All characters from Divergent belong to Veronica Roth as well as all characters from Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. I own nothing except my version of events.

A/N: Welcome back!

So I've been notified over the past couple of days that this story has been disappearing on and off from my page and some of you are having trouble gaining access to it. I think it's been fixed since yesterday but if it's still glitching I suggest you close and reopen the app and it usually appears again. Hope that helps. FYI, I post new chapters on Thursdays and Sundays so keep a look out on those days. Again, thank you for those of you reading along as I write. It's a big encouragement for me to stay on schedule.

Chapter 4 Ready for a Fight

"I think I'm going to pee my pants." Jared commented next to me. I turned to look at him scrunching my nose in disgust. "I'm kidding!" He said laughingly but it puttered out quickly. "... I think."

"Relax, Jared." Uriah said next to him. "You trained with the best. I won my fight and you will too." He said, clapping him on his shoulder.

I rolled my eyes… and here I thought I was the cocky one.

Ok, really I was just bitter over the fact that I would have to lose my first couple of fights. Unfortunately, I had no other choice. I had to stay under the radar and not call attention to myself so soon in the game.

"Good Job, James." Jacob called out, "Take Mike to the infirmary and come back once you're done." He ordered.

James looked disgusted as he was forced to help a bleeding Mike up off the floor, but we were warned ahead of time that whoever won the battle would also have to take the loser to the infirmary to make sure they were ok.

"Next up…" Jacob started, looking down at his clipboard. "Molly and Tris!"

They both stepped up onto the mat, taking on defensive positions. I had a feeling I knew exactly how this one would go, Tris was pretty weak. I've also seen from the past couple of days how Tris had been picked on repeatedly by her, James, and Peter. It annoyed me to death, I really wished she would stand up for herself… but she never did. She simply took it like she had no other option and kept her head down. If she thought that was a good strategy then she was dead wrong, but from the looks of it she looked like she didn't have one at all.

I tuned back into the fight as Molly punched her in the face. Tris' gasp of pain echoed in the large space as she fell to her knees. Blood seeped from her face but Molly didn't hesitate for a second as she grabbed her by the hair yanking her head down on her knee. I flinched at the impact, I think we all did… even the trainers. She was immediately knocked out by the impact falling face down onto the mat. I looked over to Tobias and saw how tense he'd become and how impacted he had been at watching his crush get pummeled to death. I really wished he would get a handle on his emotions before Eric got a chance to witness his reactions firsthand. I took a mental note to have a little chat with my friend soon…

"Molly!" Jacob announced her name in victory, though there was no need for it. We all knew Tris had lost miserably. "Uriah, help Molly take Tris to the infirmary." He ordered. Uriah jogged forward picking up Tris' limp body effortlessly as Molly trailed behind. "Next up, Jared and Josh."

"You got this." Both Alice and I said as he stood up from our positions on the floor.

He nodded and walked confidently forward, so different from his earlier demeanor. His opponent, Josh, looked about the same build but he was probably about two inches taller. Not that much of a difference if you really thought about it. I bit my lip in slight worry, I really wanted him to win this one. I knew it would help his confidence greatly and if I had to lose my first fight I at least wanted my friends to fare better than I. Alice had already won her fight against one of the transfers which we had all expected to be the outcome. It tended to happen when a transfer was paired up with a Dauntless born... I only hoped I got paired with one as well. It would make my loss not look as bad, and to be honest I wasn't even sure if I would actually win if I tried. I guess it depended on who I was paired up with… not like it mattered, I had to lose no matter what.

I tuned back into the fight just in time to watch Jared hit him with a right hook, Josh's head snapping back at the impact. He didn't wait for him to recover as he used his foot to trip him and he fell hard on his back. Jared climbed on top of him and punched him again, Josh grabbed onto his neck in an attempt to hold him against his own body so Jared wouldn't be able to reach. It worked for about five seconds before Jared figured out he could tilt his body to the left, using the space he created to punch him under his ribs. Josh released a whoosh as he lost his breath and Jared used that to his advantage, pulling Josh's arms up to resume his place back up on top of him and punch him under his jaw instantly forcing him into consciousness.

