𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆

𝟎𝟏𝟓

"𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨?
𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙄'𝙢 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙨.
𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡?
𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚?"

𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘔𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 - 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘰𝘯

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Breakfast was already halfway over when you walked into the mess hall. You slipped past the Dauntless elders, making your way to the back of the room. When you came upon your table, the only available seat was wedged between Al and Peter.

"There you are," Will smiled with a mouth full of bacon. No matter how hard you tried, you just couldn't shake your vegetarian habits, which especially sucked because Dauntless were carnivorous people.

You huffed, not bothering wasting your strength on a smile. This morning's training session left you exhausted and you didn't hesitate before using Peter's shoulder as a pillow, closing your eyes to hide from the harsh industrial lights.

"So, uh," Peter cleared his throat, bumping his chin against the top of your head. "Where did Eric take you this morning?"

Across the table, Tris choked on her water and Christina pat her back reassuringly, shooting you a strange look on her behalf. "Whoa, wait a second. Since when are you friends with Eric?" She said his name like someone back home might've said the word wolf – with disgust, fear, and disapproval.

You didn't feel like explaining your and Eric's brief yet lengthy history together, so you settled for shaking your head lazily. "Friends?" you mumbled. Were you and him even friends?

Friends don't call friends by their native factions. Friends don't push friends off of buildings in front of everyone else in their class of initiates. Friends don't let friends fight in scored matches immediately after being up and working since five in the morning.

He was just your instructor. A really, really good instructor that you sort of knew before the choosing. That's all.

You shook your head, reaching out blindly for one of the water cups that had been set out before you walked in. "We're not friends. He just wanted to run by some last-minute training stuff before my fight today."

Al blinked beside you, setting down his mug. The coffee they provided you with was even worse than the water. He was really the only one you knew who bothered to drink it. "Wait, you're fighting today?"

"Mhm." You really didn't want to think about it. Maybe if you were extra nice to Four during the morning exercises he would let you take a fifteen-minute nap before you went into the ring. Or better yet, he'd give you another day to prepare.

"Who?" Will leaned forward with intrigue written across his face. You weren't at the very bottom, but you weren't anywhere near the top of the board either. If you were lucky, they thought, you would get put with Molly. 

Molly would go easy on you, which they couldn't say for a lot of others who were clawing their way to the top.

"Edward."

Especially not him.

Tris recovered from her coughing fit and froze with her sleeve to her mouth. Everyone at your table – even those sitting further down that you'd never spoken to before – eyed you with mixed horror and pity. Peter's arm tensed under your head and you sat up, blinking away the rest of your tiredness. "What?"