Curve Ball?

Opinion?

Review?

A few days later, Tris had finally gotten her leadership tattoos. She got the ladder like tattoos, matching to Eric's, starting from her hips up her waist ending just below where her bra was. It hurt like a bitch on her ribs, but surprisingly enough she didn't cry. But she was sore as hell all throughout the day. During lunch in their office, when she had told Eric about it, he demanded she show him.

"Why do you need to see them?" Tris questioned unsure of whether or not she wanted to show him that much skin.

"You do know I've pretty much already seen you naked right?" Eric said with a playful grin.

Tris shook her head in disbelief but knew he was right.

"Fine," Tris sighed and lifted up her shirt, the cool air was a slight relief on her skin. The skin around her new bold black tattoo was red and radiating pain. There was a slight curve to the ladder inwards around her waist that seemed to add more definition and curves to her figure. Tori really knew what she was doing when she placed it on her body. Tris was happy with it.

"I like it," Eric nodded in approval scanning over her skin, "It's sexy."

Tris quickly pulled down her shirt, feeling her cheeks go pink and returned her focus back to her sub. Sierra had taken all the initiates up to the rooftops to work with guns so Eric and Tris had a few hours to themselves. Tris took the time to look through her emails, there was one from Four.

Hey, I took the night off work. Want to talk to you, Will and Christina will be over at Lynns'. –4

Strange, Four hardly ever emailed Tris or took time off work really. She wrote him back.

Ok, everything alright? -T

Talk Later. -4

Tris's heart began to sink, this was new. Now a tension and guilt started forming with in Tris. What could Four possibly want to talk about? The more Tris thought about it the more her imagination ran wild. She glanced at the clock, it was only noon. The initiates were due back at 1:30 and training didn't end until five. Dammit, there was also an hour of group therapy after training. Tris wouldn't even really be home until 6:30 at this point.

The hours dragged on painfully slow, they started having the initiates fight with one another. Impatience and dread was putting Tris on edge. Her mind began racking every possibility of what Four would want to talk about with her. Was he mad at her? Or did he really just take the night off to be with her. Was he going to…purpose to her? She had once heard Four and Will talking about purposing once before. At the time they both had said they were happy with her and Christina. This only had the dread grow steadily, was she ready to be engaged?

When Amber and Jessica were fighting with each other, Amber had managed to get her down and delivered a good hard kick to her ribs.

"Get up!" Tris yelled annoyed at Jessica.

Jessica coughed briskly and tried to pull herself but just ended up stumbling over herself and falling again. Amber stood above her, looking at Tris at what to do next."

"Well?" Tris asked loudly.

Amber kicked her one more time, knocking her out cold. This didn't help Tris's inner turmoil, she felt guilty for pushing Amber. She was taking out her frustrations on the initiates, typically she left that Eric. She walked away from the fight, needing to take a breather.

"You alright?" Eric asked as she passed him as he was watching some of the boys in the ring.

"Yup," Tris said sarcastically and kept walking.

Tris got a drink of water, ran around the gym trying blow off steam for a little bit. Eric and the initiates all glanced at her curiously, it wasn't like Tris to be closed off and distracted. Eric seemed to glance at her more than anyone else. Tris couldn't even muster a thought about him right now, she had enough issues with Four in her mind. Once everyone was done with their sparring, Eric called everyone, including Tris over.

"Alright," Eric called out to them, "everyone go get cleaned up, meet up in the circle in 10 minutes."

The circle is what they had begun calling their group therapy sessions. Everyone began moving.

"Um actually," Tris called out to them as they all stopped, "I actually need to go home tonight…do you guys wanna put it off until tomorrow?"

Eric looked surprised. The initiates all just nodded and continued walking away. Tris began walking briskly back towards the leadership compound.

"Getting tired of hearing about their hard knock lives?" Eric asked following her.

"Not now Eric," Tris growled annoyed.

"What's with you?" Eric asked now sharing Tris's same irritated look.

"Nothing," Tris spat back.

"Bullshit," Eric mused her impatiently, "what is it?"

Tris sighed but kept walking, "I don't know…"

"Is it Christina or something?" he continued to question.

"No," Tris replied briskly, "not her…"

"Four?" Eric asked with an unamused look.

Now Tris bowed her head down.

"Look," Eric said talking slowly, "I'll be at apartment…it's a few floors up from yours, 714. Jason's going to come over tonight to hang out, you can come too if you need to."

Now Eric was inviting her over to his place? Tris didn't even think twice about that one; obviously not, especially if Four was planning on purposing to her. Still the anxiety in Tris seemed to only peak at the idea of going over to Eric's'. First she had to figure out what was going on.

She had made it to her office, grabbed what she needed. Eric sat in his office solemnly watching Tris out of the corner of his eyes. She left quickly back towards the apartments with her mind racing with possibilities. She wasn't sure what Four could be mad about…it had to be, well something positive like him purposing. Back years ago when they had first gotten together, Tris had fantasized of the day Four would get down on one knee for her. If he would have asked her when she was 18, it would have been an instant yes. Now, years later, even the mere idea of it terrified Tris. She wasn't ready for this…

With each step closer to the apartment, Tris's breathing got slower. She entered into her apartment, it was eerily silent as Four sat on the couch waiting for her. Four and Christina must be gone already. The expression on his face was unreadable; he just looked at her contemplative.

"Hey," Tris said breathlessly, "So…Chris and Will are gone?"

"Yeah," Four nodded, "I told them I wanted to talk to you and asked them to take off for the night."

"What's up?" Tris asked trying to seem casual as she folded her arms.

"Come sit with me," Four said indicating to the space next to him.

Here we go, Tris thought to herself. She obliged moving slowly taking the seat next to him as his arm strung around the back of the couch around her.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Tris asked slowly.

