Okay, seriously folks? I mean, I know it's only been a day or so, but still, two reviews? People, I'm disappointed.
Whatever.
I'm going to start replying to reviewers on these chapters.
BooksLover2000: I totally agree. But, after all, a person can't just change in a second, or with only a few dreams. It needs to be kind of gradual.
Brokenwings35: You're close. Very close.
"Peter?" I say, terrified.
Hana was right. I should have listened to her, I should have let her give me protection against him, I was wrong, all wrong. I should never have shrugged her off and thought I could take care of myself.
"Tris, Tris Prior," he says, fake-pleasantly. "Would you mind stepping into an empty classroom with me for a moment?"
I glance around. Practically all the students at the school have gathered around, and there is deadly silence from all of them. I look around for Christina, Uriah, maybe even Four – but see no one.
All the teachers are also missing. I look around again, desperately, and Peter's henchmen crack their knuckles and smirk at me triumphantly. I know there is nothing I can do about it, so I nod silently and follow Peter as he gestures me into a classroom that appears deserted.
He says evilly, "Ladies first," then tells his followers, "Drew, Al, Eric – you guys wait outside and make sure no one can come in."
They all nod, and I am terrified out of my wits when he shuts the door behind him and pins me to the wall.
He quickly finds duct tape and a chair and tapes me to it, then begins.
He swings a fist at me and it collides into my jaw. He begins punching me, harder than I've ever known before, and I am bruised and battered and swollen and bleeding, and I am shouting out, but I know no one will be able to get in.
"We don't like bullies," Peter says through gritted teeth as he connects his fist to my throat. I gag.
Hana was right about them. They are total, messed-up weirdos who are seriously violent.
"Please – Peter – stop," I wheeze. "I'm better. I've changed. Please, Peter!"
He ignores me, scoffing a bit, then concedes punching me. Instead, he lifts my chair and begins dragging me across the room. I cower in fright when I see a butter knife waiting for me on a desk. He grabs it and aims it at my wrist, when suddenly there is a commotion outside.
I hear one of Peter's guys shouting through the door, "Peter, he's coming!"
Then, suddenly, the door bangs open and a boy storms through. He crosses the room to Peter, who's standing there, wide-eyed and frozen in shock, and pins him to the wall just like he did to me.
"What'd you do to her?" he threatens, and Peter comes to life and shakes his head wildly.
"Nothing! Nothing, I swear!"
"What were you doing with a butter knife in your hands?" he asks sharply, waving the butter knife. Then, unexpectedly, he points it at Peter's eye.
"Tell the truth or I'll cut your eye out," he threatens.
Peter closes his eyes instinctively. "Please! Please don't hurt me!"
"TALK!" the stranger bellows.
"Okay! I might have kinda punched her a lot, and then I held the butter knife, but I wasn't actually going to hurt her, it was just kind of a joke, you know?"
With a spit of contempt, the boy shoves Peter to the ground and stomps at him. He throws the butter knife at Peter's arm and it makes a cut. He howls with pain, but my savior pulls the knife out, finds the duct tape he used on me, and tapes Peter to the wall.
Then, the kid runs over to me and begins cutting the tape with the knife, using swift, clean strokes. At last, I am free.
"Who are you?" I ask in disbelief.
He shakes some shaggy hair out of his eyes with a quick flick of his head, then says, "I'm Ezekiel Pedrad."
(Time skip to just before lunch. Sorry, folks.)
The halls are bustling with noise. People stare openly at me, eyes goggling, mouths wide open. Ezekiel, who I remember is the trouble-making brother of Uriah Pedrad, calls a bunch of other kids to come to him. Literally. He cups his hands around his mouth and bellows. "GANG! C'MERE!"
Almost immediately, Christina runs up, accompanied by her boyfriend Will. Uriah comes, and his face is serious for once. He's accompanied by his girlfriend, Marlene. Then a tough-looking girl comes. She has a shaved head and looks like she has her own version of cool, with black pants and a pink shirt. I learn her name is Lynn. A pretty girl comes up, plants a quick kiss on Zeke's lips, and from that I know she is his girlfriend, and I learn quickly that her name is Shauna. She is Lynn's older sister.
Then, last of all, Four comes jogging up, wearing his gym clothes – a tank top that says Roth High on it and black gym shorts. His muscles bulge in his arms and there's a light sheen of sweat coating his face.
"Hey, Zeke, what's up?" he asks casually. Zeke raises an eyebrow and gestures to me.
"Oh. Peter," he says, saying it as a statement, not a question.
"Yup."
"You saved 'er?"
"Yeah."
"Nice one, bro. We gonna" –
"We have no choice."
"Whatever." And Four falls into line casually, so they are all forming a circle around me.
"Okay, what?" I ask, confused.
The girl named Shauna pats me on the back. "Look, kid, Four and Zeke are, like, best bros. Get used to their 'bro talk.'"
At first, I resent being called "kid" but then realize Shauna is two years older than me. She has a right to.
Suddenly, Caleb appears in my sight, running up to me. The "gang" as Zeke calls it, parts for him and he rushes to me.
"Hey, Tris, are you okay? I heard you got beat up by some bully," he says, concerned, patting me down.
"Oh damn. Bruise here, cut there – are you okay, Tris? Talk to me!"
I can't. Caleb has a girl next to him.
I can't take my eyes off her. She's tall and blond. She looks pretty dignified too, and she wears a neat, tight blue dress that looks good on her.
"Oh, hey, Cara!" Will rushes over to the girl.
"Hey, Will." The girl, apparently named Cara, turns to me. "And Tris. I've heard so much about you," she says, her voice emotionless.
I nod hesitantly. "I'm pretty sure they were bad things, weren't they?" I ask, trying to find my voice.
"Well, yes," she laughs, like it's funny. "By the way, I'm Will's older sister - and Caleb's girlfriend."
I round on Caleb. "You have a girlfriend?" I ask accusingly. "How could you?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you about her!" he says lightly. "We became friends on the first day of school and – you know, more that that – the next week. I thought you knew. Silly of me." He smacks his forehead, nervousness evident in his tone.
Suddenly, Zeke taps me on the shoulder. "Look, Tris's brother, we gotta go. C'mon, people."
To my huge relief, Zeke leads my party out of there and we head to lunch.
Hope you people enjoyed. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! It means a lot to me, and I work kinda hard on these chapters. Have you noticed there are practically no typos in this story? I mean, of course there are a few, but still, not many, right?
Be brave.