Chapter 1

When I met Tris Prior, I knew we were going to be lifelong friends. We were polar opposites, but we complemented each other; Roth High had never seen a pair of besties like us.

She walked into school with her head held high. Christina watched as the petite but powerful blonde borderline strutted through the hallways. Somehow, the girl-no, woman-radiated careful sophistication and casual indifference at the same time. Slender and leanly athletic, she attracted the stares of many a male student as she made her way over to Christina, who fidgeted in her suddenly-juvenile jeans and top that had seemed cute in the mirror this morning.

"Hey, are you the Christina I'm supposed to see?" Her voice was soft, yet startling.

Chris was shocked when she saw the blonde up close. Somehow, she was even more beautiful now, with her refined nose, flawless skin, and perfect brows. But her most striking feature was most definitely her eyes: as blue as a clear summer day, but mixed with the gray of an Atlantic storm.

Striking. That was a good word to describe her.

"Yeah, I'm Christina. What's up?" She stuck out a hand to shake.

"Tris." The blonde shook her hand quickly but firmly. "You're showing me around?"

"Yeah. The principal said we have the same classes?"

She nodded slightly.

"Cool. I'll take you there."

The entire day passed with solely stale small talk passing through them. Thus one can imagine her surprise when Tris continued to stay in Christina's life. She had the grace of a dancer and the poise of a princess, along with the looks of a supermodel and the quick intelligence of a heroine. Boys wanted to date her and girls wanted to befriend her, save the occasional envy-overtaken socialite. Before she knew it, Tris had successfully inserted herself in Christina's life and made herself indispensable. Not only had she assimilated into her friend group, but Christina found herself as Tris' right hand woman, her best friend. And it pleased her... for the most part. She was her pair of ears, letting Tris know the gossip of the school, including the pieces that included Tris herself. Chris used her fashion prowess to make Tris look even more irresistible than she was, and let her know which boys to pursue and which boys to avoid. When Tris rose in the ranks of popularity, so did Christina. Where Tris went, Chris followed. Tris and Chris. Forever.

It had always been the Tris Prior show, with guest star Christina Kravitz. And I was completely okay with that. High school passed and we were roommates in college, and I was still okay with that. Playing second fiddle is usually not as bad as it sounds...then again, there are times that it is.

She had been eyeballing the guy for a good month now. He was really cute, in a geeky way. He had come late to Psych 101, mumbling that he overslept with a morning rasp as he sat down in the only available seat: the one closest to the door, next to Christina. His blond hair was an adorable mess, and she noticed that he smelled good, like mint and something distinctly male. He was wearing a button-up shirt, which was rumpled but somehow still made him look good. She slowly observed his tan skin and his delicious forearms that were exposed when he rolled up the cuffs of his shirt. Thick square frames covered bright, insightful green eyes. Chris tried to make it seem like she wasn't blatantly checking him out as he glanced her way. She smiled, and he grinned back.

Oh.

His smile.

He was beautiful.

She would've melted into a puddle of lovesick goo right there if it wasn't for the professor calling on her, bringing Christina back to the present. She shuffled through her notes for the answer before the person sitting on her other side called out the right answer.

"Correct, thank you, Miss Prior." The professor nodded once in Tris' direction before turning and giving a look of disapproval to Christina. "Please pay attention if you want to do well in my class, Miss Kravitz."

"Y-yes, Professor Black." She grimaced as class dismissed, and the students began to pack up their things.

Tris abruptly got up. "Hey, I have to go." She left within a blink, leaving Christina alone. What was up with her?

Chris was just about to sling her bag over her shoulder when she looked up and saw an intense pair of green eyes studying her. "Here, let me help with that."

"Uh…" Why weren't words coming out? Was she drooling? She couldn't tell.

He picked up her heavy bag like it was a paperweight. She found herself thinking about the effortless grace of his movements and the subtle flex of his arm. "I'm Will. What's your name?"

"Christina." She finally regained control of her motions. "Christina Kravitz. Why are you carrying my bag?"

He chuckled. "Aren't you blunt? Usually, when a guy carries a bag for a girl, she just goes along with it."

"For all I know, you could be a thief trying to steal it."

