A/N: I'm really, really sorry for not updating in forever. Your reviews made me want to update faster, but I fractured my arm and wasn't able to type until know. Thank you for your patience and please review! I need ideas!

Chapter Seven

Tris's POV

"Wake up, Tris!" my brother calls from outside my bedroom door, disturbing my peaceful slumber. "Christina is here and we're leaving in half an hour!" Just as he finishes, Christina opens my door and comes in for the third time this week.

"I'm here to pick out your outfit since we all know you have absolutely no sense of style," Christina says bluntly. I begin to protest, but she cuts me off by yanking the covers off my warm, comfortable bed. "Shower. Now." She says, pointing a freshly manicured finger at the door. I get up, grumbling, and head to the bathroom.

"Ta-da!" Christina announces, stepping aside so I can see myself in the mirror. I'm wearing a flannel shirt tucked into my distressed, light wash skinny jeans with a thin, braided brown leather belt with my high-top white Converse. My hair is intricately weaved in a complicated braid over my shoulder, and, thankfully, my face is free of any makeup.

"You really can't decide what season it is, can you, Chris?" I joke. "One day you dress me in shorts that are way too short and shirt that is also way too short, and two days later I'm in long pants and a flannel!"

She grins and rolls her eyes. "I can change your outfit, it you want." she says, smirking. She holds up one of the skirts she forced me to buy and a shirt that is way too short.

"No, no, this is fine," I say hurriedly. She laughs, grabs my arm, and pulls me out the door.

"Do you need a ride home?" Four asks me as we walk out of school hand-in-hand. I shake my head, then shiver. Chicago weather is truly unpredictable. Yesterday it was seventy-five degrees and sunny, and today it's fifty-five degrees and cloudy. I'm suddenly glad Christina put me in long pants and a flannel.

"Are you cold?" my boyfriend asks, concerned. He slips off his black windbreaker and pulls it around my shoulders.

"Thanks," I say squeezing his hand. We stop at his car and Four kisses my forehead.

"Are you sure you don't need a ride?" Four asks, looking concerned.

"Four, I'll be fine. Plus, you have to be at work in-" I pause and check my watch,"-fifteen minutes. I live in the opposite direction as Tori's Ice Cream Parlor."

"I know, I'm just worried about you. Zeke and Uriah aren't going to be around, and I don't want you to get hurt. Text me when you get there, okay? And, if I don't hear from you in an hour, I'm calling the police."

I laugh and roll my eyes until I see that he's serious. "Four, seriously, I'll be fine. Who would want to hurt me?" I say laughing, but also confused about his sudden overprotection.

"Okay, I'll see you at paintballing at five." he says, pulling my into his warm arms. He leans down and kisses me softly.

"See you at five," I echo as I wave goodbye. I pull Four's jacket around me tighter, missing the warmth of his arms as I begin my journey home.

I yelp in pain and surprise when a fist collides with my jaw. A hand covers my mouth, while another covers my eyes. I'm lifted off the sidewalk and shoved into a wall, probably in an alley. I bite into the hand covering my mouth as hard as I can until the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth. The hand pulls away, and the attacker swears. The hand over my eyes also moves away. I can finally see my attackers. There are three of them.

"Hello, Tris." One of the attackers says in mock pleasantness. I swerve my head to see him. Peter. The school bully. I look more closely at the other two. Drew and Al, his mindless minions. I squirm, kicking my legs. One hits Peter in the leg. He looks infuriated. I doubt it hurt; I can't kick with power from this awkward position Drew and Al are holding me up against the wall in. Peter steps closer to me punching me in the temple. Hard. I struggle to remain conscious.

"Now, Tris. It is not kind to kick others," Peter says mockingly.

"Leave me alone." I demand weakly. I hate how my voice sounds powerless and pleading. "I didn't do anything to you."

"You did to me." a new voice protests. A figure steps out of the shadows. Lauren, the biggest slut in the school. "You took the newbie away from me before he had the chance to see what he was missing out on. A real woman." Lauren says, strutting towards me. "Now I want you to break up with him, or else I will destroy you. Your choice," she says stopping in front of me.

"You can't make me do that," I argue feebly, my head pounding.

