I had never thought it would come to this. A new school, a new home, new everything. After what happened in Texas, I knew things would change, they had to. I never thought we would move to the city though. My dad always says he could never live in the city, and I agree. The car fumes, dirt, and worst of all, homeless people on the street all made me uncomfortable. And yet here we are, in the big apple, New York City.
"Tris, get out of the car!" my brother yelled from inside our new apartment.
So maybe I didn't have the worst life on earth. I mean, we have a penthouse in NYC, but it's not like I want the place. Aparently we are supposed to "start over" in "new surroundings" as my father puts it. He used to work in the government, but after the… incident… he chose to move here to work as an architect. How he gains such diverse skills is a mystery to me, but I know he's good. Otherwise we wouldn't have this place.
"Tris get your butt in here before I come back out and drag you!" screamed my brother in a voice that cracked more than it didn't. Honestly, we're sophomores, and he's 10 months older. You would think his voice would be lower by now. Nonetheless, I knew that while maybe he wasn't strong enough to pull me out of the car, my dad was, and my brother is the biggest tattletale on earth. I rolled my eyes and hopped out of the car, going to the trunk to yank out my three suitcases of belongings. I stomped into the building and was met with marbled walls and a doorman who unsuccessfully tried to beat me to the door handle. I don't like being waited on. I smiled at him though, hoping he wasn't offended. He was actually quite good-looking, with broad shoulders and dark brown eyes. He returned my smile with a soft one of his own.
"I'm Al. You seem new to the building, usually people don't fight for the handle."
I gave a light laugh. "Yeah we just moved from Texas."
He looked confused, and I knew he was listening for an accent.
"My parents lived in Connecticut for most of their lives. They moved to the open range when my mom decided to start a horse breeding farm." I answered his unspoken question, at the same time having a brief flashback to the beautiful fields we left behind, as well as my precious horse.
Al must have seen the wistful look in my eyes, as he gave me a sympathetic smile. "You must miss all that space."
I murmured an agreement, but the bittersweet memory was interrupted as my brother charged down the steps, always determined to let others take the elevator.
"Tris! There you are! When I call you, you come, got it?" he practically screamed the last part in my face as he charged over to me.
I just rolled my eyes at him and picked up my bags. "Look's like I gotta go. Nice meeting you!" I called to Al over my shoulder as my brother dragged me to the stairs.
"Caleb, can't we take the elevator?" I whined. "It's hard enough lugging these across the floor, I don't wanna drag them up the stairs!" I exclaimed, motioning to the stuffed bags.
Caleb then let out possibly the most exasperated sigh I have ever heard in my existence, and pushed the elevator button, exaggerating every movement.
"Wow, that looked tough for you." I said sarcastically.
"I know, but if you're too selfish to tough it out, then it must be done." he said, not catching the sarcasm.
"Poor you." I muttered under my breath as the elevator opened. We stepped on and pressed the button for the top floor, waiting in silence as we were carried up. The air crackled with tension, and not from our little dispute. We were equally nervous about what was to come.
"I hear that schools in New York aren't very friendly." Caleb said nervously, breaking the silence.
"I know." I whispered back.
Then the elevator dinged at the right floor, and we got off. We were met with a short, but wide hallway, about 5ft long, with a single door at the end. Our door.
"Here we go." I muttered as I put in the key and swung open the door.
It was two days since we had moved up here, and this was our first day of school. There were still a ton of boxes, but it was mostly my dad's stuff. All of my stuff was set up in my huge room. It's… different. In Texas, I had a tiny room but a giant yard. Here, I have a giant room and a tiny yard. At least there's space for my songbooks. I thought, looking at my giant bookcase that held a secret. It was the one thing from my room I kept after moving. Everything else held too many memories that would bring me down, but this is book shelf meant too much to sell in a garage sale. I pulled it out a bit so I could squeeze between it and the wall, and pressed the button on the back. A handle immediately slid out of the wood, it's outline almost invisible unless you had been looking for it. I pulled it out, revealing the small drawer, just big enough for my notebook. It had been a present for my tenth birthday. I can remember now…
"What is it?" I asked, examining the plain black leather cover of the notebook. It was small, but very thick, almost as tall as my hand was wide.