"Jared!" Jacob yelled.

"Hell yeah!" Uriah cheered fist bumping Jared as he got up, I hadn't even noticed when he'd returned. He offered to help him take Josh to the infirmary and they both hooked one harm under Josh's to haul him off the floor and out of the room.

"Goddam he's good." Alice marveled as they left.

I nodded my head dumbly, still shocked by how easily he'd won his first fight. "I think Uriah is a better teacher than we thought." I muttered.

"Yeah… I thought he and Josh would have a drawn out match, they look about the same build, don't they?" She asked, turning to look at me while still trying to blink away the shock. I could hear another fight going on as we chatted and I giggled at her expression. "You have to have sex with him to congratulate him later." She concluded.

I gasped and shoved her playfully on the shoulder, but I still laughed at her quick encouragement. "You're a bad influence."

"I am not!" She defended, "And people take sex way too seriously."

I nodded along with her, "You're right, plus with all this fighting it's kind of necessary don't you think? I feel like my hormones are all over the place." I admitted. I wasn't lying either, watching all these guys fight against each other woke up something primal within me. Or maybe it was the fact that I would have to lose my first fight and I knew I would need something to make me feel better to make up for it...

Two fights had gone by when I finally heard my name being called.

"You got this, Bella." Alice said helpfully.

I nodded silently but I was already depressed at the thought of having to lose. I took my position in front of my opponent only to find Marlene, a Dauntless-born, facing me with a look of pure fury on her face. I was wondering why that was, before this moment I had never even spoken to her… nor even glanced in her direction.

"I'm taking you down, Stiff." She said in warning.

I would've rolled my eyes but I had to pretend to be scared, still in the back of my mind I wondered why she appeared so angry with me.

We heard the countdown and she lunged at me, it had been pretty reckless and I'd maneuvered out of her way before she could get a hold on me. She launched herself at me again but I evaded her yet again.

Seriously, if she kept coming at me so clumsily it was going to be difficult to pretend like she was better than me.

Seeing her lunges weren't working she finally stopped, analyzing me closely. I could tell by her posture that she wouldn't make another move forward, instead she would wait for me to make it. I sighed out internally, hopefully this wasn't going to hurt as much as I expected it to. I stepped forward throwing a lousy punch, taking the gift she swung low punching me in the stomach. I instinctively moved away shaking the pain away. She jumped on the balls of her feet and looked at me with a triumphant smile. Again, I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I really had no idea what her problem with me was, unless she was just a bitch. I mean that was reason enough for some people, example Peter and James.

She stepped forward this time, more assertive than in the beginning and she went for my stomach again. I curved outward, attempting to look like I'd tried to evade the hit but I let her make contact. I dropped to my knees and she moved fast, wrapping her arms around my throat and her legs around my waist from behind. Bitch, this hadn't been a move we had been taught during training…

I was officially suffocating now, and as dark as it might sound I was suddenly grateful for it. At least when I grew unconscious it wouldn't hurt as much. Still, I wouldn't consider it necessarily fun.

"If you think you're better than me, think again." She whispered angrily in my ear. "Uriah is mine, he'd never look at a weak Abnegation girl like you. You'll become factionless just like the other one. I promise you." She threatened.

What the fuck?!

Ok.

Now the smart thing for me to do here would be to let her threat slide off my skin.

It should be easy, it's not like I was interested in Uriah anyway.

Unfortunately, my pride was making its grand entrance even as I fought to keep it down… it wasn't working. Her promise had made my hackles rise up and I was increasingly getting angrier by the second.

I ground my teeth and used my heels to lift my body off the ground taking her with me. I dropped heavily back down to the ground while simultaneously using my elbow to drop it down on her lung.

