Chapter 2
Worst Day Ever
If I told myself in more than a hundred occasions that "Today's the worst day ever.", then I was wrong.
In every class I had up until lunch (HRC, Chemistry, Geography and History), Four was always there. I'm not even sure if he's supposed to be in those classes. What were the chances of the both of us having the same schedules.
For the past three subjects Four would always decide to sit beside me or the table in front of me. And every time a girl tries to flirt with him he waves them off with disinterest, which, truthfully, makes me a little happy. But the thing that makes me uncomfortable was that he would rather stare at me than at the board and "accidentally" place his hand on my knee or "accidentally" brush his hand on mine. It was cute, in an incredibly annoying way.
When the bell rings—yay, it's lunch time—I gather my things and get up, but Four catches my wrist. I give him a stern what-is-it look. Alas! He decides to speak!
"Tris," His voice sounded distressed as he whispered my name. "What the hell are you doing here?"
My rage starts to build at the way he talked to me. "Excuse me? Who are you to ask why I'm here? I'm here because I want to. And how do you know my name?"
He goes silent for a while. "Just… Be careful, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."
"How do you know my name?" I repeat. "And why should I be careful?"
"I just do!" He snaps, then his face softens for a minute. "It's dangerous here."
"Ha!" I snort. "I know it's dangerous here, and the only thing I should be careful of is you." He seems to stiffen at my remark, and I think I took it too far.
"Uh, sorry Four. I just—"
"No, it's okay. I know what you mean." He squeezes my wrist and instinctively lets go. Four stands up, making me feel conscious of my height compared to his, and leans closer to my ear. Whispers, "Be careful, Tris. I care about you."
I care about you, Tris. I—
My head spins in confusion as he strides out of the room, and I realize that he didn't bring books with him since first period. The words he spoke to me sound familiar, but maybe I'm just delusional about it. So I exit the room, my thoughts of Four and his words floating in my brain.
"Trisss!" Christina hollers as I open my locker. I turn to her and smile. "How's your day?"
She starts jumping and fanning herself. "It. Was. Awesome! Okay, okay. Remember Will? The one I talked to you about?" Who couldn't? You talk about him every day.
"Well he's here! He's in this school, and he's my Biology partner!" And this is one of those times when she needs me to be a girl, so I jump and squeal with her.
Hey, it's what best friends do: when one of you is doing something stupid or embarrassing enough to catch the attention of some people, join them. "Really? Congrats, Christie! Does he still remember you?"
"Yess! He says he hasn't forgotten about me at all. So how was your day?"
I groan and place my books inside the locker, noting that I need to fix the inside of my locker…someday. "Tiring. Four was literally everywhere!" She gave me a confused look, so I start explaining to her about how he's in every class and when he told me to be careful.
"Hmm. Maybe he was some international spy and there are people out there to kill you so he's trying to protect you while hiding his love for you—"
"You should stop reading those kinds of books. It's bad for your normalcy." I tell her, and she sticks her tongue out. "But seriously, I do think he's from my past and there's something he's not telling me…or doesn't want me to know." Christina opens her mouth but I continue, "And no, he's not a spy, I'm not a princess."
While changing the subject every minute, we made our way to the cafeteria. Christina opened the doors and… wow.
It looked similar to the food courts at Dauntless Mall. Metal tables, metal chairs, the Dauntless logo painted on the floor and a Dauntless flag hanging on the ceiling. Except for one thing: most tables have their own food fight. Both literally and figuratively.
We scanned the room for an empty table when someone called my name. Or my stage name.
"Joker!"
And then everyone stopped, looked at Uriah—the one who yelled my name—then turned toward the doors, where Christina and I stood. Hundreds of eyes were staring at me, and it wasn't the mean kind. They were surprised, actually, but none of them moved. I gulped and nudged Christina in the ribs that said, Help.
Christina shrugged and shook her head no. Then she held my wrist and pulled me to where Uriah and his group were. We walked fast in a way that we're almost running, yet it felt like time slowed since people were eyeing my every move. I shivered.
I sat across Uriah and Christina sat beside a blonde boy who I suppose is Will and another whose name I do not know. Uriah introduces us to Al and Shauna, but not to the kid beside me. Al was the kind of guy who's scary in a way because he's big, but I can tell he was a timid and quiet person. Shauna, well, she seemed normal, though her glare was anything but friendly. We sat there in awkward silence until Zeke said, "How was your day?"
"Well," Christina whispered, still noticing that people were looking at us—at me. "It was really boring and something…" Her words started to blur in my ears when I spotted a certain boy sitting at the table farthest from ours. And he was looking at me
It was like everything that was once vivid has faded into oblivion, everything was invisible or gone, and the only thing I could see is him. He's looking at me like he's seeing through my soul, again. Like he's trying to tell me something and I just can't understand what it is. Like he wants something—anything—to reassure him of whatever it is he's thinking. I don't get it and I don't know why this boy is trying to reach out to me and why is this boy so hot—
Then his expression changes.
He looks pissed, furious. Those sparkling blue eyes turned to cloudy ones. The desperation in his frown disappears into a thin line. And I could see his lips, mouthing something that I'm sure was a curse.
Then I realize where he's looking at, and I turn to my right.
The guy beside me is looking at me with a lost expression on his face. His dark hair is swept to the side and he's wearing black glasses. His brows are furrowed and he's gritting his teeth, the empty can in his hand crumpling in his clenched fist. When he realizes I'm looking at him, his expression softens and he smiles. "So, you're new here?"
