Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent
Tris POV
"We should play Truth or Dare!" Uriah exclaims. The week went by quickly, and right now it is Friday night, and everyone is gathered in Christina's living room. We all agree to Uriah's proposition, and begin the game.
"I go first!" Uriah says, "Tris! Truth or dare?"
I am shocked at first, and don't quite know what to say. "I-uh, truth?" I stutter. I honestly wasn't expecting to be called first. The past week I have only really spent time with Christina and Tobias. Of course I've chatted with Marlene and Shauna, but I haven't really talked much with Uriah.
When I look at his face, I automatically wish I'd chosen dare. "Alright," he says mischievously, "Tris, why are you so shy?"
God, how do I answer that sort of question? I shrug, and say, "I'd just rather keep to myself for the most part, it's nothing against you all," I say as vaguely as possible.
"But why?" Uriah presses.
"I answered your question," I say, my voice now more hushed. Uriah must understand that I don't really want to talk about it, and he nods, but I know that I will be asked again.
"How about we play a different game?" Christina asks, sensing my discomfort.
"Never have I ever?" Zeke suggests, and we all agree. Christina goes to get us all a soda, her parents are home tonight.
"Never have I ever fallen asleep during a movie," Zeke says proudly, and all of the girls take a sip.
"Never have I ever eaten a whole pizza by myself," Shauna says, and only Uriah takes a sip.
"Really Uriah?" Shauna questions.
"I was hungry!" Uriah explains, and we all burst into laughter.
"Never have I ever not eaten a whole pizza by myself," Uriah says with a smirk, and everyone takes a sip.
"That's a double negative," Will states.
"That's a lot of negatives," Shauna says, rolling her eyes.
"Never have I ever been in a physical fight," Will says, and Uriah says "wimp" through a fake cough. I stare at my drink in front of me, I guess that all of my encounters in the past count. I take a sip, along with Tobias, Zeke, and Uriah.
"Tris?" Will questions. I look down, I knew that this would happen. I don't want to tell them yet, I don't want to tell them at all. I trust them, but I don't want to ruin the night.
Tobias must notice, and he puts his arm around me, pulling me closer. I bury my face into his shirt, I won't cry. I won't cry. I won't cry. I will be brave.
"She doesn't want to talk about it, okay?" Tobias says for me. I whisper a thank you.
"Never have I ever laughed without smiling," Christina says, trying to take the attention off of me. Tobias, Lynn, and I take a sip.
"Guys, this is boring," Uriah complains.
"What do you want to do then, Uriah?" Christina questions.
"I wanna play Truth or Dare!" he whines.
"We are not playing Truth or Dare," Tobias interjects, "Why don't we watch a movie?"
"What's going on?" Marlene questions.
"What?" Christina replies, clearly confused.
"You and Four," she says, and I nearly choke on my drink.
"What are you talking about?" Four says.
"You two know something that the rest of us don't. You two cover for each other, like you are reading each others minds about something," Marlene says.
"We don't cover for each other," Christina spits out. That's right, they cover for me. I suddenly realize exactly what this is about. They are starting to figure me out, they want to know my secret.
"She's right," Uriah interrupts, "Something's been going on." Four looks at me in the eye, as if asking permission. I shake my head slightly.
"I think you guys are insane," I say. Do they suspect me?
"Then you know too," Shauna says agitated. Zeke and Lynn look around nervously, not knowing which side to take.
"It always happens as soon as we mention something to Tris. She freezes up, and they change the subject," Uriah says. Darn, they have us figured out.
"Guys, I don't think that we should push them to say something, they clearly don't want to talk about it," Zeke says, and I relax a bit.
"What, do you know something too?" Shauna spits out.
"No, I don't! I don't know anything!" Zeke explodes, "I have no clue why they changed the subject when we asked why Tris was shy, or why Tris was in a physical fight. I know just as much as the rest of you!" I bury my face in my hands, I can't believe that this is happening. Our entire group is falling apart because of me.
Tobias takes notice of me, and says, "Everyone just calm down. It's not my or Christina's secret to tell."
"Then tell us Tris," Marlene pushes.
"Yeah, tell us!" Shauna exclaims.
"No, you guys are going to hate me," I say.
