By the time I landed the next day, it was already 6pm, and I was planning on going to the Hard Deck tonight so I could see if any of the other pilots are going to be there that are doing this mission as well. Once I was allowed to get off the plane, I grabbed my bags and thanked the pilot. I got a taxi to my place and when I got back home, I had to use the hidden key in order to get in until I found my key that was somewhere in my bags. I unpacked all of my clothes, hung up my uniforms and whatever else needed to be hung up, and put the rest of my clothes and other stuff where they belong. After I was done, I needed a break and had to see who got called back so I got dressed in my usual tan uniform, put my hair back in a slicked military bun, put my boots on and grabbed my phone and keys before heading outside and locking the door. I played some music the whole way there and sang the lyrics to every song.

There were multiple cars but I saw my sister's car so I parked next to her before shutting my car off and slipping my phone and keys into my pockets. As soon as I walked in, I was hit with so many memories especially when I saw two of my best friends, Valerie Kazansky and Malia Mitchell. We were together for the four years of Naval Academy and then the 13 weeks of Top Gun. Val and Lia graduated top of our class, Maia and I placed 2nd, only a couple of points behind Lia and Val. I've known Val since junior year in High School because she transferred over to my school before we both ended up becoming even closer and she introduced me to Lia since Lia was and still is her RIO.

"RACHEL TRACE! COME HERE, GIRL!" Val yelled with a smile, and I walked over to the two of them as they were sitting at the bar talking to Penny Benjamin, the Hard Deck owner. I gave them hugs, did my handshake with Val, and Penny gave me a beer as I sat down. As soon as I sat down, I felt eyes on me and I knew that Val and I had made a scene.

"Thanks, Penny." I said.

"Amelia wants a sleepover you know," Penny said.

"I'll check my calendar, I love spending time with her." I said. Amelia is Penny's daughter and she would always sleep over while I was at Top Gun. Penny smiled and left us alone to go serve other people around the bar.

"Soooo, how was the mission?" I asked Lia since she and Val had a mission to protect the transport of some dangerous shit overseas.

"It was good, it successfully happened and no bandits came our way," Lia said.

"How was Greece?" Val asked.

"It was good, it's so beautiful and I'm renewing my contract for 2 more years then I'm done flying." I asked before taking a sip of my beer.

"Well, after the mission Lia and I split up so I can be my own pilot and she doesn't have to worry about me being her WSO. I was asked to go on a mission to help Hawaii for a couple weeks but then we were called back to Top Gun, and I'm guessing you two were as well." Val said. Lia mentioned that Val is her backseater for this mission before they separate for good. We were talking and drinking our beers, ignoring everything and everyone around us, and it was nice to be back with my best friends.

"Yeah." Lia and I said. Penny rang the bell and we all held up our beers in thanks to the old poor guy paying for our drinks. When Penny rings the bell, it means that someone disrespected the navy or a lady, or put your phone on her bar top, you buy a round for everyone in the bar.

"Dad?!" Lia asked. I looked across the bar and saw Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Lia's dad. Val knows Maverick since her, Dad Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, was his wingman and Maverick is her godfather. I know both of their fathers from hanging out with the girls so many times at their own houses. The three of us went to where Maverick sat and gave him hugs and then Val and I left so Lia and her dad could talk to each other. Val's dad has throat cancer and last I heard he isn't doing the best so I'm not going to ask Val about her dad but I gave her a hug.

"Penny, two more beers on Mav please?" I asked. Penny smiled and handed me and Val two more beers, one for me and one for her and we waited for Lia to join us and she was handed another beer as well before I told them to follow me.

"What do we have here? If it ain't Rebel." Jake said as he looked up at me and the girls walking over to the pool table. Nat, Reuben, and Mickey were speaking and Javy and Jake were playing 9-ball.

"Ladies, meet Bagman." I said.

"Hangman." Jake corrected.

"No one asked Jake," I said as I took a sip of my drink.

"You're looking at the only naval aviator on active duty with a confirmed air-to-air kill," I said.

"But mind you the other guy was a museum piece from the Korean war." I finished. We're all really close with each other and one big family but we tease each other a lot.

"Cold war." Javy added. 

"Different wars, same century." Lia said. I looked down before looking back up, with a smirk plastered on my face.

"Not this one." Val said and I smiled to myself at how the girls are showing off their knowledge.

"Who are your friends?" Javy asked.

"Apollo." Lia said.

"Frosty." Val said.

"Hey, Coyote." I said.

"Hey." Javy said.

"How do you know each other?" Reuben asked.

"We were together for Academy and Top Gun, and flight school as well. " Lia said.

"Val went to high school with me, senior year only though." I said. Val and the boys never got to meet each other because Val never got a chance to come over to my place.

"The boys have known me since I was a teenager, so they are pretty much my brothers. Just keep in mind, Jake's annoying and an asshole." I said. Jake rolled his eyes and I noticed the guy sitting to the side.

"Who's he?" I asked, nodding my head to the guy sitting on the side.

"When did you get in here?" Javy asked.

"I've been here the whole time." Bob said.

"He's a stealth pilot." Jake said as he looked at me, my sister, and my two besties.

"Literally." Mickey said.

"I'm actually a weapons system officer." Bob said. Jake and Javy shared a look. Jake handed me the pool cue and walked away to go get more beers from Penny and to play a song.

