out his slightly numb legs.
His eyes scanned for Ashley and Taylor.
The crowd thinned out, and Taylor practically floated over. Whatever energy the watermelon had restored had clearly been wrung back out of her by another hour-plus of training.
Her steps were unsteady, face flushed from the sun, loose strands of hair plastered to her skin with sweat. She looked like a blade of grass that had been left out to dry.
"Ethan... save me..."
She made it over to him, let out a long, weak exhale, and tilted sideways trying to lean against him for support, zero concern for how she looked.
Ethan caught her arm before she actually fell, and teased, "Ma'am, the way you floated over here is genuinely poetic."
"Oh shut up!!" Taylor rolled her eyes at him but steadied herself against his arm anyway. "This training is straight-up inhumane. I feel like my soul left my body about forty minutes ago."
Ashley came over too. She was holding up a little better, but the exhaustion was still written all over her. Her face was flushed from the heat, breathing still slightly fast.
She looked at Taylor hanging off Ethan's arm and smiled helplessly. "Taylor, hang in there. Let's go eat first, get some energy back."
"YES. Food. Food. FOOD."
Mention of eating and Taylor's eyes immediately flickered back to life. "Ethan, you're buying today and I'm going all out!! I want MEAT!! All the meat!! I need to make up every single calorie I just lost!!"
Ethan watched her resurrect in real time and laughed. "Alright, alright, I got you. Let's move — if we wait any longer the good stuff at the dining hall will be gone."
"LET'S GO!!" Taylor let go of Ethan's arm and launched herself toward the dining hall, slower than usual but no less determined.
Ethan and Ashley exchanged a smile and followed.
Ashley asked quietly, "Ethan, were you here the whole morning? Wasn't that boring?"
Ethan shrugged, tone easy. "It's fine. Watching you guys suffer, scrolling my phone — time flies."
He paused, then looked at her. "That girl from earlier didn't give you any trouble after, did she?"
Ashley shook her head, eyes steady. "No. Don't worry — I made things clear to her. It won't happen again."
When she mentioned Rachel, her voice was calm. But there was no missing the quiet finality underneath it.
The three of them made it to the dining hall — packed, loud, smelling amazing.
Training had turned every student into a starving animal. Long lines snaked out from every window, the noise level borderline unbearable.
"I'm grabbing seats!!" Taylor immediately took charge, eyes already scanning for empty tables in the chaos. "Ethan, you get the food! Ashley, what do you want?"
"Anything's fine. Ethan, just get whatever — keep it light for me," Ashley said.
"Light?! Absolutely not!!"
There are 130 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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