A/N-
1st- This is is one of the first stories I've ever shared, so I am completely open to constructive criticism. So, you're welcome to review if you have an opinion, a question, or if you just want to comment on how you like (or dislike) the story :)
2nd-This will be a major song fic. mainly because a band is involved in the plot, so I will use a lot of Dashboard Confessional (because I love them) and some other artists depending on the situation and what point I'm at in the story, so I'm just going to DISCLAIM this whole story right now by say: I don't own ANYTHING, the songs belong to the artists, and characters go to V. Roth. All I own is the plot of this specific story. So, their, whole story disclaimed from the beginning.

-Charlie

TRIS P.O.V.

THEY'RE GONNA CLEAN UP YOUR LOOKS WITH ALL THE LIES IN THE BOOKS-

My alarm goes off to My Chemical Romance signaling the start of another week. God I hate Mondays. I leave my phone in the dock to play while I go through my mental morning checklist: brush my teeth, comb through my hair, black skinnies and a black v-neck. Leather jacket, troopas, a little mascara and cover-up...I'm golden.

I walk down-stairs to look for my brother only to find a note:

Bea-

Mom and Dad left early for their mission trip to Haiti, their flight got changed because of weather. I left early because I needed to stop by the library before class. Breakfast is on the table, you're welcome to take the rest for your friends. See you at home.

-Caleb

I look over to the kitchen table to see a box of doughnuts and I smile. Caleb knows that I get bummed when Mom and Dad have to leave, but he also knows how to cheer me up. I pick up the box, along with my pack and camera, and drive to school. I take my camera with me everywhere I go, it's my passion. That's why I'm the photographer for the school journal that my friends and I run. It's how we all met, we all signed up for it as our elective freshman year and we all did such a good job that the principle let us kind of just...take over. Over the years, we developed new ideas and the journal got more and more popular. We have copies that we print for school purposes, but we also have a web-page that we run that operates as more of a blog. The blog is, let's say, not really known of by the staff. In other words, it's where we right segment and posts that wouldn't necessarily be appropriate for school purposes. We call it Divergent. Shauna is the editor and she handles the setup of interviews and everything schedule related; Marlene is the main interviewer and writes specialty articles that usually require more in-depth or 'undercover work', as she calls it; Christina, being the girly-girl she is handles horoscopes and anything girl related that none of the rest of us want to put up with; Lynn handles the sports column -try-outs, games and meets, scores- and she also handles the design for our website; and then there's me, I am the photographer, like I said, but I am also the artistic director, I update our student body on local artists and events, at school and in the community.

I arrive in the school parking lot and make my way towards the front entrance. As I weave my way through the many cars, I'm not paying attention and a door swings open in front of me, which cause me to jump back and drop my things. I immediately look to the box of doughnuts, it landed right-side-up. Thank God, shit was going to go down if someone made me ruin my doughnuts. I kneel down-still not having looked at who swung their door open so carelessly- to pick up my things. I pick up my bag and the box and I am about to stand up when I realize I don't see my camera bag. I start to panic, that's when I hear,

"Sorry, I wasn't paying any attention."

I look up and am met with the navy eyes of the one and only Four. Lead singer of Dauntless, Roth High's resident "heartthrob boy band"(though all the members would probably be pissed if they ever heard their band coined a 'boy-band'). Four is holding one hand out, offering me a hand up, and has my camera bag in the other. I take his outstretched hand and he pulls me up.

"Thanks, Four" I mumble, while he hands me my camera bag. He gives me a cursory look up and down. Not in a leary way, probably only to make sure I'm okay, besides, there's really nothing the lear at. Seemingly satisfied, he meets my eyes again. We both just stand there, him staring at me with a conflicted look as I shift uncomfortably under his gaze. Something about him makes me feel unsettled, but I can't ever figure out what it is. It's an electrifying pulse that makes me jittery and restless on my feet. So in general, I try to keep my distance. He's been my neighbor for as long as I can remember, we've known each other since we were kids and I probably know more about him than anyone at this school, his band mates included, though I'm on good terms with all of them. I know his real name is Tobias Eaton (though I try to call him Four out of courtesy to his private nature), I know that his father has a history of violence against him, I know all of his fears, I even know that he has a weird fetish about keeping his room religiously clean. In turn, he knows just as much about me. Despite this, we really don't associate nowadays. There was a time, before high school, that we would have been considered friends, but we sort of drifted apart once we got to highschool. He started his band and became Four, the mysterious and distant lead singer. The guy who everyone knows. The guy every girl (and some guys) love. The guy who gets 'more action in one week, than any man can hope to get in a year', or so I've heard. So, yeah, we don't really associate. It didn't help that I put all my extra time into Divergent, and I guess me actually trying to keep my distance from him didn't help either.