"It's a notebook silly." my mother responded.
"What for?" I questioned again, now flipping through the fresh pages, smelling that new book smell. I wasn't a bookworm or anything, but I always did like the smell.
"For writing silly, you can write your songs in here." my mom laughed. It was a happy, clear, tinkering sound, reminding you of a fairy's wings fluttering in the breeze.
"Can I write one now?" I asked her, eyes growing wide in excitement.
"It's yours!" my mother laughed again. "You can write whatever you want, whenever you want."
I smiled really big at that, and pulled a pen out from her pocket. Before she could ask why, I flipped to the first page, that stiff one that never really stays down. I clicked open the pen, and wrote "Nataly and Tris's Songbook". She laughed at that.
"I thought I was Mommy?" she asked, faking hurt.
"But one day we will publish these songs, and then everyone needs to know your real name!" I said.
"Well that's not how you spell my name anyway Miss Sassy!" my mom answered lightly. "It's an 'ie', remember?" she said, giving me an encouraging smile.
I pouted for a second, but then brightened. "I know!" I exclaimed.
I crossed out the first thing I wrote, and below it wrote "Nataly or Mommy and Tris's Songbook."
"There!" I giggled happily. "It's a com- compi- compisize?" I stumbled over my new vocabulary word.
"Compromise." my mom was full out laughing now, and I joined her, although I wasn't entirely sure why we were laughing.
"Thank you Mommy!" I yelled, tackling her to the floor in a hug.
"You're welcome tough girl." she smiled. "Happy birthday."
I snapped back into the present as I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I traced my hands over the writing, letting out a small, sad laugh as I looked at the spelling. Smiling through the tears, I used the heel of my hand to wipe away the tears, delicately placing the book back in it's compartment. I slid it shut and put the bookshelf back into place, then turned to check the time. 7:10?! I realized in shock. I looked down at my pajamas and sighed. "Time to get ready." I muttered to myself. My school starts at 7:30, and while I may not be a punctual person, being late on your first day is never good. I browsed my walk-in closet, filled with clothes from our recent shopping trip that I had barely looked at when we bought them. Basically, my criteria was no pink, no girly, and no slutty. Turns out, I have mostly black and dark blue skinny jeans, and a lot of black, blue, grey, and royal purple shirts. I decided on black skinny jeans with a dark blue sweatshirt. It was a chilly September morning, so I might as well be prepared. And I never really had a fashion sense anyway. I finished by brushing through my slightly wavy hair, and stared at myself in the mirror. Skinny, pale, no curves (but you couldn't tell through the sweatshirt), thin face, and dull blue-grey eyes. Great. I thought to myself. Checking the time, I realized it was 7:20, and I had to walk to school. I ran down the stairs, grabbing an apple and granola bar from the counter. I was about to race out the door when I heard my dad's quiet voice behind me.
"Don't I get a hug goodbye?" he asked with a small smile.
"Of course! I thought you had left!" I exclaimed, dashing over to hug him.
He kissed the top of my head and sighed in unison with me. "I know you weren't too crazy about moving here, but I really think it will do us some good. It's not like we sold the farm, we can always go there for vacations." he gave me the same speech he gave when we first came to the house.
We could just come to New York for vacations. I thought bitterly, but didn't voice my thoughts. I knew he was having an even rougher time than me and Caleb, so all I said was "I know, I need to get to school." I released him and ran out the door, not looking back to see the disappointed face I knew was there.
I jogged down the street, looking around at the hustle and bustle that I still wasn't used to. The city never sleeps. I remember my mom saying once. Well, it's true. The honks of cars in traffic can be heard all throughout the night. I picked up the pace as I neared the school. "Divergent High" I murmured aloud as I saw the sign. Apparently, this was a half boarding school, but also a normal school. Still kind of confused on that. My brother said that you share a room with someone, but you can choose whether or not to stay there. I don't really get it, I mean, why not just give rooms to the people who need them? My thoughts were interrupted as I came into the office. As I passed through the doorway, looking around at the new surroundings, I bumped into something hard.
