SO I really wanted to watch the new 13 Reasons Why but instead, I wrote this so I REALLY hope you guys like this lol!
Anyway, thank you to 09, Charms22, fam, WittyBants, It'sHardIKnow, Guest, Guest, fourishot, Jojoboo90, and heyy for your kind words on the last chapter!
I think you guys will like this chapter, here's hoping! Please let me know what you think! :)
Tris POV
Spending time with Tobias has been great. Little by little, he has started talking to me more and being more open. He is still pretty surly by regular standards, but I love that he has accepted me as his friend, and he seems happy to be spending time with me as well. However, it has been about three weeks since Eric got arrested. With every day that passes, I become more and more anxious for Tobias. Soon enough, Eric will be free again, and I can't even bring myself to think what Eric might do to Tobias when he gets out.
Still, Tobias doesn't seem to want to say anything to his foster parent. I understand. Of course, it was beyond difficult for me to open up to anyone when I was being bullied. But that knowledge doesn't make it any easier to watch him go through such a similar situation.
I just got home from spending time with Tobias. Today, we sneaked into the school's gym, and he taught me how to play basketball. I never play during gym class because I usually opt to run around the track instead. It was pretty fun, but he says I'm too short to really be good at it. And because of his ever-serious demeanor, I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
"How was school?" my mom asks.
Now, I am helping her with dinner. I am cutting the vegetables while she cooks the chicken.
"It was all right," I say simply.
"Is that all?" she asks, looking at me momentarily. "Didn't you say you made friends? How are they?"
"They're good, and they're all really nice." She smiles down at the stove at this. "By the way, do you think I'd be able to go see a movie with them tomorrow? I know it's a school night, but it's the first night of this movie that Christina is really excited about."
"Hmm," she hums, still smiling. "I guess that'd be all right."
I can't help but smile down at the vegetables as well.
"Thanks," I say quietly.
"I'm just so happy that you've found a good group of people," she says, and I can hear her smiling. We look at each other, and I take comfort in the familiarity of her calming smile. "It's better this time around, isn't it?"
"It is," I reply. "This school is much better."
She smiles at me for a moment before she looks down at the chicken again.
"I'm glad," she says, still smiling.
Although the movie was pretty great, I have to admit that the best part about today was having friends to go to a movie with. I can't help but laugh, as we walk out of the movie theater while Christina raves about how much she loved the movie. She walks ahead of us with Will at her side while Al and I walk behind them.
"Oh my god!" She sighs. "And the choosing part! What do you think you guys would have been?"
She looks around at all of us, as we all silently consider this for a moment. The movie that Christina brought us to see was a movie about a dystopian world where everyone is split into five factions. Each of them seemed interesting, so I find it hard to choose one.
"I think I would be Erudite," Will says, smirking at us. "No, actually, I know I would."
"Nerd," Christina says, rolling her eyes.
"How very Candor of you," Will remarks.
Christina rolls her eyes and smiles, as we continue walking. The four of us fall into an easy conversation, as we walk home. That is, until we have to separate. We all say goodbye to each other and start to head our own separate ways.
"Tris!" I hear Al call after me before I have even taken more than a couple of steps. I stop and look back at him as he approaches me sheepishly. "Can you wait a second?"
"Sure," I say, though I'm not sure what is going on. I look around him at Christina and Will who continue to walk toward their houses before I look back at him. "What's up?"
"Well, I uh..." He clears his throat and smiles nervously. "Tonight was really fun, but I was wondering if you might want to do something one day. Just you and me, I mean."
He stares at me hopefully, and I immediately begin to feel nervous myself. I have never been asked out before, but I have to say it seems a lot like that is what is happening right now. I do care about Al, but only as a friend. Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure how to get that across to him without hurting his feelings.
"Do you mean like a date?" I ask.
His smile widens.
"Yeah," he says shyly.
"Uhm, I don't know," I force out.
"What?" he says, his smile disappearing.
"I'm really sorry, I just... I like someone else."
He looks at me for a moment, as if he doesn't know how to respond before he nods and fakes a smile.
"Got it," he says. And it is only then that I realize that his eyes are tearing up. "No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, then."
He offers me one more fake smile before he turns and starts walking away. I think about calling after him, but I decide against it. There is nothing that I could say that would make him feel better.
It was only yesterday that I rejected Al, and he is already acting so strange. Today at lunch, I saw him talking to Peter. Christina and Will were just as confused as I was, but when he came to our table, he dodged all of our questions and gave as little information as possible. I'm not sure what would ever make him want to talk to Peter. I just hope that it doesn't have anything to do with what happened yesterday.
I try to push the thoughts from my mind, as I walk to the front of the school to meet Tobias. When I get there, I can't help but smile when I see that he is sitting at the bench as always. I sit down next to him, making him look up.
"Guess what," I say.
"I give up," he says with a smirk. "What?"
"There's gonna be a football game tonight!"
"Ah," he nods. "Yeah, I heard about that. Wouldn't think that you're a football fan though."