She gasped and her hold on me loosened enough for me to flip on top of her. I held onto her hair and pounded my fist down, blood splattering from her nose but she was still conscious, forcing me to punch her again and again. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I was fucking up and as a result I also knew I was disappointing Tobias in the process. Feeling a sudden rush of regret, I hit her a little softer near her temple this time, just enough to knock her out.

Once her eyes closed I rolled off of her, breathing heavily as I sat beside her unconscious body.

I looked up and saw our trainers looking at me with wide eyes. They hadn't expected for me to win and as I surreptitiously took a glance at Tobias I noticed neither had he.

I jumped in place as I heard thunderous clapping coming from the entrance of the training room. My attention shifted towards the door only to find Eric standing there with a wide smile plastered onto his face. "Who would've thought one of the Stiff's would beat one of our Dauntless born?" He asked in wonder. "Had I not been here to witness it I would've attributed it to pure luck." He boomed, capturing me in his gaze.

I blinked back at him still out of breath but remained silent.

He slowly walked to the center towards the mat where I was currently sitting with Marlene still lying unconscious next to me. He squatted down next to her, jokingly placing two of his fingers against her throat, or at least I thought he was joking. "Too bad, I guess she's still alive." He muttered unhappily.

"That's not funny, Eric." Rosalie spoke up.

His eyes cut to her and he glared as he spoke, "It wasn't supposed to be."

She rolled her eyes crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance. "Take her to the infirmary, Bella." She ordered me instead.

I did as I was told, getting onto my knees to slide my hand under her shoulders but I almost gasped in surprise as I felt Eric slide his own arm behind her back making contact with my skin. He grabbed onto her lifeless body and helped me lift her up off the ground. I didn't say a word but it made me feel incredibly uncomfortable having his sole focus directed at me. I also hated the fact that I couldn't find the will in me to look away either.

"Peter!" He yelled, not taking his eyes away from me until Peter stood in front of him. "Help the Stiff take her to the infirmary." He ordered.

Peter took Eric's position eagerly. I could tell he'd do just about anything to please him in any way he could. Pathetic. Without speaking we both carried her out of the room. I could still feel Eric's stare on my back but pretended like I didn't.

"Who's next?" His booming voice could still be heard even outside of the training room.

"Fuck, Stiff. You really did almost kill this one." Peter commented, not sounding at all like he cared for Marlene's well-being. I didn't reply so he continued. "Oh come on. Don't start being Abnegation now. I'd hate to pick on you like I do Tris."

I looked sharply at him then, "Don't compare me to her."

He arched a brow in question, then smiled broadly. "Huh." He said in thought.

I thought he would've smarted back but I think he was too stupid to come up with one as he silently helped me carry Marlene. As soon as we hit the infirmary he dropped her on a chair and threw an unpleasantly wicked smirk at me before leaving.

I rolled my eyes and looked away flagging anyone I could find. I was surprised to find Esme, the same doctor that had treated me on my first day. "Oh," she said in surprise, "Bella right?" She asked. I nodded in confirmation, "Did you get hurt?" She kindly asked as she evaluated me with her eyes.

"No, I uh brought someone who did." I said, moving to the side so she could see Marlene.

"Oh my. Alright well, help me get her on a bed." She requested. I quickly obliged, struggling a bit more this time around because Peter had been holding onto most of her weight the first time.

We managed to push her onto a bed and Esme quickly got to work examining her.

"You don't have to stay, Bella." She said, dismissing me.

Thank god, because I didn't want to be here anymore than I had to. The bitch had it coming. It's not like I wanted Uriah or was I even remotely interested in him. If she had to be jealous of anyone it should've been Alice, and why the fuck was it a problem I was from Abnegation?! That was a big source of my anger, especially because I hadn't even been aware she'd had a problem with me to begin with. I figured she could've easily asked me if I was interested in Uriah, I would have said no, and we could have both avoided this little display. Not only that but she'd made me break my word to Tobias. It had been incredibly stupid and I was internally berating myself over it, especially for the fact that Eric had caught my fight at just the right moment. It angered me even more that not only had he seen me fight but he had also approved. He hadn't given a single one of the other initiates any form of praise so this was a really big deal because other than his glares no one had received anything remotely close to an approval.

