Perfect Disaster

I took a deep breath, and one last look. Letting my blonde hair brush lightly past my shoulders as I examined the ensemble I had layed out the night before. My black leggings hung comfortably to my legs as an oversized knit blue sweater was hung over my shoulders and rested itself just past my hips. I added a pair of black soft boots, and a light shade of gloss to dress up the causal look. Turning around to check my self from every angle, I left myself satisfied with my comfortable outfit before making my way out of my bedroom, down the stairs, and out of my unessisarly large house.

I could feel the chill of October air among me, as I walked down the street to the soft beat of falling leaves. I took in all of the colors around me, savoring the smell of fall in Erudite, which smelled like old books and warm coffee. I made my way down, backpack slung over my back, to stand outside a smaller apartment looking house, with a brick outside with a small driveway and stairs leading up to the golden brown door. I stood by the black mailbox, looking at the faded gold numbers on it's side as I waited for what seemed like seconds.

Out of the door came a girl slightly older then me, with jet black hair that fell past her shoulders. She gently closed the door behind her, before turning her head to great me with sparkling mint green eyes and a smile. She walked down the steps, well the four of them, before walking down the driveway to where I was waiting by the mailbox. She wore a blue skirt the flared out with a tucked in white v-neck that clung to her figure.

"Morning," she said to me, coffee cup in hand as we walked down the street towards the big stone building at the end of the path.

"Hey Kimberly," I smirked to her as I continued to walk, looking straight foreword instead of at her face, which I was sure was making a weird expression at the moment. The only person who called her Kimberly would be my mom, and that was out of resentment and disapproval. My mom's one way of making a jab, without it being too obvious for anyone to prove. My mom was a smart women.

"Anyways," she drawled after a beat of silence that I could've chosen to fill with a snicker."Ready for another wonderful day of learning?" she asked in mock excitement, as I let out a tiny laugh.

"Yeah, aren't I always?" I played along, accidentally on purpose bumping into her as I continued to walk.

Kim laughed, as her dark hair was tangled by the wind, blowing distractedly in her face as the wind was behind us. "Always," she agreed with me, something she usually did. Though my best friend, she was always know as the sidekick to me. "Chase's best friend."

Minutes later we arrived at school, greeted by the warm air of the building, and the crowds of people there. We headed towards our usual spot, where all of us Erudite's would sit and chat about things that we seemingly relevant, but probably not.

I had had the same friends since I was a girl. In Erudite our friend groups never changed, and we stuck with the people we were loyal to from the beginning. At the most, we only added to our community never subtracting. Because the more people equaled more information. And from an early age my mom told me to keep friends close and enemies closer. So the safe way to play it was to keep everyone close.

I sat down in my spot at the table that I always sat in the morning .Putting my silver bag down beside me,I was greeted by the tired looks of Erudite teenagers on a Monday morning. My group of friends we're nothing special, just a bunch of us with high level parents who naturally bonded by our similarity of power. Things like this ran in the family, so naturally I was the center of all attention. Weather or not I did anything worth talking about, I was always talked about amongst Erudite's my age. I guess everyone needed something to gossip about without it looking like real gossip. We weren't Candor.

"Morning Chase, Kim" Jordan half heartedly breathed out to me, though I knew he was too far from consciousness to even be considered awake, Caffeine in hand I watched in continue to drink it, hoping the warmth and sugars would wake him up faster.

"Hey guys," I replied to no one in particular, looking around the table to see if anyone was missing from our usual bunch. Faces that I usually never appreciated, yet missed when they weren't there. I was finishing my mental count when the last number I needed slid next to me. I knew the tentative touch from anywhere, as I turned to face calculating navy blue eyes.

Jayson Merrick was Erudite's version of a "bad boy". But nothing in comparison to any Dauntless wild child. He had nice brown hair and a serous face to accompany his calculating eyes, and always had a look that made you think he was up to something, Accept you could never figure out what, until he had already won.

I had known him since we were kids, he lived two doors down from me, and his parents work close enough to my mom. Other then Kim, he was my best friend in the faction. And the only other person I trusted with my emotions. Well, I trusted him with anything. And I guess that's why we're so close, our ability to be honest. Honest is like a fire, it can start dim and spiral out of control if not kept and closely watched. And that's how our friendship was.

"What do you want Merrick," I raised my eyebrows, pursing my lips to glance at my friend in mock uninterest. Out of the corner of my eye I watched him study me for a moment before responding.

"Well well someone's moody," he teased back, also turning away so that we were facing the group and not each other. Kim always joked the two of us we're destined to get married one day. And when she would, both of us would come up with a million reasons why we couldn't marry the other. We would start with one or two honest reasons, and then realize we had no more. Then we both tried to come up with realistic sounding excuses, because we didn't want to face the reality that we were probably perfect for each other.