"I can do whatever I want." Lauren says harshly, then turns to Peter. "Do whatever you want with her. I'm done." Lauren turns on her heel and walks away, heels clicking on the cement ground.

Peter turns to me, smirking evilly. A heavy hand gropes along my chest. "You sure you're sixteen, Stiff? Doesn't feel like you're more than twelve." The other boys laugh.

That's when I start screaming. I had been holding off, trying to stall for time, hoping someone would find me. I knew Peter would hurt me when I made noise, but I had no choice now. I screamed, continuing even when Peter punched and kicked me to no end. I screamed, ignoring the burning of my raw throat, the pain I felt all over my body from Peter's continuing assault.

"Tris!" I heard the voice, my savior, in the distance. "Tris!"

"Four!" I shouted, flailing. I saw him round the corner, and his dark, stormy eyes were that last thing I saw before Peter's fist collided with my temple and the shouting world around me faded into darkness.

"Tris. Tris. Tris, please, Tris, wake up. Please." I feel Four's hand in mine and his lips brushing my ear as he whispers to me. I groggily open my eyes.

"Four." I murmur.

He looks up from where his face was buried in my hair and grins at me. He kisses me sloppily. "Tris." he says against my lips. I look at my surroundings and find that I'm in a bedroom, presumably Four's. I'm lying on a twin bed with a gray comforter, across from a gray desk, the only other furniture in this plain, gray room.

"What happened?" I ask. "You know, after you came."

Four looks at me seriously. "I beat them up until they were begging for mercy, then left them in the alley," he explains, touching my cheek softly. "This is why I'm worried about you, Tris. There are people who want to hurt you."

"He touched me, Four. Peter. He touched me." Four's eyes turn stone-cold. "Not in the way you're thinking," I say slowly. "But almost."

Four squeezes my hand. "Why?" Four doesn't elaborate, but I know he's talking about Peter's motivation to hurt me.

"Lauren. She had Peter and Drew and Al do it for her. Then she told me I had to break up with you so she could get with you. She said she would destroy me if I didn't." I whisper, like if I talk too loud, Lauren will hurt me again. "But I don't wanna break up with you." I add, hating how weak my voice sounds.

"I don't want you to, either." Four whispers, his lips brush against mine. "And though it's selfish as hell, I cannot lose you." I nod and he adds,"I'll protect you."

I press my lips to his, only to break apart when a voice from downstairs shouts, "Tobias!"

Four pulls away from me, startled. He looks around wildly, fear in his eyes.

"Tobias?" I repeat, looking at my boyfriend.

"I was going to tell you," he says hurriedly,"but I hadn't gotten the chance. You can call me that when we're alone." Tobias kisses me again. "I like it coming from your lips," he adds.

"Tobias!" a man says, this time right outside the door. "I'm coming in!" The door opens, and Tobias's fingers spring apart from mine. A man walks in with a belt in his right hand. He's going to beat Tobias, I think, alarmed.

"You didn't tell me we had company," the man growls, hiding the belt behind his back.

"I'm sorry, Father," Tobias squeaks. "Tris goes to my school, and I found three boys also from our school beating her up. I helped her, and she fell unconscious, so I helped her back here. She had only just woken up."

"Well, Tobias," his father growls. "If you would be so kind to show her to the door." he says gesturing behind him.

Tobias helps me stand, supporting most on my weight. I hadn't noticed the pain before, but now, I can hardly think straight. We walk out the door and down the stairs to the front door.

"Call Zeke or Uriah to pick you up," Tobias orders gently. I nod and press my lips to his briefly. "Call me when you get home." I nod again, and open the door. I slowly step outside and pull out my phone.

I call Uri, not wanting to deal with Zeke's overprotective rants right now. Uriah picks up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Uri, can you pick me up?" I ask, exhausted.

"Sure, where are you?"

I quickly give Tobias's address and hang up. I sit on the front steps of Tobias's house and try to ignore the yelps and shouts coming from upstairs. Going inside would only make it worse for Tobias. Uriah's car pulls up and I clamber off the steps and slowly and painfully walk towards it.

"Hi, Uri, thanks for coming." I say, slumping against the seat.

Uriah turns to look at me. "What the hell happened to you?"