Revolution -Eric Coulter-

Chapter 18

Riley pulled her hair down from the tight ponytail it was in. She sighed in relief as the pain in her skull began to fade. The day had been long, and she only wanted to lay down in her bed, but she had to eat first. After Peter threatened her life, she spent the afternoon with Eric in the infirmary icing a bruise that didn't need that much attending to. Riley couldn't help but think about Eric and his confusing actions. Maybe Christina was right, but Riley wasn't going to admit that.

Whatever was going on with Eric couldn't be her problem. Riley had bigger issues, and they were much more serious. Jeanine was hunting down Divergents, and her secret could be discovered at any moment. Tobias had said he would figure something out, but time was running out. They were about to finish their last week of initiation, and once Riley became a full member of Dauntless, things would change. But she wasn't sure if it would be for better or worse—either way, Riley had to be ready.

"I can't believe he said that to you," Christina glared at Peter from across the room. Riley had almost forgotten they were talking. Her mind was racing with different thoughts.

"Good thing Eric was there," Tris played with the sleeves of her sweater.

"Yeah," Christina tried to hide her smirk. "Good thing." Riley kicked her under the table. "Ow," she rubbed her leg. "Rude."

"Are they going to do anything about it?" Tris acted as if she didn't hear Christina.

"No," Riley sighed. "I mean, he didn't even deny attacking Edward. And then said I should watch my back."

"Sounds like a confession."

Tris seemed to agree, "it's ridiculous."

"It's Dauntless."

"We are supposed to trust each other," Riley argued. "Stabbing someone in the eye from behind is a cowardly act."

The conversation abruptly ended as Will sat down in the seat beside Christina. "Hey guys," he had a bright smile on his face. "What are we talking about?"

"Nothing," Christina glanced at him. Riley noticed the way her posture changed when Will joined them.

But Tris noticed first that Al wasn't with him as usual. The two always joined them for meals, but today it was just Will. "Where's Al?"

Riley perked up at the mention of her close friend and started to wonder where he was. Al always sat beside her, and his absence made her uneasy. "With his new friends."

Will pointed to his right, and the three girls followed his line of sight. Riley was astonished to see Al sitting directly next to Peter. "What the hell is he doing with Peter?"

Peter spoke loudly and used a lot of hand movements. As he turned his head, he caught sight of the group watching him and smirked. Sending them a wink, he went back to talking with Al. "No idea," Will seemed annoyed. "Just started during training."

"That's impossible," Christina said. "I spoke to him earlier. We trained together for a while."

Riley caught Al's eye, and she smiled at him. Raising her hand, she sent him a friendly wave. But he didn't return it. Instead, he looked down at his plate. "Is he mad at me?"

"No idea," Will spoke honestly. "Could be anyone."

"Who knows what Peter told him," Tris reasoned.

Christina took a sip of her water, "he's clearly making threats."

"It's fine," Riley began. "Al's our friend. He wouldn't believe Peter." The others murmured in agreement, not entirely sure if they believed her words or not. Riley knew that Peter was trying to get to them through Al, and it was working.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley covered her mouth as she yawned and stepped into the hallway for her usual nightly walks. But she barely made it through the door when her body collided with another. "Oh, sorry," Riley regained her balance. She looked up to see Al standing in front of her.

"You're good." Al went to step around her, but Riley was quick to stop him.

"What are you doing out here so late?"

Al rubbed the back of his neck, "nothing."

"Oh," Riley bounced on her heels. "Why were you sitting with Peter at lunch today? I didn't know you guys were friends."

"We are," Al lied to her. "And I can sit wherever I want."

Riley flinched at his harsh tone. Al had never snapped at her before. She didn't think he had it in him, but apparently, he did. "I just asked a question-"

"It's really not your business."

"Why are you talking to me like this," Riley tried to pretend it didn't bother her. However, it did. She never had friends in Abnegation, and now she did. Al meant a lot to her, and she didn't like the way he was acting. "I thought we were friends?"

Al's demeanor changed, but just for a moment. "Are we?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Peter overheard you and Christina talking," Al turned away from her.

Riley didn't understand what he was talking about. "Okay? I talk to Christina all the time."

"You were talking about-" Al paused. He swallowed the lump in his throat before speaking again. "He heard what you said about me."

"What," she tilted her head to the side. "What did I say about you?"

Al still couldn't meet her eye. "It doesn't matter-"

"It does to me," Riley raised her voice slightly. "Peter is crazy, Al. You know that. He threatened me earlier and-"

"He isn't crazy," Al shouted. Riley stepped back slightly, unsure of what his next move was. "He's actually looking out for me."

"You're being naive." The argument had escalated quickly and showed no signs of stopping. Riley was upset that Al, her trusted friend, was taking Peter's side. "We've been friends since we got here. Why does that not mean anything to you?"

"I'm not naive." Al's neck was red, and the color began to creep into his cheeks. But he ignored the rest of her statement.

"What could Peter possibly have said to make you hate me?"

"He heard Christina ask if you were interested in me, and he said you were completely disgusted." Riley was stunned and slightly appalled. "And the only reason you climbed the boards was because you're with Eric-" but he didn't finish after that.

Riley's mouth was parted. It wasn't true what Peter had told him. Although Riley did talk to Christina about Al but didn't say anything bad about him. And the Eric thing was a complete lie. "You seriously believe that?"

"It makes sense," Al threw his arms out. He didn't notice the way Riley flinched. "Why I always find him with you. Why you always sneak away at night."

"You're an idiot, Al," Riley was furious. "I never said that about you. You're, frankly, one of my best friends. I cared about you." Al winced at the past tense word she used. "I only happen to run into Eric, and honestly, he talks to me because I treat him like a person. You should try it sometime."

Her words seemed to break something in Al, who went completely silent after that. Riley didn't back down from her defensive position, and luckily, someone came to her aid. "Hey," it was Christina and Will. "What is with all the yelling?"

"Nothing," Al ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah," Riley glared at Al. She couldn't believe someone she trusted so much would think so little of her. "We're done here." But she wasn't talking about the conversation, and Al knew it.