Everlong (Peter Hayes from Divergent)

Chapter 5: The Chasm

            "Lana."

I whip my head to the right. The seat next empty last I checked but was now being occupied by the last person I wanted to see. Peter. I could see Elijah and Alex sitting together a few tables over, giving googly eyes to each other while I tried to signal them to help me. No such luck. Even looking at him brought a new wave of humiliation over me, making my cheeks heat up red like a pizza oven. It had been a little over two weeks since our little ordeal had occurred and I'd done a pretty good job of avoiding him. Until now apparently.

"What?" I scowl at him. "Using a habit of using my actual name as if I'm an actual human being?"

"You've graduated." Peter tells me with mock applause. I feel his arms snake around my shoulders and pull me in until I slam against his side. "You're all grown up."

"You know, I thought my reward for getting into Dauntless would be not to see you anymore." I keep my eyes on the food in front of me.

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy our late night training sessions." Peter laughs, his face inching closer to mine. "All that sweat and blood and tension..."

"I didn't say that. I just thought I'd be able to get the hell away from you."

"Did Christina tell you that?"

I slam my fork down on the table. "How did you know that?" I demand.

Peter just smirks at me.

"Did you follow me?" I feel humiliated all over again, knowing he saw me in such an emotionally vulnerable state. "Let me get this straight: you kissed me, slammed the door in my face, and then followed me around while I was lost in a faction I've only been a real part of for a day?"

He shrugs. "I wanted to see if the rumors I heard were true."

"What rumors?"

"That you," he whispers and pauses for dramatic effect. "Like me."

My mouth drops into a perfect 'o,' completely appalled at what he just said to me. He was just playing these stupid, childish games with me to amuse himself and feed his own fat ego. I didn't want to have any part of it because honestly, his head was big enough as it was! I pull away, or try to, to get away from him but he encloses me in a tight grasp that is impossible to get out of. I was afraid that at any second, I'd snap and start screaming at him until I dropped dead right there and then.

"Stop squirming." His voice is low but full of authority, prompting me to freeze. He doesn't let go of me.

Something about his voice, the way it deepens and the way a twinge of anger appears in it puts me under a spell that is almost impossible to break. Despite what I've tried to convince myself, the one-on-one training sessions did mean something to me. They connected me to this place and to him. Though Peter Hayes is a selfish jerk, he did stick his neck out for me and is the primary reason that I'm sitting here eating food instead of huddled around a fire with the factionless. I saw something in him that was different than the Peter who tortured initiates or the Peter who kissed me and left. I saw something that resembled humanity.

"Come on," he says with a cocky grin I've come to associate exclusively with him. "Let's save our first fight as a couple for another day."

"Couple?" I almost spit the water out of my mout. "Are you insane or just a sociopath?"

"Look me in the eye and tell me there's not even a little part of you that's a little curious as to how this would turn out?" Peter tells me, playing on my Erudite tendencies. Sixteen years worth of habits can't be shaken in a few mere months. "Look at me and tell me you're going to pass up the chance of a lifetime."