chapter 2 || sure, i'll watch it for you. thanks for using your manners

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"For goodness' sake, Edward Clermont, pick up the pace!" My voice grew sharper with irritation.  "I have a deathly serious dilemma on my hands right now, and you aren't exactly helping by not responding!"

Eddie sneered at me from the other side of the sleek white vehicle parked between us.  While he was without doubt annoyed just as much as I was, if not more, his voice held a tone void of emotion.  "What?"

"My sweater is stuck." My sheepish reply earned me a look filthier than the factionless sectors.  The fuzzy blue material of my favourite sweater was caught in the handle of Ansel's car.  While I was fully capable of getting it out one way or another, my overpowering laziness rendered me unable to do it myself.  The most innocent look I could summon would have to do.  Defeat echoed through Eddie's sigh as he trudged over to my side of the car.   With ease, he pulled it free.

"You're too much work."

"At least I have some redeeming qualities. I put up with your bagel addiction, and I'm the only one macho enough to fight you."

"Okay, Jax.  We both know I only put up with you because, without me, you'd have no friends." 

"Wow, I thought this sweater was going to be enough to withstand the elements today, but it really is colder than I thought with all this shade."  Eddie scoffed as I sank into the car seat.  The bumpy ride was courtesy of relentlessly damaged pavement.  It was littered with craters to the point of resembling pubescent acne breakouts. It had been poorly maintained over the years, but only the Erudite and the buses used them; it wasn't worth fixing when there were much more important things for us to do.  The car rolled to a stop outside of the measly building we called our school. Although the teachers intended for different factions to mingle, we just learned what we needed to learn, and tried to avoid anything that wasn't familiar – including people. The blue fuzz of my sweater remained far away from any handles as the door of the solar powered car swung open.  I turned again to gather my possessions before slamming the car door shut once again.

I waved to Ansel from outside the passenger seat window as I took a few steps towards the school.  Behind us another Erudite car pulled up, obviously belonging to the Roberts'.  I acknowledged my music teacher sitting in the front.  Myra had grown so easy for me to ignore that I barely noticed her petite frame sauntering onto the sidewalk.  With eyes inexplicably wide and bright, Eddie retreated to Myra in lieu of following me.  Accepting my lonely fate, I took off on my own with fed-up grumbling.  While I understood the importance of spending time with his girlfriend, why he would without exception blow me off whenever Myra showed up would always be incomprehensible.  He always assured me that I was more than welcome to tag along - well, most of the time anyway - but I preferred not to be the third wheel.

I glanced around at all the other people at the school.  A group of Stiffs (the Abnegation) jittered about as they huddled together.  The Candor were less snappy, the Amity less cheerful – something I didn't think was possible. The Dauntless were rowdy as usual, of course, but the air indefinitely reeked of tension and angst.  It then hit me that today was Aptitude test day.  Despite my abnormally good memory, forgetting about the event did not come as much of a surprise. It wasn't a big deal, since I already knew I would get Erudite. That's where my family was, where my home was, and logically, where I would stay.  I wasn't nervous.

• • •

Since Aptitude tests normally lasted for an eternity and a half, the teachers and dean agreed each year that only classes during the first half of the day would take place.  For me, they passed by in no time; it was the last day of school as we would all be Choosing tomorrow, so the teachers gave us nothing but small reviews.

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