*In case this is needed, I don't own anything from Divergent or Insurgent! Thank you (:
Amelia squeezed her eyes shut, clutching onto Gabe for dear life. She hated heights so much. She hated falling from them even more. And at the moment, she was very close to hating Gabe!
"GABE!" she yelled, the wind surrounding her, the sound of it overpowering.
In a moment, she suddenly felt herself hitting something. Not solid, but springy. She curled into the fetal position, trying to calm her breathing.
She felt Gabe laughing and felt herself wanting to cry. She hated heights so, so much…
Gabe suddenly stopped, looking at her. "What's wrong? Wasn't it fun after you realized you were safe?"
She shook her head. "No, Gabe, not a single part of that was fun for me."
He sat up, running a hand through his hair, then placing it on top of her head gently. "I'm sorry. Every Dauntless has to do it eventually, so you have it out of the way. As far as anyone knows, you did it by yourself. Now you don't have to do it again," he said, speaking gently.
She nodded, finally opening her eyes. "Good."
He sighed. "I'm on your shit list, aren't I?"
She nodded, slowly sitting up. She felt rather numb as she climbed out of the net and heading to her room.
She eventually heard Gabe running to catch up to her. He stopped in front of her, grabbing her gently by the shoulders. Why was everything he did to her gentle? He didn't look like a gentle person…
"Why are you so terrified of heights?" he asked.
She became rigid, remembering a horrible time. Thoughts flashed across her mind rapidly. She finally shook her head. "I don't want to tell you." She continued trying to walk.
"So there is something!" Gabe said. He continued walking beside her. "How can I find out?"
She shook her head. "You won't. Amity are supposed to trust, but that's something I usually have trouble with, at least as far as my personal life goes." They arrived at her door and she unlocked it, walking in.
Gabe immediately followed her in, closing the door behind himself. She sighed, walking to her room and putting her things up.
Gabe sat down on the bed, watching her. "You're not like all the other Amity," he said.
She chuckled. "You don't say?"
He nodded. "You're more withdrawn, colder. You still seem kind enough, though," he said, shrugging.
She turned to face him. "Like I've said before: you don't have to be happy-go-lucky to be kind."
"I suppose…" he said. He leaned over on his side, stretching out. "You never really fit in much there, did you?"
She shook her head. "No. I had a few close friends and my family, and I was content. However, I was always the one helping people, solving problems."
"Well, that's good," Gabe said. "Hey, could I spend the night?"
Amelia turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised. "Um… I don't think that'll be a problem."
Gabe smiled. "Sweet!" He watched as Amelia continued putting things up, rearranging others, making everything neat. "Why are you such a neat freak?"
Amelia shook her head. "It makes things efficient."
"What was your house like in Amity?"
"A small ranch and orchard, my favorite place to be," she said curtly.
"What was your school like?"
"A school."
"What was your childhood like?"
"I work on the orchard, go to school—"
"No, like when you were little," he specified.
"None of your business," she said, turning to look at him.
"You don't have to get defensive," he said, standing up.
"And you don't have to be so prying. My life is my business. It's fine you want to know more about me, but I'll tell you when I'm ready," she said. It was odd; her temper was rising, but she got quieter. It unnerved him.
"Okay. I understand," he said, finally backing off. "I'm gonna grab some clothes. I'll be back in a bit."
She sat down on the bed and opened a book. He took that as an okay.
Walking down the halls, he got a few joking whistles, memories from his dress stunt. Unfortunately, he also overheard conversations of some… desires a few of the men had concerning Amelia. Gabe tightened his fists, hurrying to get to his room.
Once there, he grabbed some pants, a new shirt, some underwear, and ran back to Amelia's. Upon returning, he noticed the bathroom door was shut and he heard someone crying softly. Peeking into Amelia's room, he saw she wasn't there. He sighed. I guess I really screwed up… he thought to himself.
He knocked on the bathroom door. "Amelia?" he said softly.
Immediately the sniffling stopped. He heard her take a deep breath, and responded with a, "Yeah?" He would've thought she had never been crying, if he didn't have the feeling something was wrong.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she responded. Her voice caught on the last word slightly, and he could imagine her nodding, trying to make herself believe it.
Gabe opened the door slowly. "No, you're not." He saw her sitting on the counter, her face pale and eyes reddened. "What's wrong?" He walked over to Amelia, standing in front of her.