"I'm not really," I say, shrugging. "But Christina says it's more about school spirit and hanging out with people. And the party afterward."
"Well, that just sounds like a bunch of things that I don't care about."
"Oh, come on." I nudge his shoulder, making him look at me again. "It could be fun. Have you ever been to one before?"
"No," he says simply.
"Then come to one with me! Even if it's completely boring, at least we can hang out." I watch him, as he shrugs and looks away thoughtfully. "Please?"
He seems to think about it for a moment before he lets out a deep breath.
"Well, I know you're not gonna give up," he mutters, "so I guess I'll be there."
I can't help but laugh at this, and he smiles slightly before looking down at the ground.
"I'm glad," I say. He nods a little, still staring at the ground. "What's wrong?"
He looks at me as if he is surprised by the question and shakes his head a bit.
"Nothing," he says. "I just have to go home first, but I'll meet you at the game. Okay?"
"Okay," I say. "I'll see you there."
By the time I get to the football game, there are already tons of people sitting on the bleachers. It is a little overwhelming at first, and for a moment, I just stand there staring at the bleachers full of people cheering on our school's team.
This is what you wanted, I think to myself. You wanted a normal teenage life.
With that, I take a deep breath and force myself to take the first step onto the bleachers. If I want to be a normal high schooler, I have to be willing to do things that make me uncomfortable. With each step up, the crowd seems to be louder and louder though. I look around, trying to find a familiar face, specifically Christina's since she said she would be here too. Just as I think of her, I feel my phone go off in my pocket. I pull it out and look at it to see that it is a text from Christina.
Almost there! it reads.
I let out a sigh, as I look around. Then, I do see a familiar face. I look toward the top and see Uriah sitting with a group of people who are talking and laughing. I start walking up to where they are before I can think about it too much. As I walk, Uriah seems to sense someone looking at him, since he looks at me and waves.
"Hey, Tris!" he calls out once I am close enough to hear him.
"Hey, mind if I sit with you?"
"No," one of the girls with blonde hair says with a smirk. "You're not allowed."
I hesitate for a moment, and Uriah seems to notice. He smiles and elbows the girl.
"Ignore Marlene," he says. "And don't sit next to her. She bites!"
They laugh, and I force a smile, as I sit down on Uriah's other side. Soon enough, the attention is off of me, and they all start talking among themselves again. Uriah glances at me before looking at the football field.
"So, you here by yourself?" he asks without looking at me.
"I was supposed to be meeting some people," I say. "But I guess they're all fashionably late."
"Is one of them your boyfriend?" he asks with a smirk.
I feel myself blush a little, and he grins at me. I roll my eyes, wishing my face would stop giving me away.
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Maybe not yet," he chuckles. "Isn't that him down there?"
I look toward the bottom of the bleachers and see Tobias walking toward the bleachers seemingly just as uncomfortable as I was. Before I can stop him, Uriah starts waving and yelling his name at the top of his lungs. I feel myself blush, as Tobias looks up and sees Uriah waving like a crazy person. I turn to Uriah, as Tobias starts walking toward us. He looks at me as well and smiles.
"Would you like us to leave you two alone?"
I roll my eyes, but I say nothing, as Tobias approaches and sits down next to me.
"Hey, man," Uriah says, leaning forward so that he can see Tobias. "Good to see you outside of school. Well, kinda."
Tobias nods at him and looks toward the football field. Uriah nudges me and smirks before turning away to talk to Marlene again. I look at Tobias, trying to figure out something to say.
"Do you like football?" I ask.
He shrugs. "My foster parent watches it, and I watch it with him sometimes. It's not bad. What about you?"
"I don't understand a thing about it," I say honestly.
He smiles just the slightest bit and looks at me.
"Why are you here, then?"
I shrug this time and smile back at him.
"The atmosphere."
He chuckles at this before watching the game again. As I look forward, I see Christina walking toward me with Will right behind her. She waves at me, and I wave back. When they finally make it to the top, they sit down in the row in front of us and turn around to talk.
"Sorry I took so long to get here," she says before glaring at Will. "Someone needed to be convinced to leave his house."
"I just wanted to study," Will says to me. "I have a very important test coming up-"
"It's Friday!"
"So?" Will says, looking genuinely confused.
Christina rolls her eyes.
"Anyway," she says. "We're here now. Who's your friend?"
"This is Tobias," I say, gesturing toward him. "And Tobias, this is Christina and Will."
"Nice to meet you," Christina says, smiling cheekily.
"And I'm Uriah!" Uriah pipes in, reminding me that he is right next to me. "I kinda know you guys because you come to my parties, but I don't know your names."
I can't help but laugh, as Christina and Will introduce themselves. For a while, we fall into an easy conversation. The entire time, I can't help but wonder what Christina is thinking since I know that she said I shouldn't really hang around with Uriah. But she seems pretty content sitting here and having a conversation with him. Either way, I'm sure she will let me know exactly what she is thinking as soon as she has a chance.