"Ouch." I grunted as I stumbled back, trying to regain my balance, only to fall over my own foot. Great. I looked up to see who I had bumped into, and was met with a face that might as well be on a magazine. He was tan, with muscles that showed clearly through his shirt, even though it was loose, and had short dark brown hair. He had a spare upper-lip, and a full lower lip. His eyes were a dark, brooding blue, with a dot of light in his left one. He had a pronounced four-arm, which became more apparent as he stuck his hand down to help me up. He let it drop though, when I pushed myself up, dusting myself.
"You should watch where you're going." he said roughly, after I had regained my feet.
I was taken aback by his harsh tone. "Sorry. I didn't see you." I replied through gritted teeth. I didn't like being told what to do, but he was right, I wasn't looking.
"Really? Because I was right in front of you." he said rudely.
"I apologized, didn't I? And you're lucky I did with that tone of your's!" I snapped, losing my control.
"Well try to see me next time." he said, striding away.
"You got a lotta nerve!" I called after him angrily.
I saw him pause for a second, and for a moment I thought he would turn around and make it into an all-out fight. Instead, he just kept walking, disappearing into the throng of people.
"Good looks are wasted on the bad-hearted." I muttered to myself.
"Oh don't mind Four!" a peppy voice sounded behind me. "He doesn't seem to like anyone!"
I spun around to see a tall, brown-skinned girl with a model's body smiling at me. She had bright brown eyes that seemed to carry contagious happiness.
"I'm Christina!" she chirped, holding out her hand.
"Tris." I returned with a smile, shaking her hand.
"Oh! The new girl! From Texas?" she asked, getting, if possible, more excited.
"That's me!" I laughed.
"OMIGOSH!" she practically screamed. I fought the urge to cover my ears, and laughed again at her excitement.
"Excuse me, you're the new student, correct?" sounded a voice behind me.
I spun to face the lady at the counter. "Ah, yes, sorry." I said, smiling awkwardly as Christina bounced away to sit on a bench outside the office. She waved at me smiling. I rolled my eyes and turning to the lady again. "I was wondering if I could have-"
"Your schedule? Here." she finished my sentence, smiling. "I'm standing in for the secretary this morning, but I'll be your art teacher, Tori." she laughed at my confused reaction. "I don't go for the whole formal thing." she answered my unspoken question.
"Oh, that's cool." I gave a quick half-smile. "Nice to meet you… Tori." I said as she laughed at my hesitation.
"Here's your schedule." she passed me a slip of paper, grinning. "See you in art!"
I walked out, waving, and made my way over to Christina. I saw her talking to the rude guy who I bumped into earlier. I practically stomped over, my mood now soured.
"Hi!" Christina called a bit too loud as I approached. She winked at the guy… what was his name… "Four this is Tris."
"I think we've met." he said with a low voice. His dark blue eyes met mine, and they captivated me as much as they had earlier. This time though, there was a strange emotion in them. He almost seemed… sorry?
Hmm. I pondered the look. I thought he was a jerk… but maybe I just caught him in a bad mood. I decided to put on my 'friendly but guarded' look, as Caleb calls it, which is the look I usually use for strangers. "I wouldn't call that meeting." I said with a light chuckle.
He seemed to relax and gave me a friendly nod. "Well then, I'm Four. It's nice to meet you Tris."
"Four?" I asked, curious. Seeing his suddenly closed-off look at my question, I decided not to push it. "Cool name." I finished lamely. I knew it was the right move though, from the look a received. It wasn't as much friendly as… approving? This guy is weird… and interesting. I thought to myself as he continued our eye contact. This was starting to get weird… but those eyes… He has secrets. I could tell. I've always been good at reading people, and I've only gotten better ever since the incident. His eyes had the same guard that I have in my head. I wonder what his is blocking…
Christina was looking from one of us to the other with wide, excited eyes. Realizing that we had been making direct eye contact for about 30 seconds, I looked down at my shoes, my face heating up. Christina let out a light giggle, and I saw Four make a little half-smile. Great, now he thinks I'm a creep. Wait. Why do you care what he thinks? He's a jerk remember? I had a mini battle inside of me.
But he said he was sorry… reasoned the nice side.
No, he looked sorry. That means nothing. Retorted the stubborn side.
I shuffled my feet and desperately searched for a reason to walk away. Thankfully, Christina seemed to have the same idea.
