Holding On||Peter Hayes (Divergent)

Chapter 7

Jack and I faced each other, our arms raised in defence. I made the first move, swinging a powerful right hook into Jack's face. He staggered back, balancing once again and coming at me. He grabbed my arm, flipping me over so my back slapped the floor sharply. I groaned, trying to lift myself up but it was as if I was paralysed. Jack jumped on top of me, sending welts to my already battered face. My field of vision became blurry and began to fade. The fight had only begun, why am I so weak?

A flurry of power surges through me, allowing myself to pry Jack of me. He fell back and quickly stood up. I weakly tried to get up, turning around. Jack punched me in the back of the head, making me jolt forward. As the boy's hand reached for my shoulder, I grabbed his arm, pulling his body forward so he flipped over my back and lie in pain in front of me. I took the advantage of Jack's position to straddle him and punch him square in the face. When Jack's no longer squirmed from beneath my weight I stopped. I had won this fight.

During lunch, Jack came towards me. His face was patterned with purple bruises and stained with faint blood traces. He slammed his hands down on the table and glared at me. "I want a do over."

"What?" I splutter, setting my drink aside. "I won, fair and square!"

"I want a do over. First your brother starts to piss me off, now it's you," Jack sneered. "There's something about you two..."

"I haven't done anything to you!" I exclaimed. "What, are you just sick of loosing all your fights?"

"No! It's not that!" Jack roared. "I want a do over. I don't understand you."

"Let it be that way then, you prick." I hissed. Jack raised his hand but it was pulled back by Peter. Jack yelled, his face contorting with a strange mix of emotions.

"Leave her alone," Peter murmured in Jack's ear. Peter let go of Jack, who raced away. "Are you okay, Jones?"

"What is it with you?" I snapped. "I can look after myself, for God's sake!"

"More like what is it with you?" Peter remarked. "First you're all weirded out by me, then you're nice and now you're just being pathetic!"

"Can't you leave me alone?" I yelled, standing up and walking off.

Why the hell is he always in my way?

***

"The game's like capture the flag," Eric explained as all the initiates stood crowding him on the train. He held up a large gun, similar to a rifle. "Weapon of choice."

"You call that a gun?" Molly sniggered to Peter. Eric shot her in the leg. Molly shrieked, sliding down against the train wall while she clutched her leg.

"Neuro-stim darts. Stimulates the pain of a real gunshot wound. It only lasts a couple minutes," Eric said dismissively. "There are two teams. Four and I are captains."

"You pick first," Four told Eric.

"Okay, Edward." Eric said.

Four kept his eyes trained on Tris. "I choose the Stiff."

Eric chuckled. "Picking the weak ones so you have someone to blame when you loose?"

"Something like that," Four smirked. I payed no attention to the names being called afterwards until I heard my own. "Piper." Four nodded at me. I beamed at him and walked over to him. AJ was called over by Eric, and then Four called Marlene over. Eric had chosen all the strong, aggressive competitors (Peter, for example) while Four chose the smaller ones (Tris).