A/N: To the guests who asked about FourTris. Yes, there will be FourTris, but it'll take some time. This is basically Tris' journey. As you could see Tris is rather a typical tennager with typical teenage problems. While she is and will be put in difficult situations that will challenge her on many levels they are necessary for her to grow.
The next few months Cameron and Matt moved as planned and by late January the four friends started working with father and son. They got better and Cameron encouraged them to get out of their shells and be more creative. Each of them learned to play a new instrument. Tris already played the piano, violin and guitar and therefore decided to learn to use the drums. Marlene knew piano and cello and learned guitar, Lynn knew guitar and drums and learned piano, while Uriah knew piano and drums and learned guitar also. They were all happy and worked hard to not disappoint Cameron.
Matt studied music. He got a scholarship and went to Juilliard and graduated with high honors. He decided to join his dad, who was a successful musician, but lately talent scout. And it seemed that the latter found his new stars. Cameron asked them if they wanted to try solo careers or be part of a band, he would have helped them either way. The four of them decided to be a band and called themselves Divergent. Cameron organized a few gigs for them, obviously without the parents knowing about it. They wanted to be their own bosses and not babied around. To keep this a secret however they changed their appearances a little bit, as well as adopted stage names. That's how Tris became Shailene, Uriah called himself Keiynan, Marlene chose Suki and Lynn became Rosa. The others questioned her at first, but she then explained that her mother's middle name was Rosa. They nodded understanding that she missed her mom.
Tris was their lead singer, since she wrote most lyrics to their songs. Matt and Uriah often composed the songs together and even the three girls helped. They had a variety of songs in different genres that seemed to be liked by the general public. At first it seemed silly of them to dress up, but as they had a gig one night in late March Marlene spotted her brother and the rest of his friends, who were basically the siblings of her band mates, in the crowd. They were all worried that the older siblings might recognize them, but Matt was right. Under the flashy make-up and the colorful wigs and the sassy outfits no one recognized them. Divergent rocked the house for full two hours, the audience asking for encores over and over again. Lynn mentioned that even their tight up older siblings seemed to have enjoyed the show, whilst being oblivious that the band was actually their annoying younger family members.
"This band rocks," Shauna said as she sat on Zeke's shoulders.
"I love their sound," Christina chimed in, right beside her, but on Will's shoulders. Caleb and Tobias were there with two girls who they both started dating about the same time, but both knew that they wouldn't go out with them again. They complained the whole time and just didn't fit into their group.
"Dude, I'm so gonna rub this into Uriah's face next time I see him. I told him I would go to a rock concert and he wanted to come with me," Zeke started saying, but Tobias interrupted him.
"Why do you have to rub it in his face?" he asked.
"Because he things he is so cool and I'm lame because I'm older," Zeke answered.
"Same goes for Lynn," Will told them.
"And Tris," Caleb agreed.
"I guess Mar's okay with me being older," Tobias said about his sister. He knew that she thought he was a little lame, but they loved each other and always supported one another. After that they just enjoyed the concert and jumped up and down to the beat.
After they were done the four younger friends quickly gathered their stuff and hopped into the van. Matt drove them home to make sure they wouldn't get into too much trouble. If anyone would have said anything Matt would have taken the blame, saying they went bowling. It was a good thing the van was big because the four could easily change out of their clothes and remove wigs and make-up. This occurrence repeated itself several times during spring and Cameron surprised them with an important announcement. During their summer break, when they usually went to Band Camp, Cameron organized a few gigs in New York. Since they needed their parents' permission Cameron slipped a permission note in the files for camp that they had to sign anyway. When everything was signed the four of them were more than happy, some would say ecstatic, about the prospect of performing in the hottest clubs in the Big Apple.
On the weekend before camp started the entire group gathered for a barbecue at the Eaton house. Tobias helped his dad and Andrew with the grill, while Zeke, Caleb and Will set up the large table and the chairs in the backyard, while Shauna and a new girl, Will's girlfriend, helped with the food. The four friends strategically made themselves scarce, meaning they hid on the roof.
"I can't believe Al," Tris said to her friends. "How could he say that I sucked in bed?"
"Forget that douche," Uriah told her.
"I can't," she said and they all gave her a questioning look.
"Are you in love with him?" Marlene asked her.
"No, of course not. But he was my first. I do care for him. He was so upset when I broke up with him, that I told him he could tell people he dumped me," she said.
"That's pretty generous of you," Lynn said with a snicker.
"Yeah and after Peter and I hooked up he decided to tell people that he only dumped me because I sucked in bed."
"What did Peter say?" Uriah asked curiously.
"He punched him. I was so upset that he held me while I cried like a baby. I thought Al was different. Just because it didn't work between us doesn't mean I didn't care for him. Peter was so upset that afterwards he strutted around telling everyone what a bomb I am in the sack," she said with a small laugh.
