Ordinary Acts of Bravery [A Divergent Fanfic]

Chapter 13 - The coward way out

"Forget what or who hurt you but never forget what it taught you."

          I had been told to rest but it was already late, and dinner had started not long ago. Even though my entire body ached from the attack, I still longed to be around the people I loved. Pulling the sleeves of Eric's sweatshirt down over my elbows, I scooted off the bed and turned to the door where I slipped out unnoticed. I wouldn't have the nurse telling me to remain where I was.

The hallway was blissfully empty, the only sound accompanying me was my own footsteps against the concrete flooring. The closer I got to the dining hall, the tighter my chest felt. My heart had already begun racing, both in fear, but also in anticipation of what would happen when I stepped into the dining hall.

What would happen when I came face to face with Isaac?

The familiar chaos of the dining hall was more than welcomed to occupy my mind. The thoughts, and memories, of what had happened was completely drowned out. The tears that had swelled in my eyes when they landed on Roxy all but disappeared when noticing Isaac at another table. Sophia and Aiden was also at the same table. They were both unusually quiet.

Isaac sat at the table he always sat at, eating as if he had no care in the world or guilt as to what he had just done to me. There were no blood left, but I could see his nose were still crooked. It was definitely broken. My jaw clenched, a muscle feathering and my hands tightened into fists. Had it not been for the closeness of Eric and the other leaders, I would not have hesitated to retaliate, to get revenge right there and then.

How I wanted to punch Isaac again, the one punch I had managed to land had done a bit of damage to his face, his nose now a little crocked on the otherwise perfect face. With a satisfied smirk of my work, I turned to Roxy and the others at the table we usually sat at. Tadeo and the twins often joined us, just as they had done today.

When I slipped into the empty seat next to Roxy, it wasn't entirely unnoticed. Her eyes went wide before she silenced the gasp that swelled in her throat, and coughed once to mask it. Then she grabbed both my hands, forcing me to turn to her so she could assess the damage.

I hadn't considered how bruised my face properly would be after the beating. Roxy allowed a hand to travel to my cheek, gently cupping my face but it made me wince in pain because she had touched a tender spot. The pain only reminded me of how real it was. Isaac had really tried to kill me in the end. Sophia and Aiden had backed out the moment he changed.

"O, what has happened to you?" Roxy whispered, trying to make me look at her but I was unable to for a while because Isaac and his friends choose to become unbearably loud at that moment. Cupping the hand resting on my cheek, I removed it, only to wrap my own hand around hers. It was first then I raised my eyes to hers, they had gone wide with worry and disbelief as she took in every injuries on my face.