Divergent High

Chapter Twenty-five

After all the pestering and whining had diminished, the girls and I all went down the stairs back into the kitchen. The boys and my parents were already there, waiting for us to come down.

"Everybody ready?" My father asked. His question was followed by us teens whooping and hollering.

"I will take that as a yes, so, we shall be going on our way!"

We locked the front door and went out onto the back porch. The walk isn't bad at all, at least that's how I remember it. It was always filled with curiosity and amusement. Caleb used to try to catch frogs when we were younger down this path and I used to skip ahead, looking in excited wonder at all the wildlife around me. The trees that I thought were as high as the sky and the little squirrels that jump from tree to tree. A small stream flowing on our left of the path, filled with little minnows and small pebbles. Even coming back to this place every year, even when I grow old, I still feel the rush of excitement, especially when I know where it leads to.

I remember when we first were surprised with "the spot." Both Caleb and I cried in delight and ran straight to it, seeing who could complete the course first. It was close, but I ended up winning due to my petite stature and speed.

Being brought back from my nostalgia, I see the same scenery pass by me. Suddenly, someone nudges my shoulder. I turn and see Chris next to me.

"Hey," I comment.

"Hey. So, you wanna tell me where we're going?" She looks at me hopefully.

"Nope! You're gonna have to figure that out yourself." I smile at her.

"Aw come on! You're my best friend! Well fine, I won't ask but what's been going on between you and Four?" She questions.

I give a nervous laugh and scratch my scalp. "I'm still upset about the whole ordeal, even if it wasn't his fault. So for now, we're just friends and maybe in time, we will get back together." I explain.

"Okay, that makes sense." She shrugs and continues on her way.

After 10 more minutes of walking, we finally meet the opening of the path and there lies the obstacle course. Upon seeing the enormous thing, there is a chorus of "oohs" and "ahs."

"Alrighty kids! This is what all that walking was for. Are you guys excited?" My mother exclaims.

In reply to my mother's question, my friends start to make a ruckus while my father laughs and shakes his head. Chris leans over to me and opens her mouth.

"I bet you I can beat you in this little obstacle course," she pronounced.

"Oh yeah? This course is anything but little, I highly doubt you could beat me," I fire back with confidence.

"100 bucks that I can beat you," she gave me a challenging eye.

"Oh you are so on!" I exclaim.

After a couple minutes of my parents explaining the rules and safety procedures, the group collectively decided to compete against each other in pairs first before splitting into teams and such. Of course, with my persuasion and Chris's persistence, we were the first ones on for the competition. Knowing the course like the back of my hand came in handy, especially to blow Chris out of the water, and I could already feel the sweet touch of $100 in my hands, stuffing the newly gained money into my wallet.

Snapping out of my soon-to-be reality, I quickly looked at Chris at the starting point. She glared at me and I glared back playfully, however, she looked completely serious.

I wonder what got into her. I questioned. She must really want to win...and not because she's a competitive person.

I shrugged it off and looked forward, confident in my abilities to beat the course. My mom started a countdown and when she spoke "one," I sprinted off. The first task was to get up a thick net. Knowing the challenge was more difficult than it seemed, I paced myself. Not only did I get to the top of it before Chris did, I was also down the opposite side before she got to the top. Continuing to run, I came across the mud pit. Like other messy competitions across the world, our backyard course was much like those. Wires across the top of the mud in huge squares were placed close to the ground, inferring that there was only one way to get across or else you would get stuck: under the wires. Trekking through the mud and onto the other side as fast as possible was a hard feat but I managed. I continued on and on, defeating every hard challenge that came my way. By the time I was done, I looked around for Chris but did not see her. Going back through the course, I spotted her under the mud, trying to get her leg out from a wire.