A young girl from Amity chooses to switch to Dauntless on the day of the choosing ceremony and leave her abusive family behind.
He was drawn to her from the start.
She was told to stay away, but, she couldn't. His icy eyes were captivating, an int...
Using all of my remaining strength, I pushed myself off of the wall and dragged my feet to the only metal stand with a seventy-pound bag hanging from it. Eric approached me this morning at breakfast and told me to meet him by the chasm after lunch for my punishment. He ordered me to drag all twenty of the punching bags into the supply closet and reset the metal clasps at the top of the machines for the instructors.
He didn't speak to me once after giving me the instructions.
It was an hour of pure silence.
My body was hunched over, my hands holding my thighs as I stared at the floor and attempted to catch my breath. The sound of oxygen desperately trying to claw its way inside of my lungs was so loud that I didn't hear him approach me. I simply saw his signature black timberland boots appear. I swallowed my fear, slowly allowing my body to straighten out and accept the paper cup full of ice-cold water he was offering me.
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"Thanks" I nodded, handing him back the empty cup.
"I'm sorry for last night" he blurted out, shocking himself the same, if not more than, the amount he shocked me.
"I appreciate your apology," I said after a moment of silence. His eyes were pleading for me to keep the conversation going no matter how awkward it got. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"
"Come to my apartment tonight around seven, I want to tell you a story" he declared, giving me a firm nod before marching out of the room.
I stared at the door for a solid few minutes as if he was going to come back before my brain snapped back to reality. Walking through the halls of the Dauntless compound, I found myself at the small clearing that was home to the infamous black net. But on that net was none other than Peter.
"Hey you" he greeted, turning his head to the side.
"Peter, hey. I didn't think anyone else would be here, I can leave you alone if you'd like" I offered, jabbing my thumb in the direction of the hallway which I had just come from.
"Stay," he said simply, sitting up from his recliner position to pat the space beside him on the net. I complied and used his extended hand to pull myself up on the large netting. "I like having you around."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"Well aside from the fact that you're insanely attractive, you're not annoying like the rest of them" he shrugged before collapsing back onto the net. I joined him, staring up at the hazy sky.
"That one looks like a fish" I stated.
"Where?" he questioned, swallowing a small chuckle as he clearly found my way of breaking the silence between us and avoiding the compliment he gave me amusing.
"That long bit is the tail and the head is turned to the side" I explained, rolling closer to him and extending my arm out to outline the figure.
"You're good at this" he mused.
"Well since you're always outside in Amity the clouds are like your own personal wallpaper. But stargazing is even better" I informed, turning my head to the side to look at him.
"So let's do it then" he suggested, shrugging his shoulders.
"What?" I asked in confusion.
"Meet me here tonight and we'll look at the stars for a little before going to sleep," he said as he gazed into my eyes.
"I can't tonight, I have something to do" I paused, re-wetting my bottom lip. "But we can meet tomorrow if that works for you? It's our last day of going through fear simulations and then we have a day off before the final test. It'd be a good distraction for both of us."
"I can think of a better one" he quipped.
My eyes widened at what Peter had insinuated. My lips parted but I was unable to formulate words, so I simply turned to look back at the sky.
"There's a cross right there" I pointed out, unable to cope with the awkward silence growing between us.
In the blink of an eye, Peter rolled on top of me. His hands were furiously gripping the net on either side of my head in an attempt to balance his bodyweight evenly. The look in his eyes was fierce. "What is your relationship with Eric?" he asked.
"What?" I responded, my body in complete shock.
"We all know something is going on between you two. I am asking you to tell me the truth" he answered.
"Why does it matter?" I sighed.
"I know you're skilled but, I just need to know. I need to know if there's another reason you're first" he stuttered over his words as if he were unsure how to word his thoughts.
Before responding, I took a moment to process what he was asking me. And then I remembered the way he despised Edward when he was second to him. Then all of a sudden, Edward got injured and was no longer able to completely initiation.
My heart started racing at the thought.
"Peter, I'm not messing around with Eric to get a high initiation score. I'm not messing around with him at all. I genuinely have feelings for him, they're mixed feelings but they are still there. You said yourself that I am skilled. If you need reassurance or just to talk, I'm more than happy to help you" I said softly, placing my hand on his cheek as I spoke. He flinched at the gesture but slowly began to lean into my touch. "I don't know why I'm in first place either. There are plenty of other initiates who I believe are more skilled than me, you're one of them. There's nothing wrong with being insecure Peter, it doesn't make you any less of a man."
Peter sat up, his feet dangling off of the edge of the net as his shoulders slumped forward. I slowly sat up and scooted closer to his side, pulling his head down to lean on my shoulder. My fingers gently ran through his hair, the spot right above the back of his neck, and I felt all of his thoughts slowly leave his mind.
At this moment, he was truly and completely sound.
We remained this way until he was ready to leave and join the others again. He thanked me endlessly and repeatedly apologized for his accusation. Peter even bought me a drink at the bar in the Pit where we continued our conversation about my relationship with Ezekiel, Four, and Eric. He seemed much more complicit now that he understood the circumstances of our relationship. As we walked to the mess hall we decided on a set schedule to stargaze together and shared a brief hug before going to our respective tables. Of course, the girls questioned me about the interaction but I simply told them he needed someone to talk to and I happily listened.
Christina insisted I belonged in Amity still.
I bit my tongue, telling myself she didn't know any better before Ezekiel joined us and took the conversation in another direction. After eating half of my cheeseburger and drinking an entire glass of iced tea, I caught a glimpse of the clock.
