Spitfire - Eric Coulter

Chapter XVIII

"What the fuck?!", I exclaim and see my friends hesitating by the roofs door.

"I got this. I'll meet you for paintball", I state but see Sammy lingering by the door. I decide to screw that.

"Would you please repeat what you just said about me?", I ask Eric, calmly, but through gritted teeth.

"You are a lying little beast."

"I don't know what your fucking problem is Eric, but this sure as hell is not the way I'll let you talk to me. Doesn't matter if others are there or not. And before accusing me of being a little lying beast, would you elaborate, why exactly I am that?"

"You were coming with Four this morning, in his clothes, he gave you cake. It doesn't take much to figure shit out. I'd like to have that necklace back, by the way. It was expensive."

I feel tears of anger gather.

"You know what?! Instead of assuming things, like you do, why not just ask me about what happened, like a normal person?! He was blackout drunk! I helped him back to his apartment. With Zeke. And then stole his clothes because you guys are unable to install heaters in a fucking cave and every drunk guy was making his way back. In the morning we met and he wanted to thank me and kindly suggested I would not mention what happened to anybody, through cake. But who cares, right? Because it was so fucking obvious that I - the lying bitch - fucked around with another guy after I spend the morning watching the sunrise with the person who was my first fucking kiss. Thank you, Eric, for your huge trust in me!", I exclaim, throwing my hands up and then remove the necklace, shoving it into his hand.

"And thanks for the great birthday", I scoff and shove past him towards the door, where Sammy stands with his jaw dropped. I grab his arm and pull him with me.

"Not a word! Do you understand?", I ask. He only nods.

"You and Eric..."

"Kinda, not really, I don't know. We kissed, we talked. That's over when the sun is up, apparently."

"And you and Four? You spent the night at his, you weren't at the dorm."

"Are siblings, but you can't tell anyone that either."

We spend the rest of the afternoon at the tattoo parlour looking through new designs I can spend my voucher on. I like one, but want it on my ribs or in the valley of my breast, so I will not get it with everybody watching.

And then, we go play paintball.

It is like the capture the flag game, just without the flag and that the exploding paintballs hurt almost as much as the stupid darts. Uriah and I are a team, Sammy and Marlene the other, Tris and Christina make up one and Edward joins with Al. Everyone voted to not invite Peter or Drew. Lynn is the gamemaker. She distributes coins throughout the maze in which we play. Whoever has the most by the end wins. Each coin has different value and for each time you get shot, you lose 10 points. I get shot a few times, renewing the bruise by my ribs, adding one on my shoulder and two on my legs. Uriah, ironically, gets shot in the butt by Sammy when retrieving the final, winning coin.

"Oh, come on!", he exclaims and the game ends with Uriah tackling Sammy to the ground, everybody laughing their asses off.

And we still laugh when entering the hall to eat dinner, even though we are bruised, the one on my shoulder already growing dark purple.

My good mood is basically sucked out of my body when I lock eyes with Eric, who sits alone and fiddles with something in his hand while drinking what I assume is coffee. I tear my gaze away, Sammy squeezes my shoulder. I hit him because that makes my bruise hurt more. And my good mood is back when seeing chicken wings and pasta and cake by the buffet.