Slowly, she hopped down from the counter and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the gesture, relaxing as he felt her head against his chest. He felt his heartbeat quicken.
"Nothing I want to talk about," she said softly with a sigh.
He nodded. "That's fine."
He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, placing her under the covers, quicker than last time. I'm getting a lot better at this, he thought with a smirk. She settled down, seeming to space out. Feeling like she needed comfort, no matter how much she would say she didn't, he took his shoes off and crawled in beside her. She set her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, gently rubbing her back. After a few minutes, he felt her crying. After another few minutes, they both fell asleep.
Amelia entered a deep sleep with frightful dreams after her breakdown with Gabe. She was taken to a place that looked just like her old home, only… it was dark and creepy, not comforting like it usually was. She walked around, looking for her mom and dad. She couldn't speak.
Suddenly, the front door swung open, and there were slow, heavy footsteps heading towards her. She recognized those footsteps. Immediately she hid in a cabinet as the form entered the kitchen. "Amelia," the voice said, drawing out the 'e.' It was deep and rough and did more than just scare her. In fact, it even went past terrifying her. "Where are you, sweetheart?" She shivered at the nickname. He always called her sweetheart, but he never meant it.
Suddenly the door was flung open, the tall figure standing in front of her. She thankfully didn't see clear features making a face, but nonetheless he grabbed her by her hair, dragging her out. She kicked and tried to scream, but nothing made a difference. She watched, horrified, as the figure drew his hand back, making a fist, and came towards her quickly.
She shot up in bed, waking in a sweat and her face covered with tears. Gabe was already awake, holding her. "Amelia, it's okay…" he said. "It was a dream." He stroked her head as she leaned into him, crying once again. He placed her head into the curve of his neck and chest and placed a kiss on her head. Regardless of whether or not she wanted him here before, she wanted him here now. He was her anchor, and made her feel better, she realized.
She was thankful he didn't ask questions, but simply comforted her. Soon he laid her back down and left the room. Returning, he carried two cups of tea. One for her, one for him. "Hope you don't mind me making some for myself," he grinned. He spoke very softly, almost delicately. This did not fit the way he looked, but she realized how nice his voice was. And although his smile looked a bit goofy sometimes, he still was very handsome.
She sat up, accepting the teacup. He moved closer to her, sitting where their hips touched, and leaned back on one arm which went behind her shoulders. They sat there for a while, drinking tea and relaxing. Amelia was still shook up from her nightmare, and somehow Gabe seemed to understand that.
She finished her tea and set it on her nightstand, which lie on the other side of Gabe. Sighing, she just reached over him and set it down, then returned to her original position. She saw Gabe smiling. "What?" she asked.
He just shook his head. "You practically laid on me," he said.
She sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever." She lay down completely, putting her head on her pillow. When Gabe finally finished and lay down beside her, Amelia moved her head to rest on his chest. She could imagine him smiling as he wrapped his arm around her, pulling the blankets over them. She smiled ever so slightly, taking in his scent. She eventually fell into a dreamless sleep.
Gabe woke up, the smell of flowers drifting over him. He smiled, realizing Amelia was still asleep on him. He just watched her sleep for a bit, amazed at how peaceful she looked. He had to find a way to get her to relax. She was so much happier when she relaxed.
The alarm clock went off, and Gabe immediately slammed his hand on it. He hated the sound of alarm clocks. Today was Friday and Amelia had her first day of hand-to-hand combat training, then she had two days off for the weekend. He had to plan something for them to do.
"Amelia," he said softly, moving some hair off of her face and shaking her.
One of her eyes opened, looking around, then focusing on him. "What?" she mumbled.
He smirked. "Time to get up."
She sighed. Closing her eye for a second, she finally sat up and stretched, yawning. She got up out of bed and grabbed some clothes, heading to the bathroom. Gabe heard the shower start. I guess she's not a morning person. Maybe more of a night owl… he thought with a sly grin. I think I know what we can do this weekend.
He made himself get up, heading to the kitchen. Raiding the cabinets, he decided to just make some toastable waffles. He grabbed some chocolate chip waffles and popped them in the toaster. They popped back up once Amelia came out of the shower.
