The next morning, America is still mortified as she goes down to breakfast, and yet all of her thoughts are still stuck on the fact that it didn’t work.  Not one single solitary glimmer of a speculation on a feeling of what would have happened if it did work.  Because, apparently, sexual manipulation is just a thing that girls do, just a natural part of their lives, with no real consequences or unfair pressures involved, and the only reason to be upset is if it you do it poorly and get embarrassed. 

Kriss is rude and snappy to her (and was last chapter, too), which is odd since she was so nice last book.  What’s changed?  Or at least, why is America not wondering the same thing?  And Maxon is being all smug and gloating over the whole event for some reason, which is really not in line with his character.  He’s a jackass, sure, but his jackassery is usually reserved to mansplaining and justifications, not gloating.

I swear, it’s like we’ve started a whole different series or…

…

…oh my god, someone sold me Selection fanfiction with a pretty cover, didn’t they?

The king gets called away to do business with the French, then berates Maxon when Maxon asks if he should go along.  Later, Maxon and America meet up and whine about how the king is such a jerk.

Then they talk about the night before.

“Trust me when I say, it was very tempting. But you’re not that girl.”

 “But shouldn’t I be? Shouldn’t that be part of what we are?” I whined into his chest.

Well, at least that’s something. 

Maxon says that, since the king is out of town, they should try to make America the people’s favorite, since it’s the only way to make the king accept Maxon choosing her.

…not really sure why.  The king doesn’t seem to really give a rats ass what the people think, and we were told multiple times in the previous books that this isn’t a popularity contest (while simultaneously being concerned with popularity).  Besides, public opinion is fickle, being popular one day doesn’t mean anything.  Hell, America was ‘most popular’ at a few points, fell out of favor, and came back again. 

But, apparently this is our plot for the book, or at least for this section of it.  *sigh*

America heads off to the Misogyny Room with all the other girls and finds that they’re looking out the window at the guards running laps around the garden.

*sigh*

No.  Book, just no.  Just…no.

Rooms like that look out over ornamental gardens, which, as the name implies, are supposed to look pretty.  They aren’t running tracks, because a bunch of sweaty runners would ruin the scenery.  Not to mention that paramilitary types doing PT aren’t exactly the most serious of people (trust me, I know) and there’s a good chance someone’s going to get knocked into a rose bush.  And on top of that, gardens that are made to be pretty usually aren’t good for running anyway, because they have meandering paths instead of a nice steady loop like a track, and if the paths aren’t paved or are paved in cobbles or some other decorative thing, it’s going to be hell to run on.  And on top of that, the pampered and noble aren’t exactly known for their love of watching the lower classes sweat all over their pretty things.

Why don’t they have an actual track to run on?  It’s not like exercise equipment is unheard of in a palace complex.  Or at least give them a big field somewhere instead of a garden that’s right in the middle of prime viewing area.

America off-hand mentions that Maxon looks just as good topless as any of those guys, and the girls assume she knows because of her seduction attempts the night before and call her a slut.  America counters by saying she caught Celeste making out with him in the hallway, which prompts everyone to compare ‘intimate with Maxon’ stories.

“Okay, so now we all know where we stand.”

 “And where is that?” Elise asked.

No one answered.

Exactly, because you have nothing, this is all meaningless.  Celeste making out with him and Kriss intentionally not kissing pretty much mean the same thing because each girl has different priorities and standards.  All we really know from this conversation is that Maxon doesn’t seem to be imposing any standards of his own (or else that he’s more lax than all of them but letting them dictate the pace without comment).

“In my family, all the marriages are arranged. I knew what was coming for me, and that’s all this is. I may not be head over heels for Maxon, but I respect him. Love can come later.”

Sympathetically, Kriss spoke. “That actually sounds kind of sad, Elise.”

 “It’s not. There are bigger things than love.”

I want Elise’s story.

Well, they all talk about their feelings for Maxon, and we officially have an entire chapter where four girls talk to each other the entire time and it still doesn’t pass the Bechdel test.  Also, it’s utterly pointless, we learn nothing new about the girls or the competition.