FEARLESS

AFTER HOURS

The next day was a good ish day.
Al came out of medical, Christina, Will and Emery all there to cheer him on and guide him to the dorm room as he still had a pretty bad limp.
But he was doing better, he wasn't out of it which was a good thing, sometimes at the hospital he was losing track of the day, the month, sometimes unsure of where he was. His cuts and bruises were fading.
And most of all he was happy.
Until he saw the scoreboard- which is where the ish comes in.

Emery had already seen it, everyone had. He was falling, from being a middle glider to the lower half.
She decided to bring him there by himself, even though he shouldn't be, she knew he would be embarrassed when he saw his place.

He had told Emery he trusted her the most, that she was his best friend. She desperately wanted to be there for him, she felt responsible for putting him in that hospital; and he was paying the price.
Everyone knew the scoreboard was dangerous ground, anyone at any time could fall or rise in a second. And Al was sinking, like a ship halfway down the ocean.

He was now only 8 spots from being below the red line. And even though it was a fair amount, one day could change that, either for the better or for the worse.
Al used to be strong, but most importantly before he had confidence in his fighting skills. Eric's interference had knocked him not just physically but mentally, he had stumbled back a few pegs in confidence. And in this game, it was the most important thing. Having confidence in the ring meant you could intimidate your opponent; no matter how big. But Al had lost that.

They sat together, with their legs hanging off the chasm after they had looked at the board. Al had instantly become quiet after seeing it. Emery didn't need to say anything, their mutual silence was enough for Al. It allowed him to think, with the comfort a friend was there if he need her.

"I'm scared Em" Al said quietly looking at his feet off the edge. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I am too".

"I think everyone is, no one was expecting this".

"I know it's ridiculous", she shook her head, reflecting on what had happened since being in Dauntless. "it's like they want us to be evil, or just stupid", she replied stroking his arm. Her head moved from his shoulder and looked at him.
He just continued to stare out into the black nothing of the Chasm.

"I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't think I belong here" Al said, she shook my head.

"No, no, I know you are meant to be here".

"I think if I were to be cut, my parents would take me back".

"It doesn't work like that Al, even if they wanted to the Council wouldn't allow it". Emery's heart ached as she watched him as her words knocked his confidence even further. "You were doing great before Eric came along, don't let this get to you. You are going to get through Al, I know it."

"How?"

"Im a psychic, didn't you know?" She joked. Al smiled a little. "And because you're stronger than you realise, and I need you. I can't cause trouble all on my own". She smiled.

It was nice to see his face brighten. Al turned to look at her, deep into her eyes like he was trying to read her mind. He did this for a couple of seconds before he leaned in to kiss her. Slowly, scared she was going to reject him, scared she wasn't going to feel the same way.

It was difficult as Emery knew she didn't feel that way about him. But she didn't know how to stop it. He had taken so many hits recently, another may just be his last straw. She just wanted to be there for him tonight, he needed that.
She didn't want to make that moment harder for him.