The Leader

16

"You can do it," Tera says, pushing me after Eric.

"Here I go," I say with a smile. I turn and jog out of the dining hall, trying to catch up with Eric.

Eric glances over his shoulder and stops once he sees that it is me. I smile at him, but he doesn't return the favor.

"Eric," I say, slightly out of breath, "I have something important I need to tell you."

He crosses his arms across his chest, a bored expression on his face. "Out with it, sunshine."

I raise a brow at the new nickname, but don't question it. "Not here. Let's go somewhere private."

He sighs and continues walking. I follow after him, a knot of nerves growing in my stomach. His demeanor is cold, and I am not sure why.

Instead of going to the roof like I was expecting us to, Eric leads me to his apartment. I follow after him, taking a mental note of how he did not hold the door open for me like he usually does.

He flops on the couch and rests both arms along the back of it. "Okay, we're in private. Now spill."

I take a seat on the edge of the couch and wipe my palms on my jeans before resting them on my lap.

"I'm going to come out and say it." I take a deep breath and clear my throat. "I'm in--"

"Can we hurry this along?" he says mid-yawn. "I have important company coming by soon."

"Yes, of course." I wipe my palms on my jeans again and close my eyes. "I'm in love with you, Eric."

My eyes open and search Eric's face, hoping to find at least a hint of emotion on his face.

"Eric..." I trail off, not knowing what else to say. I avert my gaze and stare at my hands.

"I know what you want me to say," he snaps, his voice low. "But I'm not going to say it, because it would be a lie."

"On the roof--" my voice trembles but I continue anyway-- "you told me you can't get me out of your head."

He does not reply or acknowledge my statement so I continue. "After capture the flag, you told me that you have feelings for me. Then we kissed. Did it not mean anything to you?"

"No."

"You're lying," I snap.

"That kiss did not mean anything to me--" he leans in close, his mouth just mere centimeters from my ear-- "and neither do you."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Yeah, we shared a kiss," he says. "But that doesn't mean anything. I kiss plenty of women every day. You're nothing special."

A knock on the door snaps Eric's attention from me.

"Finally," he smirks.

He yanks me up by the arm and pulls me to the door. The door opens to reveal a brunette woman wearing revealing clothing.

"Who's this, babe?" she says, her voice high pitched.

"A pathetic initiate who thinks there is something between us," he snaps. He pushes me out the door, making me trip and hit my face on the floor. "Now, leave me alone. I've never liked you, and I never will."

The sound of their laughter echoes in my ears before his door slams shut. I flinch and push myself off the floor.

I wrap my arms around myself and sigh. "I should have known."