"Well," Four said shifting in his place, "how are things going with Eric?"

"Fine," Tris shrugged, "the group therapy sessions have been going really good. I feel like they're really benefiting them."

"That's good," Four nodded in agreement. He was stalling, he always did this, "How's Eric treating them?"

"Oh he's like the loving supportive father they never had," Tris said sarcastically.

"Alright I get your point," Four said with a fake chuckle.

They sat there together as Four started to rub Tris's shoulder with his knuckles. Tris took a deep breath trying to steady herself.

"How was the camping trip?" Four questioned, "We haven't really had much time to talk since you came home."

"It was incredible," Tris said agreeing to his stalling of the real issue, whatever it was, "all the activities were really fun, it was a real bonding moment."

"With Eric?" Four asked raising his eyebrow.

Tris's eyebrows furrowed, "With everyone…why do you keep bringing him up?"

"Well I've just been hearing…things," Four explained treading carefully, "about what happened at camp."

"What kind of things?" Tris asked suddenly feelings her heart pick up again, "Who told you?"

"I've just head things about what you did while you were there," Four replied.

"Who told you?" Tris repeated. She was going to hunt down whoever talked.

"I don't know everyone talks you know that," Four assured her.

Tris rolled her eyes, now she knew she wasn't going to be getting a ring. Part of her was satisfied with that notion but now just irritated that Four was bringing this up.

"What did you hear?" Tris questioned.

"I mean I don't really believe it or anything," Four said shrugging, "but I heard that you and him… were like playing strip poker or something?"

"It wasn't exactly like that," Tris replied simply.

"What?" Four said a little more seriously, "What was it like then?"

"It was just a dare," Tris started to explain, "you see every time a new leader goes to camp they have to do a dare-,"

"I know about the stupid dares that they do at camp Tris!" Four yelled at her now taking his arm out from behind her.

"Ok sorry!" Tris yelled back defensively, "I figured that you wouldn't know since you turned down leadership-,"

"I turned down leadership because I didn't want to be like Eric," Four blasted back to her, "being in leaderships dangerous!"

"Ok do not bring that back up," Tris warned seriously, "I'm not rehashing the leadership argument with you! I wanted this and I did it! You know what I don't regret anything either, I love this job and I had a great time at camp!"

"Oh yeah I'm sure you did!" Four said jumping off the couch, "I've heard all about what happened at camp!"

"Oh yeah because everything they talk about in the halls is all truth right?" Tris shot back standing up now.

"I heard that you and Eric went skinny dipping in the leadership pool," Four said with a stern look on his face.

Tris stood there with her arms cross, she wasn't going to deny it. However she wasn't particularly proud of it either. But when she questioned why she was ashamed of it, she couldn't really give a solid answer other than she didn't want Four to know about it. Camp stayed at camp…

Four looked disgusted, "oh my god! You actually did it?"

"It was just a stupid dare Four!" Tris said throwing up her arms, "All the new leaders have to do one!"

"And then Eric took the liberty of hanging all you panties from the trees outside your cabin right?" Four accused.

"Actually that was Edward," Tris pointed out calmly, "That was his dare."

"That's so immature and disrespectful," Four opinionated.

"I thought it was kind of funny," Tris shrugged quietly.

"How can you think that's funny?" Four questioned.

"Four it was just bras? All girls wear them," Tris said irritated not really seeing the big deal of it, it was just a joke.

"Yeah well I don't really appreciate my girlfriend's undergarments hanging from the tree for everyone to see," Four said crossing his arms again.

"Well good thing they're mine and not yours," Tris explained, "you're freaking out about nothing."

"Nothing?" Four roared at her, "You took off all you clothes in front of that asshole and jumped into a pool with him! Did anything else happen?"

"No!" Tris roared back, "Four nothing else happened! I would never do that to you or anyone! It was just a stupid dare, and I made Eric turn around when-,"

"Oh right because Eric is such an upstanding guy right?" Four yelled back now pacing anxiously.

"He is not that bad ok?" Tris said feeling tired of everyone ragging on him.

"Of course you'd defend him," Four pointed out, "don't you remember how much of a dick he was to you back when you were training?"

"That was four years ago!" Tris screamed at him, "You, Christina and Will just need to get over it already!"

"Just tell me the truth," Four said calmly, "Did anything happen between you two at camp?"

"No Four," Tris said briskly, "nothing happened! We jumped in the pool, I made him look away while I was getting undressed and redressed, we went to our separate beds that's it!"

Four stood there huffing and looking at her with dark eyes.

"Look you either trust me or you don't," Tris explained, "you tell me the truth."

"I just don't understand what happened to you," Four said shaking his head in defeat, "when I first met you, you were just so…different. You were -,"

"A stiff?" Tris demanded, "Hate to break it to you Four, we're not in Abnegation anymore! So you can stop crying over your abusive daddy now and you can stop treating me like some shy goody-goody little Abnegation girl; ok?!"

Tris could tell that one struck him hard, Tris regretted bringing up his father…but it was the truth. He backed away, taking deep breaths. Probably trying to blink away some tears in his eyes, the guilt was beginning to fill Tris like the plague. Maybe she went too far.

"I think…" Four started to say slowly in between breaths.

Was he going to break up with her….?

Was Tris prepared to be broken up with him?

"I think we should take a break…" Four replied now avoiding her eye sight, "I uh-, I'll…I'll go stay with a friend for a few weeks or something."

"Fine," Tris said refusing to offer to leave first; she refused to let her Abnegation show now even if she felt guilty.

Four walked towards the bedroom but stopped halfway, "So that's it…? You're not even going to try to stop me?"

"I think we need some space Four," Tris agreed with him, "I just want to focus on…well being a leader right now I suppose."

"Fine," Four muttered as the tears started to fall down his face.