[Chapter 8: Taking Sides]

     Exhale. Inhale. Open the damn door. Why can't I open the door? Oh, maybe because the guy behind it could kick me out of his apartment and threaten to take my little sister away. But why would he do that?

     "Tate?" My voice cracks as I softly knock on the fake wooden door.

     All the doors in this apartment are fake wood. Well, in a way it's still wood, but... You know what I mean. The outside of it is plastic and the inside is just layers of pressed plywood, blah, blah, blah. If you can't tell, when I'm really nervous I get out of hand.

     A muffled reply comes from behind the door, so I slowly open it.

     Tate's sitting on the toilet (lid down, of course), already wiping the blood off his knuckles and face (apparently Jaeger knocked him a good one in the nose). His chestnut hair is all screwed up, making him look like a scruffy puppy, almost. His cheek has a gash just on the bone, and the bleeding seems to have gone down just a bit.

     The stained, and ruined, white wash cloth sits in the bathtub, so I decide to leave it there. As soon as I get up to throw all the garbage from this--wrappers, wipes, anything else--I'll be sure to grab it.

     "Oh... Darn," I bite my lip and shuffle around in the tiny bathroom. There wasn't a chair for me to sit in.

     Tate must know what I'm thinking about, because he sits on the edge of the bathtub, leaving his seat unoccupied.

     I nod a thank you to him and sit down, turning to my right where my First Aid kit is. Disinfectant wipes are the first things I grab, then butterfly bandages.

     "This might sting a little," I murmur after unwrapping a wipe. Gently, I scrub most of the blood off his face. He doesn't even wince.

     "I'm sorry," Tate whispers, looking directly into my eyes. We aren't as close as Jaeger and I were, and I'm deeply grateful.

     "Don't worry about it," I mutter, throwing away the my second wipe and moving onto the butterflies. It's a bit of a struggle just to open one, so Tate takes it from me, opens it, and gives it back.

     "How can you say that?" His voice is a hiss-whisper.

     I simply shrug, "I'll clean up the mess."

     His skin is warm against my fingertips as I apply two bandages. After wiping his gash with another wipe, I put a large bandage over it. Thankfully he had gotten his nose to stop bleeding after I walked in.

     Suddenly he pulls his face back, getting a straight look at my face, "No, you won't. Plus.. Rue.." He sighs, running his bloody hand through his hair.

     "Olivia saw us. She.. You don't know how bad it is that she saw that."

     "I told her you guys were wrestling," I let go of his warm hand. "She'll be fine."

     "No she won't," he says quickly and stands up. "Soon she'll be 'wrestling'," he puts air-quotes around 'wrestling.' "With friends at school."

     I stand up too, but fall about half a foot shorter than Tate.

     "Look," I throw away the wrappers and wash cloth in the trashcan under the sink. "She'll be okay. I'll talk to her about it, and everything will be okay."

    "No, you look--"

     "Hey!" I plant my hands on my hips. "Aren't you like a physician's assistant or something? Do want me to do this or not?"

     He glares at me, but nods.

     We sit back down, him sitting on the edge of the tub while I sit back on the toilet.

     "What's with the hate between you and Jaeger?" I blurt out. I don't know-- Yes I do. I know exactly why I asked that. They absolutely hate each other, it's completely obvious.

     He barks a harsh laugh and shakes his head, "If you only knew.."

     I glare at him, "Yeah, if only."

     Tate shakes his head again and thrusts his left hand at me, "Please, do what you will, just make it stop bleeding."

     "Oh?" I roughly grab it, causing him to hiss in pain. "So I can burn it to make it stop bleeding?"

     "Rue!" Tate exclaims through clinched teeth while I reach under the sink and grab a candle lighter. "Stop!"

     "Tell me," I hiss.

     He tries to pull his hand away, which only pulls me into him, sending us into the tub. Thankfully, I land on top, so I take the advantage and pin him.

     "Get off me," his voice is low.

     I scoff, "Not until you tell me."

     "I can kick you off me without even trying. You'd hit the door."

     Anxiousness tries to invade, but I kick it out, "Then do it."

     Tate sighs and looks away, "No."

     "Tate," I whine, turning his face to me. "Tell me why you two hate each other so much."

     Suddenly his left hand grabs my wrist, and I'm slid to the bottom of the tub. How did he do that so fast?

     "No," he whispers and climbs out.

     I clamber out after him and stand with a huff.

     "I'll take Olivia, and we'll leave." It all came out before I knew what I was doing.

     His hand squeezes the doorknob tightly, making his knuckles bleed even more. His blood is all over my shirt, and so is Jaeger's. A wrenching noise comes from the doorknob, and it begins to shake.

     My next words come out as fast as my last, "I can't live with someone who keeps secrets and lies."

     "Oh?" He's in my face, literally. His nose and forehead are pressed against mine. Something in his eyes spikes fear in my veins.

     My feet subconsciously take a step back, but he steps forward.

     "Doesn't that describe your life?" Tate hisses in my face. "You sleep on lies and bathe in secrets. Don't tell me you can't live with someone who keeps them."

     I turn away, inhaling sharply. He's completely right, he got it to a tee. Soon tears are running down my face.

     "Rue--"

     "I--uh," I sniffle and wipe my eyes. "I gotta go."

     Tate reaches for me, but I shy away and run out the door to the kitchen. Jaeger is sitting on the chair he was on last time I saw him, fiddling with his fingers. He'd probably been listening to us fight.

     Suddenly he stands up, grabbing my arms and pulling me into him. He angles me away from Tate, probably sending deadly glares him.

     My face is hidden in Jaeger's shirt, my tears staining it. I don't want to look up. I'd see the face of the guy who knew me too well, who could break me with personal information.

     "Rue," his voice his pleading, which makes me dig my face deeper into Jaeger's chest. "I didn't mean it. I was just mad.. I-I didn't know what I was saying--"

     "You were right," I shake my head, voice muffled. "It's all true. I'm just a burden on your shoulders. We'll be gone by Sunday."

     Jaeger's arms stiffen around me.

     "No, Rue--"

     "Tate," Jaeger's voice is expressionless, and his chest vibrates as he talks. "Stop."

     I hear Tate sigh, and the large apartment door is opened. It closes with a thud, and so does my heart.