"We know. We were there," Lynn said joining her.
"Are you going to tell Peter about Divergent?" Marlene asked.
"No. This is our secret. I can't stop you from telling other people, but when and if you do leave my name out. I want to make it in this industry without anyone knowing my connection to Factions Co. or my mom's business. That's why we agreed on using fake names, right?" Tris asked looking at her friends. They all nodded.
"I'm not telling anyone. The only people I would tell this to already know," Uriah said grinning.
"Me neither," Lynn assured them.
"I'm with Tris. Imagine anyone finding out that the daughter of Marcus Eaton is in a band. Outrageous," Marlene said and they all started laughing, but then they heard Zeke call for them.
"We better go before they send all our brothers up here to beat our sorry asses down," Lynn said and they laughed even harder.
The four youngsters joined their families, but made sure to sit close to each other. They were in their own little world talking about music and what they should change for their new songs, when suddenly everyone started clapping and congratulating someone. What the hell now? They looked up confused to see what was going on.
"What's with the fuss?" Lynn asked when people started settling down.
"Didn't you hear?" Christina, Will's girlfriend, asked them.
"Hear what?" Uriah asked.
"Your brother just proposed to Shauna," Hana answered her youngest son.
"What?" Marlene asked excited.
"Why would he do that?" Tris asked and every pair of eyes turned to stare at her.
"Aren't you happy for me?" Shauna asked her younger sister, a little disappointed.
"Uh, yeah, I guess. I mean you're getting married not me," she answered not understanding what the fuss was all about.
"Leave her alone," Natalie said stepping closer to where her youngest daughter still sat down and hugged her as best she could. "She is still too young to understand romance," she said. "She will when she'll have a boyfriend one day."
"My baby is too young for that," Andrew quickly added and the adults laughed.
Tris shared a look with her friends and they all rolled their eyes. It was true; no one other than the four of them knew about Tris' romances, but she was far from inexperienced. She had two boyfriends before Al, she lost her virginity to him and was now Peter Hayes' girlfriend, who was quite the animal in the sack. So, all in all, Tris had a pretty good idea about romance. However, she chose to nod her head and keep all that to herself. She reluctantly got up and hugged her older sister, congratulating her. She fist bumped Zeke, saying it would be weird to hug him and then returned to her seat. The adults seemed to have decided to discuss the topic a little further, between ideas for the wedding and the lack of romance in their youngest children's lives the four friends were bored to death.
"No offense, but your sister is a little weird," Christina said to Shauna after the four teenagers left the backyard.
"She's not weird, she's just a kid. She doesn't understand love," Shauna said with a smile.
"And for what it's worth, they're all weird," Zeke said sipping from his bottle of beer and everyone laughed.
"I can't believe we're getting married," Shauna beamed and Zeke kissed her sweetly.
"Yeah, I can't believe you would marry his sorry ass," Tobias teased.
"Shut up," Zeke punched his friend in the arm.
"I think dad is glad Tris isn't interested in boys," Caleb said.
"You mean she likes girls?" Christina asked confused and her friends laughed.
"No, I meant she's still too young for that," Caleb clarified.
"I don't think she's too young. I started dating at that age," Shauna said.
"Besides she's such a cutie. I'm sure she has a bunch of admirers," Christina chimed in.
"I wish she would let me style her a little. She would find a boyfriend in no time," Shauna replied.
"Don't let dad hear you," Caleb said and they laughed.
Band Camp finally started and the four friends could finally be in their element. Cameron told the parents that there were strict rules that year and the kids were allowed to call home only on weekends. They seemed to accept that but only if they could call Cameron to check on them, which was fine, since he gave them his cell phone number.
For the following six weeks Divergent had gigs in various clubs in New York City, putting together track lists to fit the specific profile of the location. In some locations they were allowed to perform only three songs, in others they performed up to ten songs. The crowd was excited each time they played their songs and some even asked if they had an album. At that Cameron surprised the fans telling them there is an album on the way. Later, on their way back to the camp he told the four youngsters that he planned to make an album with them. He was very proud of their hard work and dedication.
When the new school year started and the four of them were juniors, they decided to use their free periods to practice some more. It was easy for them since it so happened that the last period was always free. They went to Cameron's where he set up a studio for them. It took them another two months before they started actually recording the songs, but they didn't mind. They rather had it done slowly but steady and make it their own.
