Rampant: A Divergent FanFiction (Book Two) ©

Chapter 25

                My hand was still on the knob when Dan and Iris stumbled forward and toppled into me. When I’d opened the door, their combined weight had shifted so suddenly they hadn’t had time to adjust. Iris immediately picked herself up and tried to feign innocence, while Dan slowly righted himself and dusted the knees of his pants off.             

                “Were you eavesdropping?” I demanded once I’d closed the door behind me.

                “What? Of course not. Honestly Sage, I’m insulted,” Dan said in his best flabbergasted tone. “I was merely leaning on this door, as any normal person would, because I was exhausted from holding onto this lil’ rascal.” He jerked his thumb at Iris. “I was so tired in fact, that I also had to lean my head on the door. And do you know what’s connected to a head? Hmm? An ear. And what do ears do? They hear stuff, so if you happened to say something and I picked it up, well that would’ve just been a coincidence.”

                “Dan,” Iris said flatly. “Has anyone ever told you that you suck at lying?”

                “Someone may have mentioned it at some point,” Dan admitted with a grin.

                “Guys,” I interrupted before they could go on. “This isn’t the upper levels, we’re not kids anymore. You can’t be poking around and interfering in things that don’t concern you.” I said as I turned and began to head towards the chairs in the waiting room.

                “But you’re my bro, my best friend, my amigo, my partner in crime,” Dan said, following behind me. “That essentially grants me full access to meddle, snoop, and divulge embarrassing childhood stories about you at will.”

                “Danny boy, you try my patience sometimes,” I said as I rolled my eyes, however I couldn’t help but chuckle. “How’s Zane anyway?”

                “He’ll be fine… unfortunately,” Iris muttered. She threw Dan a dirty look. “You should’ve let me teach him a lesson.”

                “Seemed like you were already doing that,” Dan answered.

                “That was just the entrée,” Iris said as she ran her fingers along her knuckles; Dan was right to stop her, she’d hit Zane so hard that parts of her thin hands had already begun to bruise. “I never got to dish out the main course though.”

                “You have a point, and while I’d have loved to see that, trust me when I say that you’ll thank me tomorrow when you have to fight someone and realize that your hands look and feel like raw burger meat,” Dan said, then he gave a little shrug. “Also, not to sound pretentious, but I’m an artist. I believe hands should be for creating good and beautiful things, not the opposite.”

                “Whatever,” Iris said, but she was unable to stop herself from smiling. “But Dan, don’t get in my way again, or I may have to kick your butt.” She turned to leave, but then Dan stepped over so that he was blocking her exit.

                “Oh, did you mean now? Don’t get in your way now?” He said as a wide smile spread over his face. “Alrighty, I won’t get in your way.” Iris rolled her eyes, but as she turned again, Dan shifted to follow her. “Oops! Oh look at that, I seem to be in your way again. Was that threat going to be put into effect now, or later?”

                “Dan, you goof,” Iris laughed as she tried again to leave. “Get out of my way. I want to go see Ally before I go to bed. Now make some space and move over.”