As we talk, I realize that Tobias has been quiet for a while. I turn to him while everyone else continues talking and nudge my shoulder against his to make him look at me.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
"Yeah, just watching the game," he says. "Why, did I miss something?"
"Well, they were just talking about the party tonight after the game. Would you want to go?"
"I don't think so," he says. "I'm not really a party person. But I'll walk there with you guys since I live right by Uriah."
"Fine. Maybe I'll spend the walk trying to convince you."
He chuckles. "It'll be a waste of your time."
I roll my eyes before turning back to everyone else. For a moment, I think that I feel his eyes on me. But I know I must just be imagining it.
I can't help but smile, as I walk down the street with Tobias, Christina, Will, Uriah, and Marlene. They are talking loudly and making jokes and laughing, as we walk to Uriah's house for the party. Our school won the game, so Uriah says that party is going to be crazy. I am a little nervous for that, but I have to admit that it feels so nice to just be a normal teenager with such fun friends.
"And tonight," Uriah calls out, as we approach his house, "we're jumping from the roof to the trampoline!"
"First one to break a leg wins!" Marlene grins.
"What about the zip line?" I ask.
"Ooh, good point! We'll jump from the zip line to the trampoline!"
I roll my eyes, as they start to walk toward the front door of Uriah's house. I stay standing on the sidewalk with Tobias so that I can say goodbye to him first. Christina looks at me over her shoulder.
"Are you coming?"
"Yeah, I'll be right there."
She smiles and gives me a knowing look before she follows the rest into Uriah's house. I turn to look at Tobias only to see that he was already looking at me. For a moment, we just stand in front of each other, looking at each other. A stranger might think that we are sizing each other up.
"I guess I'll see you on Monday, then," I say.
He nods, his eyes still locked on mine.
"I guess so."
There is silence for a moment, and I smile a little.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" I ask.
"Because it seems like you have something you want to say," he says in a matter-of-fact way. "I'm just waiting for it."
"I don't think you would like it," I mutter. "That's why I'm not saying it."
"I've had people say some terrible things to me," he says with a smirk. "There's no way someone like you could top it."
"Someone like me?"
"Yeah, someone so..." He shrugs. "Kind."
I look down for a moment so that my face will not give me away like it always does. I can feel him watching me, as I stare at the floor, willing myself to say something. Anything. I could just tell him right now. He's set me up for it. But I feel so scared. After all, I've never done anything like this before.
And that's when I realize, maybe it's exactly the right thing to do. I was so scared to start at a new school, but it is so much better than my old school. I was so nervous to go to a party, but I did, and I had a great time with my new friends. I was nervous to go to the football game, but now, I finally feel like a normal teenager for the first time in my life.
I just have to keep being brave. Maybe things will get better and better.
"Do you remember when I said I liked someone?" I say before I can stop myself. I look up at him just as he nods. "I was talking about you."
He stares at me for a moment, obviously surprised. I feel a nervous tingling in my chest. I can feel my heart beating against my chest. I find myself wanting to run and hide, but I force myself to stand there, to keep looking back at him, as he seems to process this. He looks down at the ground and takes a breath.
"What?" I croak. He shakes his head, still not looking at me. He says something but I don't quite hear it. "I can't hear you."
Still without looking at me, he says it again.
"I do, too."
"What do you mean?" I ask, my voice a whisper.
He glances up at me and sighs.
"I like you, too."
I feel a blush creep up on my face at the same time that I feel my heart start to beat faster. For a moment, I just stand there, trying to let the words sink in. I can't believe it. No matter how long I stand here, I know I won't be able to believe it. He looks up at me, almost nervously, and I realize that I have to say something.
"You do?" I ask. He nods wordlessly. "What do we do now, then?"
He looks past me thoughtfully for a moment before his eyes lock on mine again.
"Should I..." He clears his throat, and I can't help but feel a little relieved just for the fact that he seems just as nervous as me. "Should I kiss you?"
I feel my heart flutter in my chest, and I take a breath to steady myself.
"Do you want to?"
He nods. "That's what people do in a situation like this, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess it is," I say quietly. "You can kiss me if you want to."
He nods again and looks at me for a moment. I stare back at him, frozen where I stand. I watch him, as he moves toward me, as he slowly leans into me. My eyes find his lips, and I watch him until eventually, my eyes close. I take in a breath, trying to ignore the feeling of my heart pounding. I feel his fingers intertwine with mine. And then, I feel his lips on mine.
I have never kissed anyone before. And I'm sure that he hasn't either. But I find myself feeling so happy just for the fact that he is my first kiss. I can feel my head spinning, and I feel an unfamiliar warmth in my chest. Eventually, he pulls away, but he keeps his face close to mine, and I keep my eyes closed to enjoy the feeling. I can feel his eyes on me, and I can't help but smile a bit.
"You know this isn't going to be easy," he says.
I open my eyes, and our eyes lock on each other. I stroke his hands with my thumbs, and he squeezes my hands lightly.
"I know," I say. "I don't care."