The Distance Between Us | Eric Coulter

seventeen

Hate is a strong word. And while I didn't necessarily hate Emily, the girl just had a way of grating on my nerves.

Also, how is it that I had managed to miss the fact she transferred to Dauntless too?

Emily had always had her eye on Eric, always vying for him like he was some top prize at a fair that she could win. By the looks of it, that much hasn't changed. If anything, it seems like Eric's leader status has made her double her efforts.

I shook the troubling thoughts from my head. Why the fuck did I even care if she wanted him? Eric was a piece of work- and I don't mean that in a good way. She could have him if she wants him so badly.

Still, there's no denying the way seeing her cling to him made my blood boil and filled me with the profound urge to grab her by the hair and drag her away from him kicking and screaming.

Speaking of the fucking devil, I narrowed my eyes at the pair as they entered the dining hall.

I don't notice that Zeke has been observing me until he turns to see what had brought about the murderous look on my face.

"What the fuck are you staring at-" Zeke started before pausing for a quick moment, "Oh...Oh, damn." I turn to him with a glare just because I was in a nasty mood as he drawls, "Erm, Rory...I think they're heading this way."

My gaze snaps back to where Eric and Emily were strolling down the aisle as if they were the King and Queen of the fucking country. With her arm tucked into the crook of Eric's arm, all Emily's missing was one of those Miss America waves to complete the entire look.

I roll my eyes at them, and Eric- who has had his gaze fixed intently on me the entire time- narrows his eyes at me appraising. Then, as if he could see right through me, the corner of his lip kicks up into a smirk.

Just as Zeke had predicted, the pair stops right in front of our table. And without even bothering to ask if they could sit with us, Eric slips into the empty seat right across from me.

I could feel Shauna tensing beside me like she was getting ready to grab me if I decide to dive right across the table to claw Eric's eyes out or yank Emily's perfect blonde hair clean off her scalp.

But I liked to think that I had more self-restraint than that. Instead, picked up my fork again- resisting the urge to stab the asshole with it- and speared some of my salad into my mouth.

"What the fuck do you want this time?" I grumbled around my mouthful, "If you don't mind, I'd rather not have to stare at that ugly ball sack you call a face while I'm enjoying my dinner."

Zeke snorts, the noise earning him a positively murderous glare from Eric.

He soon fixes his face as soon as his gaze lands on me, pasting on a sarcastic smile. "I just thought the three of us could hang out. Like old times, you know?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, mostly because we both knew that Emily wouldn't have ever willingly hung out with me even back in Erudite, so nothing about this felt like 'old times' as Eric had so eloquently put it.

"I think I'll pass." I shoo him away with a hand, "Now, please. Feel free to fuck right off."

Instead of doing as I've requested- because when the fuck does Eric ever do what I want- Eric leans back in his chair, draping an arm across Emily's back in a way that has me narrowing my eyes on him.

Even though it was Emily that he had his arm around, Eric's eyes never leave me, trailing over my features in a slow perusal.

Then, as if he's decided that he was satisfied with what he saw there, his lips stretch into a wide grin, baring the row of pearly whites at me. My fingers tighten around the handle of my fork and I let myself imagine for just one quick second how satisfying it would feel to knock them right out of his mouth.

Call me a sadist, but the thought makes me chuckle. Even better, it wipes that annoying-ass grin right off of Eric's stupid face.

As if having to sit with them wasn't torture enough, Emily leans forward in the seat and rests her chin in her palm with something that looked borderline malicious flashing in her eyes. And the minute she opens her mouth to speak, I knew why it had seemed that way.

The answer, if you're wondering, is simply that she's an evil little viper.

"Aurora! My goodness, it's been years!" I wince at her screeching voice, "Look at you! You've changed so much. Your hair could still use a little work and those bushy little things you call eyebrows do need a little shaping. But don't worry, honey, I know just the person who can help you." She reaches over to pat my hand as if I was a sad little puppy and I glare at her.

I'm not sure what it is, but Emily has made it clear that she's never liked me much. I can't decide if it's just because people back in Erudite saw me as a bit of a weirdo or if it's because she thought I was monopolising too much of Eric's time, but either way, we never saw eye to eye.

"Still a vast improvement, though," She continues on as if I wasn't shooting daggers at her with my eyes. She turns to Eric, leaning in and nudging him with her shoulder with a wide smile as if there were sharing some kind of an inside joke. "Remember how she was always following you around? What was it we used to call her? Stage-five Clinger Caddel?"

Though it sounds trivial now, the nickname still brings back bad memories.

I can already feel my face growing hot. I didn't spare my friends a glance, not wanting them to see how much her dumb comment had affected me, but to my surprise, Shauna jumps right to my defence.

"Oh, honey," Shauna's tone was dripping with condescension as she lowers her gaze pointedly to where Emily had her arm wrapped around Eric's, "If anyone's the clinger here, I'm pretty sure it's you."

I bite back a smile at Shuana's jab at Emily before leaning towards Emily, "Also, now that I think of it. Weren't Erudites supposed to be smart? And yet the best you bunch could come up with was Stage-five Clinger Caddel?" I muster up a sickly-sweet smile as I shoved out of my seat, "Careful with those meatballs, Emily. I'd hate for you to choke on them." I paused thoughtfully before shrugging, "Actually, better yet, please do."

As I step away from our table, I brave a glance at Eric expecting to see him staring back at me with that same smug smile he's been wearing ever since he sat down with us. But he wasn't. Instead, he was glaring at Emily with his brows pulled close together in a frown.

I didn't bother putting in the energy to try and decipher the look that he was shooting her or even let myself hope that maybe a part of him still gives a flying fuck about me. All I knew was that I was all too familiar with Eric's glares and I would hate to be her right now.