A/N: So sorry for another long wait! Real life has not been leaving room in my head to get into the minds of these characters, so I've been rather uninspired. I'll try not to leave you waiting so long next time, but regardless... I promise you I am not abandoning this story!
Thank you as always for reading, and an extra big thanks to those who take a minute to leave a comment! I love hearing from you!
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2016 | 11:15 AM | FOUR
I am standing in the alley behind our apartment building. Why I followed Uriah and Tris this far, I cannot explain. I am barely avoiding a slimy-looking puddle on the wet, cracked asphalt beneath my feet, forcing me too close to the nearly overflowing dumpster. Thank God it's winter; the odor is pungent enough now. In the summer, Zeke and I always fought about who should take out the trash, because the heat ripens everyone's refuse to a stench that is unbearable.
It started with Uriah bouncing around the apartment, bragging to Tris that he found the answer to their problem and it wouldn't cost them a dime. Uriah camping out on the couch is already annoying me. I was hoping that Tris and I could fall right back into our usual morning routine, reading together on the couch, but that wasn't possible with Uriah sleeping in on his day off.
As we followed Uriah down the stairwell, Tris told me that she and Uriah had discussed the roommate situation yesterday, but didn't agree on a solution. I hold myself back from suggesting that there is plenty of room for her in my queen-sized bed. That is an invitation that would not go over well. Maybe one day... but not yet.
Uriah's intention becomes clear when, grinning, he proudly points to his left. Next to him, propped up against the fence, is what appears to be the makings of a bunk bed. I can only shake my head. I have often joked that Zeke must have been dropped on his head as a baby. Then I met Uriah and decided that the problem must be something genetic.
"Hell, no," Tris spits. I watch her cross her arms over her chest and level a glare in Uriah's direction.
Uriah's excited smile and outstretched arm both begin falling. "But Triiis," he whines, "why?"
"Where do I even start?" she scoffs. She opens her mouth, then after a long wordless moment, snaps it shut and looks to me with wide eyes.
"The wood is splintering on the frame," I point out. "Those mattresses have been out in the rain, they'll mold. And they don't look very clean."
"They're just a little stained," Uriah protests, startling as a rat skitters out from behind the propped mattresses. "Won't even see it, even when you're changing the sheets, once it's got a mattress cover."
"Uriah, it's disgusting." Tris tiptoes around the slimy puddle and covers her hand with her coat sleeve before tipping the top mattress to show the one beneath. "This one looks like someone was murdered on it. And― oh my god!" Tris shrieks and jumps back, narrowly missing the mystery puddle. "Uriah, there is something moving in there."
A full-body shudder visibly runs through Tris before she leaps around the puddle and back to my side. Meanwhile, Uriah is teasing her about being dramatic while he starts toward the disgusting bed.
"What was it?" I ask Tris quietly, tuning Uriah out.
"My best guess is, a rat's nest," she says, face twisted in disgust.
In the background Uriah's chatter suddenly stops. He lets out a girly squeak and I hear his shoes scrape at the pavement. He turns around to face us and I swear his face is a couple of shades paler than usual.
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Count On Me
FanfictionBeatrice Prior's world seems to be falling apart at the seams. Her boyfriend disappeared without a word, her mother has fallen ill, and there's only one person who understands. With him, she can leave her painful past behind. With him, she can...
