Chapter 9
Christina really wanted to have an all afternoon shopping spree, but her dreams were dashed when I reminded her that Four was coming over to do our anatomy project. She begged and pleaded until I surrendered to one hour of mall time immediately after school ended. Her eyes lit up with so much excitement that I couldn't even pretend to be upset about it.
The rest of the school day had gone surprisingly smooth. With both Matthew and Lauren present, I had expected total chaos to erupt. However, the two resorted to sending glares in my direction when they thought that my friends weren't looking. I think they scared off Lauren for the time being, but I couldn't help but think about her threat.
You'll remember, Tris. I'll make sure of it.
It seemed like a promise that Lauren was hellbent on keeping. Keeping my guard up, at least for the next couple weeks, seemed like the best plan. That, and making sure that I don't put myself into a situation that could lead to confrontation.
The second that the final bell rang, Christina was herding me towards my locker as if her life depended on it.
"Calm down, Christina," I said with a laugh. "The mall isn't going anywhere!"
"Tris, I've only got an hour. You may not remember, but an hour's worth of shopping is like a minute to me. I need to squeeze as much time out of this as I possibly can."
I was laughing the entire way to the mall, but the second we got to the actual shopping part, my good mood evaporated instantaneously. Christina was shoving item after item into my unexpecting arms. The thing was, my shoulder wasn't completely healed and it was as if Christina didn't see the sling that was supporting it.
"Christina," I begged as my entire arm started to ache. "Can we please get a cart or a bag or something?"
"Why?" Christina asked into a rack of dresses. She turned and saw me struggling. Her eyes widened and she immediately swooped in to grab the large pile of clothes from my tired arms. "I'm so sorry Tris! I completely forgot about your shoulder! Are you okay?"
With the pressure of the mound of fabric off, I could feel the pain starting to subside significantly.
"I'm fine," I assured her. "My shoulder can't really handle things as heavy as that quite yet."
Christina ran around trying to find a cart while I waited by the accessory section. I didn't have much jewelry at home, but I thought the items were pretty to look at. I reached out to pick out a simple silver bracelet when I felt someone slam into me from behind.
Stars exploded behind my eyes as I felt excruciating pain in my shoulder. I doubled over, gripping at my arm and desperately will the pain to go away. There was some fading laughter in the distance, so while I didn't look up to see who it was, I knew this was intentional.
When the black edges were finally starting to ebb from my vision, I grabbed a clothing rack to support myself and stood up straight. Christina was almost running over to me, asking if I was okay.
I briefly closed my eyes before explaining how someone had rammed into my bad shoulder. After telling her of my suspicions that it had been intentional, Christina's head shot up and immediately starting to look for the culprit.
"That bitch," Christina seethed, seeing someone that I obviously hadn't. "Who has dark hair and likes to steal people's boyfriends in her spare time?"
"You seriously think Lauren did this?" I asked, still rubbing my throbbing shoulder.
Christina shot me an annoyed look that I knew wasn't really directed at me. "Well, considering I can see her over on the other end of the store smirking, I'd say yes. God, she is so lucky I am wearing heels right now or I'd march my way over there and punch her right in the throat."
I looked up and followed Christina's gaze and, sure enough, Lauren was standing over there with some girl I didn't recognize. She was staring at me, a sparkle in her eye that seemed to promise that there was more of this to come. I simply shook my head and grabbed Christina by the elbow, leading her out of the store. "Let's just go. As much as I appreciate your willingness to maim her, a reaction is what she wants. I'm determined not to give her one unless it's absolutely necessary."
Christina finally turned away, fire still present in her eyes. "You know, I like level headed Tris. She doesn't let me do stupid things."
"Did I used to before?" I asked with a chuckle.
My friend sighed. "No, not really. But we used to take turns being the hot head of the group, though it was my turn more often than it was yours." She smiled at me and gestured towards the exit. "C'mon, I'll take you home. Shopping doesn't seem so necessary anymore."
Christina stopped dead in her tracks at her own words. She turned and looked at me, her eyes wide and serious. "If you tell anyone I said that I will deny it."
