Flower Child

Chapter Eleven

   Thankfully, I didn't have a concussion and the nurse in the infirmary sent me out with a few pain pills and an ice pack.
   When I woke up that next morning, everyone was still asleep and my watch read four a.m. While I got ready, I tried to avoid the mirror for as long as I could, when I did catch a glimps, I grimaced. The swelling had gone down but all that was left was a dark bruise on the left side of my face.
   I left quickly after that and made my way to the training room. When I enter, Four is there again, writing pairs of names on the chalkboard. He looks at me as I enter and I smile at him.
"How are you feeling," he asks, turning back to the board.
I shrug, "my head hurts like son of a bitch but I'll be alright."
"I figured you would be," Four nods, writing down a pair of names.
"Who am I fighting today," I ask as I walk over to sit against the wall the chalkboard is on.
He glances down at me for a second, "no one. Christina is in no condition to fight today and there is no one to pair you with."
I look up at the board, "why me though?"
He shrugs, "you did good in your fight yesterday, you deserve a break."
"Oh how kind of you," I roll my eyes, "why not Edward? He won the fight, shouldn't he get a break?"
Four shakes his head, "I wouldn't quite count it a win, you broke his nose pretty good."
I shrug, "does it matter, I broke his nose, he knocked me out, he won."
Four shakes his head, "you also impressed every person in the room, including Eric. No one expected a Flower Child to last more than three seconds in that ring, let alone to flip over her opponent and break his nose. How did you even do that anyway?"
"Flip over him? It's not that hard," I chuckle.
He looks at me with a raised brow, "you act like that's a thing everyone can just do."
I smirk, "it's not? Growing up in Amity has all kinds of perks. Everyone knew that they could find me in the apple trees, I spent hours climbing those trees. I could probably climb the walls of the pit all the way to the top."
Four looks at me, his eyes a little wide, "really?"
I nod, "yeah, honestly it wouldn't be that hard. If I really wanted a challenge I'd climb the hub."
People start to pile into the room and Four moves away from me, his face falling back into the cold mask he always wears. I watch him as he moves across the room and wonder. He seems so familiar to me.

Uriah, Mar, and Lynn were waiting for me at our table for dinner.
"Where were you earlier," Uriah asks as I approach the table.
I sit down next to Lynn, "wasn't hungry at lunch, I decided to explore a little bit."
"Your face is a lot worse than I thought it would be," Lynn says.
I glower, "did word travel that quickly about my loss?"
Mar nods, "yeah, and word traveled really quickly about how the Flower Child broke some kids nose in a fight."
"Did you really flip over him," Uriah asks, "can you do that to me?"
"I'm not a circus act, Uriah," I growl.
He raises his hands, "I was just kidding, Red."
I raise a brow, "Red?"
He points at my hair, "I thought you'd like a better nickname than Flower Child. And what's got you all pissy."
I sigh, "my friend Tris fought Peter today, and he's ruthless. She's in the infirmary and has been unconscious almost all day."
"Peter? The smart mouth," Mar asks.
I nod, "he's a prick and has decided that since Tris is an Abnegation transfer he's gonna make her life a living hell. I haven't been around him much but I bet he'd do the same for me."
Uriah rolls his eyes, "I'd like to see the pansy try. You're a complete badass and you've got some badass friends."
"Yeah I guess Mar and Lynn are pretty badass," I smirk.
"Wow," Uriah nods, "such a good burn."
"I could break your nose," I joke, "you know that right?"
"Sure you can," Uriah laughs.
I kick his shin beneath the table, hard.
"Jesus," he shouts, bringing his knee to his chest and rubbing his shin.
Marlene erupts into laughter and Lynn chuckles underneath her breath
"Why are you so vicious! I don't understand it," Uriah screams.
"Only for you, babe," I wink, grinning widely.
A table over I hear loud laughing and turn towards it, it's Zeke with some of his friends. Zeke is laughing at Uriah and I, and some of his friends join in as well, except one. Four. When our eyes meet, he looks down at his food quickly.
"You know, Mor," Mar says, "sometimes it shocks me that you weren't born Dauntless."
I turn and look at her, "why is it that shocking?"
Uriah gestures towards his bruising shin, "you're more violent than Eric."
I roll my eyes, "I think you're just a pansy that can't take a hit."
"Oh that's it you little Flower Child," Uriah scolds, "I'm gonna stuff some peace serum down your throat."
I lean across the table, close to his face, "try me bitch."
He grabs for me but I jump backwards and out of the bench seat. Uriah falls forward and gets food on the front of his shirt.
"Mor!"
He runs around one side of the table and I run around the other. Everyone around us is dying of laughter at this point.
"Mor, I swear to god, get your butt back here," he shouts.
We continue to run around the table and then he suddenly switches directions and I don't have enough time to switch. Uriah tries to wrap his arms around my waist but I copy what I did to Edward and flip over him. This time though, I push Uriah forward as I do it. Clearly not expecting this, he loses balance and sprawls forward on his stomach. I land behind him in a crouch, as I stand up, the room erupts.
People are laughing, cheering, yelling. Uriah is rolled over on his back, looking up at the ceiling. I walk over to him and put my hand down in front of his face.
"You alright, bud," I ask.
He looks at me with a wide grin, "totally."
And then I'm being pulled to the ground. It takes me a moment to realize what had happened and why everyone was cheering and laughing again. I look over at Uriah and we bust out laughing with the rest of them. As we do I throw my head back and I see a figure leaving the dining hall. All I see is his back, and the tattoo peaking over the collar of his shirt.