"Not moody, just not talking to you," I simply retorted, not making eye contact or the slightest bit of emotion as I pretended to be immensely interested in my finger nails.

I caught his navy blue eyes roll as he touched his tablet repeatedly. It was angled in such a way that no one would notice it wasn't even on. This game we played, of trying so hard not to talk, more and more made me like him. It was working in a reverse effect, because I think we were both scared to admit it. "Ouch," he said pretending to be hurt, yet I couldn't trace any emotion in his words. It seemed he was distracted by something on his mind.

"Well,"I said grabbing his tablet and placing it face down on the table so he was forced to look me in the eye, I smirked meeting his. "I guess I can make an exception," I shrugged, turning to finally face him. "How was your weekend?"

Jayson chuckled, before shrugging indifferently, "Just another weekend."

"So..."I pushed my eyes twinkling. Yet I didn't know why I was in such a good mood when I was around him, making my heart feel little pitter patters when he smiled at me. It was a weird feelings, as if I wanted his attention. As if it was as good as impressing him.

He laughed again, "Fine fine it was a good weekend," he finally stated, "What about you. How was The Tyrant this weekend?"

I grinned at our code word, "The Tyrant" being my mom. It wasn't like she was overbearing or mean or abusive or anything, she was great. It was just sometimes when your mom was busy leading a faction, she didn't need an teenage daughter getting in her way. Or letting her down for that matter. She gained her nickname by setting insanely high expectations for my brother Channing and I. Always only accepting the best, and nothing below it.

"She was surprisingly good this weekend. She only asked me twice about school, which is better then the usual hourly check," I responded to him, flipping my blond hair so it was no longer covering part of my face.

Jayson smirked, "Good." he replied reaching for his tablet back as I smacked his hand away."Aw come on!" he whinnied.

I smirked,"Jay come on, wouldn't you rather talk to me then fool around on that thing?" I pout-asked.

"Honestly?"

I nodded,"Honestly."

Jayson's smirk widened and widened until finally I was worried. "I rather be on my tablet," he said back lunging for it and getting it back.

I pretended to be hurt by his joke, crossing my arms. "Jayson!" I protested, but I honestly couldn't help smiling at our exchange,

Jayson sighed, putting his tablet down back on the table and looking to me to see if I was pleased,"Happy now?" he asked in mock frustration.

I sighed back, mimicking him."Yes." I said back satisfied.

My mood was kept at a pretty good place, because for some reason more then ever being around him made me feel so happy inside. I wasn't sure how to explain it, because it was different from when I was around him before. And I was secretly mad at myself for having these feelings, because all I could think of is rejection, reduction, and retaliation.

Until the ding of the bell came, and Jayson and I both stood up because we knew it was time for us to begin what a natural Erudite would say as the best part of their day: learning. I didn't let him see me as I hid a frown that we would be departing for the next class. But as we walked down the plain halls, he punched my shoulder repeatedly waiting for me to make any response.

"What do you want?" I asked half aggravated, but by then I was laughing and on the verge of giggles as he didn't stop punching me. "What am I your punching bag!"

"Yes?" Jayson laughed back as he continued, I half-heartledly fought back, not putting much into it because I was an Erudite, only Dauntless fought in public. And I honestly wasn't sure of my own strength.

Then the abuse stopped as we neared my class, "Hey, I was wondering," he said to me semi-seriously, I could always tell by the way his face scrunched up when he was concentrating. Just like I could tell know that he was...nervous. But he looked like he was trying to play it cool, the way he always did. "We should like...hang out some time?"

I laughed on instinct, because I heard the words but couldn't convince myself that they were meant to be in the way I secretly wanted them to be. "Well..it's not like we talk every day or anything," I sarcastically replied, though unsure if it was a joke.

"No...I mean like. Hang out hang out. You know what I mean, Chase!" He laughed back, though I could tell by the shakiness it was an unraveled laugh.

And I did know what he meant, we were practically siblings. I always knew what he was talking about, and most of the time I knew what he was thinking. Sometimes as kids we pretended to be twins, maybe some of the twin telepathy rubbed off on our make believe. "That'd be cool," was all I could say back. It would be more then cool; because I was pretty sure we both had declared our small crush on each other. The one that everyone else seemed to know about except us. And it would be cool, except one problem.

I was dating Ernest, another one of the guys from my group of friends. Not that I liked him that much, it was just more for having the security of a boyfriend. And now that Jayson had finally got the balls and hinted something, it was perfect in someways. Because this was what I had been secretly hoping for. But yet I knew this would be a mess to untangle, one I would be in the middle of.

This day was everything I could've asked for, and everything I didn't want.