Disclaimer: I don't own Tamora peirce's characters, I don't own the hair spray or the mini skirts, i don't own the lotus position, I only own the candy used to fuel this.

They all still have their magic even though it isn't mentioned in this chapter, I need some help with Daja's magic and Maybe Tris' because with global warming the weather is wacky enouhg without her help, or does she have something to do with that? R&R, first reviewers will be the ones I listen to when you give me suggestions. Enjoy

"Briar!" Sandry rushed around the corner and smacked right into him.

"Seriously Sandry." He complained peeling her off him and examining what she wore, brotherly instinct took over at her too short skirt and the plunging neckline on her tank top.

"I tried to warn her." Daja said shaking her head with its multiple rows of long, long thin braids that fell past her back, "Briar will make you change, and that's way to much eye liner."

"Just for that I won't make her change." Briar told Daja, making a face at her.

"Only 'cause Marissa is coming." Tris interrupted from her room in the apartment they shared.

The bell rang, "We'll be at the movies watching a movie." Sandry told Briar hurriedly.

"Because people usually go to the theater to trying on clothes." Tris said rolling her eyes. She ran out of her room trying to control her fly away hair with a bottle of spray that was so often refilled and used again that the label was beyond recognition.

Sandry grabbed the bottle out of Tris' hands and sprayed some on her own hair; they both ran out the door. Briar didn't even try to tell Tris her black shirt was replaced with the one Sandry had made in home economics, Sandry was forever after Tris to wear clothes that fit her. Briar noticed Tris' jeans were fixed also and she had been persuaded to wear her contacts.

"Aren't you going Daj?"

"Don't like any of those guys." Daja answered smiling at Briar.

"You could still go."

"Nope, it's a group date thing, besides I'm going out in a bit with Julie. Girl stuff you know."

"Don't want to." Briar teased, the bell rang and there was Marissa, late as usual.

"Bye Daj."

"Bye!"


"I can't believe Ms. Leno." Marissa was saying over her vanilla cone.

"Hm?"

"She gave me a C- for my history project, I mean you read it, it deserved at least a B."

Briar didn't tell her that her history project had been riddled with "likes" and that her way of writing left the reader feeling like an adult being treated like a baby, it was so, so, patronizing.

"Seriously?" Briar asked swallowing a huge bite of chocolate ice cream. Marissa had her faults but she was also pretty, sweet, and funny, plus she had a temper, it was safer to stay on her good side.

"Yeah, I tried to ask her about it but she's all like, 'Sorry Miss Rowdosk, none of the marks can be reversed, besides I'm not changing your mark that is the mark I believe you deserve. Public school would be so much better…'" They got to a board walk, and finished their ice creams. Hands free, Briar slung his arm around her shoulder. The blonde wiggled away and took his hand, the sign he should zone out, now came the girl talk, "Hey Briar?"

"Yeah." Briar's eyes drifted along the coast to look at the beach hotties. His eyes came to a stop on a slender girl about his age. Her golden brown hair hung unpinned down her back, stopping just above the small of her back, she wore glasses with rectangular lenses and the black thick plastic rims Briar saw everywhere. Her skin was very pale, she was bent over a book resting on legs folded into the lotus position, and she did that willingly? Briar wondered, while reading a book?

"Right?" Marissa finished, Briar jumped slightly, and nodded.

"Yeah, totally."

"I know, so…" Marissa continued.

It took Briar a while to find the girl again. She had put down her book and was standing up, throwing a ball as far as she could for a dog. She wore frayed jean shorts that were finished high above her knee. She wore a white shirt with a v neck, the sleeves didn't reach further than her shoulders, but she looked wonderfully covered after Sandry's obsession with mini skirts and Marissa's low, low, tops. She sat on her heels to greet a dog that nearly bowled her over. She said something to the dog and Briar suddenly got the urge to see what colour her eyes were. She must have pretty eyes. From where he stood he could tell they were heavily outlined with eye liner.

"Briar!" Briar snapped out of his observation, something told him she had said his name multiple times. Marissa followed his gaze to the girl, who had settled again on the bench, her fingers dangled over the end of the bench being slobbered on by the dog. "I can't believe you Briar, we have just gotten back together and there you go, looking at other girls." Marissa looked honestly upset.

"I wasn't." Murmured Briar. But he had been staring at the girl. A boom box was being placed on the beach, loud music filled the air.

"God Briar, you can't even stop staring at her long enough to answer me!"

"No Issa, seriously I wasn't staring at her like that."

Marissa sighed, "I'll talk to you later." She said walked briskly away from him. Briar stared after her, chances are he's be known as the world's biggest bastard at school on Monday.

Briar turned back to the girl. She was staring right back at him, her mouth was slightly lopsided, it was cute. She smiled, Briar looked into her eyes, they were a blue that was so pale they were nearly white, but they were warm in a way, she beckoned him towards her with an evil grin. Briar shook his head and motioned for her to come to him. She did.

"Hey."

"You've been staring at me for a really long time." she informed him with a laugh.

"So much for subtle right?" Briar agreed. She blinked heavy pale lashes with clumpy mascara on them.

"You admit it?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Are you gonna ask me out?"

"What?"

She blushed but continued, "Well are you? I mean usually guys don't stare at me like that for no reason, not that many guys stare at me or anything, you're the first one pretty much." She grinned as Briar tried to absorb all the information she'd just given him.

"I'm Lisa by the way." She said with a laugh, "One day I'll scare someone so bad with all my talk they just won't come back and with my luck they will have been my soul mate."

"If they don't like your talk they wouldn't be your soul mate would they?"

Lisa stopped, shocked, "You're probably right, wow, you managed to make heads or tails of what I just said? That's amazing even I don't understand what I'm saying half the time."

Briar laughed. "The name's Briar by the way."

"Are you a plant person? I'm Lisa, in case you didn't catch it before."

"So guys don't usually stare at you?" Briar asked trying to go back to the part of the conversation he had missed, something told him he simply couldn't zone out with Lisa.

"No, not really."

Briar stopped thinking, shocked; those were the fewest words he had heard come out of her mouth yet. "Is it possible you just didn't catch them?"

"I don't think so, but maybe. Seriously though, I'm not pretty enough for guys to stare at me, I mean the eyes maybe, but you'll snap out of it in a little while."

Briar stared at her, was she serious? Instead of telling her he hadn't seen her eyes until a few moments before, he made a point of staring at her, and then he shook his head, "Nope still there." He didn't tell her that though the sun was glinting off her hair anymore or making her skin seem golden, her quirks were enough to interest anyone, forget prettiness.

She blushed, then stared at him, there was that smile, then she shook her head, "I'm sorry, I've really got to go." She picked up her bag, looking as genuinely sorry as she could and began to walk away.

"Can I at least buy you an ice cream?" Briar called after her.

"Next time," she called back.

"What's you number?"

"What's your last name?"

"Moss." There was that plant thing again.

"I'll call you." Briar stared after her, his heart slowly calming down, he had lost her. It wasn't like she was actually going to call.