Original chapter title: What Are You? Twelve?
I pull Tris's book out of her hand and look at the cover skeptically. "The Hunger Games? What's that about? People playing Monopoly for food?"
"A post-apocolyptic society, thankyouverymuch. Now give it back." She reaches for it, but I hold it above my head. I'm sitting on her desk, so it makes it ever harder for her to reach in her chair. "Four," she whines.
"Nope."
"What do you want?"
"Hmmm..." I pretend to be deep in thought.
"For god's sake, give me my damn book!" She laughs a little and stands up, snatching the book from my hands. Then she goes back to reading.
"Fine, whatever. Don't answer my question." I pretend to start to get up, knowing her curiousity will get the best of her.
It works. "What was it?"
I pretend to think, as if I forgot what it was. She doesn't seem to be buying it. "Do you want to go to the Valentine's Day dance with me?"
"I don't know..." she taps her finger against her chin, screws her mouth to the side, and looks up at the ceiling as if thinking really hard about it. "I tend not to do favors for jealous asswipes."
"It's a yes or a now, Tris. Yes or no."
"Okay." She grins.
"Any news on Marlene?" I ask.
Her face falls. "She's still the same way that she was."
"You think she'll be okay?"
"Yeah. Uriah will fix it." She nods, but it seems like she's trying to convince herself that he will. I can tell she only half-believes what she just said.
"We'll have to wait and see, I guess."