"Tris!" she yells as I step across the threshhold of Zeke's house. She runs upto me and gives me a hug, lifting me up a few inches.

I shriek. "Christina! Put me down!"

She obeys and straightens her clothes. She looks so pretty in her pink coctail dress. Young, but not too young. "I missed you, Tris."

I grin so widely it hurts. Christina was my best friend in high school and I haven't seen her since last summer. It killed us both that she went to college in Washington D.C. while I stayed in Chicago, to go to university here. It's now that I realized I really missed her. Of course I made new friends in college, but she stays my best friend forever. I remember the way we used to freak out over small things like when our favorite celebs would visit Chicago. Good old times, those high school years. "Me too."

"Tris, you came!" Zeke says, walking over to us.

I raise my eyebrows. "Of course I came, Zeke. It's your birthday!" I stand on my tiptoes and hug him. "Happy birthday."

I hand him his present. "Thanks," he says.

I smile and look around to see where Christina went. She is sitting with Marlene, Lynn and Shauna on the couch. As I come closer, they stand up to greet me. I haven't seen Marlene in a while, since she goes to college somewhere else too. I met Shauna through Zeke here. Lynn never left Chicago, though we aren't that close. Marlene, Lynn and Christina went to the same high school as me.

"How have you guys been?" I asked.

"Excellent, glad it's summer break," Marlene said.

Only Lynn and Shauna are done with college. Lynn works as an instructor in a gym and Shauna is a police officer, along with Zeke.

"Yeah, thank God," Christina says. "Is anyone going on a holiday?"

Shauna's lip twitches. "Zeke and I are going to Hawaii for a week."

"That's awesome!" I say. "I'm staying here."

"Me too," Christina says. I look at her and grin. "For how long?"

"Two weeks."

I lean over and high five her.

"I'm going to Los Angeles with Lynn and friends from college," Marlene says.

"It's going to be awesome," Lynn says monotonically and bored.

Marlene frowns. "Sounds very convincing, Lynn. And my friends aren't that bad, they're just... different."

I laugh, but it fades as soon as someone covers my eyes from behind. "Guess who," the person asks.

"Um. Let me think. Uriah?" I say sarcastically.

Uriah removes his hands from my eyes and plops down next to me on the couch. "Missed you, Bea."

I pinch his check like grandmas do. "Aw don't call me that, Uri. I missed you too."

He swings his arm across my shoulder and laughs. "You used to love it."

"Ha! How about no?"

I love Uriah. I always have. He is like the brother the way Caleb has never been. It's not that Uriah and I ever were a thing. I'd puke to kiss with him. We tried it once, it didn't end well. We both knew we weren't lovers. Some people are convinced we're perfect for each other, since we both have the same lame humour, but I know he liked, probably still likes, Marlene. And I still grieved from losing someone the first few years of high school. Uriah just helped me get through it, as a true, loyal friend. I love him, I really do.

"How's work in sunny Miami?" I ask him. He went to college there, fell in love with the beach and is now working as a surf instructor. I bet he's tons of girls waiting in line for that body of his. I know he's got a killer body and he's just straight out hot.

"Cool," he says. "Many hot chicks in bikinis, so yeah, cool."

I snort. "Pervert."

He looks at me with a grin. "And how's miss "I'm going save lives"? Spotted any hot surgeons?"

I punch him in the arm. "No! And I'm fine. It's tough, but I'm going to make it."

I wanted to be a doctor for whole my life, and I'm so close to being one. A year to be exact. All the years of studying will be worth it once I'm able to help people. I hope to get a job as a pediatrician in the hospital of Chicago. Working with children has always been something I always wanted.

"Tris," Christina says. She's standing in front of me with a boy at her side. "This is my boyfriend, Will."

I stand and shake his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"I've heard a lot about you," I grin. Christina blushes deep and silently asks me to shut up. I wink at her and turn to Will. "Don't worry, mostly positive things."

It's his turn to blush and I take it as my que to return to my spot on the couch, where Uriah disappeared. I sit down next to Marlene.

She looks at me. "And where is your boyfriend?"

I narrow my eyes. "Very funny, Mar. I told you I want to focus on school."

"That was nearly a year ago! Haven't you met someone?"

I think about it for a while. "Actually, no. No one has crossed my path yet."

She shrugs. "I'm sure you'll find someone soon."

I nod and sip my wine.

In the meantime, Zeke's place filled with friends and family. Some of them look familiar, like the people from university. Others don't.

At around 10.30 pm, someone knocks on the door. I turn to look who it is, who would come this late? Zeke opens the door and reveals a boy the same age as Zeke. Zeke reacts surprised and bro hugs him. The boy looks muscular and tough. Somehow he looks familiar. Uriah comes over to them and greets him. If Uriah knows him, how can't I know him?

"Who is he?" I ask no one in particular, not taking my eyes off him.

"Don't you know him?" Shauna asks. "He's Four, number 1 kickboxer in the world."

"What? How does Zeke know him?"

Shauna shrugs. "High school, I guess."

Four, Four, Four. Damn it. I don't really remember.

How come he looks like my old neighbor?

"Tobias! Where are you going?" I asked my friend. He turned around and had a sad look on his face. "Far away from here."

"Wha- why?"

He ignored the question and continued to walk down the street with his suitcase rolling behind. "Tobias! Talk to me!"

Finally he stopped and turned to me. "Look, Bea. I know this sounds unfair, but I can't stand it here any longer. You know how things go at home, and some trainer offered me to come to New York City to train me. Remember when we talked about our dreams? Remember all those evenings we stayed up late to train? This is my chance to escape and to make my dreams come true. I'm sorry Beatrice."

Tears streamed down my face. Of course I remembered. "Promise you'll come back for me?"

"I promise Tris. Can you promise one thing for me?"

I nodded.

"Will you remember me while you make new friends?"

I wiped away the tears and hugged him tightly. "I will, Tobias. I won't ever forget you."

"Tris!"

I snap out of my trance and look at Marlene. "Sorry, what?"

"You look like you're about to cry. Are you alright?"

I nod. "Yes."

But I wasn't. How could I ever forget Tobias Eaton? He left me when I was 13, right before I made friends with Christina and Uriah. He was the beginning of everything. Could he be this Four, world champion kickboxing?