-break-
After Christina dropped me off at my house, I decided it would be best to have Natalie look at my shoulder, just in case. I decided that it would be better to avoid telling her the truth. She would just worry more, which could end up making things between Lauren and I worse. When I told her that tripped and fell into a rack of clothes, Natalie raised a skeptical eyebrow at me, but didn't try to pry for more information. Luckily, there had been no serious damage done, my shoulder would just be extra sore for a few more days. Natalie just wrapped it up, gave me an ice pack, and sent me on my way.
As I walked up the stairs towards my room, I suddenly remembered that Four was coming over soon. I glanced at my phone to check the time.
5:06
An hour before he would show up. I took that time to tidy up my room and gather all the supplies we'd need for our project. Poster board, construction paper, both tape and glue, depending on what Four would prefer, my laptop to type up notes, and my anatomy book. At 5:50, my phone buzzed.
On my way.
I felt my heart skip a beat. Why was I reacting like this to a simple text? Why did this boy that I barely knew set me on edge so easily? I paced around my room, trying desperately to calm my racing heart. All too soon I heard the doorbell ring and Natalie call for me. I made my way downstairs and the second I saw him my breath hitched. He was just in a black t-shirt and jeans, but he looked… good. I paused on the stairs, my feet refusing to get me any closer to him. When he noticed me watching him, a smirk formed on his face and I quickly snapped out of my trance.
"Hey," I breathed out, trying to keep my voice even. "I've got everything we need upstairs, so uh, come on up I guess."
He nodded at me before turning to Natalie. "Nice to see you again, Mrs. Prior," Four said politely.
"Natalie, please, and likewise." She smiled warmly at him before turning her gaze to me. Natalie raised an eyebrow and asked a silent question. I shook my head and tried to keep from laughing at her insinuation. No, I wanted to say, he's not that type of friend.
But did I want him to be?
I pushed the question out of my mind. Even if that was something I wanted, there was no way that Four would ever want the same thing. As he approached me, I spun quickly and hurried up the stairs. When we got to my room I heard Four chuckle behind me.
"What?" I asked, turning to look at him.
He shook his head. "Nothing, I just should have figured that you'd have everything we could possibly need for this project out and at the ready. I bought some supplies earlier today, and I guess we don't need them."
I felt my face heat slightly. "Well, if it would make you feel better we could use your stuff instead."
Four laughed again, louder this time. "How about we use half of your stuff and half of mine?"
"Sounds like a good plan," I said with a smile.
I settled down on the floor and opened up my anatomy textbook to the section on the skeletal system. Four sat down beside me and grabbed out his own book along with some of the supplies he'd brought. After we figured out where we wanted to start, and the layout of the poster had been discussed we were able to settle into a quiet rhythm. Occasionally one of us would ask a question, or make a suggestion, but overall the two of us worked well as a team. Only once did I lose my train of thought from the color of his eyes.
Two hours later and we were packing up our things. The project wasn't due till the following Monday, so I offered to keep it here until then. I walked him down the stairs, and when he was about to open the front door he turned and looked at me.
I allowed myself five seconds to try and determine the exact shade of his irises. They were blue, but so blue they were borderline black. It was a peculiar shade that I hadn't seen on anyone else before. They were so easy to get lost in. I wanted to spend hours going over every little detail of them. But my five seconds were up.
I gave him a small smile and he started to move again, opening the door and taking one step outside.
"See you tomorrow, Tris," he said in a low voice.
When he closed the door behind him, I dragged myself back upstairs and hoped the shade of his eyes wouldn't haunt my dreams.
-break-
The next Monday arrived with little difficulty. I was finally able to make some use of my shoulder, though it was still in the sling. The bruises on my face were almost completely faded. My hair was still obscenely short, but it was growing out little by little. Four continued to walk me to class, even though I obviously knew my way around the school. Christina continued to pester me over every little detail about him. Everything seemed to be normal. It seemed like this would be how things were before if I could remember it.
There had been no interactions with Lauren, but that wasn't for a lack of trying on her part. Twice I had seen her start towards my locker after class, only to turn away when she saw that Four was with me. During class I could feel her glare trained on me, but she couldn't goad me into looking at her in the middle of the lecture. Once during gym class, she tried to subtly throw a basketball at me, but Uriah was able to intercept it before it even got near me. But other than that, she hasn't really been able to try anything. I was almost always with somebody else, and when I was alone, Lauren and I never happened to cross paths.