"Yeah, I'm Tris." I return his smile, holding out my hand for his to shake. He takes my hand then his eyes snap to where Four was. When I look in the same direction, Four's gone and my chest starts to breathe in a normal rhythm. "I'm Blake." I turn back to him. "Blake Matthews."
"Hi, Blake."
"So what's a girl like you doing here in Dauntless?" I froze at his words, but he pats my shoulder and chuckles. I release my breath and smile at him. "Well, I thought everyone knew."
"Sorry, but I don't. I just moved here a year and a half ago and all I know about is that you had an... accident... and how you fight at the Dauntless Undergrounds?" He seems to say it like it's a question, so I nod. "Uriah talks about you everyday. That boy probably has posters of you in his room."
"I'm hoping he doesn't."
"I'm hoping, too." He picks up his tray and stands up. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Tris, but I have some things to do and people to meet. I'll be seeing you pretty soon. Bye. " And with that, he's gone. I know I shouldn't be curious with other people's lives, but there's something about Blake that doesn't seem right in ways I could not explain. My eyes follow him as he walks to the doors. His shoulders are broad and stiff and the way he walks spoke that of confidence, but it's hard to say why. Before I could take in more of his details he gets swallowed by the sea of people walking through the doors.
"Tris?"
"Huh?" I turn to Uriah. Then to Christina, whose face gives no emotion. I've never seen her like this before.
"Christina said that you met Four in the Head Office a while ago?" I nodded. Something like anger or frustration flashed in Uriah's eyes as he said, "Don't go near him. He has a reputation for being handsome and all, but he's a mystery. No one knows where he came from and why he transferred here a couple of years ago. Even Zeke, who is the closest to a friend that boy has, doesn't know anything about him and his life. Just be careful, okay?" I turned to Zeke, who gave me a meaningful look that said Uriah's words were true. I nodded. Everyone grew silent for a couple of seconds until I popped the question.
"So, two years ago during your initiations, how were your rankings?" I remember Christina telling me that she was ranked 6th and that they only allowed the top ten ranks in Dauntless—the rest become factionless.
"Well," Uriah started. "I was second, Lynn was third, Lene was fourth, Will was fifth and Al was seventh. You probably know hers already." He gestured to Christina. At the mention of her, her expression grew back to normal and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"What about the others?" I questioned, looking at Zeke and Shauna.
"They had theirs a year before us since they're older by a year. Four was also one of the initiates that time—he ranked first, obviously." My eyes grew wide at the mention of Four. Four ranked first? But I thought he was named Four because of his rank.
"And the first? In your group, I mean."
Uriah shrugs. "Blake was the first. I swear that guy looked nerdy, but he was tough like shit. Add the fact that he's as mysterious as Four. I'm guessing they know each other somehow."
We decided to switch to other topics of conversation until Zeke told us that we have ten minutes left until the next class.
"Hey, Tris, Christina," We both turned to Zeke. "I'm going to have a party at my house later. You guys going?"
I wasn't the party type of girl, but Christina was. She dragged me everywhere despite my protests because "friends don't leave friends behind", even if she actually leaves me alone the moment she spies a dance floor. And when she said those words, I believe it was because she needed someone to bring her home and pull her hair up while she vomited. We are so the best of friends.
Christina turned to me; her hands clasped together, her lips in a pout and her eyes glistening. "Please? It's our first party here! Remember that friends don't leave friends behind."
I raise both my hands out in front of her. "Hey, hey, I'm not saying anything. Sure, we can go. I guess."
She jumps and holds me tight, all while screaming on my ear. My eyes zoom in on the guy standing at the far side of the cafeteria, looking at me. His back against the wall, arms crossed and he's grinning at me. I quirk my brow up at Four, who chuckles and walks away. Whether what Uriah is saying was true or not, that boy really is a mystery.
When I walk back to my locker, I notice a piece of paper taped to one of my books. After unfolding it, my eyes grew wide at the letters written on the piece:
Don't go near Four if you know what's best for you.
The handwriting was foreign to my eyes, but I could tell it wasn't here before I went to lunch.
What was so mysterious about Four—and possibly Blake—that I should be careful about?
I close my locker and walk to my next class, the note crumpled inside my clenched fist. My first day ended with a conflicted mind, a group of weird people and a mysteriously handsome boy who seems to know something I don't.
But I never knew that this was also the last day I'll ever be normal again.
A/n: Hey, hey! I'm back with another chapter.
So... who could guess what happens next? There'll be a party at Zeke's and you're invited! And (probably) Four will be there, too! He's going to be hotter than the past two chapters~
The title is, obviously: Party At Zeke's... It's just not what you're going to expect.
So here's the thing if you're keeping up with my story: everyone is a potential killer. Joke. There are parts in the stories that are extremely important. Christina and Four are important, obviously. Uriah's going to hang on for a while and... try to keep your attention to something you definitely won't be expecting in Dauntless Academy~
Don't forget to review/follow/favorite me (or else I won't continue writing)
And here's Tris's schedule for tomorrow (which is in her world, Tuesday): Literature, Dauntless History, Calculus (why do they even have that), LUNCH, Computer Science, Physical Education. Again, why do they even have that. P.E. WILL BE SO FUN IN DAUNTLESS THE WAY I IMAGINE IT~