Weather For the Brave

Chapter 12

Eric quietly led me to the Dauntless bar, his long legs effortlessly carrying him forward, his shoulders square and his back straight. It was amazing to see how everyone parted ways while he walked.

I didn't utter a word, nervously excited for what was in store when we got there.

The bar thankfully wasn't that full; most people were either still in the dining hall or were partaking in after dinner activities. Eric made a beeline for a table at the back of the bar, nodding hello at the woman tending the bar for the night. He sat down first, shrugging off his jacket so he was left with a tight black crew neck on.

"Sit," he held out a hand, gesturing to the seat in front of him. I did as I was told, smiling nervously.

"Do you come here often?" I asked, clasping my hands on the table.

"Sometimes," he replied easily, doing the same. "You want something to drink?"

I shook my head. "Nope, don't drink."

Eric gave me a teasing smile. "Neither do I."

I remembered him drinking a beer the last time we had a conversation, when our rankings were put up and Matthew... Matthew. I put it out of my mind. Maybe he wasn't drinking anymore.

We ended up getting two colas each. I noticed Eric was actually nice to the woman at the bar, and when he returned with the drinks, I felt ashamed for thinking he'd be anything but. He was a leader here after all, I'm sure he didn't treat everyone like he did us during initiation.

"Listen, I have to say you're being pretty civil. It looks good on you," I said as I played with the straw in my cup. "I had this idea of you in my head and... Well, you don't seem like that now, thankfully."

"And what idea was that?" Eric asked, not touching his drink.

"Oh, you know," I started, rolling my eyes up. "Evil leader of Dauntless that would occasionally behave like a human person."

I saw Eric's jaw tighten as he looked down at his hands, then back at me. "And now?"

I stared back at him, studying his face. I shook my head slowly. "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to see."

Eric smiled a bit, pursing his lips. "Everyone's been bugging me about you not taking an official position here, you know."

"Well, I have time to choose, right?" I asked, drinking from my cup.

Eric tilted his head a bit, lifting a finger to trace the rim of his cup. "Yeah, you do. But you flew through the initiation, so there's a certain level of expectation that comes from that."

"And what would you have me do?" I asked lightly.

"I'm not supposed to put ideas in your head; you came first so you get to pick from the best jobs. We had a guy here a couple of years ago who came first too, choose to work at the school as an officer," Eric scoffed, disapproval clear in his voice.

"What if I want to do that? I'm rather fond of kids," I teased. Eric smirked, taking the bait.

"Well, I would have to change your mind."

I smiled back at him, then looked back at my drink. "Eric, this is... Nice. Thanks for bringing me here."

"You haven't really been out much. People notice," he commented.

I sighed, pushing the drink away from me. "People talk too much."

"Is this about your friend?"

I blinked stupidly at him, wondering what he was getting at. "Matthew? Sure," I said.

"Hmm," was all Eric said.

"Do you know where he is?" I asked.

Eric picked up his cup and took a small sip. "Factionless," he responded curtly.

I leaned forward in my seat a bit, feeling my face warm up. "And? That's all you're going to tell me?"

"He was a distraction, Amity. You're better off now," Eric replies, his tone matching mine.

"Oh, so we're back to Amity now?" I sneer at him, crossing my arms against my chest. "And who are you to tell me who is and who isn't a distraction, hmm? He's my friend."

"You," Eric starts, closing his eyes, "talk a lot, did you know that?"

I scoff at him. "Oh, give me a break, you psycho. Why are we even here if you don't like me talking, huh? The whole point of being here is to talk," I gesture to the room around us.

Eric's gaze darkens, but I don't care. He's so abrupt and moody, I'm not sure how to even act around him. I mean, we started out so well.

"I am just going to do both of us a favor and leave, okay?" I say, starting to get up. Eric rolls his eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh.

"No, don't," he says lowly, so I'm not sure if I heard him correctly. Then I see him hold out a hand as if to stop me from leaving. I quirk up an eyebrow.

"Oh? You want me to stay?" I say mockingly. Eric just stares back sullenly.

I look around the bar. Though it was starting to fill up, no one seemed to notice us at the back; or if they did, they certainly didn't care. I turn back to Eric.

"I don't want to argue with you, Eric, but you can be exceptionally difficult at times," I sigh, sitting back down.

Eric shoots me a questioning look. "Victoria, you are exceptionally difficult. You're always going on about this thing or the other. You have to start thinking about the bigger picture."

"What in the shit are you talking about, Eric? Nothing you ever say-"

"Victoria, right?" I was interrupted by an older guy dressed in Dauntless black; he seemed a bit out of breath and stood with his hands on his hips.

"Bobby," Eric immediately stood up, "Is everything alright?"

"It's..." Bobby trailed, his eyes flickering between me and Eric, seemingly not knowing who he should speak to first.

"Well, what is it?" Eric's voice turned impatient, and suddenly I felt nauseous. Bad, something bad.

"It's your brother."

My breath caught in my throat. I stood quickly, placing a hand on the edge of the table to steady myself.

"He's passed on."