Notecards

Okay, he thought. Okay. You can do this. It's nothing.

"I think you should know that I find you extremely attractive, as well as smart and kind. So I was wondering if you'd like to join me on an outing to an ice cream shop and possibly discuss a book. Friday works perfect for me, but if not for you then that's completely fine. I'm available almost every day considering I have zero friends," he chuckles. "Anyhow, it's okay if you don't accept. You probably have a trillion guys waiting to take you on a date. I mean, you are quite beautiful."

The mirror's image reflected confidence and poise as he said this from his notecard, when, really, Tobias was very unsure of himself. He stood in the school's bathroom in the middle of fourth period during chemistry. Tobias wiped off his glasses with the fabric of his shirt and placed them back on his face. He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. He wore a dark green collared shirt with khakis. His glasses and messy hair suited well with his personality. Typically he didn't wear shirts like that; with the collar and buttons. He usually sported his typical lightning bolt Bazinga! shirt or blue telephone box shirt. Sometimes one that read The Beatles or featured The Rolling Stones's famous tongue stuck out. Either shirts like those, or plain colored cotton shirts. Rarely did he ever wear those collared ones.

She, on the other hand, often wore nice clothes, but rarely skirts or dresses. She wore a dress that day, and Tobias wondered why. The reason he'd dressed up was because he planned on asking her out. Was she possibly trying to impress him the way he was hoping to impress her?

The thought immediately floated away as he walked back into chemistry and saw her.

Beatrice Prior looked beautiful, like aforementioned, with her floral patterned sundress. The flowers were dark and light with a pastel green shaping leaves around the petals. The background where there was no flowers was a cream/off-white. Along with it was a green cardigan that matched the petals nicely, and on her feet were simple flip-flops.

Point was, Tobias thought she looked beautiful. One of his favorite things about her was that she rarely wore makeup. If she did so, it was light, but striking. Always striking, with or without it.

She had on those big safety goggles over her regular ones as she carefully placed a drop of liquid into a beaker. Tobias quietly walked to his place beside her, and she looked up and smiled at him.

"Hello, Tobias," she said softly. "All I've done is place TetraCarbon inside of Argon sample. It's done nothing so far. Just sit there and soak."

He returned the kind smile. "Okay. Thanks."

"So," she said, leaning her hand and against the desktop, "you've been dressing a lot nicer."

He blushed and awkwardly looked away. "Thanks," he said softly.

"I mean, I dig the whole nerd thing with the Big Bang Theory and Dr. Who deal…but you do clean up quite nicely, I must say."

He smiled. In all honesty, the reason he'd been dressing nice the past week was because he planned on asking her out, but never did. He noticed that Tris was acting a little less shy than usual, and that now was his chance.

And then he forgot everything he told himself he'd say. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels when he felt something in his pocket.

Zeke.

The smallest silence passed over them, but Tobias was quick to break it. "So does heaven hurt? Or—no. I mean… Did heaven mean to—you…" Tris laughed at Tobias, and he laughed at himself. He grabbed notecards in his pocket from Zeke, and he heard Tris give a chuckle.. "Did it hurt?" he read. "You know, when you fell—" Tobias, flustered as usual, dropped the cards, and all six of the colorful index cards spread. He bent down, furiously blushing, and Tris helped him pick up the cards.

She was giggling and blushing, and when they collected the cards, they stood back up. While he picked them up, he briefly glanced at the long one with his proposal.

"Um, okay. No notecards. That was a… a joke. I just—I wanted to let you know that I thought you were kind of beautiful. I mean, I think you are very beautiful. Not kind of. Um… yeah. Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to, I don't know, maybe go out sometime? I don't know, maybe to just, ah, get ice cream, I guess. Possibly discuss a book. Or two. Or ten. Or however many you feel like discussing is cool. Whatever works for you. I mean, Friday, for me, personally, works out. But I can adjust to your schedule. I mean, whatever. You know what? Just cancel the whole thing. What I just asked you. I bet you have plans."

Tris was grinning a wide grin and she looked down, fiercely blushing. It was Tris's turn to be all discombobulated. "I think that sounds wonderful. Um, getting ice cream, that is. And talking about, um, books. I like books. And ice cream. And you. And so I think that sounds splendid, all wr-wrapped into one."

Tobias's head turned to face her. He wore a shocked expression. "Um," he said, looking through his cards. "I don't believe I have a card for that."

She laughed and then bent down to grab something from her book bag. A marker.

Next thing Tobias knew, he felt a marker tip across his skin and someone holding his hand.

"My number," she explained quietly. "So text me, then I'll give you my address."

Tobias was grinning.

And then the Carbon and Argon exploded. It made both Tris and Tobias jump out of their skin. The marker scribbled across Tobias's entire hand. It was a little poof with smoke and the sound of a far away firework. Tobias couldn't tell if that firework sound was his heart or the elements colliding, but either way, they were both igniting.