"A thief?" Will raised an eyebrow, the motion so perfect that her stomach was instantly full of butterflies. "Yes, I would get so much out of stealing your poorly written notes."

"Poorly written? Excuse me?"

"Whoa, not my fault you keep getting distracted in class!"

And it continued like this for the rest of the semester. He would pick up her bag, walk her back to her dorm, and drop her off. Tris always strangely went MIA after Psych, so Christina and Will would walk back, playfully bantering all the way. Sometimes they stopped at the campus cafe, or made a detour to the college library. They started to hang out more, even outside of class. Soon, Chris began to feel like she had found a best friend in Will...but, unbeknownst to him, she wanted more. It was heavenly torture, being around him so much. But he never talked about other girls, so she felt optimistic about her prospects.

This optimism went through the roof around the end of the semester.

Hey, I need to talk to you. Meet at the cafe at 1? -Will

She squealed when she read the text on her phone. Tris had been gone, as usual. Chris actually hadn't seen much of her for the past couple weeks, but for now, she had other things on her mind. Blonde things. Handsome things.

Christina carefully planned her outfit, adding hints of his favorite color, sky blue, here and there. She could barely hold in her excitement. Will was finally asking her out! She could just imagine it...they'd be in the crowded cafe and suddenly he'd get on one knee. That would attract the attention of the people milling around, and someone would undoubtedly videotape it and post it up on Facebook or YouTube. Would you make me the happiest man in the world and be my girlfriend, Christina Kravitz? She'd enthusiastically say yes, and Will would pull her in for a kiss flavored with coffee and peppermint.

She giggled to herself as she entered the cafe. It was packed with people, just like she visualized it. Will was sitting in a corner table for two, tapping on his phone while taking sips of his latte.

"Hey, Will!"

"Christina!" Will looked up, a wide grin on his face. "I got you a vanilla frap, my treat."

He had remembered her favorite coffee! "Thank you." She sat down across from him and took a deep breath. "So what did you want to tell me?"

"Yeah…" Will looked at his fingers and drummed them on the side of his cup. "Sorry, this is just so hard to say."

Aww, he's nervous about it? This guy cannot get any cuter. "Take your time. I'll be right here."

He inhaled, then exhaled. "Let me just put it this way. Basically, there's this girl I like. And she seems really cool, and she's really pretty, but I have no idea how to ask her out."

"Yeah?" Christina leaned forward, a smile playing on her lips. "And who is this mysterious girl that has caught your attention, hmm?"

"Her name is…"

Christina Kravitz.

"...Tris Prior."

WHAT? She abruptly sat back in her chair.

"She's absolutely gorgeous, and she always knows all the answers in class...she's so intelligent, and I really like that in a girl, you know?"

Tris Prior? Her Tris Prior?

"And her smile, it just lights up a room, and I just...even though I've never talked to her, I know she would be an amazing person, you know?"

"Y-yeah?" Christina managed to choke out one word. There was a lump in her throat that wasn't going away.

Will smiled at her, unaware of what he was doing to her. "I guess what I'm saying is this: can you please introduce us? You're her best friend, after all, and she's listen to you. Maybe put it in a good word for me? I'd really appreciate it, especially since we're bros."

"Bros." She smiled tightly. "Right."

She should've seen this coming, really. Tris had always been reputed to be the more beautiful, more dateable one of the two. Countless guys had come up to Christina in the past, begging for her phone number or just an introduction. No one had ever asked Tris for Christina's number, and Peter, the one guy that Chris had dated in high school, asked Tris out the day after their breakup.

And here was Will, giving her a look that broke her heart. Why did she think he would have been any different? "Okay," she said softly, as she rose out of her seat. "I'll do it for you."

"You will?" The expression on his face was one of pure glee. "Thank you so much!" Swept up in emotion, he embraced her. The feel of his arms around him was bittersweet; she knew that she would never experience it the way she wanted to.

"No problem." Christina picked up her bag and coffee. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go. Studying, you know how it is."

Will deflated a bit. "Are you sure we can't hang out?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, sorry."

With that, she marched out of the cafe. Just before she disappeared from Will's line of sight, he watched her throw the full vanilla frappucino into the trash can.