"Do you want me to help you out with finding your homeroom?" she asked, exchanging a glance with Four. What does that mean… I thought, examining their secretive look. Deciding to roll with it, I agreed.
"Sure, thanks!" I said, sounding as happy about it as she was. Honestly, I was just looking for a chance to escape that blue gaze that I could feel trained on me. "Where to? For homeroom I have Mr… Eric?" I said, ending in a question. These teachers sure have weird traditions. I thought as she explained that he liked being called by his first name as well.
"Anyway," she said, finished with her explanation. "I have Tori for my homeroom, and she's on the other side of the wing…" Christina trailed off, looking disappointed.
"I have him for homeroom." Four spoke up. "I'll take you."
I looked up uncertainly. He didn't seem too happy about it, with his closed off expression. "You don't have to…" I said, not wanting to be a burden.
He looked confused for a moment, and then gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I was thinking. I don't mind taking you at all, I just zoned out."
I gave a hesitant smile back. "Well then thank you." I turned to Christina as she piped up behind us.
"I have a locker next to you!" she practically shrieked.
I hadn't even noticed her snatching my schedule. I laughed at her excitement. "Sneak! Gimme!" I reached for the paper, but she easily held it out of my reach. I narrowed my eyes in frustration. "Ugh! I hate being short! Christinaaaaaa." I whined the last part, leaping up to get the paper, but to no avail.
Finally, Four seemed to decide the sight was too pathetic to watch any longer, and grabbed the paper from her hand, giving it to me.
"Thank you!" I said, with a pointed glare at Christina.
She only giggled and took my hand. "Come on! I'll show you where our lockers are, 2046 and 2047!" She squealed, and took off with me down the hallway. When I saw Four jogging behind us to keep up, I felt a flash of surprise, and then realization, accompanied with a bit of disappointment.
"Are you and Four dating?" I asked Christina.
"WHAT?!" she yelled, stopping dead in her tracks, surprising me and Four, who collided into me as I collided into her. The four of us ended up sprawled on the ground, with Christina hysterically laughing.
I groaned as I felt Four's elbow digging into my side, but Christina's knee was really doing the damage in… higher places. "Christina. Off." I managed, and sighed in relief as the weight was lifted off my chest. "Four, you too." He scrambled up, and I stood, glaring once again at Christina, who was still on the floor, gasping from her giggle-fit. "You sound like a banshee." I informed her as I pulled her to her feet. Four's lips twitched as he fought off a smile, and I felt a flash of satisfaction.
"Me and Four… DATING?!" Christina panted, still laughing.
I shuffled uncomfortably as Four looked at us with wide eyes. "What." he asked, glaring daggers at Christina.
"She thought we were dating!" Christina exclaimed.
"And it's becoming very apparent that you aren't." I muttered as they stared at me, Four shocked and Christina amused.
"We," Four stated, motioning with his hands back and forth between them, "are NOT dating, nor will we ever be." he said, eyes flashing with amusement at her fake offended look. "She's crazy." he said simply.
"At least I'm fun." she said, punching his arm. "But he's right, we would never date. Four has like, no emotion anyway, he'd be no fun." she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
"OK GOT IT." Four and I said at the same time. "Anyway, I was just wondering cuz you didn't seem to… enjoy my company very much but you were in a hurry to keep up." I said, turning to Four. I could've sworn he blushed a tiny bit.
"Well, I figured if I was showing you to class, I'd better not lose you before I start." he said smoothly. Then again, maybe he didn't blush. This guy really has no emotion! I thought, frustrated.
Christina however, was staring at him with excited brown eyes and a huge smile. He just gave her a look and she grinned even bigger. "Actually, I better head to homeroom now, Four knows where the locker is." she said, shoving me towards him so hard I had to stumble to avoid crashing into him again. "See you guys in gym!" She called over her shoulder as she jogged in the way we had come.
I looked up at Four and he gave me a small smile while rubbing the back of his neck. "She's… something." he said with a chuckle.
"You like her?" I guessed, feeling that flash of disappointment again. Why should I be disappointed, it's not like I like him! I told myself. I couldn't help the flash of relief though, at his next words.
"Get that thought out of your head bitsy! I don't like Chris!" he laughed at my suddenly pissed expression.
