A/N: Guess who is back! I'm so excited to write again! I can't believe all the nice reviews and the amount of views I got while I was gone! You are all the greatest! Here is the next chapter...and don't worry I will have another one up by Wednesday! So the Sunday/Wednesday schedule should be back in full force for a while :) Enjoy!
I feel something cool along my spine, making its way up my neck then back down. The coolness moves to my arms and down my legs, only missing where my underwear is and where my shirt is rolled up. The sensation tingles slightly, but enough to wake me up. I slowly turn my head to see Tobias rubbing ice packs on my bruises. There is a glistening trail of precipitation where the ice pack leaves one spot for its new destination. I let out a quick shutter, which causes Tobias to stop.
"Sorry, I wanted to get you iced before you woke up so it wouldn't be so cold," he apologizes.
I give him a sleepy smile and nod. Even though it's cold, it feels nice. I lay my head back down and let him continue. After a while he starts massaging the places the doctor showed me I needed to. It's nice having him around to help me. Eventually, he gets a little carried away and starts kissing the bruises softly, letting his bottom lip glide across my skin before each kiss. A small moan slips out of my mouth, which makes Tobias chuckle into my back. I carefully look over at him and glare. He shrugs his shoulders and continues his fun.
"Tris, you're on the news!" Christina calls from the hallway.
Tobias stops and is off the bed in a quick haste. Now I'm the one laughing. He grabs the remote and turns my small bedroom television on. Sure enough, there is the newscast about the girl who fell from a building and lived.
I groan into my pillow before chunking it at the TV, but Tobias doesn't turn it off. Instead, he turns it up because they are talking about Peter.
"If anyone knows the whereabouts of this man, please call the local police. He is wanted for questioning."
The story continues by showing me running from the hallway into the stairwell with pure horror showing across my face and him following suit, that being the only coverage they have. There are no cameras on the rooftop so nobody saw what happened, just that I fell. I wonder if people think he pushed me.
"Want me to bring you some breakfast?" Tobias asks.
"No, I want to go down there. I'm so sick of laying in bed."
He reluctantly carries me downstairs while complaining that I need my rest or I won't get better. The truth is, I am actually feeling a lot better. The bruising doesn't hurt as bad as it looks. The color has faded from blue to a purple-yellow color, which is a good sign.
He places me in a bar stool in the kitchen while he rummages through cabinets to find pans. He pulls out a griddle and starts making pancakes. I know Christina will be excited for some too.
Zeke comes around the corner and bangs two pots together behind Tobias' head, making him jump. He whips around and punches Zeke in the shoulder. They start to play wrestle before Uriah jumps in and Will has to break it up. How is he the only sensible one?
"Did all of you stay here last night?" I ask.
"Oh didn't the girls tell you? We are all moving in!" Uriah mentions.
I give him a disbelieving scowl, but he counteracts with an innocent smile.
"He's just kidding, unless you don't mind. I mean this places does have enough bedrooms for all of us." Zeke answers.
I consider it for a minute. I mean I don't see why it would be a big deal. The only problem would be if one of the couples break up, who do we let stay. Or do they both stay and just get over the breakup.
"How about we have a meeting tonight and if everyone agrees then you all can stay." "Sounds reasonable," Will replies.
"Would you move in too?" I ask Zeke.
"Uh, duh. Your place has free rent!"
Everyone laughs at Zeke as breakfast is served in the kitchen. I slowly get up and walk to the table, feeling good that I get to do something for myself. All too quickly though, Tobias is by my side ensuring that I am all right to sit down without hurting my bruised figure.
"These pancakes are amazing!" Christina moans with her mouth full.
Will has his arm loosely placed around her waist when she leans in to him, still enjoying her bite of pancake.
"I love that the little things excite you," he whispers in her ear.
I look around the table at all my friends and notice their side conversations about anything and everything. Not too long ago, I was sitting in my bedroom without any friends other than my parents and now, I am surrounded by more friends that care about me than I ever thought possible. I let out a content sigh as I reach for Tobias' hand. He squeezes it gently, winking at me as he does it. I give him a sincere smile and mouth "thank you." His eyebrows furrow as he looks at me with a confused expression, mentally asking me "why."
"You have done so much for me, I don't know how to repay you," I whisper in his ear.
"As long as your happy, that's all that matters," he winks again before joining in on Zeke's conversation.
The golf cart is sitting outside with my own personal driver in it waiting to take me to all my classes. Christina is happy to use him too since we both have class together this morning. We give Marlene and Shauna a lift as well and drop them off at their building before pulling up to ours. I'm actually excited to be back in classes.
Ever since the big blowup between Christina and Cara, they seem to get along. I do recall Will telling me that all three of them sat down and had a chat, but I never bothered to dig any deeper. I'm glad that they are getting along, though. I don't think I could drag Christina out of class in my condition. Luckily, I'm not too far behind in any of my classes. All of my teachers have been sending me the assignments and I got most of them completed while I was still in the hospital. There haven't been any exams yet, which works for me because I hear that Dr. Matthews does her make-up exams on Saturdays.
Classes go by rather slowly today, mostly because everyone keeps bombarding me with questions and their sympathy. There are even news reporters on campus chasing me around to get "my story" on what happened. They would be looking through the classroom window like watching me learn in class would magically give them the answers to why Peter did what he did.
Somehow I manage to slip back to my house without anyone following me. No one else is home yet so I delicately make my way up the stairs and into my bathroom, which takes a lot longer than I care to admit. From the half day I just had, I definitely need to relax. I decide to take a nice long bubble bath to calm my nerves. I turn the radio on and set it to a low volume while I undress. It's strange to me how Tobias can still find me attractive when my body looks this way. When I can't stand to look at my bruises anymore I quickly hop into the hot water, laying my head back and letting the bubbles hide my body. After a while, the peaceful music in the background starts to lullaby me to sleep. My head starts to droop, but I catch it before it hits the water. Suddenly, I am fully awake. I look at my hands and see that they are pruned so it's time for me to get out. I let out a sigh before I stand up. My body is covered in suds, so I hop in the shower to rinse off then I wrap up in my towel. I wring out my hair into the shower drain and walk to my bedroom.
I put on some comfy clothes from my dresser when I hear the front door creak open and close swiftly.
"Hello?" I call out, but there's no response.
I quietly walk to my closet and grab the only thing I own that can be used as a weapon. It's a thick-strapped belt with a giant studded buckle that I got when I thought they were in. It isn't Peter; it can't be Peter. How could he have found me so quickly? My heart is racing a mile a minute. I try to focus on my breathing, slow and steady, but it doesn't help. My brain is thinking of the worse possible outcomes if it is indeed Peter.
I creep over to the door and open it slightly to peek into the hallway, nothing.
I shut it quickly and position myself to have a clean strike if it does open. I wait, listening for noises. I can hear footsteps walking up the steps, down the hall, towards my door. I see the shadow of two feet under the crack in my door. I hold my breath, trying to shake the nerves from my body. This is it. Peter has come to get revenge, or steal me away, or whatever crazy things go on in his twisted mind. What would I be able to do to stop him? I'm still pretty hurt, I haven't attended any more defense classes, and no one is around to help me. I can't give up though, I have to stand my ground and fight. I didn't survive that fall for nothing.
The door creeps open and I take a swing with my belt.