I left quickly but paused on my way out glancing through the window of one of the patient's rooms, finding Tris lying there on her back softly prodding at her swollen eye. I was tempted to go in for a split second but thought it a stupid idea. It's not like I cared about how she was doing, though I did know Tobias would undoubtedly be interested. Either way, I quickly shook that thought away as I made my way back to the training room.

I silently entered with only one fight left, noticing everyone completely riveted at the brutality being displayed. I sidled up next to Alice and she glanced in my direction smiling brightly before raising her fist up at me to bump it in congratulations. I reciprocated the gesture and glanced back at the fight. Christina, who I soon recognized as Tris' friend, was fighting against one of the bigger girls from Dauntless. I felt slightly bad for her. She was a small little thing, and it clearly showed as the girl was literally throwing her around like a rag doll. I could tell she was only showing off because Eric was here.

He rolled his eyes noticing this too. "Stop playing with her." He ordered in a bored tone.

The girl nodded and went in for the kill but Christina screamed out "Wait! I give up!" with her arms extended out in front of her in an attempt to protect herself. Her attacker stopped and took a step back looking up to Eric for further instruction.

Eric on the other hand was staring down at Christina, one of his eyebrows suddenly arched in question. "You give up?" He asked in pretend concern, "Asking for mercy?"

She nodded eagerly.

"Ok." He said shortly.

She smiled in relief but I knew better, he was not going to let her off the hook that easy. He walked forward, extending his hand down offering his help. She took it without question.

"Oh crap." Both Alice and I muttered under our breaths.

No sooner had we done so that Eric hauled Christina off her feet, grasping onto her arm tightly as he roughly dragged her behind him.

"Eric! What are you doing?" Tobias spoke up.

Eric didn't even bother to look back as he spoke. "Follow me and find out."

We all stupidly followed. I really didn't understand why, I knew he was going to do something incredibly diabolical. Some of the class looked eager to find out what he was planning while some looked absolutely terrified.

I was neither. I kept my face emotionless, not allowing anyone to see how I really felt. This wasn't the time to look afraid because I was sure Eric would be cataloging all of our reactions. He stopped in the middle of one of the bridges above the chasm and we all stood around crowded on the sides while the trainers joined Eric on the bridge.

"This is really unnecessary, Eric." Rosalie spoke up again. In her mind I think she thought that in some way she would be able to convince him not to do this. I'd noticed during the few interactions between the two that she almost desperately wanted his attention, like when she flirted with him during meals. I idly wondered if they'd hooked up before. It would explain why she suddenly thought she had some type of control over him.

Eric on the other hand only glared at her audacity, making her snap her mouth shut and uncomfortably looking away from his glare. Once she was out of the way he turned back to look at us before he spoke. "Here in Dauntless we don't give up, and we sure as hell don't ask for mercy. We expect our initiates to abide by the same rules." He announced, then hauled Christina to stand in front of him. "You have three options here, initiate. You can hang off the side of the railing for five minutes and face your death head on, die in the process or… join the Factionless." He said unequivocally, letting go of her arm.

She stumbled back, holding onto her arm where Eric had been holding her. She was scared, that much I could tell, but she pushed past the fear making a quick decision. "I'll take the five minutes."

Eric smiled broadly at her answer, "Good choice." He said and without another warning he hauled her over the railing by her wrists and bent forward, giving her enough time to hold onto the lower rungs before he completely let go.

Tobias immediately looked down at his watch, staring down at it as if he could will time to move faster. I could tell he wasn't at all happy with Christina's current predicament but had no power to stop what was happening right in front of our eyes. No one looked particularly thrilled as they watched Christina struggle. Ok so Peter, James and their little gang did look thrilled at the fear in Christina's eyes. I, on the other hand, didn't know where I was exactly. I mean, I agreed that she was stupid for conceding to the fight when she knew none of the other fights before her had been given that option. Did she think she was special? That Eric would have mercy on her when he hadn't given a single indication to having even an inkling of it for anyone else? I don't think he knew what that word meant. He was ruthless to his core and as he looked up, locking eyes with me, I knew it more now than ever. I didn't give him anything though. Holding onto my own feelings on the matter.

