near north side//peter hayes

12

I wake up the next morning wrapped in Peter's arms. I don't really want to get up, but I have to deal with what happened last night. I look at my alarm clock next to my bed. It reads 9:12. I look at the arm Peter has wrapped around me. I haven't noticed before but he did get a tattoo. It wraps around the middle of his right forearm. It is a pattern that looks like intricate interlocking lines. I find myself absentmindedly tracing them.

"I got it two days ago," Peter says, startling me.

"I like it. It makes you look tough." I smile.

Peter chuckles, lifting up my arm. "Not as tough as the girl whose whole arm is covered in a tattoo."

"I guess you're right I am more of a badass than you." I can feel Peter's chest rumble as he laughs. "Alright I have to get up. Leadership duty is calling," I say.

I get up out of bed and stretch. I walk over to the bathroom needing to shower before I do anything else.

I walk out of the bathroom with a black towel wrapped around my body and another wrapped around my hair. I look over to see Peter still sitting on my bed. I slip on a pair of black leggings and a dark grey almost black sweater. I tie my hair up in a ponytail. I sit on the end of the bed, looking at Peter.

"I'd rather not tell anyone about last night. It's not like I can really get in trouble for it, but I don't want people treating me or you differently because of it," I tell Peter.

It's not that I'm ashamed of what happened, I just don't think it is anyone's business. Heavens knows Molly would have a field day if she found out about this.

"I get it. It's no one's business anyways," he says with a smile.

"I have to take care of some things, so you can stay or go. It's up to you." I look away from him to tie my boot.

"I'll go back to the dorm, just hang around on my day off."

"Get dressed then, I'm headed there now," I tell him.

We walk to the dorm talking about life after initiation. He has too many questions. I know walking into the door people are going to ask me questions about what happened, and I honestly don't want to answer them. Peter walks over to his bed and lays down while I walk over to the blackboard. I cross out Edward and Myra's names and remember the rankings.

1. Peter

2. Will

3. Christina

4. Molly

5. Tris

6. Drew

7. Al

Everyone in the room is just looking at me.

"These are the final rankings," I say. "You've all made the first cut."

I look around and see relief wash over Al's face. If Edward had not left Al would have been cut.

"What happened to Myra and Edward?" Christina asks.

I've been dreading this.

"Edward could not continue with his injury and Myra decided to leave with him," I answer.

I move over to their beds and start stripping the sheets. Once done with that I take out all the clothes in their drawers. Everything the two of them owned is right in front of me. I look around the room one last time before leaving.

After leaving the transfer dorm I meet up with Uriah, and Jude. We're making our way to the zip line. Jude made me bring him because he didn't get to go last year and he is still butt hurt over it. We are half walking half running down the halls trying not to miss the train. I look down the hall and see Tris sitting on the floor by herself.