Seven Sins- Divergent/Eric fanfic Book1-2 (complete)

20~ Protector

When I woke up I desperately needed to blow off steam, I sparred with Alyssa, Adam and Tarrant until I was physically out of breath, I'd earned bruises on both my jaw and my un-injured arm. My stab wound had mostly healed but it still hurt to swing and rotate my arm in any way, I'd been fighting against three people (separately) with one arm and I'd only lost to one of them, I was pretty proud of myself.

The four of us met Z and Eli for breakfast and quickly stole the last free table, I was between Adam and Alyssa while they were talking to Z and Eli opposite. Suddenly Adam nudged my side and pointed to the door "heads up, it's Thackeray"

"We should invite him to sit with us" Alyssa said as she stood up, but before she could wave Thackeray sat with the group of boys Eli usually sat with "when did that happen?" She said as she sat back down.

Eli shrugged, looking just as confused as we did "I don't know, I haven't really talked to them in a while, they're really competitive and all they wanted to do was party during stage one, that's why I sat with you guys more"

"Oh and I thought you just couldn't keep away from me" Adam smirked sarcastically.

"In your dreams, dude"

"Only in my wildest, I assure you"

Eli pulled a face and went back to observing his hooligan friends "at least he's smiling"

"Yeah, but he's dropped right down the ranks, he's gone from the best to the worst. Four says he's not even trying anymore. He spends most of his free time drinking, fighting and getting tattoos" Z was right, he had become a shell of the bright boy he once was, when he reached across the table for some eggs his sleeve rode up his arm and I saw it was covered in tattoos, I couldn't see a patch of bare skin, there was nothing wrong with that of course, but he'd done it for the wrong reasons "don't do that to yourself, Alyssa"

I turned my attention to Alyssa who had turned to Z with her eyebrows narrowed "what?"

"Blame yourself, we all tried to help him but he didn't want it, we just have to let him be now" I had tried several times to talk to him after that night when we all sat with him, but he always turned me away, you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped.

My eyes turned to Eric as he walked in and my face fell, I had run away the day before, when he shouted at me like that, I had run in fear, I let him think it was okay for him to do that. I swore to myself in that moment that I would never let him do that to me again, if he did I'd shout right back.

As I was looking away I noticed Four, his eyes were looking between Eric and I, but he wasn't really looking at me, he was looking at my arm, I followed his gaze and saw the bruises there. He must have known I'd go and talk to Eric after what he said yesterday, a guilty look washed over him and he looked at Eric again, noticed his freshly scabbed knuckles and suddenly he looked angry. I realised he had put two and two together and made five.

Four jumped out of his chair and I felt myself dying a little inside, my heart started racing "oh fuck!"

"What?" Adam asked.

"Fuck!" I tried to get Four's attention "he didn't! It wasn't-" it was too late, the two instructors started arguing, I saw Eric point his finger in Four's face, he looked furious, then Four shouted back and pointed at me, I turned back around to my food quickly and bowed my head. I wanted to disappear, I wanted the world to swallow me whole.

Z leant forward over the table "Eric incoming" and sat up straight again once Eric was right behind me.

"Get up"

I turned innocently, and looked at Adam "what?" It was probably best not to play innocent, I could see that Eric's eyes were aflame and he was at breaking point.