"What do they call you?" Nat asked as she took the pool cue from me and leaned against it.

"Bob." Bob said.

"No, what's your call sign?" Lia asked.

"Uh...Bob." Bob said, nervously.

"Wait, you're my sister's new back seater?" I asked.

"From Lemoore?" Nat asked.

"Guess so." Bob said and I went to go stand next to where Javy, Reuben, and Mickey were. Javy wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Nat looked Bob over, trying to see if she would like him or not and I knew that he was going to have fun with my sister as his pilot.

"9 ball Bob." Nat said, handing him the pool cue.

"Rack 'em," Nat said and we watched Bob rack up 9 ball. Mickey was helping Bob learn how to play 9-ball and we were all watching what was going on as Jake played a new song. The door opened and a new wave of pilots came in and Nat spotted one.

"Bradshaw! Is that you?!" Nat yelled and got Bradshaw's attention. He came over to us. I looked over at my two best friends and they both looked uncomfortable.

"This is how I find out you're stateside?." Nat said.

"Yeah, I thought I would surprise you," Bradshaw said. I shared a look with Lia, a look basically asking if that was who I thought it was and she nodded so I smirked.

"Nat, I'm playing. My turn." I said as I got out of Javy's grasp and went over to my sister and grabbed the pool cue from her and lined it up. I rammed it into Bradley, making him double over, and also hit the pool ball that my sister was aiming for into the goal thingy. I stood up and turned around to Bradley and looked at him. I noticed the girls were trying not to laugh and Reuben and Javy were looking at the girls and I tried to keep a straight face.

"Rachel Trace," I said to him and looked him up and down.

"Bradley Bradshaw," Bradley said.

"So I've heard." I said and handed Nat the pool cue and I grabbed the hands of my best friends and dragged them over to the bar.

"So that's Bradley." I said once we were at the bar.

"Yeah." Val and Lia said. Val, Lia and Bradley were best friends before Bradley found out that Maverick had pulled his papers to get into the Academy and set him back four years into his career. Bradley never spoke to her again because he was pissed off and Val took Lia's side.

"This is gonna be fun." I muttered.

"Penny, can we have some more beer on Mav?" Val asked. Penny smiled at us and gave us all another beer. We said thanks to Maverick and went back to where everyone else is.

"How many beers have you had?" Mickey asked me.

"3." I said.

"You okay?" Reuben asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I asked. He was about to ask me something, but Lia cut him off.

"Trace," Lia said. I took a sip of my beer before responding.

"Mitchell," I said.

"40?" Lia asked as she pointed to the pool table. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"80." I said as I leaned up and off the window sill.

"Deal." Lia said.

"Rachel. No." Nat said as she realized what we meant.

"Rachel. Yas." I said, grabbing the pool stick out of Jake's hands and tossing it to Lia. Val racked the balls. The bell rang for a second time and the whole bar started chanting "OVERBOARD!" multiple times. Maverick couldn't pay, so Jake, Javy, and Mickey walked over to the bar and got Maverick.

"It's great to see you Mav!" Val, Lia, and I yelled. Val, Lia, and I shared a look, knowing that they were going to regret throwing Mav out tomorrow. The boys threw him out of the bar. Bradley went over to the piano and he unplugged the music once the boys were back, Nat, Javy, Mickey, Reuben, and Bob went to where Bradley was. He started playing "Great Balls Of Fire" and the whole bar was singing it. Once he finished the song, he got up and started dancing as everyone chanted "ROOSTER!" and then we all broke back up into our groups of friends. Lia and I were now playing our game of pool. No one else is here but us, Penny let us stay as long as one of us locks up and gives her the key tomorrow.

"How was Greece?" Jake asked.

"Nice views, good weather, annoying pilots, missions. Not much excitement." I said.

"Except for the one time that you almost got discharged." Val ratted me out. Mickey choked on his beer, Javy and Jake sat down next to Bob and Bradley, Reuben just looked at me, Nat raised her eyebrows at me and gave me a look.

"Care to explain?" Nat asked.

"Okay, that wasn't my fault and you know that," I said to Val. She was deployed to Greece with me for a mission and that was the mission I lost Maia on. She went back to her station after that mission and I stayed in Greece.

"The Admirals and Commanders think otherwise," Val said noticing the glare I was giving her to shut the fuck up.

"They know that it wasn't my fault. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here Valerie and I would've been discharged." I said.

"What are you talking about? " Reuben asked.

"To be fair, you weren't really supposed to know about that, it really isn't that a big deal." I said.

"If you could've gotten discharged, it's a big fucking deal." Nat said.

"I was blamed for something I didn't do. Simple as that." I said. Nat eyed me before finally nodding her head.

"You could've told me but whatever." Nat muttered. I just finished the rest of my 5th beer. The doorbell rang, signaling someone entered and we all looked up and saw Dylan Laguna, my boyfriend since 8th grade. I smiled and put my beer down on the counter and ran over to him. I jumped in his arms and he spun me around. We kissed each other and he put me down but didn't stop kissing me. I pulled away from him for a second.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were flying back home to Virginia tonight." I said. Dylan had texted me a couple hours ago saying that he was going back home to our place in Virginia since his family is all good.

"Thought I would surprise you, and there's nothing going on back in Virginia so I decided to fly out for a couple of weeks and stay with you. " Dylan said.

"Well, I'm glad you did." I said and we headed outside to get some fresh air and catch up.