He arched a questioning brow at me, and I was confused for the first time. I wasn't quite sure what he was asking exactly. Did he expect me to agree to his current method of teaching? Because I didn't. She may have been stupid and weak for giving up without a fight but the penance seemed more severe than what the crime had called for. I broke my gaze away from him to look around me, wondering if anyone else had seen our interaction but I quickly found that no one had. They were all either looking at their watches or watching Christina.

I heard a whine from her and looked down, finding one of her hands had slipped off the bottom bar leading her to hang by one arm. She openly sobbed now and I realized it was actually kind of sad. If she slipped she would fall to her death and that didn't feel right. I might lack empathy for others most of the time but I wasn't outwardly cruel either. If the person had not wronged me, then I had no reason to hate them. I didn't have time for that kind of thing. I preferred to stay focused on my own issues and on the people I actually cared about. I looked back up at Eric and watched as a slow smirk appeared on his face. I unwittingly gave him an inch as I titled my head to the side and frowned at him for the first time, wondering what the hell he was smirking about. I just couldn't help it, I found this whole situation extremely weird.

I was thankful when Tobias yelled, "Time." Immediately moving forward to help Christina but my expression quickly turned into surprise when I saw Eric bend forward too, grasping onto Christina's flailing arm to help Tobias pull her over the railing.

He mockingly smiled at her as he congratulated her. "See? You're braver than you thought, Initiate." He encouraged, patting her back as if what she had just accomplished hadn't been as terrifying as she had made it seem.

I internally shook my head… that guy was something else. I avoided eye contact with him after that even while I knew he was still trying to catch my attention, but I refused to give it to him. I could still feel his stare on my back as I followed everyone back into the training room.

Once we were all gathered there Jacob spoke up this time, "Well that was something… As always it is only a lesson to be learned in the end." He said, hiding his own feelings on the matter. "It's late and the fights took longer than expected. Everyone is free to go take a bite to eat. We're done for the day." He said dismissing us quickly.

I glanced at Tobias and watched him discreetly tap his leg with his pinky finger, letting me know to go to his apartment as soon as possible. I looked away quickly as I followed behind Alice and Jared but when we reached the doors to the food hall I decided to speak up. "Hey guys, I'm not really hungry after what just happened. I'm gonna go take a walk, I'll see you guys later."

They both nodded in understanding and followed the crowd into the food hall. I released a breath, thankful they had so easily bought my lie. I was sure they were all still caught up in Eric's little scene. I kept my head down as I walked, keeping discreetly to the shadows as I swiftly turned down the hall towards the hidden door leading to the staircase. I climbed up the stairs soundlessly and quietly opened the door to the fourth floor. I peaked around the wall finding the hall empty and I moved quickly again to input the code. As soon as the green light came on I opened the door and slid inside. I hadn't even turned around completely before Tobias was already berating me.

"What the hell was that?!" He asked angrily, staring me down.

My eyes slightly widened at his demeanor, lord help me if he saw Eric and I's interaction at the chasm. "What?" I asked stupidly, not giving anything away.

"You were supposed to lose, Bella."

Ok, so not about Eric. I huffed and walked towards his couch, dropping down in defeat. "I know!" I whined. "I really tried to lose but it was harder than I thought." The look he gave me let me know he hadn't believed me for a second. "Ok, ok…" I acquiesced, "I guess I let my pride take over, but she called me a Stiff and threatened to do everything in her power to send me to the Factionless." I said as an excuse.

He threw me a patronizing look. "And that was worth placing yourself firmly under Eric's radar? Because that's exactly where you are now Bella."

I sighed and dropped my face onto my hands. "I know. I fucked up again… I'm sorry."