Meanwhile, Shauna was in full wedding planning mode. Natalie, Hana and Evelyn tried to include all the girls, but only Christina was as enthusiastic about the wedding as the bride. Lynn and Tris looked appalled when they even dared to ask them. Marlene was okay with it, but the band had practice every day and she deemed that more important. She loved Shauna like a sister and Zeke was also okay, but other than that she had nothing much in common with them. Both Evelyn and Natalie frowned but each time they brought it up the girls got angrier than the time before. It even escalated one time, on Thanksgiving, when all the mothers requested the three teenage girls to be more involved.
"Mom, I don't give a shit about this fucking wedding," Tris yelled at the dinner table leaving everyone speechless.
"You apologize now," Andrew told his youngest daughter.
"No," she stubbornly said.
"Beatrice," he raised his voice. "Apologize to Shauna and Zeke and to your mother," he said louder.
"No. It's not my fault they fucking decided to ruin their lives with this bull crap. And as for mom or anyone else, I told you a million times I'm not interested in this shit. Leave me alone," she yelled and stormed out.
Since Thanksgiving dinner was held at the Eatons Tris got her jacket and left by foot. She pulled out her phone and called Peter, who thankfully came and picked her up. She had several dozen missed calls from her parents, her friends and her brother and sister. At some point she just turned off the phone.
Peter's dad came home from overseas, being in the army; he was always away on missions. He and Mrs. Hayes had a nice family dinner with their son and then headed out to spend some couple time together. Thankfully, they did so and Tris could spend the night with her boyfriend. He looked for some clothes for her and they went to bed. He didn't try anything that night since he knew she wasn't in the mood and he didn't want to upset her.
Peter's parents called him early the next morning asking if it was okay for him to spend the weekend alone. Peter was more than excited since it meant that Tris could stay with him a while longer. When he had offered her to stay over the weekend she happily accepted. She texted her uncle, however, letting him know that she was okay and where she was but asked him to keep it to himself. He knew how much she disliked how her parents treated her and was present when they had the argument. He called her right after he got her text and told her to stay put and that he would bring her some clothes over.
Cameron kept his promise and Sunday afternoon he came and picked her up and drove her home. Her parents looked conflicted, between being relieved that their girl was back home and being angry with her for even leaving. Tris ignored them and went up to her room, but not before she asked for her punishment. Her dad was the first to speak and told her she was grounded for two months. She wasn't allowed to go to any school celebrations, like the winter formal, which was okay with Tris since she wasn't looking forward to that, but when her dad told her she wasn't allowed to go over to Cameron's anymore she lost it and told them that she hated them. She ran upstairs into her room and angry with them she picked a few clothing items, her well hidden stash of money, grabbed her charger and snuck out of her room through the window. She managed to hide in Cameron's car trunk and didn't get out until she heard the car come to a stop. Cameron was upset with her but when he saw her red eyes and the lines on her cheeks from the streams she cried he hugged her. He promised her to not call her parents but it wasn't okay for her to run away. He wanted to make her go back the next day but she threatened to run away again if he made her go home.
Tris' parents were extremely upset when they couldn't find her later that evening, assuming she would just pout in her room. They started calling everyone, but no one seemed to have talked to her since Thanksgiving. When Cameron finally called them the next day, after he successfully avoided them the night before, he told them he would come over to have a word with them. To say the atmosphere in the room was heated and the shouts could have been heard by the Pedrads who lived across the street was an understatement. Andrew and Cameron yelled at each other, while Natalie cried, not understanding why her daughter hated them in the first place. Joe, who came the night before, tried to console her, while the two men kept yelling.
"You don't even know your daughter," Cameron yelled.
"And you do?" Andrew challenged.
"Enough to see when she's unhappy," Cameron countered.
"I won't allow my daughter to be this insolent and offend everyone around her."
"I agree with that. But did any of you care to ask her for her opinion? I know you two are happy that Shauna is getting married, but ever since Tris was little you compared her to her older siblings and never seemed to be proud of her," Cameron said, somewhat reducing his volume.
"That's not true. We love Beatrice and we're proud of her," Natalie said sobbing.
"And when exactly was the last time you said it to her? She isn't a mind reader, Nat. She is a brilliant musician. Did any of you know that? She is so sensitive and creative and all the craziness is just her way of rebelling. She wants nothing more than to make you proud and hear that you love her despite being so different from Caleb and Shauna."
"We love her. We never said we didn't," Andrew defended a bit forceful.
"Andrew, I think Cameron is right," Joe said to his brother and Andrew's eyes widened. "Tris is a remarkable human being, but she is different from her brother and sister. She is stronger and more confident, she is creative and she never backs down. She doesn't like to be just one thing and explores the world. I know you want what's best for her, but maybe you should listen to her every once in a while, see what she wants to do with her life," Joe suggested.
"I had to promise her that I wouldn't tell you where she is. She threatened to run away for real if I did," Cameron told them. Natalie gasped and Andrew sat down half defeated, half angry.
