"Telling someone the truth is an act of love."~ Anonymous
*****
When I wake in the morning… whoa, backtrack. For starters, I don’t wake. Callie wakes me. Noisily. Crying. With way too much light involved. And secondly, it isn’t morning. Let’s start over:
When Callie wakes me, midafternoon, the first thing I notice is that she’s in floods of tears, clinging to me, soaking me. The second thing I notice is that she isn’t really doing anything – I’m lying in a bathtub full of water, so I’m pretty much as soaked as you can get already.
I don’t know why my best friend is crying, but I hold her close anyway, feeling her warmth, taking in everything about her and comforting her… until I realize I’m covered in puke. And remember that I’m also covered in water. I pull away, looking at Cal, apprehensively.
“Cal, what’s wrong?” I think that’s a pretty fair question to ask when your friend is sobbing on you hysterically, even though you’re pretty sure that she shouldn’t want to touch your puke stained body, and you don’t know why.
Evidently not, but the way that she’s staring at me, glaring through those beautiful almond shaped eyes of hers (I wish I had eyes like that) or by the fact that I just got punched. Hard, on the shoulder.
As I rub my arm gently (for such a delicate frame, that girl sure does know how to throw a punch), the ranting begins.
“How dare you ask me what’s wrong, Amber Rose? You, girl, are what’s wrong. I mean,” she gestures at me, sweeping her arm across my figure as it sits, hunched as though that will protect it from her metaphorical blows, “look at yourself! I come in here, just an hour after I left you alone, and you’re unconscious in a bloody bathtub covered in your own puke, and you have the audacity to ask me what’s wrong?”
I grimace. Damn. I knew this bathtub was too short to do the job properly. Should’ve used a swimming pool… or a lake… or the pool of Callie’s tears, because that’s quite sizeable as well. I never realized so much water could fall from one person’s-
“Don’t you go all spacing-out on me again, Amber.” Callie says, fiercely. She bends down to my height and when she next speaks her voice is different. Softer. Broken. And somehow a broken Cal is so much worse than and angry one; it kills me from the inside out. What have I done to her?
It’s like she can read my thoughts – “What have you done to me? What have you done to yourself, Amber? Can you tell me why you thought it was a good idea to try and frikking drown yourself? Cause I’m sure I don’t know.”
I sigh and sink lower into the bathtub, causing Callie to growl and pull me out of there, stripping me down to my underwear. Instinctively, my arms come around my chest to hide it from view, because I’m not entirely comfortable with her seeing me in this state, and every time she so much as glances at me, it feels… intimate. I don’t know her that well yet.
I move past her and grab a towel. This is ridiculous. She’s my best friend for god’s sake. I sigh again, covering myself.
“Callie… I don’t belong here. You know I don’t.” And every time I see you with Julian, it kills me, I add silently. And my brother’s getting to me… I can’t help thinking of how much I’m like him.
My best friend faces me. “Amber Rose… what was your last name in Erudite?” I shiver from the cold and from how wet I am and from how much I am not liking this conversation and I mumble it to her. “Amber Rose Seacole, you can belong anywhere if you try hard enough. And right now, you need to try to belong here. In Candor, with me.” She stares at me very hard. “And Julian,” she adds as an afterthought, “he needs you too.”
She looks at the ground, her eyes staring but not seeing and, feeling sorry for her (I obviously gave her quite a scare with my attempted suicide) I take her hand. She grasps mine as though she never ever wants to let go, and for a moment my heart leaps with joy before I tell myself not to be stupid – even though the tingly feeling doesn’t quite leave.
“Don’t you ever try to leave me again, Amber. I need you.” Callie whispers and I close my eyes. How can I say no to that?
*****
A/N: WHAT DO WE THINK PEOPLE
Please vote and comment ALL your opinions because it means the world to me (i will reply to your comments, promise!)
Bonus question of the week - which faction are you and WHY (best answer earns dedication)
Peace out,
Rae x
YOU ARE READING
Truth (a Divergent Fanfic)
Romance"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Amber Rose is a Candor initiate, an Erudite transfer and a liar. Struggling to fit in in a place she doesn't belong, how can...