"Don't you ever. Call me. Bitsy. Again." I growled.
"Ok Bitsy." he replied with a grin and started walking down the hall.
Woah. I hadn't seen that smile yet. "You should do that more often." I murmured, more to myself than him, but he caught it.
"Do what?" he asked.
Uh-oh. "Uh… nothing." I said nervously. How was I supposed to tell him that when he gave a real smile, it looked hot, for one, but also looked really nice, and happy.
"Ok…" he said, in a way that let me know he wouldn't forget it.
"Tris!" I heard a slightly familiar voice call from behind us. For what must be the 1000th time today, I spun around.
"Al!" I said in recognition as the boy I had met at our building came jogging up to us. He still looked cute, but next to Four, his wide shoulders didn't seem as strong, and his soft brown eyes didn't look as inviting as the dark blue ones. And his lips… WOAH TRIS. My inside voice screamed. Stop right there, and ask yourself why you are comparing two boys who you barely know. "Hi!" I called out, trying to sound normal despite the thoughts that were now swirling through my brain.
Al seemed to slow as he saw Four. "Hi." he said, suddenly less happy.
"Hi." Four answered in an equal tone.
"So… what are you two up to?" Al said, directing the question to me. I couldn't help but notice Four shift a bit closer to me.
"Four's just showing me to my locker." I answered. "2046."
"Sweet! I'm 2049!" he said happily. "I can take her off your hands if you want man." he said to Four. I couldn't help but be offended at the wording. If he thinks it's such a job then I'll just find it myself. I thought, preparing to say exactly that.
"Nah it's no problem, she's pretty cool." Four answered, surprising me. I thought for sure he would say no. Then I saw a flash of protectiveness in his eyes and bristled.
"We're gonna be late to class, can someone just tell me where it is before I go off and fail trying to find it by myself?" I asked, irritated.
"One second." came Al's reply as he glared at Four, who at the same time said
"Of course."
Four's head snapped to look at him. "Dude, what?" he asked, clearly realizing what I meant by being late for class. Al however, didn't seem to care.
"Do you think you own her or something?" Al asked, tense.
"I never said I did, but I could definitely own you if you asked for it again." came the dangerously calm reply. A look of fear crossed Al's face.
"I think you just did." I muttered, not realizing Four had heard it until he winked at me. I blushed and looked down.
"Well?" Four said, now moving to stand in front of me.
"I don't want to be late to class…" came Al's hesitant reply. He looked around Four and I met his gaze. He seemed genuinely sad.
"It's less out of the way if Al takes me to my locker." I said slowly, not wanting to meet Four's eyes. "I wouldn't want to bother you."
A pause answered my words, before I heard a sharp "Of course."
I brought my eyes up to see Four's eyes once again guarded. He met my eyes for an instant before spinning around and striding down the hall, before disappearing into a classroom.
"Well, now that he's gone, I'll show you to the lockers!" Al said, now happy. "Over here!" he said, walking over to a long wall of lockers. "This is your's. And this is mine." He pointed to each locker in turn.
"Nice." I mumbled absently. He didn't seem to take notice though. Then I realized something. "Uh, Al?" I asked, interrupting him as he told me about his classes.
"Yeah?" he turned his eyes to me.
"Um, Four was supposed to take me to my first class, but he left… so… do you know where Mr- I mean Eric's homeroom is?" I asked, forgetting which door Four had gone into.
"Wow what a jerk." Al said pointedly. I tensed a bit.
"Well you weren't exactly being nice to him." I retorted, defending him.
Al looked surprised, but the expression soon turned to bitter. "I didn't realize you two were already so… close." I blushed, unable to fight it even though his tone bit me.
"Can you just show me where it is?" I muttered.
"Fine. Here." Al said, walking me down a hallway and pointing in at a classroom. "Just tell me if you need anything." he added in a softer voice. Too soft.
"I can take care of myself, but thank you." I said, trying not to sound too stiff. Before he responded, I turned and walked into the classroom, thankful that the teacher hadn't arrived yet. The class was still chatting. I spotted Four talking to a pretty girl with dyed red hair and a tall, bronze-skinned boy with dark eyes. She picked her way over to them nervously, intending to apologize to Four.
