Fate

Chapter Six: School

Fate

Ch 6

I wake up to a cold sweat against my forehead, panting and my mind rattling with fear. I can feel the ghost of a belt slicing across my back. I look to the clock to see that it's several minutes to seven. I get up from my new bed in the loft and go to a water pump outside the barn to wash my face.

I look over my shoulder to see the house and see Tris's bedroom light switched on. I find myself thinking about her voice, her southern accent distinct with sleep.

I shake my head to clear the stupor I find myself sinking on whenever my mind wanders to Tris.

After heading upstairs to get dressed I head up to the house, hoping for breakfast. It's so bizarre for me to be waited on and even more bizarre for someone to have an emotion other than rage and anger towards me. This little town, the only place I've ever known other than my apartment, is already more of a home than I've ever known and these people more of a family than my father and MIA mother.

Walking in through the back door I smell bacon and eggs and hear the clatters of dishes and silverware. Mrs. Prior greets me with a small tired smile that I return. I get a plate form the cabinet and load it with food, like I always did before bringing the plate to Marcus. I keep trying to block all thoughts of life before yesterday from my conscious mind but to no avail. Instead I just plow into my food, getting lost in my thoughts.

That is until I notice Tris come out of her room. Even though her eyes are still glassy from sleep and her hair is sticking out in every which way I find myself admiring her. I force myself to look away from her. Even with my lack of social experience I know staring is not exactly socially acceptable. Still I watch from the corner of my eye as tris makes a bee line towards the coffee maker and bacon. After pouring a big cup, completely with out sugar or cream she grabs a hand full of bacon and sits across from me at the table. "Good morning." I say to her. Tris sips her coffee before mumbling something unintelligible. She's almost as bad as Marcus was in the mornings, just without the violence and death threats.

I hear mrs prior laugh from across the room and I look over at her. "I wouldn't try to make any sort of communication with that one in the morning," she gestures to tris, "until she's had caffeine she's as good as dead." I give a small smile and turn back to my food.

From across the table I see Tris slowly awaking from her zombie state. Her eyes uncloud and her movements less robotic. She looks up at me as if just seeing me for the first time. Her eyes go wide and she tries to smooth down her hair. I smirk at her and she get even more flustered. She slides up from her chair and mumbles something about getting ready. Fifteen minutes later we leave for school is Tris's old truck.

Tris looks at me with mock seriousness, "Are you ready to face your first day of public high school?"

••••••

The day passes in a blur. I get to my first period class okay, only with the help of Tris. Second period I decide to wait out in bathroom after wandering around for thirty minutes looking for my class. I make it the third period and manage to get to the lunch room alright. I find Tris standing in a line holding a tray. I walk across the huge room to her, receiving more than one nasty look. When I reach Tris I see she's doing a bad job at concealing a grin. Her smile is contagious and I find myself smiling as I ask her she's smiling about.

"You completely cut the line." She laughs. I have no idea what she's talking about- I cut what line? I don't even know why everyone's standing here- but I laugh with her anyway. That is until I see her eyes darken and focus on something behind me. I turn around and look to see three people approach Tris and me. I don't miss the look of fear others give these three as they come nearer. I feel myself go tense and notice that beside me Tris does the same. I'm starting to get the same feeling as when Marcus would approach me, an animalistic look in his eye, marking me out as his prey. I see the same look in the boy's eyes. And then he's just feet from us. Just feet from Tris. I feel the need to protect her from anything these boys could do to her.

Before I can even open mouth to tell the group- two boys and a girl- to leave Tris alone the boy in the front speaks. "I was gonna ask you if your family hired a body guard to watch out for you," his eyes flick to me, "but I remembered they can hardly afford to buy groceries each week." I feel my hands clench up. "Good one, Peter." Tris sneers, angrier than I thought possible for such a little person.

"But really Beatrice," Peter drawls out her name, mocking it, "I'm quite concerned for your health you seems awfully thin." His two followers laugh like hyenas behind him. "Say, I haven't seen your brother around recently, has he died of starvation yet? Has he gone to visit with your dear little sister?" I can tell this strikes a nerve with Tris and I react before I think. I slam my fist into peters jaw.

I can hear the people around us yell and scream. A teacher comes running up and separates me from peter. All I see before the teacher drags me to principles office is Tris, her eyes gleaming with something I can't put a name to.

•••••

I sit in the chair of the principles office. I tap my foot in irritation. My body still hums with the adrenaline of punching peter. I don't regret it and I would do it again any day. I would do anything to protect some one from people like peter.

The principle says something in an irritated voice. I look up and shift my attention back to him. "What?" I ask, irritation clear in my voice. All he's said so far was that I was wrong to punch someone. What he does know or seen to understand is that I have a reason for my behavior. Every time I tried to interject my side of the story he's cut me off and continued. He'd gotten repetitive so I zoned him out.

" I'm going to have to give you detention." He tells me.

I look at him and I'm sure my annoyance is quite clear from my expression. " your going to give me detention for defending a girl who was being verbally bullied. I think you should rethink your methods of punishment."

I see something shift in the principles eyes but he's still so angry that logic will just float off of him like water form a sucks back. "Don't make me make your detention a week- I don't want to hear your sass."

I stand up and roll my eyes turning around. "Where do you think you're going?" The principle demands.

"Home." I say. And I mean it. For the first time I ever there is a place in the world that I can actually call home.

-annades49890