I guess this story will be joining the giant heap of Divergent high school fics. I only read one or two of them, so I hope this doesn't closely resemble something that's already out there.

Important things to note:
- For plot convenience sake, most of 'the gang' are high school seniors. Caleb is older than Tris by 10 months, as is Zeke to Uriah. Lynn and Susan are juniors but they are relatively minor characters.
- Marcus is not abusive, but definitely not an ideal father either.
- Sorry for OOC and clichés
- Time jumps. There will be a fair number of them, usually by days or weeks. They're hinted at in the story, but it's not like a direct 'a few weeks later' in bold and underlined.
- This is a Fourtris fic! But, it will take a long while for them to get there. There will be fluff but the first half mostly focuses on their friendship. And they will see other people along the way.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Divergent trilogy or any of its characters.

Chapter 01

- Tris -

I dig deeper into the tunnel of blankets and groan as an energetic song plays on my phone. I vaguely remember accepting my brother's suggestion of 'a cheerful alarm for the first day of school', but I quickly regret the idea as I reach out for my phone to shut it off. Sunlight seeps through the window as I sit up and rub the sleep out of my eyes. I sigh at the thought of another school year.

But then again, maybe it's not just another year. It's my senior year, the last year of high school. The prospect that I may be somewhere different in a year's time makes me excited and nervous at the same time. I should enjoy high school as much as I can while it lasts. Just one more year.

I wash up quickly in the bathroom, humming to a happy tune and laughing when I realize it's the same song that was playing on my phone only minutes ago. I should probably thank Caleb for getting it stuck in my head. After getting ready and throwing on some casual clothes, I grab my backpack and head downstairs.

"Good morning, Beatrice," my dad greets from his spot on the breakfast counter.

"Good morning." I hang my backpack on the seat beside his and sit down while my mom places a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of me.

"Do you want a ride today?" My mom asks as she turns to clean up the kitchen.

I open my mouth to speak but Dad beats me to it.

"Someone's waiting for you outside."

I turn instinctively to look at the front door even though I can't see through it. "Why didn't you let him in?" I ask after swallowing a bite.

"I did, but he insisted on waiting outside. See, I think he's learned to avoid Mom's lectures about eating breakfast," Dad jokes.

I grin at my mom but she shakes her head. "Oh, that boy," she sighs. "Maybe I should bring a tray of breakfast out to him."

"Mom, he's not a dog." I roll my eyes and chug down a glass of orange juice. "And just let him be, or you'll scare him off and I'll have to walk to school alone."

"You can always walk with Caleb and Susan," Dad suggests.

"I think I'd rather walk alone," I mutter, imagining being a third wheel between my brother and his girlfriend. I hurriedly clean the dishes and grab my backpack before heading out. "Have a good day," I yell to my parents.

I hear them both yell back a 'you too,' just as I leave the house. I turn to see a tall figure sitting on the steps of our porch with a backpack over his shoulders.

"You're late," he says as he stands up.

"No, I'm not."

"You have no idea how long I've been sitting here."

I shrug. "You could've come in, Tobias."

He frowns as I walk past him. "Don't call me that."

"You could've come in, Four."

It's a stupid nickname, but he's kept it for a long time. Both our fathers are part of the municipal government; they're friends, so Tobias and I met when we were very little—at the age of four, to be exact. I remember how he stood stoically in front of me and announced 'I'm four.' He was telling me his age but I mistook it for his name. I smile at the memory. Since then, Four's been his nickname, and the whole school pretty much addresses him that way now. Ever since we started high school, he introduces himself as Four to others. When I asked him why, he said he didn't like his real name.

I didn't need to ask to know it's because his father gave that name to him. His relationship with his dad had never been good. And since his mom died when he was six, he stayed with my family whenever his dad works late, which was very often. It has come to the point where he freely calls my parents 'Mom and Dad'. For his real dad, he just calls him 'Marcus' these days, except in front of my parents, he would formally call him 'father'. It usually sounds stiff and estranged, which accurately describes their relationship anyways.

"No thanks," Tobias replies while catching up to me. "Mom's always telling me to eat breakfast."

"Well, maybe you should."

He rolls his eyes and changes the subject. "Where's Caleb?"

"He left early. Student council meeting …or something."

"On the first day of school?"

I nod at his disbelieving voice.

"I'm glad I'm not the president."

"As if anyone would vote for you anyway," I scoff.

"Hey, I'd get lots of votes."

"Yeah, right. Based on what?"

Tobias stops in front of me, halting my steps, and gives me a boyish grin. "My good looks."

I push him away, sticking my tongue out as if I'm about to throw up. "Please don't make me lose my breakfast."

He chuckles and tries to ruffle my hair while I try to ward him off.

It's always been like this between us—easy talks and playful banters. It never made sense to me how Tobias and I grew to be so close even though he and Caleb are barely friends. The two of them get along fine but they don't really hang out together. When we were little, I thought I would eventually be left out because I was the girl in the group but I was wrong. Caleb eventually found his own group of friends who shared more common interests with him.

I love my brother, but Tobias has become someone important to me too. I can talk to him about almost anything, and he probably knows me better than I know myself. Our friendship really makes me wonder if there's truth in the saying 'best friends forever'. I guess only time will tell.

-x-

When we get to school, the hallways are crowded. Some students congregate in groups in the middle, talking and comparing timetables.

A loud squeal to the side catches my attention and I turn to see a girl with bright red hair hugging another girl as their group of friends break into greeting. To the side of the group, I see Christina rolling her eyes as she looks around for a familiar face. When she sees me, she squeals loudly too.

"Tris!" Christina shouts dramatically, imitating the cherry-haired girl. "It's been so long!"

She runs over and engulfs me in a theatrical hug while I laugh.

"Very funny, Chris. We talked yesterday."

"I know, right?" Christina pulls back with an irritated face. "Are these people for real? Do they really not keep in contact over the summer? It must be great to have friends like that."

I just smile at her bluntness.

"I swear, if I hear another squeal, I'm-…oh, hey Four. Didn't see you there," Christina says to the boy beside me.

Tobias furrows his brow. "Wow, thanks."

Christina shrugs casually. "So, have you seen everyone else?"

"We just got here." He looks around briefly just as a bell rings. Our school anthem begins to play; it's a song that's exactly five minutes to help us countdown to the start of the school day. "I guess we'll just see them at lunch. I'm heading this way." He jerks his thumb towards one of the smaller hallways.

"What class?"

"P.E."

"Oh. Definitely don't have the same class with you then," Christina laughs. Our school's P.E. classes are sorted by grades and gender.

The two of us wave goodbye to Tobias before I turn to Christina. "English?"

"Yup." Christina grabs my wrist and pulls me along. We weave through the crowds of people as we head to our class.

The first class of our last high school year.

This chapter is kind of short and prologue-ish, so I might post the next chapter real soon. I've written up to six chapters at the moment. Any thoughts so far?

I also deleted the story I was working on from a few months back. If anyone was waiting for that, sorry, and please read the blurb on my profile.