Hey guys! This story is currently posted in my other work, Random Au One-Shots, but I'll remove it soon. I wanted to separate the two, since that one really is primarily for one-shots, and this is a bit long. I have it marked as complete for now, but I'll probably come back and add more later on. Thanks for reading, and be sure to let me know what you think! - Loopy
Tris tried her best to focus on the teacher's words, to ignore the relentless stare of the boy across the room. But she could feel the intensity of his eyes, burning into the back of her skull, and it was awfully distracting.
When the bell finally sounded, the boy didn't move. Every other student in the class rose from their seat and slowly but surely filed out of the room; his gaze remained on Tris, who was still frozen in her chair.
She waited a few moments, counted to five inside her head before taking a deep, shaky breath, repositioning her bag over her shoulder.
The boy stayed still. His eyes followed her out of the room. When she had crossed the threshold, she heard shuffling come from the classroom, the squeak of a chair, the crinkle of paper, and then footsteps.
Tris drifted through the hallway in a daze, searching subconsciously for Christina. It being only her first day, she needed Christina for the news of the school. To know who was who and what was what. She was the only person who'd been bothered to speak to Tris all day.
Just as the thought flitted through her mind, she caught a glimpse of dark skin and boots, signifying Christina's presence. She walked up to Tris with a warm smile. "What's up, Tris? You look like something's bothering you," she asked.
Tris shook her head, only slightly. "There's just a person in my math class. I don't know who he is. I just wanted to find out his name."
Christina raised her eyebrows. "You came to the right girl. I know every guy in this school."
Tris didn't mention how uncomfortable that comment made her, having had no involvement with guys since the first grade.
"What did he look like?" Christina pressed, leading Tris to her locker so they could go to lunch.
Tris was contemplating how to explain the boy without over-dramatizing him when she was jostled to the side by a shoulder clashing with hers. She looked over her shoulder, searching for the perpetrator, only to be met with the same ocean eyes she had been thinking of.
He stared back at her for only a moment, getting lost in the storms he saw there, before mumbling an apology and continuing on his way.
"Tris?" Christina's voice pierced her reverie, only a little. She startled a bit in surprise, but she shook her head, shook the feeling off.
"He looked like that," Tris muttered.
Christina's look was incredulous, almost annoyed. "That was him. Out of all the hot guys in our school, you picked the quiet, unsocial one first. It usually takes kids a few weeks to even realize he's here."
Tris stared at her, confused and a little dumbfounded at the thought that she had "picked" a guy on her first day of school. She'd simply wanted to know who he was. But she didn't feel like defending herself, at least not right now, so she simply sighed and asked for his name.
"Tobias Eaton. You don't really have much of a chance with him, considering he doesn't seem to want to talk to anyone here," Christina explained, looking more aggravated than hurt.
I don't know why I don't blame him, Tris thought bitterly, twisting her locker's dial. She didn't mean that, of course; she had a feeling her and Christina would be good friends for a long time after today. "Hey, you can head on without me. I'll see you later," Tris told her, speaking as if she was doing her a favor.
Christina nodded and happily continued to lunch as Tris stared after her. What a… a… But she couldn't find the right word for it at first. What a girl.
Every table consisted of an assortment of freaks. Populars. Athletes. Nerds. Druggies. Emos. There was no table where people weren't classified. And no lion dared to leave its cage.
As Tris contemplated joining Christina with some of her fellow volleyball teammates, her eyes fell on Tobias Eaton, sitting at a table empty enough to be considered neutral. She stepped toward him with her lunch in hand, sliding into the seat across from him.
Tobias's head shot up, and he found himself staring into crystalline hurricanes. He was wary, but he was intrigued. Who was this girl?
Tris met his gaze challengingly, almost losing herself in his bottomless blue eyes.
"What are you doing?" His voice was low, quiet, unrehearsed. It took Tris a moment to realize he had been referring to her sitting here.
She shrugged. "This seemed to be the only table where people aren't forced to be anything."
Her eyes burned with a blue flame, bright and intense as they bore into him. He was fascinated by her straightforward response, by her so blatantly going against the social structures of the school. She drew him in, she had since she'd walked into math class, and he couldn't bring himself to look away, even if he wanted to.
He smiled. It was tight and crooked, but it was sincere, whether she could tell or not. "What's your name?"
She smiled, too. Hers was sure of itself, but shy. "Tris."
"Tobias." It was more of a grunt than a response. He didn't seem to want to indulge in conversation.
But she pressed on. "I know," she said, hoping it would peak his interest. He didn't want to be pestered, and if it were anybody else, she'd let him be. But he was inexplainably captivating.
She wanted to know that this wouldn't be the last time they spoke. She wanted to hear his voice again after this, to learn why Christina had called him so unsocial.
She told herself that she wouldn't continue trying conversation if he didn't answer with something welcoming, something that screamed I want to continue talking with you.
He looked up from his sandwich, mid-bite, sapphires peering over the wheat crust. "Of course you do," he smirked, shaking his head slightly and stuffing his mouth with ham, cheese, and bread. His voice was firm, but not ending, not like he wanted her to shut up. Not friendly, by any means, but not mean, either. It was probably his normal way of speaking, simply due to his lack of practice at social interaction.
Tris grinned, not as shy this time. Her stormy eyes burned fiercely with determination, turning unquestionably blue as she looked at the brown-haired, sharp-jawed boy before her. Whatever his tone was trying to say, it wasn't shut up, and she found herself hopeful. Tobias was reserved, no doubt, but he was trying. At least a little bit.
They didn't attempt any further conversation for the rest of lunch. Eye contact was made periodically, each making sure the other was still there, that they hadn't rethought their decision to remain seated together, and every brief glance was followed by a just-as-brief smile. But its length didn't waver its sincerity.
When the bell rang, Tobias sprang from his seat and hurried to the door, nodding slightly to Tris on his way. She sighed, brows furrowed, but she had a smile on her face as she left the lunchroom. It was unreasonable to think he'd want to walk with her after they'd just met. No, she had to take this one baby step at a time if she wanted to understand this boy.
Christina's words came to mind, echoing "He doesn't seem to want to talk to anyone here," and bounced off the walls in her head. As she'd thought then, Tris wondered why Christina saw any reason Tobias would want to speak with someone so straightforward. He was quiet, reserved, private. She'd had no problem with him at all when she'd approached him with her own shy quietness.
They were similar, in a way. That thought alone kept a gentle smile on the corners of her mouth for the rest of the day.