My Counsellor Mocked My Hero Dad, I Brought the Army

During military training, I took leave to attend my father’s memorial service. I had been awaiting this day, eager to honor him properly. However, it proved to be more complicated than I anticipated.

My counsellor, Ms. Cheryl Lawson, a flirtatious woman who seemed to have no respect for anyone but herself, grabbed my leave request and ripped it up without a second thought. The pieces fluttered down around me like confetti, but they were nothing to celebrate.

“If your dad’s dead, will going back bring him back to life?” she sneered, her voice dripping with mockery.

I froze for a second, fighting back the overwhelming rush of emotions. But she wasn’t done yet.

“Trying to get out of military training, Ms. Carter? Fine! Bring your dad’s body here, and I’ll approve your leave right away!” she laughed mockingly and patted the boy next to her on the backside.

Then, Cheryl turned to approve their leave so they could go out drinking.

I collapsed in tears. The humiliation was unbearable.

Instead of comforting me, my boyfriend, Nick Walker, stepped up and slapped me across the face.

“Crying over this? Bugging Ms. Cheryl over something so small? Seriously, Emily! What if your dog dies? Should the whole school stop for a moment of silence, too? No wonder my mom says you’re a curse to your parents, a bad luck charm who's ruining your whole family. Honestly, I feel unlucky just being with you!”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I was seething with rage, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

I reached for my phone, dialed a number, and hit the call button.

“General Harris, my counsellor, won’t approve my leave. Is it possible to bring my father’s tombstone and first-class merit plaque to the school?”

——

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

Then, a roar, fierce as a tiger's, echoed through the speaker:

"That’s insane, Emily! As the commanding general of the military district, I’m ordering your leave to be approved right now, or there will be consequences!"

The whole training area suddenly went completely silent.

Everyone froze.

Cheryl’s face went from shocked to a sneer in an instant.

She grabbed my phone, twisted her face into a nasty scowl, and mocked the general, “Oh, big talker! You think being loud makes you special? General, huh? If you're really the 'General', then I must be the Queen Mother of England! Come over here if you're brave enough, and let’s see if I don’t break your legs!”

After her rant, Cheryl threw my phone to the ground, and it shattered with a loud crack against the pavement. Before I could react, a sharp, intense pain shot through my scalp, as if it were being torn apart.

“Look at this!” She yanked my hair, pulled my head back, and shouted at the students and officers around us, “Girls these days are unbelievable! She lies about her father’s death just to avoid military training, and now she’s even involving the military district commander general!”

Then, Cheryl turned to me with a sneer and said, “Do you know how difficult it is to earn a first-class merit? With your deadbeat appearance? First-class merit martyr’s family? You’re making me laugh!”

Blood trickled from my hair, pain mixing with deep, numbing rage.

This wasn’t the first time Cheryl had humiliated me. Ever since she found out that my boyfriend, Nick, came from a wealthy family, she had harbored a deep, inexplicable hostility toward me.

She had been trying to find ways to bother me during military training. But what she didn’t know was that I wasn’t just the daughter of a martyr; I came from a long line of loyal soldiers and heroes.

I had taken leave to visit my father’s grave on the border. He had died in battle, serving his country.

“What’s that saying? Isn’t Ms. Cheryl right?”

Seeing I wasn’t backing down, Nick, eager to show his loyalty to Cheryl, stepped in.

“You’re a curse to your parents, a nightmare for the whole family. Are you some kind of bad luck charm or what? Just thinking about how I ever chased after you makes me sick!” he spat, his anger flaring as he yanked my hair and shoved me down onto the searing hot concrete.

A sharp 'clink' echoed. Then, a shining medal fell out of my pocket and hit the ground with a deafening noise.

I quickly lifted my head, my vision blurry, and saw Cheryl casually grinding the medal beneath her high heels.

“What kind of junk is this?” she insulted.

The military instructor who had been standing there quietly suddenly snapped, his face changing in shock.

“Stop! That’s a first-class merit medal! Are you out of your mind, Cheryl?”

“That piece of junk?” Nick sneered, spitting on the ground with pure contempt. “I could grab ten of those for a few bucks on some cheap app, no problem!”

I shouted on reflex. “Give it back! That’s my dad’s medal!”

Then, I staggered to my feet, my knees buckling, desperate to recover it.

But Cheryl was quicker. She bent down, snatched the medal, and held it just out of my reach.