Devil Takes the Hindmost, chapter 3
A/N: Hello readers! I didn't expect many reviews, but thanks to the people who did! It really helps me actually want to finish this story! Or at least, progress. Special thanks to LunarLover3517. So, here's a new chapter! Oh, and italics are the notes that are written.
BEATRICE'S POV:
Mr. Eccleston's class was fairly straightforward. After introducing me to the class (Trust me, it was embarrassing) he continued the lesson from the day before: Atoms and particles. Will, who sat at the desk to my left, his hand would shoot straight up every question, and provide more information then he needed to. I could tell the class was used to it, noticing the groans and rolled eyes.
However, halfway through the class, I heard the rustle of paper, and something hitting the linoleum floor. Looking down, I saw a crumbled ball with scrawly handwriting. And from the angle it was thrown, I noticed it came from my right. Looking to the right, I see that girl from before. The one with ebony hair and a sly smile. Christina.
I mentally groaned, and when Mr. Eccleston turned around, I picked the note up and unfolded it. Her writing was almost illegible, but I could manage.
"Have you heard the news?"
I look at her in confusion, mouthing "What?"
She grins and quickly scribbles something down for me, then pretended to yawn and passed it to a scary looking girl to my right. Christina was two rows down, and then she passed the note to that girl, who, with a little hiss, passed it to me. Thankfully, Mr. Eccleston was too busy lecturing Will on why it's his job to teach the class, not the student's.
"Tobias Eaton. I heard he's claiming you as his target this semester."
A lump grows in my throat, panic quickly taking me. What? WHAT? WHAT?! I tried my best to conceal my shock, but my face is apparently readable. I grip the edge of the desk, trying to calm down. No. It can't happen here. It just can't…I count down from ten in my head, and take slow deep breaths. Soon enough, I'm calm. I raise my hand, and Mr. Eccleston looks at me
"Yes, Beatrice?"
"May I go to the bathroom? Um, please?"
He nods tersely, and I shoot up from my seat and walk to the door, a smirking Christina trying her best to contain her snickers. On the way out, I can hear Mr. Eccleston reprimand her.
Trying my best to navigate, I turn left, right, down this hallway, down that, hardly remembering where everything was. I soon find myself in the front corridor, gazing worriedly at the map. Reading it, I try to find out where the bathroom was. One, this was actually an emergency. And two, this revelation that the school heartthrob had his eye on me, was actually breath taking. Or maybe I'm just saying that because I'm a small town girl who hadn't ever had a love life-
"You need help, Beatrice?"
I tense up, and turn around to see the intimidating Tobias Eaton right in front of me. His cool eyes stare into my own, but they make me feel all unraveled inside anyways. He wears the school merchandise, the Callister Cougar sweatshirt with jeans. So simple, but it hangs tight around his upper arms, and he rolled up the sleeves. His jeans were fitted just right, and wearing simple converse, he could make old sweats and jeans look good.
"Wha-?"
"I said, do you need any help?"
I try to shake my head, trying to deny I need his help. However, I end up nodding, mumbling something about finding the bathroom.
He laughs, and says he'll take me there, personally.
"You should feel honored, you know," he says as he guides me down countless hallways to the girl's bathroom "Not many girls get a personal escort. Especially not the school heartthrob."
I try my best to shrug his arm off my shoulders, too embarrassed to say anything. Well, what was I supposed to say? This was Tobias Eaton! I had only been here for a few hours, and heard too many stories on the way to class. Stories about his drinking habits, his one night stands, and his apparent parties he had every Friday night. Somewhere inside me, I hope he'll invite me, but I bury It back down as I try to think of a witty comment
"Well, maybe I didn't really need a personal escort…"
His face turns taut, tense, and he grunts in response, as we reach the bathroom. Dashing in, I try my best to be quick, mentally questioning why he was out of class at this point. I try to get it out of my mind as I wash my hands thoroughly and dry it. Swinging the door open, I see him leaned up against the opposite wall, and something inside his eyes seem to light up. He grins and walks over, keeping a slow pace. Agonizingly slow. I resist the urge to walk right into his arms, and then he leans in close, keeping me up against the wall.
"Well, Beatrice…" he says in a low tone, "We're alone. Empty hallway. You should know what that means." He says mockingly, leaning in close to my face. I know my face grows hot, but I try to shrug it off as I shrug, pretending to be obtuse.
Laughing, he suddenly grabs my forearms in his hands and leans in, a smile on his face. My mind freezes as he leans in and whispers in my ear
"You know you're mine. I claim you. No one in this school can touch you, got it?"
