Divergent: Unleashed | ✓

Chapter 4

~ONE WEEK LATER~

Ashlyn sits on the swings and pushes herself back and forth quietly. Rhianna and Bryn, as well as Rhianna's younger brother Jason were climbing on the playground's spiderweb thing. They were at a campground about 30 minutes away from their home. Rhianna and Jason's little sister, Kira, was sliding down the slides and laughing and squealing. She's only three or four, so of course she finds amusement in the plastic slides.

Ashlyn sighs, watching them, and continues to push herself back and forth. It's sunset now. Jason's friend, Jamie, came from after their baseball game today. She sees someone sit down in the swing next to her and looks over, surprised to see Four sitting next to her.

"What's she like?" Ashlyn asks, still watching the others.

"Tris?" Ashlyn nods, gripping the metal chains that hold up the swings tighter. "Honest. Kind. Intelligent. The bravest and most selfless person I know."

Ashlyn looks down at her blue jeans, then back up at him. "I've never really seen a point in being selfless."

"Why not?" He looks over at her.

She shrugs. "It's just...It makes no sense. Why do something for someone and when you need them the most, have them turn their backs on you?"

"Friend troubles?"

She nods, a nauseated look on her face. "Since preschool," she looks at the cut up tire chunks that are in place of gravel or sand. She looks up at him again, and this is the first time that Four has ever thought that she might cry. "My friends have been leaving me since preschool."

"Why would they?"

"Easy- I'm not pretty enough. Or perfect enough. Or popular enough. Or bitchy enough. I'm just not good enough."

Four rolls his eyes. "You are just like Tris."

Her head snaps up. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means you doubt yourself to much. You're pretty, and smart, and at least you're honest. And you're kind."

"Don't mean nothing to them." She mutters.

"What about bravery? You're brave."

"Oh really? I can't even go up and talk to people. What makes you think I'm brave?"

"Didn't you tell me about that treetop adventure thing? You said you'd been scared out of your mind, but your eyes lit up just thinking about it. I could never do that."

"You climbed the Ferris wheel." She points out. "I couldn't do that, fear of heights or not."

"You could. You'd just tell yourself that you couldn't so that you'd stop yourself from even trying. And you can't do that if I'm going to put you through initiation."

She mumbles something under her breath. Both of them are silent for a few minutes, then, "Were you scared?"

"When?"

"When Tris left for Erudite?"

Four was surprised by how she'd shifted the topic back to him and Tris. "I fell asleep with her next to me, and then when I woke up, she was gone. No one knew what had happened to her."

"So, yes. What about when you realized she'd worked with Marcus?" She asks. "Sorry if this seems like an interrogation but I...I want to know." she adds the last part quietly. Marcus and Evelyn had stayed back home, deciding to find jobs and figure out where they'd move to.

"It's fine." He shrugs. "And I felt...betrayed, I guess. And seriously pissed."

"Loving her is hard, huh?"