It's been two days since the party and for once I don't have any work today. I feel Eric get out of bed; he has to train every day and it starts early. He kisses my forehead and goes out the door. I simply go back to sleep; it isn't until I can't make myself stay under that I finally get up. As I leave the bed, I find that I'm a little dizzy; I guess I slept too long. I'm in a lazy mood, so I don't bother cooking; I head over to the Dining Hall instead. I don't see any familiar faces at the table, so I take my plate back to the apartment and plop down in front of the television with a movie.
I finish my food and the movie, but now I feel almost too lazy. I haven't done anything which isn't helping with the chubby feeling I keep getting. I could do with a trip to the training room, I guess. I change clothes and head over there. Tris is working on a bag inside. I go to one near her and start hitting. She looks over at me and smiles.
"Want me to yell a bit for old times' sake?" She asks with a laugh. I laugh as well.
"No, I think I'm okay. You always go at this time?" I've never really looked into anyone else's life. I know what everyone does, just not their schedule; it would feel weird to ask.
"Yeah. Have to keep fit, right?" She speaks between punches and I find myself mesmerized by her. She's quick, yet surprisingly powerful. That is what it means to be a Dauntless prodigy, I guess.
"I know what you mean. I've started gaining weight." I find myself blushing and hitting the bag harder.
"You don't look like it. It's not in your face or anything."
"Part of it has gone to my boobs, which isn't that bad. The rest is spread on my stomach and waist." Tris looks at me and raises an eyebrow.
"Has anything else changed?" I wonder if I said something weird.
"No, not really. I think part of it is stress weight from leadership. It's messing with everything else. My health, my appetite, and stuff. I like the job, but the discord going on doesn't make it easier." Tris is still looking at me in a weird way, like she's piecing something together. After a few seconds, she nods.
"I get it. It'll get better once the factions get themselves together again." We continue hitting, but the whole exchange has thrown me off. I just keep kicking and try not to think about it.
"I'm going to head over to the tattoo shop. See you later," Tris says, "Maybe get a checkup at the infirmary. It could be something bigger that you assumed was from stress." She has that look again, like she suspects something that she doesn't want to talk about.
"Could you just say what you're thinking?" I really want to know what's gotten to her. It's not like her to not say what's on her mind.
"Well, have you and Eric been using protection?" Is this about Eric's old reputation? Does she think I have an STD? That I've been getting sick from that?
"Yeah, we do. And he doesn't have anything anyway." I'm actually pretty pissed right now. I know he's had a pretty messed up past, but for her to suggest that is insulting.
"That's not what—" But I leave the room before she can finish. I don't want to hear it. I'll probably end up apologizing later, but right now, I don't want to. I'd rather go and see Eric; it'll be a nice surprise for him and it'll calm me down.
I head over to the fighter's gym and when I walk in, I'm surrounded by men and women doing various exercises. Some are on bags, others are working mitts with a trainer, and I find Eric on the mats with Jaya as others wrestle beside them. They seem to only be rolling instead of actually fighting, because the other partners reset to their knees whenever someone submits. No one throws any hits, either; definitely rolling. Eric is caught in Jaya's guard right now and I really don't like the smile she has while working with him. I know that men and women aren't separated for training, but I don't want her touching him…at all…ever. Eric doesn't notice that I've come in, so he just works on escaping her guard. She does the pull that he taught me on the first day of fighting and now he's right above her. I can't help but want to punch her based solely on the way she positions her hands on his neck. I don't care if she's holding him in place, she doesn't have to do it so damn suggestively; maybe I'm just reading too much into it. I'm watching them when Eric's trainer, Varro, comes up to me.
"First time catching you here, Five," he says, "Don't worry, we're going to stop rolling soon enough." I guess some of my rage must be showing on my face.
"I've told you to call me Audrey." I don't want to address my feelings toward Jaya right now. I hear a buzzer sound and all of them get up. Eric is up and helps Jaya to her feet who proceeds to look at him too much friendliness for my taste. I don't care what her record is; if she keeps this up, I will smack her. Eric finally notices me and heads over to where I am with Jaya following like a puppy in his wake. As soon as he's within reach, I throw my arms around him and kiss him; if Jaya doesn't know about me, she will now.
"I wasn't expecting you," Eric says with a grin. Jaya's smiling still, but she's gone tense. She better get over it; he belongs to me.
"I thought I'd stop by as long as I was free today. I've never had a chance to visit before." Jaya gives a small cough and Eric turns back and sees her. She should've just left.
"Um, Audrey, this is Jaya," he says, "You caught part of her fight, I think." He doesn't seem to notice the way we look at each other. We size each other up with our eyes while grinning at each other like friends.
"So, you're Audrey," Jaya says with a plastic smile, "Nice to meet you." If she's heard my name, then I guess she knows about Eric and me, yet she's going for him, anyway. She's way out of her league.
"Nice to meet you, too, Jaya." I extend my hand and she takes it, but drops it quickly.
"It's so nice to work with Eric, he's such a good teacher. Especially on the ground." So, the blows begin.
"Oh, don't I know. He's taught me many things," I say with a smirk.
"Varro, can I talk with you for a minute," Eric says, giving Jaya and me a quick look before walking away with Varro.
"Let's drop the act," I say, letting the smile drop from my face, "What the hell are you doing?"
"I take what I want," she says with a smirk, "And I've wanted Eric for a while."
"Then you better want something else, because he is mine." I close whatever distance is left between us and glare up at her. "He doesn't even want you, anyway." She glares back and then laughs a bit and smirks again.
"He did before," she says, "He will again when he's tired of you."
"He will never want anyone but me. And what the hell is this 'before?'" I shouldn't want to know, but I need to hear it.
"He and I had a habit of spending the night together before you came along," she says, "It won't be long until he misses me." I can't control myself anymore. I smack her and claw at her. I'm not even really fighting so much as wildly attacking. I feel hands pull me away from her and there are two people on her as well holding her back.
"You bitch!" she yells, while fighting the people on her, "I'll kill you!" I smile, I managed to give her a bloody lip.
"Just try it, slut!" I yell back, but something's wrong. My vision is starting to go blurry around the edges and I can feel myself slipping. I'm slowly sinking into the floor. I feel someone reach for my face; those grey eyes can only be Eric's. He turns from me.
"What did you do?" He's talking to Jaya and he sounds pissed.
"I didn't touch her!" Is all I can hear her say, but I hear it as if there's cotton in my ears. I can feel someone lift me up before I fall away completely.
A/N: Short one, because I have to leave for class soon, but wanted to get an update in.