closer

the fence

"My little badass" June teased.

"Juniper Faye Brown I am being serious, I don't know what to do about this whole Eric thing" I stated, tilting my head to the side as I stared at her.

"Wow, you full-named me, this must be really serious" she paused, pressing her lips in a thin line before continuing. "Alright, give me a second to let my therapist personality come out and put the boozy best friend away."

I couldn't help but laugh, she was crazy but she never failed to make me smile. Even on days like today.

"This is going to be complicated. It's clear you both have feelings for each other but right now, I don't think it should be your main priority. And I'm not trying to invalidate how you feel, I just think that getting past this next stage is important, and worrying about your relationship with Eric will distract you. But, there's also the possibility that stabilizing your relationship will help improve your concentration. I hate saying this because I'm a very routine dependant person, but, I think it's in your best interest to take each day as it comes" she said, her voice getting softer as she tried to reason with me. My gaze moved from her sympathetic eyes to the sunflower fields of Amity, the petals so vibrant I could make out each one in the darkness.

"I want to. I just, I can't go more than five minutes without thinking about him. One minute things are well between us and the next, we aren't speaking. It's so confusing" I groaned.

"Love always is" she smiled, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and pulling me into her chest.

And just when everything started to feel right, the wooden supports of the fence creaked from a new addition of weight and the sound of a gun being taken often safety pricked my ears.

"What's the matter, girls? You two seemed to have plenty to talk about before. Please, don't let us interrupt" Eric stated, his eyes flickering between June's and my own. He was challenging us to speak, to tell him off. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Why are you doing this?" I asked softly.

"Don't say anything" Ezekiel warned but was effectively silenced by Eric pushing his body closer to the edge of the fence at gunpoint.

"No, actually, I have a question for you three. One of you had the bright idea to meet up and I want to know who it was. Was it you, the thrill of getting out past initiate curfew? Or you, illegally trespassing on Dauntless property without viable cause or permission from a leader. Ah, maybe it was you, Ezekiel. Did you miss your sister? Are you regretting your choice of faction? I really need to know the answer" Eric taunted us, taking turns flaunting his power over each of us.

I hated how attractive I found him.

"It was my idea, they had nothing to do with it" I stated, ignoring the look both of the Brown siblings were giving me as I took responsibility for the situation we found ourselves in.

"You? I'm not surprised" he scoffed. "Come here."

It took a moment for his order to register and to suppress my rebellious instinct but with a gun to Ezekiel's head, I wasn't going to take any chances. I released June's hand, which I had been holding so tightly, and walked closer to him. My breath caught in my throat as he turned the barrel of the gun towards me, steadying its line of sight between my temples.

"This was your idea?" he asked.

"Yes," I shot back.

"Are you sure about that, princess?" he questioned, letting the cool metal of his gun come even closer to my skin. Against my better judgment, I leaned forward, pressing my forehead against the smooth surface of the metal weapon. "I'm sure" I responded, forming fists at my sides, my nails digging into the palm of both of my hands I tried to calm my nerves.

His jaw clenched, his eyes moved slowly down my face before focusing on my lips. Slowly he let the barrel of his gun trace down my nose, the coolness of the metal and the night sky sending chills down my back. His gun folded towards him and whilst his other four fingers were busy holding the grip of it, his thumb gently caressed my bottom lip.

Ezekiel's groan in pain seemed to snap him out of his trance, his hand retracting suddenly as a look of slight embarrassment passed through his eyes.

"Take your sister home" Eric snapped, shoving him in June's direction before grabbing my wrist. He dragged me down the makeshift staircase of the fence and towards the train, not caring how uncomfortable his tightly locked grip was on me. He shoved me on the train with such force that I stumbled into one of the metal poles between seats. "So dramatic" he muttered, rolling his eyes as he forcibly shut the metal door to prevent the train from getting too cold.

"Fuck you" I blurted out.

In a split second, I was ripped away from the aisle and slammed against the wall beside the door. I gasped out in pain as Eric's chest pressed against my own, his knee forcing its way between my legs and his hands on either side of my head. He didn't say anything, just watched as I tried to look anywhere but his face. 

I absolutely despised how attractive he was. 

His hands were massive enough to cover my eyes and mouth at the same time, large enough to firmly grab any part of my body that he desired. He was extremely muscular, he could probably throw me around like a rag doll if he wanted to. And I might just let him. His tattoos were one of the most attractive things about him in my eyes; they just reminded me of how much he enjoyed pain. 

Sadistic prick.

I looked up just in time to watch his tongue gently swipe across his bottom lip, the red flesh now glistening under the harsh lighting of the train car. He smirked as if he knew what I was thinking. 

"I'm going to have so much fun punishing you" he whispered, pure mischief swirling around his eyes. 

His hand trailed up my waist, causing my legs to close around his knee and my cheeks to turn a bright shade of red. I almost gave in. I almost let go of my previous discretions and let him take me right there on the tile floor. "No" I whispered, my voice shaky as I ducked under his arm and stumbled my way over to a seat.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, sitting across from me.

My eyes went wide, a hand pressed against my left temple as I tried to figure out how to handle his sweet ignorance.

"This isn't going to work. You can't hurt me and my friends, then try to jump my bones when we're alone" I paused, clearing my throat. "I don't know what type of girls are attracted to this behavior but if this is really how you treated them, I can see why they didn't stick around." 

Eric went pale. 

His gaze shifted to the ground, his jaw wired shut and the palms of his hands seemed glued to his thighs. He didn't move even as Ezekiel boarded the train and the large machine began moving. 

"What happened?" Ezekiel asked after we descended from the train back at the Dauntless compound. Eric remained stuck to his seat.

"I think I hurt him"