Even soaking wet, he thought she looked amazing. Her bangs were down, but the rest of her long hair was still wet, turning it to a color like wet sand. She wore her tennis shoes, black sweatpants, and a black tanktop. Black is most definitely her color, he thought. It really made her eyes and pale skin pop.
"What did ya make?" Amelia asked, sitting on the counter.
Gabe pulled out the waffles, handing one to Amelia. "Bon appetite," he smirked.
She smiled softly, taking a bite. Once she was done, she disappeared to the bathroom again, a headband in her hair to keep it out of her face. She grabbed a jacket and headed towards the door. "You ready?"
Gabe smiled, thinking he would like to do this every day. He nodded, walking out behind her.
Lia was panting, although quite satisfied, at the fact of her taking down Tris twice now. Tris had gotten her once, making Lia the overall winner. Lia stood up, pulling her hair back into a ponytail to get her neck cleared of hair and sweat. She stuck out a hand, helping Tris up.
"I haven't seen a girl fight that well this early since my initiation, one of the best groups there was," Tris said.
Four nodded in the background. "You are very advanced. Have you had any experience before?"
Lia shook her head. "Just kind of picked up on self defense and fighting, I guess."
Four raised an eyebrow. She shrugged. "Amity may be peaceful, but teenage boys can still be teenage boys," she said with a smile.
Four grinned a bit at that. "Alright, lunchtime. Do you know where Gabe is?" he asked.
Lia shrugged. "He walked with me here then said he had to go get something situated."
Four nodded. "Alright." Lia tagged along with Four and Tris to their usual table.
Arriving in the large, well-light and very loud eating area, the three arrived to their usual table. Lia saw a glimpse of Gabe and told Tris and Four she'd be right back. He was heading to a hallway that wasn't really used during this time of the day and she followed him.
She saw him meet up with a very pretty girl. She was a little shorter than herself with jet black hair and light blue eyes. She had a few piercings but was dressed in really punk-y clothes. Lia watched in curiosity as Gabe talked to the girl. Lia watched with jealousy as the girl slowly moved closer to Gabe, and Gabe gradually moved farther back until he hit the wall. Lia couldn't tell if he was uncomfortable or not, due to the dim lighting, but she watched as the girl finally grabbed Gabe and kissed him.
Lia was filled with rage, and anger, and sadness, and she didn't know what else! Thinking for a moment, she realized she was jealous. Lia watched, hoping Gabe would push the girl away, but to her horror and sadness… he didn't. Her spirits sunk as the girl finally released Gabe, walking away and flirtily waving goodbye. Lia stood at the end of the hallway, tears trying to spring up to her eyes, but she kept them away. Gabe eventually turned and saw her standing there.
"Amelia?" he said. "Amelia," he said in a different tone, realizing she saw.
Lia simply turned and walked away, eventually turning that into a run. She headed back to her room and stayed there the entire lunch period. She stayed there, and while she didn't want to admit it, she cried.
Gabe stood pacing in the practice room. Why had he not pushed that girl away? He shook his head. He was never talking to Cleo again! He had told her he wasn't interested in her in that way. But why didn't he allow himself to push her away? He punched a punching bag.
He turned, hearing Four and Tris walk in. Amelia followed a few moments later. She didn't look like she had been crying, but Amelia was always good at hiding that stuff. "Amelia!" he said, walking up to her.
She stopped him with her hand. "Not right now," she said, her voice soft. That really scared him. Why couldn't she just yell, like normal people?
Four and Tris watched, then a watch started beeping. Four pressed a button on his watch. "Well, you two can sort whatever it is that's wrong later. Right now it's training time."
Gabe sat off to the side of the room, running errands when Four or Tris needed him to. Other than that, he watched Amelia's progress. He had to admit, she was a very good fighter. Did it have anything to do with the nightmare she had last night? She talked a bit during it… Saying things like 'Please stop' or 'Don't hurt me.' It ripped his heart out.
The practice ended and Gabe let Amelia walk out of the room. He walked over to Four and Tris. "Hey, there's gonna be a party tomorrow. Just letting you know beforehand. Feel free to invite Amelia, too," he said.
Tris nodded. "I don't know what you did, but Lia is pretty pissed," she warned him.
Four nodded. "Yup. Good luck with that." He grabbed Tris's hand and walked out, talking to her.
Gabe sighed. He'd need a miracle to fix this.
