CHAPTER 1: A Renewed Life
3 Years Later…..
Tris POV
It was a sunny afternoon. Tom and I hung out on almost every day, it's like having a younger brother and it was fun. We go to the same school and his house is just two houses down from mine. So there are so many reasons to be friends with him. I don't know, but it feels like we have a connection sometimes. Like I'm supposed to take care of him. In a sisterly way. It was a strange feeling. But I don't really mind. It's like I'm an only child at home considering Caleb never once came home, for any occasion. So it gets lonely and he's there, so why not?
It has been exactly three years since I moved here. Crazy right? It's like I just got in yesterday! That shows time flies quickly when you're enjoying yourself. It was a wonderful neighbourhood, everyone knows me. Dad comes home every once in a while, and Caleb doesn't really. Every time I tried to call him, it would go straight to voicemail and he didn't even call me back. Maybe he's just that busy. Oh, and Christina has come over a couple of times, and most of the time she brought some of her friends. So we don't really talk much anymore, just the two of us.
So much has changed, though I still can't remember what. It feels like a part of me is still missing, and nothing I do can fill the empty space. Nothing.
Bits and pieces came through the first night I spent here. I remember Christina's wonderful sweet 16th, surfing on the waves with someone…. Hospitals, hospitals and more hospitals. I wonder how many times I've been admitted to the same hospital. It's all still a bit blurry, even now. But I can still remember half of my memory. Though I was kind of hoping I'll be able to recover from whatever it is to make me feel this way.
Tom snapped his fingers. "Earth to Tris. Stop daydreaming!" he playfully shoved my arm. I got him to stop calling me Bea. It reminds me of a saint, which I most certainly am not. Tris sounds good, I came up with that myself. But it feels wrong to let him call me that. Don't ask why because I sure as hell don't know.
I punched him in the shoulder. Over the years, I've been going to the gym. With Tom. And now he has a hot bod too, not when I first saw him as this bony, weak boy. He's hot, and he's 16, not much age difference. I laughed silently at the thought. Crazy hormones. I scolded myself for ever thinking he's hot. Not that he's not. He is. I would've totally gone for him. Had he not been 3 years younger than me.
I've been observing girls flirting with him though he doesn't seem to care or acknowledge their advances. I wonder if he's got his mind on a certain girl…..
"TRIS!" Tom shouted in my ear. "Ow!" I jumped back and slapped his back. "Stop it you jerk!" I mutter. This Saturday, will be my 19th birthday. Silent yay for me. Yay!
Sometimes I talk to myself a lot and it scares the hell out of me. But what can I do? Years of thinking what happened to me has made me *that* crazy. But yeah, no one knows but me. All people see is a normal, insecure, plain girl who walks by them on the sidewalk. No one knows who I really am, not even Tom. Sometimes I think whether people would come to my funeral if I die. Would they remember me at all? Or am I just another face meant to be forgotten?
See? These are the exact opposite of what people call sane questions. I'm crazy. No joke.
I have started planning for my big birthday! I skipped my 18th reaching-adulthood-birthday last year and was planning on doing it on my 19th and mom seems to agree. She says I could invite anyone I want so I did.
I wrote out invitations for Christina and her friends; Marlene, Will, Al, Uriah, etc. And I bet Uriah would want his brother to come too right? So there's Zeke. And when there's Zeke, there are always his gang. So I don't really have that many friends, but I hope they'd come. It would just be a small party among us.
Speaking of Zeke, I still don't understand his relationship with Uriah. Yeah, I get that siblings fight each other all the time but they are something different. It's like they want nothing to do with each other. But I still force myself to believe that deep down they love each other. They're half-brothers, if I understood correctly.
I freed myself of the thoughts of birthday planning and instead focused on Tom's animated face as he talked about some stuff. I don't pay attention to the things he talks about half the time but he doesn't seem to notice it any more than I know what he's talking about right now.
"Really? Omg that is so cool! " I said, my eyes widening. I squealed a bit, just for effect. I was trying to fake amazed. Tom raised his eyebrow.
"So, you agree with him? What he said about you?" he asked. I can feel my cheeks heat up. What was he talking about?
"What was it again?" I ask, pretending I was trying to remember. He knows I have short term memory disorder. He laughed out loud and the birds ahead flew away as fast as they could.
"Peter said you look like a prostitute," he says, stifling another laugh bubbling up his throat. I gaped at him. D-did he just say that? I felt my face go red. Whether it was of embarrassment or anger I don't know.
"P-p-peter? I couldn't have acted more of a saint in front of him!" I said, suddenly angry. It was true, I covered myself, not too much skin exposed. But damn, I was going for a high class hooker but oh well. Do know the thought wasn't true. So, Peter is the bully that is in the neighbourhood, but at the same time not really there. I don't even know how he knows me. Coz I don't, until Tom told me a guy named Peter told him to tell me that I am a disgrace of my kind, but makes it all the much easier for theirs.
I still don't understand the message. It's weird. He's weird, in his own way. I mean, he might be a maniacal serial rapist for all I care. Wait, I do care, if he's talking about me, he might've thought about making me his victim. That would be like so illegal and I don't think I could fight back. Even with all the muscles I gained. There weren't much, really.
Tom was still laughing so I punched him in the stomach and got up to walk home. What a great friend he is.
Four POV
I've been here since last night. I am absolutely miserable. I know it was my decision. It's been 3 years. And yet I still can't bring myself to admit it was a stupid mistake to run away from my problems. I am an idiot, everyone tells me that. Every day has been a torture. 365 days a year. It's been 1095 days since I last saw that beautiful face of hers.
No matter how I spend my time away, I can't bring myself to forget her. The girls dancing with me at night in the clubs are nothing but distraction from the stab of reality. Before you start anything, no I didn't sleep with anyone. I don't. It feels like I'm cheating on her when I talk to other girls. But how can I be when I don't even know the definition of us before? Every day, I would stare at the only picture I have of her. I sighed. Maybe I've been thinking about the past for too long.
I have to learn to let go of the past, and the past will let me go.
"Tobias!" Evelyn called out from across the room. "I told you to call me Four." I can't bear the thought of anyone else calling me by m given name, even if it is the woman who gave birth to me. The name reminds me of Tris. Everything does. I sighed. She just smiled and said. "I know this might make you a bit angry at me, but I think it's time," she said, starting to pack her things.
"Time for what?" I asked, trying to make sense. "Time to go back to school. Continue your studies. You can't keep running forever," she said softly.
I froze. Is she for real?
"Yes," she answered my unasked question.
Well, there goes my plan of letting go of the past.
I honestly love you guys! I mean, imagine my surprise when you guys are surprised I ended it there. Now that's just mean, I know. I'm sorry for ending the story at a cliffhanger. And I really appreciate your constructive criticism and your reactions lol. I love your reviews! Especially the hats and cats and mats and rats thingy hahah no joke I love the reviews! And I dare you to hold me at gunpoint, find me if you can :p Okay then, sequels up, time for some FourTris *which I hope is soon*. Haha looks like you guys will have to just go with the flow ;)
P/s: I forgot to upload, I wrote the first chapter since like um maybe around a week ago? Heheh I just wasn't sure, so here it is. *DUN DUN DUN* *cue nervous laughing heheh* ~Shadeau4 :)