"Hey! Who's this pretty lady?" the dark-haired boy asked, grinning at her.
"Huh? Oh, thats Tris." Four said, and she knew immediately that he was still pissed.
"Well enchanté mademoiselle." he said flirtatiously, taking my hand and kissing it. I blushed a deep red and laughed nervously.
"Hello…" I said in return.
"I'm Uriah." he said, standing and regaining a bit of his self-control apparently.
"Shauna." the girl said, smiling a bit at me.
"Nice to meet you." I gave them a small smile and turned to Four. "Um, can I talk to you?" I asked nervously.
He looked at me for a moment, and opened his mouth to say something just as the teacher walked in.
"IN YOUR SEATS EVERYONE!" he shouted upon entering. He had slick black hair and a pierced nose. He looked barely out of college and definitely not old enough to be a highschool teacher. "I'm Eric, your homeroom teacher, as well as your gym teacher."
That explains the shouting. I thought to myself. I turned to look at Four, but he had sat down and was watching the teacher. I was about to turn to an empty table when he motioned slightly to the seat beside him. I sat down slowly, nervously watching him. He smiled slightly as I settled in the seat and I leaned back into the chair, relaxing.
"TRIS!" Eric shouted.
"Huh?" I asked nervously.
"Introduce your pretty self to the class please." he gave me a creepy grin. That was weird… I thought, going over what he said. Apparently, Four thought the same thing, because I caught him glaring at the teacher.
"Um, I'm T-Tris." I said, not wanting to stand up. "Tris Prior." I finished quickly and looked down, blushing yet again. Why did I have to stutter?
I heard a soft chuckle from beside me. I looked up to see Four's mouth twitching, a trait that seemed unique to him.
"I've never seen anyone else so determined to hide their smile before." I commented in a whisper as Eric went through attendance.
Four whispered back, "I've never seen someone so determined to hide their feelings before."
I tried to hide my surprise at his intuition. "Have you looked in a mirror?" I decided to answer.
"You're good." was his only reply.
I realized I hadn't apologized to him yet. "Sorry."
He stiffened, apparently realizing what I was talking about. "Me too." he said.
I winced at the tone. "What are you sorry for."
"Protecting you." he chuckled a tiny bit. "You?"
"Not letting you." I mumbled.
His lip twitched again.
"Geez Four I never thought someone could laugh without smiling." I said with my own small smile.
He gave me a challenging look. "Then make me laugh, and maybe I'll smile."
"I already made you laugh like four times, shouldn't that be a lucky number?"
He gave a small smile, without realizing it apparently, because when I gasped, he quickly made it disappear.
"Aw come on! I like your smile!" I said without thinking. Once I heard the words though, I blushed a deep red. You don't even know this guy, he probably thinks you're crazy. I told myself. When I looked up though, he was only chuckling again and- you guessed it- without smiling.
"I guess I'll have to do it more then." he said.
I was about to point out the fact that despite that, he still wasn't smiling, but was interrupted by the bell, at which Four gave a half-smile, which apparently doesn't count, and stood up. He waited though, and I looked at him questioningly.
"You have Art next, right?" he asked as if it was obvious.
"Yes…" I said, confused.
"So do I, I'll walk you." he said simply, and walked with me out of the classroom.
As we entered the hallway, full of rushing students and an ongoing flood of different conversations and laughs and teasing, it hit me for the first time. I'm in a new school, in a new city, in a new state, and I practically don't know anyone. I looked up to see Four looking down at me, the slightest hint of concern in his hard-to-read eyes. I smiled encouragingly up at him, and began walking forward.
"Here we go." I muttered.
Wow 5190 words in my first chapter. I'm pretty proud if I do say so myself haha. Anyway, sorry to the people reading my other story. I'm not stopping it, but it will continue at a slower pace now that I am working on two at once. I will also give shout-outs to people if I read a story I really like. This is still one of my first stories, so please don't judge to harshly if there are grammar mistakes and stuff. (I actually just spelled grammar wrong before it spell-checked me). That doesn't mean I don't want constructive criticism though. Thanks so much for reading my stories and PLEASE give me suggestions. There is bound to be a point where I get writer's block, so I might not use your suggestions immediately, but I will eventually! Thanks so much!