He didn't make a noise for some time, but eventually I heard him release an exhausted sigh as I felt the couch move underneath me as Tobias took a seat next to me. He gently grabbed me by the neck and pulled me into his chest, lightly scratching my scalp in comfort. "It's ok, Bella. Just try to lose on the next one." He said lowly, always quick to forgive me in any situation.

I moved my hands away from my face and wrapped them around him instead. He leaned us back into the couch and we sat there for some time thinking over everything that had happened in the short time since I've been here. I bit my lip before I spoke my thoughts, "If I lose the next one… won't Eric get suspicious?" I asked quietly.

He remained silent in thought until he finally answered. "Maybe, unless you're matched with someone stronger than you like Tris was today." He said and I could detect the anger in his voice at the mention of her name. Oh boy, he needed to get his shit together too if he wanted to deflect Eric's attention away from Tris.

"Can you arrange that?" I asked.

"No, we take names out of a bowl and that's how we pair you guys up. The only way to change it is if Eric decides to change a pair, but you seem to be his new favorite so he probably won't do that. At least not to you."

"I don't understand him or the situation at all to be honest. He's really weird and unpredictable... If I get paired with a male Dauntless born or someone taller than me I promise to lose this time."

He chuckled again and squeezed me into him. "Let's hope you do then."

We stayed quiet for some time, now just enjoying each other's company. It felt amazing to be near him once again but things had drastically changed since his move to Dauntless. We couldn't spend as much time together as we used to and I missed that immensely but I couldn't necessarily say that I wasn't happy about not being in Abnegation anymore. It almost felt like If I wanted to have my own freedom I would have to lose Tobias in some way, it was unsettling, but I vowed not to let our current situation get in the way of our relationship. I needed him in my life, no matter how little it was.

"I saw her in the infirmary when I dropped off Marlene." I started lowly, I knew I didn't have to say her name in order for him to know exactly who I was referring to. "She was awake but her eye was swollen, other than that she was fine and I'm sure she's back in the dorms by now." He didn't say anything but it's like I could sense his mood shift even without looking at him. I knew he felt better now that he knew she was ok. "You have to be careful with your reactions towards her, you know. If Eric had been there during her fight today he would've noticed." I warned.

He released a drawn out breath and nodded in silent acceptance.

My job now done I decided to take off. "I gotta go." I said sitting up. "I told Alice and Jared I was going for a walk instead of eating after what happened at the chasm. They're probably waiting for me back at the dorms."

He frowned as I got up and stood with me. "Wait" he said, jogging over to his kitchen to open a cabinet. He pulled out a small wrapped package and threw it to me. I caught it midair looking down at it to analyze what it was.

He chuckled at my bewildered expression. "It's a nutrition bar. Kind of like the muffins mom used to make but more compact and sweeter."

"Thanks." I said with a smile, opening it up and taking a bite. "It's sweeter for sure." I lightly complained but overall thought it was good.

He chuckled again as he watched me still adjusting to non-Abnegation food, "I love you, Bell." He said tenderly.

I looked up at him and smiled at his expression. "I love you too, Tassy."

I moved toward the door and peeked outside, finding it empty I quickly waved back at him and left closing the door behind me. I quickly made it down the stairs and back to the chasm without any problems, I turned towards our dorms only to find Jared leaning beside the girl's dorm room.

"Waiting for someone?"

He jumped and turned around at my voice. "How the hell did you sneak up on me like that?"

I giggled as I watched him catch his breath. "You're surprisingly very oblivious to your surroundings… you should probably work on that." I suggested.

He smiled but it quickly disappeared as he frowned down at me. "Does it hurt?" He asked.

I frowned at his question, "What does?"

"You have a bruise on your neck, Bella. Alice told me you almost lost to a chokehold."

"Oh," I said in slight surprise, not having seen myself in the mirror since my fight to have noticed the bruise, I prodded my neck but felt nothing. "It's ok." I said, shrugging my shoulders in dismissal.

He smiled, lifting his hand up to my face. "You're something else Bella." He commented.

