Fight or Flight

After a long day at the base, Veronica trudged into her apartment. She shut the door behind her, turning both locks by habit and flipping the light switch. Her apartment was simple and fairly cheap for the neighborhood she lived in. The walls of the living room were a light beige color with white trim. There was a neat, light gray sofa in an ‘L’ shape and an old wooden coffee table. The coffee table was something she’d scored at the thrift shop for less than thirty bucks.

She dropped her heavy backpack onto the sofa before walking down the hall. She checked every room like she always did when she came back home. She checked the spare bedroom and the bathroom first. She checked behind the doors and yanked back the cheetah printed shower curtain, ready to fight whoever or whatever was back there. Of course, there was no one.

She peered into her small kitchen, even though she really wasn’t expecting anyone to be there. The kitchen was very box-like with just enough room to turn around in. The cream colored cabinets and stainless steel appliances were spic and span. She checked her bedroom last, turning the knob and walking in. Her room was painted a light, cloudy gray with white trim and dark wood furniture. Her bed was still unmade from the morning and nothing looked out of place. Still, she walked over to her closet, yanking the door open to make sure.

All clear, she thought to herself. She walked back to the living room and laughed out loud at her routine. She didn’t exactly see it as paranoia. It didn’t hurt to be safe, she justified. She spent enough time at war to know that enemies could hide anywhere. Being in the army changed the way she looked at things.

With her apartment free of burglars and everything else, she took off her hat and began to undo the buttons of her jacket. It was almost six-thirty in the evening and she had no plans for the night. All she really wanted to do was watching some television and sleep.

As she returned back to her bedroom to hang up her uniform, her iPhone began its notorious ringtone. She patted down her cargo pants, trying to remember which pocket she slipped her phone into. When she found it, Matt Sanders was on the screen. She hadn’t heard from him since she last saw him.

“Hey, Matt,” She answered, putting it on speakerphone. She hung up her jacket in the closet. She put her hat on the shelf.

“Hey, Veronica. How are you?” Matt’s gruff voice came through the speaker.

“I’m pretty good, I just got home,” She said, bending over to untie her boots. “I wasn’t expecting your call.”

“Ha, I’m sorry we’ve been so busy with this new record,” He explained. “I actually called to ask you something.”

“Yeah?” She took a whiff of the inside of her boot. She’d have to pour some more foot powder soon. They didn’t smell that bad given that she wore them in the California heat five days a week. She placed her boots onto her shoe rack, which was mostly stocked with sneakers.

“We’re going out to a bar later and we were wondering if you’d like to come with us,” He said.

“I, uh,” She hesitated. She was extremely tired from working, but somehow she couldn’t turn him down. “Yeah, I’ll go.”

“Great,” Matt said. “It’s almost seven now, so we’ll see you at around nine?”

“Nine is fine,” She nodded even though he couldn’t see her. That gave her enough time to shower and maybe take a powernap. “The bar is in Huntington?”

“Yeah, it’s called Johnny’s. I’ll text you the address.”

“Alright, sounds good.”

“I’ll see you tonight.”

“Same to you,” She hung up, throwing her phone onto her bed. She emptied the pockets of her cargos before taking them off and throwing them onto a chair. She did the calculations in her head and yawned, climbing into her messy bed. She could use an hour nap before getting ready.



She showed up at Johnny’s Bar a quarter after nine, thanks to the GPS on her phone. The bar was about fifteen minutes from her place in neighboring Newport Beach. Even though the two seaside cities were close, Veronica never spent much time in Huntington for any reason. Thus, Huntington was like a completely new version of Newport.

The bar was dimly lit and crowded. Flat screen televisions were hung up high on the walls, showing commercials. Rock music was blaring throughout the whole bar. She spotted the familiar group of guys in a booth and walked in their direction. Everyone she passed smelled like alcohol.

When she arrived at their booth, the first thing she noticed was the women with them. The second thing she noticed was that Matt and Arin weren’t there. The guys all welcomed her while the women stared at her with confused expressions. She shifted her weight, wondering if there was even any room for her to sit.

“You made it,” Johnny exclaimed, raising his arms.

“Yeah, I did,” Veronica replied, her eyes still on the women. “I’m also wearing sneakers. Matt didn’t tell me I had to dress up.” She glanced down at her very casual outfit of a denim shirt, dark wash jeans, and her black running shoes.

“You didn’t have to dress up,” One woman with dirty blonde hair said. “You know us girls, always dressing to impress.”

Veronica wondered if the woman was implying that she was not as feminine as them.

“I mean, I know. I just a feel a little out of place, that’s all,” She forced a small smile towards the blonde.

“You look fine,” A husky voice came from behind her. She turned around, facing Matt. “It’s just a bar, we’re just hanging out.”

“Thanks,” She said. He was right, it was only a bar. It wasn’t the club or any formal occasion.

“This is Veronica,” Matt introduced her to the others. “That’s Michelle.” He glanced in the blonde’s direction.

Michelle linked her arms with Brian.

“That’s Meagan,” He glanced at a younger woman with platinum blonde hair and a Monroe piercing.

Meagan pursed her bright red lips.

“Lacey,” He pointed to a petite woman with shoulder-length, dark brown hair.

Lacey gave Veronica a smile.

“That’s Val,” Matt introduced another petite woman with short, platinum blonde hair.

Val seemed to give Veronica a genuine smile.

“I love your bag,” She complimented. “Where’d you get it?”

“Um,” Veronica looked down at the black leather bag over her shoulder. “I actually got it from a thrift store.”

“It’s cute, maybe we can go shopping together sometime,” Val suggested.

“Uh, sure,” Veronica nodded.

“Well, let’s make some room for you,” Val said, scooting over. “I doubt we’ll be sitting down much, though. We got some drinks already, feel free to take one.”

Veronica thanked Val and took the seat Val offered to her. Matt pulled up a chair to the table for himself, practically sitting next to Veronica.

“Don’t be so nervous,” He said to her.

She looked back at him with a smile.

“I’m not. I don’t get nervous.”