A/N: I skipped writing about Eric and Tobias' fight because I suck at fighting scenes, and I wanted to get all the fighting area of this story over with - hope you don't mind.

It was our last fight today, and as I walked into the training room with Mai, I was relieved. We looked up at the board systematically, and I had to double check that what I was seeing, was in fact, real. I was going up against Tobias, and we were going second, after Mai and Ella.

I watched Mai's fight in an effort to calm myself, and I couldn't help but be drawn in by her fighting. It was so beautiful and fluid, and it was sexy too. I pushed that thought away quickly. Ten minutes later, she had won her fight...

...and it was my turn to fight Tobias.

I stepped into the ring, Mai giving me a thumbs up, Andy copying the symbol to Tobias. My mouth was suddenly dry and I felt a little bit nervous. This was the first fight that I might possibly lose. But I would just have to beat Tobias.

. . .

Later, I woke up dazed in a hospital bed. I looked up and was greeted by Mai and Andrew's worried faces, along with Tobias' apologetic one.

"Did I, uh, win?" I asked, despite knowing that I probably didn't. Especially when none of them met my gaze.

"Umm..." Mai said biting her lip. "Not exactly, no."

"It went on for quite a while," Andrew supplied. "And you got a good few hits in."

"And you put Tobias into the hospital for a few hours too, just without the concussion." Mai finished for Andrew, her hand over mine. "And you'll be out in an hour or so, just making sure that you are alright." She gave my hand little squeeze.

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Actually you wouldn't be in here for another hour, but Mai insisted. She threatened to hit the nurse if she didn't let you stay to make sure that you were alright. That and she has been checking your wrist for a pulse every five minutes. And she won't stop complaining, but Tobias told me to leave him alone because he is exhausted and trying to sleep." Andrew made a face.

I looked at Mai. "I thought that you'd have enough confidence in me to know that I wouldn't die from one fight." I snapped.

"You'd never know," her tone seemed light, but there was something darker and heavier underneath. "One wrong hit to the temple, and you are dead. Smash your nose in, the bone goes up too much, your dead. If you-"

"Okay that is enough," Andrew shivered. "I don't need to know how to accidently on purpose kill someone. And what Mai means to say is: that she was worried about you, and to shut-up complaining on how you are alright, because she was planning on being the girlfriend who nurses you back to heath." Andrew rolled his eyes. "Also, that was her blunt way of saying that you have a black eye, broken nose and concussion." Mai shot him a confused look. "I grew up with five sisters, I speak girl." He threw his hands up into the air. "I don't care if Tobias is exhausted, I'm hanging out with him."

"Grouchy," I muttered.

"Not really," Mai answered. "He's worried. Tomorrow is visiting day and after that it's going to be the first elimination process. By the way, if you are feeling up to it, a group of Dauntless have invited us to play dares with them. Amar invited Tobias and told him that the more he could bring with him, the better."

I surprisingly found myself nodding along. "Sure, but I have to get something set up before we leave. A random question, do you think your parents will visit tomorrow?"

Mai shook her head. "They made it quite clear that if I left Amity, and didn't transfer to Abnegation, that I was as good as dead to them. And what are you setting up?"

"Good, that makes two of us. And I'm setting up something for our date tomorrow," I said, getting up off the bed.

"What? We're going on a date tomorrow?" Mai asked confused, staring after me. As I turned the corridor she started screaming. "Eric! Eric! Get back here! You are supposed to be resting for another hour!"

. . .

"Why won't you tell me anything about the date?" Mai asked sulkily, pouting because I didn't listen to her 'doctor's orders' as she called them.

"Because I want it to be a surprise," I answered, rolling my eyes. "Obviously."

"I hate surprises."

"That's only because you don't know what they are, and you have no patience. You are the most curious, impatient, bipolar Amity that I have ever come across in my whole, ouuf-" Mai hit a bruise on my stomach unsympathetically.

"I know right," she answered cheerfully. I glared at her.

We were sitting in an unmoving train, with a bunch of other Dauntless. We were sitting in a corner, talking to ourselves, Tobias was talking to Amar, Andrew was talking to a Dauntless member that I've never seen before, and everyone was waiting on a couple more people before we got the game started.

"I brought the booze!" A girlish voice laughed, climbing into the train. "I'm ready to start!" I felt Mai tense up beside me.

