MORTALS

/17: First Dates Are Awkward

...Pain...

...More pain...

...A little hungry...

...Even more pain...

I groaned and shifted under the warm embrace of the blanket...

Wait—

Where am I?

I shot up, then immediately regretted it. My headache was back, along with a dull throb. The skin over my face felt like it was stretched tightly. When I shut my eyes tightly, a patch under my eye, near my cheekbone, flared in pain. I blinked the sleep away from my vision, trying to adjust to the room.

I wasn't in the gym anymore; I was back in my dorm.

It was already dark outside.

How long did I sleep?

The curtains were still drawn, letting in a soft glow from the moonlight. The room was silent, aside from the steady breathing coming from Addy's bed. I looked over to see her figure passed out. Ignoring the pain, I swung my legs over the side of my bed. I was quite happy to see that my clothes hadn't been changed while I was out conscious. I racked my brains, trying to remember what happened.

Quarrel with Quinn, resulted in having to spar, during which I broke her nose, so she sucker punched my lights out. Yep. I made a friend!

I walked to the bathroom, the tiles cold against my bare feet. I flipped the light switch and stared at my reflection.

My skin looked more flushed than usual. Blood was probably pumping through my face, trying to mend the damage. At least I didn't look dead. My hair was slightly tangled, and had been put into a low ponytail. There were slightly bruised spots along my arms, probably from when I fell the first time. Under my eye was a large bruise, blooming blue, black, and purple. My lip looked swollen, like it had just stopped bleeding. I lightly prodded the bruise on my cheekbone, wincing when pain followed.

I locked the door for privacy and jumped into the shower. I rested my forehead against the cool tiles, allowing the water to cascade down my back. I sighed and closed my eyes, images of the short day passing through my mind:

My first morning with Daniel, Leo, and Addy; Getting to see the Hunger Games/Divergent training room; Fighting Quinn (and hopefully kicking her spoiled butt); and Asher offering me a date.

Asher! Crap, I forgot about him! Damn it.

I quickly finished my shower and dried off. I snuck back into the room to change. I slipped into a pair of black leggings and a loose black top. I dried my hair as best I could and combed out the tangled ends. I left the dorm, closing the door behind me quietly as possible. The next room, the small one with the desk, was lit with the lamp on the table. I quickly walked out, hoping no one had heard me so far.

The living room was better lit, the floor-to-ceiling windows letting in much more light. The moonlight cast shadows on the walls, which moved and warped with the clouds. There was a funny crackling noise. I turned and saw that the fireplace was still on. I contemplated putting it out, but I didn't know how and I was too lazy to figure it out. I walked over and sat in front of the fireplace, my legs to the side like a mermaid.

There wasn't really much to do; There wasn't any homework I could do, and I wasn't up for another round with Quinn. I wasn't fully awake, per se, just not sleepy. There was nothing much for me to do. I just sat there, staring at the angry flames as they licked the inside of the fireplace. It burned, just like my hatred for Quinn.