Lia looked at herself in the mirror as she was getting ready. There was a party tonight and Tris and Four wanted her to be there, relax a bit. She decided to wear something that would hopefully make Gabe drool. She had on black shorts and a black tank top with a corset-type bodice to it. It tied up the front and she really liked the look of it. She wore black heels. Hopefully I won't be towering over too many people, she thought. She decided to let the shirt split over her belly button like it was meant to, showing her piercing. For once she was wearing make-up, too; a little bit of eyeliner and mascara.
But something needed changing… Looking at her hair, she realized what. She grabbed scissor and did something daring; cut her hair. She cut a good 7 or 8 inches off, bringing it up to her shoulders. There. She thought she looked much better. Lia headed out the door, not sure if she was trying to get Gabe back or break his heart.
She arrived at the party, meeting up with Tris and Four. She was happy to know she wasn't too over- or under-dressed. Tris wore a strapless, tight black top and shorts with heels. Many other girls were wearing much less than the two of them. The three of them wandered over to an area by the wall where a few groups of sober people were standing. Four had a small drink in his hand, but Lia and Tris weren't big on alcohol.
A voice suddenly overtook the music. Apparently the party was arranged by one person. The microphone morphed the voice slightly and Lia couldn't see over the crowd, so she didn't know who was talking, but had a pretty good idea who it might be once the voice began an introduction: an introduction inviting her to the stage!
"Let's give a Dauntless welcome to our new resident Divergent, Lia!" A spotlight was on her accompanied by the sounds of banging and yelling. She was pushed to the front of the crowd, in front of the Pit. There she saw none other than Gabe.
She scowled as she stood beside him, but once she turned back to the crowd her face remained blank. Gabe put his hand on her back. "You all know her! The girl causing some people to get angry, causing others to wet their pants in fear, and even turning a few guys on, after her first day," he said with a wink. He can really milk a crowd, she thought. No wonder he's a Dauntless leader. "Let's all hear it for Lia! After next week, she will officially be part Dauntless!" She got a large cheer from the crowd, but saw some others look uneasy or even angry. A younger girl approached her after the crowd returned to partying.
"Are you Lia?" she asked softly. Lia nodded, crouching down with a small smile. "I think you're pretty. Are you gonna stay with us?" the girl asked.
Lia laughed a little. "I don't know. Possibly. It'd be really fun, that's for sure."
The girl smiled. "Bye!" She ran off to wherever she came from.
Lia stood up, ready to walk away when Gabe touched her arm gently. "Hey, can we talk?" he asked.
Lia turned to him, a scowl on her face, and then she noticed how sad he seemed, mainly his eyes. "Fine."
He sighed then grabbed her hand, walking to an empty hallway. "Listen, you saw Cleo kiss me, right?" he said. Lia nodded. "Well, she's been all over me since I became leader. There's no way I'd date her, though. Total… well, you know."
Lia nodded. "But the reason I'm so angry," she said, trying to keep her voice from breaking, "is the fact you let her keep kissing you."
Gabe shrunk down at that, leaning against the wall. Lia crossed her arms. "Well, at first I was getting ready to…" he said. "But then I thought, 'What would it be like to kiss Amelia?' So I got kinda lost in the daydream…" he finished softly.
Lia looked at him, surprised. She felt her face blushing. "I already talked to Cleo," Gabe continued. "I told her no way in hell would anything happen between me and her." He grinned. "She wasn't too happy."
Lia leaned against the wall beside him, thinking. Well, what now? She sighed. "Thanks for clearing that up," she said at last. "It really…" She thought of how to finish. "Well, I was really hurt."
Gabe turned at looked at her, smiling. "Amelia, admitting something about her feelings? Unheard of," he chuckled.
She leaned against him. "I let people know when I'm mad," she grinned.
He stepped around so he was standing in front of her, and he placed his hands gently on her waist. He looked her in the eyes. "Will you let me know what you think of this?"
As he leaned in, Lia wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to rub one hand along the length of her back. He finally closed the kiss, and they stood there in bliss, warmth spreading through their bodies. Too soon, Gabe pulled back, their faces only inches apart from each other. "How's that?" he asked, his voice husky and low.
Lia smiled, biting her lower lip. "I know I want more." She leaned in, taking him by surprise. She smiled against his lips, and he laughed, kissing her again.
**I will be continuing this story! I don't think I'll ever be able to write a one-shot :P