I suddenly got a brilliant idea as I watched the look of want on his face. "Trust me?" I asked extending my hand out for him to take.

He tilted his head in question but nodded nonetheless as he placed his hand in mine. I signaled him to be quiet as I pulled him behind me and of course he followed me without question as I guided him into Alice's hidden spot. Somewhere in the back of my mind I acknowledged the fact that I was currently following her earlier suggestion, but after the day I've just had… I really needed this.

I directed him to follow after me as we climbed up the rock wall. Again he followed without question and I smiled again. Jared was making this a lot easier for me. We finally reached the nook Alice had found and I jumped in before pulling him in next to me. His eyes widened as he looked around.

"Woah, how did you find this place?"

"Alice." I said simply.

He nodded as he walked towards the windows in front of us to look out into the city. It was dark enough to see the lights from afar, lighting up the buildings for both Candor and Erudite.

"I like it." He said, turning to look at me happily but it suddenly disappeared as he found me missing. I giggled and he finally looked down finding me already sitting on the ground. He followed suit and sat next to me. "Thanks for showing me this place, it's awesome."

I nodded with a smile. "So I was thinking…" I started, turning to face him. "I know we've kind of joked about this but I would like to make it real." I said, testing the waters as I placed my hand on his chest. I'd never flirted before, and I figured I might as well try it out on Jared to see if it would work.

He gulped loudly as he answered, "really?" He asked in surprise.

I nodded as I shifted to sit on my knees in front of him, slowly leaning forward. He gulped again as he hypnotically watched my lips and I knew it was working. I smiled outwardly at his reactions, not going to lie, they made me feel extremely powerful. "Are you game?" I asked seductively. He nodded stupidly, not being able to say anything more. "It'll be our little secret." I said clearly.

He blinked out of his daze looking up into my eyes in slight confusion, "so we're not together together?" He asked.

I shook my head at him, letting him know this wouldn't be anything more than what it was. "You still game?" I asked again.

He looked down at my lips again and nodded eagerly as he spoke. "Yeah, yeah. Definitely."

I smiled one last time and went in for the kill. Pressing my lips against his, he moaned against my mouth and I coaxed him to open up for me. He did as I asked and slipped my tongue into his mouth, he moaned again and I took the opportunity to straddle his lap slipping my hands into his hair.

He barely moved and a thought suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't previously thought of before this very moment and I pulled away.

"Jared?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Is this your first time?" I asked quietly. He bit his lip and I smiled softly at him, trying to reassure him. "It's ok if it is, I'm just worried that I'm taking something you've been saving for someone special. I'm not that person, Jared. I'd understand if you wanted to wait for someone who is. I would hate to ruin our friendship over this." I said quietly, as I sat back on my heels.

He looked at me and smiled. "You are special, Bella."

I shook my head with a small smile on my face, hoping my next words would communicate what I wanted to convey. "I don't mean it like that. I know I'm special, but not in that way. I meant special as in someone you are in love with."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry. I guess I should've talked to you before I came onto you like this. I just thought you weren't because you so openly flirted with me and you seemed so sure of yourself." I began to pull away further but he held onto my arm.

"No. I mean… this would be my first time but… I want this with you, Bella. As long as we stay friends in the end it doesn't matter." He said with so much certainty in his voice it produced a smile on my face.

"Good." I said, then climbed back on top of him, placing his hands on my waist. "Do whatever feels right and don't worry, I'll guide you if you're doing something wrong." I reassured him.

He smiled in thanks and I leaned forward again, kissing him softly before I increased our pace. His hand around my waist tightened but he didn't move them from their assigned spot. To guide him a little more I grabbed one of his hands and slid it up to my breast. "Don't think about it." I whispered, trailing kisses along his neck. He gasped when I reached the crook of his neck and his hand instinctively tightened on my breast. I moaned, encouraging him to keep going.

He lifted his other hand but this time he was bolder, slipping his hand underneath my shirt. I smiled into his neck at his initiative and leaned back grasping the bottom of my shirt to pull it off. He looked at me in surprise and I smiled as I pulled my sports bra off too. His eyes widened in awe as he stared at my chest.