"Okay, rules for the people that haven't played before. You have to do a dare and drink a shot before you do it. If you don't do the dare then you must wear a placard that says 'pansycake' around your neck for a whole week. In other words, you will be a laughing stock." A Dauntless member told us. "I'm Evan for those that don't know."

"Okay, who wants to go first?" Amar shouted.

"I brought the booze so I do!" Lauren laughed. "Okay, I dare Amar to run into the Erudite quarters and flash them..."

. . .

"Alright," Andrew grinned, slightly tipsy from the alcohol. "I dare Eric to get a tattoo on his neck." He laughed at my face.

"Thanks man," I answered, rolling my eyes. Tobias held the bottle out to me, and I took a swig. Mai didn't look too happy beside me, but she hadn't looked happy all evening. I had asked her what was wrong, and only got a 'nothing is wrong' and I had asked if she wanted to leave, and she shook her head at me crossly. I think that she is angry at me for not telling her what the surprise is.

We walked into the pit, where the last customers were gathered for the night. A Dauntless named Tori was just about to close the tattoo parlour when we arrived. She took one look at the gathering and raised an eyebrow.

"Let me guess, you are all playing dares... which one is the poor victim?"

"He is," Andrew pointed at me. "On his neck."

"Great," Tori rolled her eyes. "Whoever dared that is an asshole." Andrew looked around innocently.

"Okay, pick whatever you like, I'll go get the needles set up." I looked around at the pictures decorating the walls. The others left me alone to decide, caught up in conversation. Mai appeared silently at my side.

"She's right you know."

"Who is right?" I asked.

"Andrew is an asshole when he is drunk." Mai stayed quiet for a moment. "You don't have to do it."

"Have to do what?" I asked frostily.

"Get the tattoo. I mean, it's a painful and permanent thing. If you don't want to get it on your neck..." I cut her off.

"Seriously Mai," I hissed, not wishing to draw attention to us from the others. "Will you ever just stop thinking that I'm not okay, some little project that has no backbone when it comes to others. I do not need to stay in the hospital to make sure I'm okay, I do not need a nurse, I do not need someone to tell me that I don't have to get a tattoo. Just because you are not enjoying yourself here doesn't mean that you have to think that others aren't." I watched as her eyes welled up with tears from my harsh words, and she turned around and stormed away. I closed my eyes, feeling no longer satisfied, but guilty, at my rant.

"Have you decided on one yet?" Tori asked. I nodded numbly.

. . .

I touched the bandages on my neck gently. I had two thick lines going all around my neck, covering by the bandage now. After what I had said to Mai, I thought that I deserved the greatest pain possible, so I gave it to myself.

I looked at Mai, who was sitting on the other side of the carriage.

"Okay, who hasn't gone yet?" Amar looked around, a little bit on the drunk side. "You haven't Mai." Mai nodded numbly. "Alright... Hmm... I dare you to scale the sculpture in front of the Upper Levels building."

"Okay," she gives a small smile. "Let's go then."

"Ah, ah, ah," Amar stops her. "Drink." He throws the alcohol container at her, but Mai doesn't catch it, she lets it fall.

"I'm not drinking that," she shook her head. "No way."

"Ah come on," Amar laughed. "You'd know it was your first time anyway. One sup."

"No." Mai answered, narrowing her eyes. "Now are we going to the statue or not."

Amar looked confused to why Mai wouldn't take a drink of the alcohol. "Why not? You are too young to be an Alcoholic surely?"

"That has nothing to do with it," Mai said exasperatedly. "I don't want any." The other Dauntless had gone quiet now.

"It's a Dauntless ritual."

"I'm sorry to break it."

"You have to have some."

"No, I don't."

I couldn't take it anymore, I knew that Mai didn't like it when people made her feel small, as if she couldn't take care of herself, and I knew that we were having a fight, but I felt the burning urge to stand up for her.

"Leave her alone Amar," I scowled. "If she doesn't want it, she doesn't have to drink it."

"This is none of your business Erudite boy," he answered, rolling his eyes.

Mai bent down and picked up the flask, and Amar beamed at me triumphantly. "See I told you that she wanted some." I didn't answer, I could believe that Mai was angry enough at me to do something that she didn't want to do, just to irritate me.

She uncapped the cork, and raised the bottle up, tipped the contents... on the floor.

Amar left out a surprised noise, and the everyone's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoops," Mai said. "Wrong way... I guess there is none for me to drink now." Amar left out a choked noise, and slowly, one by one, the other Dauntless members began to clap.