I hear the warning bell ring and that breaks us both out of our stupor. I curse under my breath as we both hurry into school, trying to make it to homeroom-which we share- before the last bell. We walk along the hallways in comfortable silence, him keeping a steady pace, me trying to match his long strides. We make it in class just as the bell rings. I look to our homeroom teacher Tori-she's the art teacher- and see her mouth the word 'lucky'. I sigh in relief and go to take my usual seat by Christina and the girls. I get a round of 'hello's and I just sit down with a huff. Stupid Four, making me late, making me uncomfortable, looking at me weird. Stupid Four. I think in my head.

"Whoa, who spit in your coffee this morning?" I hear Christina ask. I look up to see them looking at me with confused and questioning expressions. I sigh again to recompose myself.

"And why, pray tell, were you late with Mr. Childhood BFF over there? I thought you've been avoiding him since freshman year. Or have you finally realized that you're as madly in love with him as he is you?" Christina asks while wiggling her eyebrows. She has been convinced practically since the day I met her that Four has a crush on me, and vice versa. I roll my eyes while trying to fight the blush that threatens to take over my cheeks while she just grins.. "No. He ran his door into me and then blocked my path of escape. It was all rather awkward," I summarize. Before anyone can ask questions I focus their attention on the doughnut box and watch as they all eat a doughnut. Caleb and I had both taken two, and Chris, Mar, Shauna, and Lynn all take one now, which leaves us with four. I am about to reach for another one when I feel eyes on me. I turn to my side and see Four at a table with Zeke, Will, and Uriah. He's looking at me in the same conflicted way as in the parking lot. When I catch his eyes I think I see a light pink tint the top of his structured cheeks. So, in an effort to make him less embarrassed and make it less awkward for myself, I hold up the box of doughnuts in offering. His whole face lights up with an adorable grin like a kid on Christmas, which makes me smile, too. I haven't seen him smile like that in years, who knew he liked doughnuts so much? I get up without explanation and get odd looks from my friends.

I make my way over to his table with the boys, never breaking my eye contact. When I get over there, the rest of the guys look up in question. I hold up the box of doughnuts and suddenly I am attacked by Zeke and Uriah with a hug.

"Thanks Trissy!", they say simultaneously. I push them off me, rolling my eyes and grinning. I look as each of them take a doughnut with grateful smiles. I suppose you could say I'm friends with Will, Uriah, and Zeke, or at least, I talk to them more often than I do Four. The reason being that 3 out of 5 members of Divergent are more or less involved with 3 out of 4 members of Dauntless. Marlene has been dating Uriah for almost a year, Will and Chris got together towards the end of freshman year, and Zeke, well, Zeke is head over heels for Shauna and vise versa, but neither of them are willing to admit it to the other. So, the three guys frequent my daily life in one way or another. All of a sudden I see Fours face darken as someone grabs my wrist, yanking me around. I lift my fist, ready to punch whoever it is and stop short when I see the smug face of Peter and his gang. I roll my eyes and lower my fist, trying to hide the inner chill that takes over me. Peter used to live in the same neighborhood as Four and I and he was a constant bother. I never thought him any kind of a threat until the summer before our freshman year, he attacked me one night walking home from To-Fours house. Luckily Four was just a few steps behind where Peter couldn't see him, he saved me, I don't want to think what would have happened if he hadn't been there. Luckily he moved a few weeks later. Unluckily, I still have to put up with him in school. I try and fight the shiver running up my spine and my impending anxiety attack. I yank my hand out of his grasp and take a step back hitting something hard. It's then that I realize that what I ran into is Tobias, and that he and the rest of the guys are now standing up with angry looks on their faces.

