We Are Divergent

Chapter Nine

“I look dumb,” I whined, looking in the mirror yet again. I am wearing a tight pencil dress that goes down to my mid thighs, and reveals my raven tattoos. My hair is now finally brushing just below my shoulders after I cut it last year.

Tobias walked up behind me, buttoning up his black dress shirt that he is wearing with dark jeans. I stared at him in the mirror as he wrapped his arms around my waist, holding my gaze. “You look good Tris,” He said, causing me to crack up, remembering when he said that to me once, before we were dating, while he was slightly under the influence. I don’t know if he meant it at the time, but it still got my heart rate up.

“Shut up,”

“I’m not kidding baby. You are so beautiful. You don’t look dumb, you look… sexy. I might have to put a leash around you tonight so that nobody gets near you.”

I laughed, taking his hand. “Or you can just wrap me in caution tape that says ‘property of Four.’”

“That would work also.”

We walked hand in hand across the large dauntless compound towards Christina’s place. I started to hear booming music when we got closer.

“It’s nice being able to hold your hand without worrying about an initiate seeing.”

“Turns out it wouldn’t have been much of a surprise to them if they had,” He laughed.

We walked through the open door into a crowd of people. The voices all around us are loud but the music is even louder. It is pretty dark in here… There’s no way Christina knows this many people… The word of a party spreads fast here in dauntless. I’m sure Uriah and Zeke invited plenty of people. Christina spotted me from across the room and ran over.

“Thank god you’re here. I was getting bored standing with people from work.” She tugged me away from Tobias.

I looked back to make sure he would be okay without me, and sure enough Zeke walked over to him.

“Tris, this is Danielle, she works with minors in the hospital.” She said introducing me. Danielle looks only a few years older than us, with long blonde hair, a tattoo sleeve on her right arm, and a nose piercing. I hugged her, a dauntless greeting. “And this is Delaney, she works besides me.” Delaney has bright died red hair and piercing blue eyes. I hugged her also.

“Nice to meet you guys,”

Christina handed me a drink, and I sniffed it. Definitely some hard liquor. “I’m surprised there are so many people here.” She said. “I didn’t expect this much. I don’t know many of these people.”

She sounded excited. I looked around at all the people talking and dancing. I haven’t gone to parties in a while because they often make me depressed. Instead of noticing all of the people there, I notice all the people that I wished were. I think of Will, wishing he were here, smiling kindly and dancing with Christina. I think of Marlene, wishing she was laughing goofily with Uriah and Lynn. So many of my close friends are gone. I felt the familiar wrench in my gut as I tried not to dwell on the loss of them and my parents. I sipped from my cup slowly, not wanting to get drunk. I haven’t been drunk yet, and I don’t think that I want to be.

I eventually put down my cup and danced with Christina and her work friends, laughing at their dance moves. My dance moves are kind of drab, once a stiff always a stiff I guess, but Chris is pretty tipsy and she keeps making me laugh.

“So have you and Four sealed the deal?” She asked, her nosy Candor side coming out.

“That’s none of your business!” I said, blushing.