Tobias POV

I sigh deep before knocking on the door. So many years have passed. I hope he remembers me. Zeke opens and looks surprised. "Four!"

He hugs me and slaps my back. "Happy birthday, man," I say, hopefully not sounding too relieved that he is happy to see me. I called him a week ago when I was still in New York, but never said I would come back to Chicago.

A what looks like younger version of Zeke stands next to him and shakes my hand. "You're Four?"

I nod. His face lights up and just like that I already know I will like him. "I've heard a lot about you. Congrats on your championship!"

"Thanks, dude. Zeke's brother, I guess?" I ask nervously.

"Yes. Younger, but handsomer." He places his elbow on Zeke's shoulder. Zeke rolls his eyes and pushes it away. "I'm Uriah."

"Nice to meet you."

Zeke lets me in his house and says who everyone is. He points at the couches, where his high school friends are and introduces them. I only remember Shauna. She was in the same class as Zeke and I. The rest must have become friends with Zeke after I left. My eyes linger on a blonde girl who has her back facing me. I shrug it off as soon as Zeke starts to introduce his friends from college and work. He skips his family.

"Guys, this is Four, my friend back in high school. Four, these are my friends…" He started naming all of them, I lost interest after the third one. I'm not very good at paying attention. Instead I just nod and smile.

"You're world champion kickboxing, right?" one of them asks.

I nod. "Yeah, last month."

He raises his eyebrows. "Pretty impressive at this age."

I shrug. "Thanks."

They resume their conversations and I look around for a while. Zeke's home isn't that bad. Big kitchen, big living room. He told me he lives together with Shauna and had a decent house.

Somehow I find myself attracted to the couch. I turn around to look at the blonde girl. From this angle I can see her face. She's very pretty, and sickly familiar, like I've known her for years.

I try to remember her name Zeke mentioned a moment ago. Tris? Yeah Tris. My heart skips a beat as I think about that name. I gave that nickname to someone ten years ago. My best friend.

I held the punching bag steady while she was hitting it fiercely. "You know," I said. "Beatrice isn't such a badass name."

She stopped hitting and looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Is that so?" She stepped away from the punching bag and placed her boxing gloves on her hips, sweat dripping from her forehead. She looked so hot.

I stood across from her. "Yeah. Don't you think it sounds dull for a badass girl like you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Think of a better name then."

I narrowed my eyes and grinned. "Tris."

Beatrice removed her hands from her hips and looks at me with her head tilted. "Tris?" she said. "I like it."

I smiled widely and raised my hand for her to high five it. Tris looked down at her gloves and then at me. She shrugged and high fived me with the gloves on.

She turned around and walked to the table with our knives, gloves, guns and other training stuff. I walked with her and helped her remove the gloves. "For how long have you thought about the name?" she asked.

"About a day?"

She chuckled. "You've been thinking of a nickname for me the whole day?"

"Yup."

Beatrice Prior. How could I ever forget her? Her wide, grey eyes alert and her long blonde hair always in a high ponytail. I've known her for years and promised her I would come back one day. I never did and I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. How could I let her down like that? I never called, texted or even mailed. I broke all contact with Chicago except for Zeke. Why was I such a fool back then? She was the best best friend I could have asked for and I left her without looking back. I suddenly feel sick.

"Four!" Uriah calls from the couches. I turn around and he gestures to come.

"Sit with us."

I sit back in the empty spot besides him. "What's up?"

"Hey Four. Long time, no see," Shauna says.

"Indeed. How are you?"

"Good, good. I'm a cop now."

I laugh. "Caught any bad guys yet?"

She rolls her eyes. "My boss won't let me. I'm "the new one"."

"I'm sure they will let you as soon as they see how good you are."

"Yeah." She smiled. "So, world champion huh?"

"Yes. It feels good."

Uriah chuckles. "Of course it feels good to be the best of the whole world."

I look over at Tris to see if she is joining our conversation, but she isn't paying attention; she's talking to the girl next to her. A chill goes down my spine. For a second she turns to me and we lock eyes. I forgot how beautiful she looks. She then looks down and slightly shakes her head. Just like she did before I left…

I just got the chance to get away forever. Someone named Amar is willing to train me in New York City, helping me to become one of the best kickboxers in the world. I couldn't wait to tell Tris all about my conversation with Amar and how I was leaving in a few weeks. But then it hit me. I was about to leave my best friend, Zeke, and most of all, the girl I loved, Beatrice Prior. I decided only to tell Zeke and not Tris. I would say goodbye to her the evening before, just to make things easier for both of us.

So when Tris entered the training room that afternoon, I held back my excitement and acted like nothing even happened.

Every time I look at Tris I get those memories I thought I'd forgotten.

I think about her all evening long, looking at her and remembering our days as teenagers. I remember the way I loved her, how I never got the guts to tell her and the guilt I felt after I'd left.

And she probably doesn't even remember me.