"Holy crap, you're hot."

I giggled at his words and grabbed onto his hands, sliding them up my torso until they captured my breasts. "Follow my hands." I ordered.

He nodded as his breathing increased when my hands remained on top of his, moving him at my will to squeeze my breasts. I moaned and ground my hips against his, wanting to assuage the pulsing in my groin in some way but I knew I had to go slow. Still, I was hoping he'd be a quicker learner, at least quicker than Edward.

His breathing grew rapid as he watched me pinch my nipples, he again followed after me and I gasped, throwing my head back in pleasure. "Keep going, Jared." I ordered, while I removed my hands to slide them into his hair. We moaned together this time and I couldn't help myself any longer, reaching down to grasp onto the bottom hem of his t-shirt. "Can I?" I asked. He nodded eagerly and I smiled, pulling his shirt up over his head.

He released my breasts long enough to help me take his shirt off before getting back to it. I noticed his chest was a lot firmer than Edwards, I guessed it was because he helped farm back in Amity. He moaned at my touch, starting a pulsing need in between my legs. I couldn't help but slide my hand into my leggings, rubbing over my clit. I moaned loudly and he looked down following my hand. His eyes widened in awe and looked up at me before asking, "Can I see?"

He asked so innocently it caught me by surprise. I nodded and stood up, slipping my hands onto the waistband of my leggings and underwear, sliding them down and removing them completely. I found him doing the same with his own sweatpants and I smiled. Once we were both completely naked I straddled him again, this time widening my legs further out and creating space in between us so he could see. "Watch first and when you feel comfortable you can take over if you want to."

"I want to." He said quickly.

I smiled and slipped my hand in between my legs again, swirling two of my fingers over my clit. I moaned and threw my head back, involuntarily grasping onto my breast with my free hand. I moved on top of him, I could hear the increase in his breath until suddenly another foreign noise penetrated my fog filled mind. Curious, I looked down, finding Jared pleasuring himself as he watched.

"Oh shit." I gasped, I could instantly feel myself getting wetter, so much so that I was pretty sure I was dripping down onto his legs. He smiled pleased with my response and then he pulled my hand away and took over for me. I gasped again and attacked his mouth. He kissed me back fiercely, a lot more differently than the first time. I tightened my grip on his shoulders and bobbed up and down on his hand. "Slide two fingers inside." I practically begged, reaching down to maneuver his hand helping him slide his two fingers where I needed them the most. "Yes, Jared. Keep going."

He did as he was told and moved them in and out of me, following the pace of my body. I kissed him again and slid one of my hands over my folds, gathering my wetness to slide my hand over Jared's erection. He moaned at my touch and his hips moved quicker, I could tell he was close. I was starting to feel the beginning of my climax approaching but I wanted to catch up to him so I reached down with my free hand to rub against my clit. By now Jared had stopped kissing me and was just trying to reach his orgasm, once he found it I felt his juices fall onto my hand. He leaned away watching as it happened, moving his hips up into my hand. I was still moving on top of him trying to chase after my own orgasm but noticing this, a determined look overtook his features. He pushed my hand away, moving his thumb over my clit as his fingers pumped into me. He grasped onto my ribs and pulled me forward, sucking my nipple into his mouth.

I gasped and moaned, "Right there, Oh god, right there." I moaned, grasping onto his hair and guiding him to my other nipple. "Curl your fingers." I instructed, he did as he was told and sucked on my neglected nipple a little harder than the other and I broke. My orgasm finally crashing into me.

I kept moving until I finished riding out the waves, pulling his fingers out of me and stopping once I was fully satisfied. He continued to suck on my nipples but I corrected him. "Slower now, use your tongue. They're more sensitive now." I said quietly. He did as he was told and I released a sigh in contentment.

Once he was satisfied he pulled away and looked up at me with a happy smile, "Thank you." He said honestly.

"Thank you." I said right back, and I wasn't lying either.