"How about Tris stays with Cameron for a while?" Joe asked them and both parents stared at the minister in disbelief.
"How could you even suggest something like that?" Natalie asked hurt.
"Nat, your baby girl is hurt, by you I might add. She feels vulnerable and unloved. Let her calm down, but more importantly show her that you love her. Don't force her to do things," Joe told them.
"She is still a child," Andrew argued.
"Whether you want to accept that or not, Tris has grown up. And let's be honest. Is Tris really a spoiled brat? She is helping out at home, she gets good grades, she stays out of trouble. She is well behaved. The reason that incident happened on Thanksgiving is because she was overwhelmed. Of course she loves Shauna and she's happy for her, even if she pretends not to be. I can take care of her for a while and guide her back home," Cameron offered.
Their discussion continued for another hour until Andrew and Natalie, albeit reluctant, agreed to this situation and Joe's proposal. Cameron drove home, hoping that his young niece didn't go through with her plan of running away and thankfully found her in the studio where she played the guitar, but by the way she did that he realized she was angry. He decided to give her the good news about her staying there. He always loved her like a daughter and was more than happy to take care of her for the time being. When he told her about this she started crying, why, he didn't know, but he held her until she calmed down.
On Christmas they all gathered at the Pedrads. Tris wanted to apologize for her behavior on Thanksgiving, but then didn't. She kept her distance from everyone except her friends and treated everyone very coldly, glacial even. Her parents were hurt by her behavior, but Joe and Cameron asked them to be patient. Tris still felt hurt and unloved. But as the night progressed and the guests sang "Happy Birthday" to the now seventeen year old, Tris started crying and left the house. Everyone gathered there had no idea what was wrong with her, well except for her friends. Peter was supposed to be there. Tris wanted to introduce him to her parents as her boyfriend, but instead he didn't show. Uriah went after her and together all four of them took Uriah's car and drove around for a while. The girls sat in the back and tried to comfort her, while Uriah texted Cameron where they went.
Tris started to be more and more depressed and even started to drink alcohol. When Cameron caught her so drunk that she barely managed to speak, let alone walk, he threw out all the booze and searched her room for anything else she might have hidden there. He kept it from her parents, but told her they would find out if what she did ever happened again. It didn't. Tris loved and respected her uncle too much to go back on her promise.
January was bumpy, but Tris started to feel better. It still hurt her and after confronting Peter she realized he was just not that into her anymore. It didn't really bother her that his feelings had changed, but his cowardice. He could have told her something, not leave her hanging and basically dumping her on her birthday. In some way that little tragedy helped her grow up, both as a person and a musician. The hurt she felt made her write beautiful songs, that Cameron decided to use on the band's second album. He decided to postpone releasing them since the break-up was still so recent.
And so it happened that on February 20th Divergent released their first studio album called "Growing Up". The album contained eighteen songs, all original. Matt was their musical advisor, while Cameron was in charge of representing them. They sold over three thousand copies in Chicago, New York and Milwaukee, the three places where they had gigs the previous year. But Cameron had more in store for the band, but it had to be postponed for the time being. Instead he sent out the CD to a variety of his friends from the East to the West coast, hoping for more supporters. The first call didn't take long.
In April the band was invited to L.A. to discuss working on a soundtrack for a teen movie. The moviemakers were impressed with all four of them and hired them on the spot. The money they earned wasn't much, considering it was a low budget movie, but at least their music would be heard. They received a general description of the movie as well as a set of scenes for which they had to write the songs. The movie wouldn't be released until the next summer, but the studio needed the songs no later than October. After the meeting was concluded the six of them went sightseeing and shopping, getting souvenirs for their families at home. Everyone back in Chicago knew that Cameron took them on a field trip and since the relationship between Tris and her parents was still hanging on a thread they allowed her to go.
On July 26th Shauna and Zeke got married. The ceremony was simple, held in Joe's church. Tris agreed to be one of the bridesmaids, but refused to be dolled up. Natalie agreed, trying to make her feel comfortable. Tris also agreed to spend some more time with her parents, usually on weekends when the three of them would do something together, such as hiking or baking or even building a birdhouse. Tris still preferred living with her uncle, but started spending some nights at home, much to her parents delight. The three of them often sat down in their living room talking casually and trying to get to know each other better, well Andrew and Natalie tried. To their surprise they learned that Tris was accepted early to attend the Juilliard School for Performing Arts. All four of them, meaning Uriah, Marlene, Lynn and Tris applied there and all got accepted, but she was asked to attend earlier and was given a scholarship. Tris, however, kept Divergent and the deal with the movie studio secret. She still wanted to succeed on her own and until that happened she would keep any success to herself, just like the other three would.
A/N: Thoughts?