Christina came overall early Monday morning. She had texted me Sunday night and informed me that we would be dressing nicely. When I asked for a reason why, she simply said that she decided that wearing a pretty dress would make me feel better. I wasn't too sure about her logic, but I knew better than to argue about it. Who knows? Maybe she would be right.
So as Christina raided my closet for something up to her high standards, I sifted through the few accessories I had to pair with the outfit. I ended up in a simple white dress with a scattered floral pattern, paired with a simple silver chain and some tan flats. I grabbed my eyeline and mascara and handed it to Christina, knowing she wouldn't trust me to apply it myself. After she was done I looked in the mirror on the vanity and was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't pretty; the thick, angry red scar that lined the right side of my skull wasn't quite covered up by the blonde fuzz of my short hair, light bruises still littered the side of my face, and, overall, none of my features would put me in the category of "pretty." But today, there seemed to be a shift. My eyes, which always seemed to be dull and lifeless, suddenly stood out. They seemed to shine against the pale canvas of my skin, against the thick black pencil that Christina lined around them. Instead of the empty pits of light blue that I was used to, I saw a clear blue sky, full of light. I smiled at myself in the mirror, and saw Christina holding back an "I told you so" behind me.
After a quick breakfast Christina and I left for school. As usual, Four was waiting for me at my locker. Before heading off to her own, Christina leaned over and whispered in my ear.
"Tell me again how there's nothing going on between you two. I find it interesting that he continues to wait at your locker every morning even though you know how to get to class."
I shoved her lightly and she walked away laughing. I shook my head, brushing off her statement. He was just making sure that Lauren wouldn't be able to catch me by myself. That's it. Right?
As I walked up to him, I noticed his eyes widen incrementally. They roamed up my body, but not in the hungry way that guys usually looked at girls that attracted them. I couldn't quite place what it was, but it surprisingly didn't make me uncomfortable. I did, however, feel a slight blush on my cheeks.
"Good morning," Four said, his voice seeming a little strained. I saw him swallow hard and flash of pride ran through me. I was affecting him. For once, the roles were reversed, and I felt a sort of power I've never felt before. Forget feeling pretty, I wanted to feel this.
"Good morning," I replied, giving him a bright smile. Confidence was pouring through my body in ways that made me feel like someone else. Maybe the old Tris had been this confident. After flashing him another smile, I turned to my locker to gather all my things. I looked up at him and said, "Let's go," and began walking towards class. The walk was silent as usual, until someone called out at us from across the hall.
"Hey Tris! Wearing a dress doesn't make you any less ugly!"
I turn my head and see the guy that my friends have pointed out as Peter several times. They've warned me that he's a dick and will probably give me a hard time, so I've been expecting this. Beside me, I see Four clench his fists, so before he can do anything stupid, I grab his forearm to lead him away.
"And acting like a tool doesn't make you any less pathetic, Peter!" I call back. That earned me a couple chuckles from other students who happened to be around.
We were almost to the classroom when I realized I was still holding onto Four. I quickly let go and desperately tried to keep the heat from rushing to my cheeks. He was still a bit tense, so before we walk in, I pull him to the side.
"You okay?" I ask softly, trying not to sound condescending.
I can see the anger still flaring in his eyes, but he seems to calm down slightly when he meets my eyes.
"Yeah," he mutters, scratching the back of his neck almost nervously. "I just can't stand Peter. He's an idiot, but he has a way of manipulating the teachers so that he gets out of almost any trouble he causes. And he's always been an ass to you, so I guess I just want to teach him a lesson."
I smile warmly at him. It makes my heart flutter at the fact that he wants to defend my honor, even though he knows I can handle myself. Before I can stop myself, my hand is back on his arm. I wasn't too sure when I decided to do that. Both of us looked at my hand and then back at each other. I cleared my throat and hesitantly put my hand back down by my side. "Well, thank you. If I ever need to hire someone to beat him up, I'll call you."
I'm was going for a joke, but my voice sounded a little forced. Once again, I smiled at him, then started to turn into the classroom. Before I got very far, Four leaned down, his lips at my ear.
"You look good, Tris."
