Tris was still speechless when Ron, who had only just left, came back and eyed him shiftily.
"What are you up to?" Tris asked suspiciously.
Ron said nothing. He chuckled, sat down beside him, and adopted the look of someone waiting for a good show.
Tris was still wondering what he wanted when the crisp click of dress shoes rang out. A moment later, a tall blonde girl appeared before him.
It was Elizabeth Hilliarks.
"Good afternoon, Tris, and..." Elizabeth looked at Ron, hesitated, then asked uncertainly, "Mr. Ron?"
Ron looked rather excited. For a young boy like him, having a beautiful older girl like Elizabeth remember his name was certainly something to be happy about.
"Yes, right, I'm Ron."
Elizabeth smiled and nodded before turning back to Tris. "Tris, I imagine Hogwarts has already announced the Yule Ball, too. I wanted to ask whether you have a partner."
Tris now understood why Ron had looked like that earlier.
He had guessed that Elizabeth was coming to ask Tris to the ball and wanted to watch the fun.
Tris liked watching other people's drama, but he did not like becoming the spectacle himself. Today, however, he had no choice. It seemed he was going to be the entertainment whether he liked it or not.
"Well..." Tris hedged, unsure how to answer.
Strictly speaking, Pheobe had already approached him, so he counted as having a partner. But with that attitude of hers, he really could not say whether she was reliable. Who knew whether she might play some trick and stand him up at the crucial moment?
As a Champion, he had to lead the dancing. If things fell apart at the last moment and he went up alone, he would not just embarrass himself. He would embarrass Hogwarts and the