Introduction

My name is Kendra, and I have decided to tell my story. Although I am writing this largely for my own benefit, I hope it will interest some readers. I know some will quit before the meat of my story begins, and some will not find it all that interesting. However, just maybe, some will enjoy it. I will change most names, including my last name. I will try not to write mundanely detailed, but any detail I put has relevance – especially in the future of my story.
I graduated in 2003 from a small town in Northern California. My grade point average was horrible, and many of my friends either didn’t graduate, or they earned GED’s from local alternative schools for troubled kids. However, I was constantly busy. I was a DJ and Program Manager for the high school radio station, and for two years I was the band drum major. I also participated for the school’s Interact Club for awhile. Although their personalities and ambitions couldn’t have been further from my own, I seemed to gravitate towards these types of personalities for many years. However, my best friend was different, although over dramatic. Her name was Lara. I have not spoken with most of those friends in years, although I do not regard them as bad people. I knew my parents had little money to pay for my college, and I especially understood any of their money would be highly conditional. My choice of studies, colleges, and the related would be strictly decided by my mother. My future seemed to have no direction or plan, despite my desires to become a lawyer. My only strength seemed to be music. I was a talented clarinet player. So, I began researching music scholarships late in my junior year, and entered my name into an online database for music scholarships. Days later, I was contacted by the Army, who was interested in having me audition for the Army band. Although I had no interest in the military, I had no better plan. After speaking with an Army recruiter who made promises of advanced promotions and enlistment bonuses, I decided to talk to the Marine Corps recruiter as well. Who has ever heard of the Army band? Everyone knows the Marine Corps band, I thought. After speaking with both branches, they offered me more and more, until the Marine Corps offered me a $50,000 scholarship. As I was told, this was the most any of the branches could offer. I chose to audition with the Marine Corps.
After barely passing the audition, I began the enrollment process into the Marine Corps. I was surprised at the positive reaction I was met with upon the results of my audition. The Marine Corps recruiter, Sgt Vargas, explained I was the first person on the west coast to pass the audition for clarinet or flute in more than a decade. My recruiter earned so many points from my signature into the Corps, he earned some kind of award. My friends brought balloons, and flowers to school in congratulations of my success, and a boy that liked my bought a very expensive ring for me with a blue gem to signify the Marine Corps. The Sergeant Major of the Recruit Station in Sacramento sent a silver-plated harmonic in a leather case to Sgt Vargas to deliver to me. It was engraved in the Marine Corps emblems and writing. My parents took my out for a congratulatory dinner at Red Lobster, which was considered a luxury for my family.
I had never been prouder of myself, and felt so optimistic about life. By my senior year of high school, my recruiter moved to the main area recruiting office a half hour away and a new recruiter was moved to our small town’s office. His name was Sgt. Medina. Because I struggled with the 1.5 mile run, Sgt Medina often met me to work on improving it. I was secretly terrified of boot camp for this reason. I wasn’t afraid of the yelling and drill instructors. I was afraid of failing the fitness tests.
I was also informed that one of my classmates was also set to boot camp at the same time as I. Her name was Layla. I knew Layla from our high school band. She only played for our freshman year, then quit. However, we remained friends throughout high school, but weren’t particularly close. So, Layla and I were set to leave boot camp on the Buddy program. Layla stood less than five foot tall, but she was the only female on our high school wrestling team, earned a black belt in martial arts, and performed quite well at the rare Marine Corps meets she participated in. She was over her weight, but I still found her impressive in regards to her physical abilities. After we learned we were going to boot camp together, we became a bit closer and spent more time together. One day at a monthly fitness meeting held by the recruiting office, she told me of the past recruiter (before Sgt Vargas) and how she had a crush on him. She mentioned they had kissed, and her method of explaining it gave me the impression she was quite innocent. She seemed to regarding kissing as a big deal.
Two weeks after graduation, Layla and I were sent to the processing center in Sacramento to ship out for boot camp the following day. The military arranged a nice hotel with complimentary meals for the night. Because we were assigned roommates, she had warned me that a boy she was interested in was also driving down for the evening. I remember standing outside in the catwalks of the hotel talking with other military-personnel-to-be. Somehow the topic of virginity came up, and I looked over at Layla in the orange light of the walkways. I remembered Layla telling me she was a virgin, and didn’t want to go to boot camp a virgin. “All the other girls will be talking about it. I wont be able to.” She told me once. I told her it was really no big deal, and there were probably others that were virgins too. So, standing in that odd colored light, I knew this was what she was thinking about.
After we left the group, she told me she might have sex with Ben, the guy coming over later. She didn’t want to be a virgin at boot camp. That night, he came over. Layla told me the next morning she didn’t sleep with him. I didn’t realize how this vague memory of her virginity would serve in the future.