"Got any more doughnuts for us?", he asks innocently, gesturing to his little buddies. Anyone who knew Peter would know that behind that innocent smile is a monster.

"No," Tobias answers in a steady, quiet voice. Quiet is bad with Tobias. He edges his way in between me and Peter, and I look to see that the girls are making their way over cautiously. I look at Tobias and see that his fists are clenched, his pulse is racing at the base of his throat and the look in his eye suggests that he is about to rip Peter's throat out. I discreetly wrap my hand around his right arm gently, hoping to keep him calm. I note, not for the first time, the shock that seems to come whenever I come into contact with Tobias, but I keep my hand steady. I see his shoulders relax a bit and see his right fist slightly unclench. He closes his eyes, trying to keep his composure.

"Leave Peter, now, before I lose my patience with you," Tobias says, just as calm as before.

Peter throws his hands up in mock surrender, peering at me over Tobias' shoulder,

"Some day your boyfriend here won't be there to save you, stiff," he says with a smug grin. I have no time to feel embarrassed about his comment because I feel Tobias tense back up, about to throw a punch. I see the guys ready to restrain him, but I wrap my free arm around his torso and press my face to his back, and he stills. I feel him taking slow, deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, but he's still tense. I let go of him and move so I'm looking him in the face. I speak so only he can hear, "He's not worth it Tobias, I'm okay. I'm fine." He closes his eyes and when he speaks it sounds strained, "Are you sure? I hate" he trails off and opens his eyes, glaring at Peter over my shoulder. Peter just smirks and backs away. I take his hand and press it in between mine, wanting him to look at "I know, but you were there, you saved me. Tobias, you saved me,"I said with finality. He calms down, sighing and nodding his head. "Okay, alright. You're right. Are you okay, Tris?", he asks looking concerned.

I nod my head. The guys have all sat back down and I gently push Tobias back down in his seat. He turns to me, "Thanks, Tris. I think that would have ended badly if you hadn't done something," he says with sheepishly. I blush and I start to get that uncomfortable feeling again. This, this is why I avoid him. It's too confusing, and if I talk to him any longer, than I know I'll be sucked in. I guess I never realized how much I missed talking to him. I smile and am about to walk back to my table, but all the girls come over to us. Well that's just great, now I have no escape route.

They all surround me and start freaking out, I had told them about my encounter with Peter in brief detail.

"Are you okay?!"

"He's such an ass!"

"God I wish you'd let Four deck him."

"Four?! I'll deck him if he ever comes near you again!"

I laugh at the last comment that came from Lynn because I know that she would actually do it if given the opportunity.

"Guys, I'm fine," I say. I look over and see Tori approaching the table looking pissed. When she reaches us she puts her hands on my shoulders, appraising me, "You good?", she asks with concern behind her gaze. I smile and nod. Tori is always the one I come to when I have anxiety attacks in the middle of school. Fortunately for me, the first one I ever had was in art class, Tori recognized what was happening and let me sit in her little office in the back of the room. After class she came and sat with me and I explained what had transpired with Peter a few weeks prior, and in turn she explained that the anxiety was most likely caused by this. The only person I have ever trusted more than Tori, is Tobias. She never pushes, she's there when I need it, and she knows when to back up and let me be.

She takes her hands off my shoulders, and to my surprise, she looks to Tobias. "Four, I give you my express permission to deck him if he does anything out of line," she says. I almost laugh until I realize she's being serious. Four cracks a grin, but this one has an edge to it, "You don't have to worry about that, Tori," he said, and she nods approvingly. I just stand there with what I assume is an affronted disposition because Tori just rolls her eyes. "Oh Tris, I'm not saying you're incapable, I just want you to be safe."

I huff and she chuckles. Just then the bell rings and we all go to grab our things to head to our various classes.

Bonjour mes amis!
So this is my first story I am making available to the public. I'm mainly a reader and I usually just right for my own entertainment, so we'll see how this goes. This chapter is a little rough around the edges for the sheer fact that I wanted to get as much information in as possible, so that I could have a good base to move forward. Even so, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!
-Charlie