I nod, my body quaking from the close encounter. He backs away, respecting my personal space, and offers his hand to me. Staring at it in awe, I take it, and he guides me back to class, keeping a casual conversation the entire time. He seems to act as if nothing happened. When we're outside my classroom however, he grins and turns me to face him
"I'm having a party Friday night…if you want…" he says, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, "You could come. My friend Uriah is cousins with that girl, Christina? Yeah that one." He says quickly, confirming my thoughts. He always seems to know exactly what I'm thinking. "She always goes. She could be your, I don't know, your friend at the party. You get me?"
"Um…yeah, I guess." I say quietly, in a voice that's not my own. I know my face has been permanently red, and he laughs, and winks at me.
"See you around, Tris."
I turn around and hold the cold handle to the classroom, when he whispered something. Something I couldn't quite make out. Rolling my eyes, I turned the handle, and walked into the seemingly quiet class. Will had his eyes on me. Wait, so does Christina. Hold up, did something happen-
"Beatrice, um…dear…", Mr. Eccleston says, eyeing my shoes.
"Yes, sir?"
He turns red, and folds his arms, obviously trying to tell me something that was far too embarrassing to say out loud. Suddenly, a boy with green eyes in the front row yells
"You have toilet paper on your shoe, nitwit!"
Suddenly, the class erupts in laughter and I turn redder then ever as I see toilet paper hanging on from my sneaker. Widening my eyes, I grab my shoe and try my best to pry it off the shoe, as the class laughs loudly. Mr. Eccleston even sneaks in a snicker or too, and outside, I can see Tobias laughing outside, leaning up against the brick wall across the room.
Embarrassment takes me quickly as I shove the toilet paper into the garbage can and walk the terrifying walk of shame back to my desk, and Mr. Eccleston is telling off the boy that yelled at me, Peter or something like that. So that was what Tobias had been trying to tell me. Toilet paper. Damnit Tobias.
TOBIAS'S POV:
"And-And then, she went into the classroom with the toilet paper on the shoe!"
My table erupts in laughter as I recount the story of Tris and her toilet paper. I had managed to block out the part where I had told her my claim, and everyone was losing it. Uriah almost choked from pecans as I told the story, and Lynn had to smash her fist into his back, causing a stream of pecans to launch out of his mouth and hit Shauna Robinson in the face. She glared at us, as she tried to wipe it away hurriedly. I roll my eyes. Girls
"So, she just went in, without noticing?" Marlene Stevens asks, her flirtatious smile finally gone. I nod and then the cafeteria doors open, and a slow smile crosses my face as I see Tris enter the cafeteria. Perfect.
"Hey, Tris!" Uriah yells, waving his hands around like an idiot. Course, he is an idiot. I needed a seemingly handsome friend who could also be an idiot to outweigh my cool. Oh god, my dad would murder me for being so arrogant. But screw him. "Get over!"
Her narrow face goes red as she shakes her head, and sits down in a table near the entrance, with that nerd Will Lataveer and Christina Dowes, Uriah's cousin. Uriah pretends to feign shock, as my target sits with his cousin.
"Christina! How could you!" he yelled mockingly, pretending to be angry, his tone loud and fierce. From here, we can hear his cousin laugh loudly, and yell back very offending words. Tris grew red as Christina yelled the foul languages, and Will pretends he doesn't know them.
Look, I know you're wondering how I know who everyone is in this school. I don't go through the yearbooks and memorize every face and name; I just know. Being the school's star basketball player and heartthrob, you have your responsibilities. And it's my job to make sure the losers know who they are and the winners. There's a fine line between them, but hey, it's just my job.
"Tris!" I yell, and suddenly her face contortions to a face of anger as she stares angrily down at her sandwich. She ignores my adorable banter and keeps eating. Quietly, I raised an eyebrow at her, smirking, but she continues to ignore it. Huh. I look at Lynn, asking for an explanation.
"She got embarrassed, idiot," she says starkly, "She walked right into class without hearing you. You really need to stop mumbling."
Realization dawns on me. This was my fault. I pretty much embarrassed her. I was the one who planted the toilet paper right where she would step. That would embarrass her and (usually this worked, but not this time) she would have ran into my arms, and I would pull on the whole "Don't worry, I got you," blah blah mushy gushy stuff. I did this every year.
But something felt different this time. Something hurt. I can't tell what it was. Was I guilty? Or was I just ashamed.
Something about Tris made me different. She seemed so pure, compared to my corruption and failures. She was like a bird. I was a rock. We were opposites. I and Uriah had played thousands of sophomores, and usually I tried my best to play every one who drooled over me. Maybe that's why she attracted me. Cause she didn't try. She didn't let herself fall head over heels. You should have seen what others have done to try and get my attention, from kissing Uriah, to coming to school almost completely naked. But Tris…Beatrice…she was different. And angry. She had every right to be. I embarrassed her, but obviously she hadn't come running into my arms. She knew exactly how it had happened, judging by the angry conversation she seemed to be having with Christina. This was my fault.
Now it was my turn to make it up to her.