"They're going to hate me," I say, directed towards Tobias.
"You don't have to tell them," he whispers in my ear.
"I feel like I have to," I say. I don't want to, but I don't know how to get out of this. They're not just going to forget about something like this.
"No, no I can't. I can't," I say to everyone, "I'm sorry, you will hate me."
"You'll act just like them," I say.
"That's not going to happen," Christina says to me.
"Yes it is! I have to go, I'm sorry. I'm too damaged, too broken, I should've known better," I say, getting up to leave. Tobias's grip around me tightens, but I shake him off and run out.
"You're worthless," the voices in my head, the voices of my past say to me.
"No one could ever like you."
"You will never have friends, you bitch."
"You're such a slut, no one could ever take you seriously."
I don't know where I'm running to, but I'm running. Tobias drove me here, and there is no way he can drive me back after that. I should've known better to think that I could have friends, a boyfriend. No one can like me.
I find myself at the park after who knows how long. I've slowed my pace, now walking next to the lake. I sit down on the bench of my childhood, and close my eyes. Everything seems so peaceful here, like nothing could go wrong in the world.
I open my eyes. It just did, and I scold myself in my head for being so cowardly, for running away from my problems.
But no, I'm not strong. I'm the same weak girl that I was carved out to me at DAA.
Suddenly, I hear a voice behind me, "Tris."
Tobias POV
The rest of the week went quickly, things with Tris have been great. I've found that she isn't always overly romantic, and I like that. You don't have to hug and kiss all the time to be a couple.
"We should play Truth or Dare!" Uriah says Friday night.
"I go first!" he says, "Tris! Truth or dare?"
"I-uh, truth?" she stutters. Sometimes I forget how shy she can be, she is so open around me now. I still think it's cute.
"Alright," he says mischievously, "Tris, why are you so shy?"
I immediately tense up at this, and have a sudden urge to intervene. I've found that I've automatically trained myself to tell when Tris is uncomfortable with something, and I have become very protective of her. She just shrugs, and says, "I'd just rather keep to myself for the most part, it's nothing against you all."
"But why?" Uriah presses. Does he know when to stop? God I want to say something.
"I answered your question," she says quieter, trying to send him a message that she doesn't want to talk.
"How about we play a different game?" Christina suggests, and I quietly thank her.
"Never have I ever?" Zeke suggests, and we all agree. Christina goes to get us all a soda, her parents are home tonight.
"Never have I ever fallen asleep during a movie," Zeke says proudly, and all of the girls take a sip.
"Never have I ever eaten a whole pizza by myself," Shauna says, and only Uriah takes a sip.
"Really Uriah?" Shauna questions.
"I was hungry!" Uriah explains, and we all burst into laughter.
"Never have I ever not eaten a whole pizza by myself," Uriah says with a smirk, and everyone takes a sip.
"That's a double negative," Will states.
"That's a lot of negatives," Shauna says, rolling her eyes.
"Never have I ever been in a physical fight," Will says, and Uriah says "wimp" through a fake cough. I take a sip at this, along with Zeke and Uriah.
"Tris?" Will questions. Tris, of course. I forgot about Tris, and now they are trying to pry through the walls she have built for herself. I want to let her know that I am here for her, and wrap my arm around her. She buries her face into my shirt, and I know that she doesn't want to face them.
"She doesn't want to talk about it, okay?" I say for her. She whispers a thank you almost inaudibly.
"Never have I ever laughed without smiling," Christina says. Tris, Lynn, and I take a sip.
"Guys, this is boring," Uriah complains.
"What do you want to do then, Uriah?" Christina questions.
"I wanna play Truth or Dare!" he whines.
"We are not playing Truth or Dare," I say. There is no way, they will find out about Tris and I cannot let that happen, "Why don't we watch a movie?"
"What's going on?" Marlene questions.
"What?" Christina replies, clearly confused.
"You and Four," she says, and I'm momentarily confused as well.
"What are you talking about?" I say honestly.
"You two know something that the rest of us don't. You two cover for each other, like you are reading each others minds about something," Marlene says. Crap, now I know exactly what she means. She must notice that we both protect Tris, we both know her secret.
"We don't cover for each other," Christina spits out.
"She's right," Uriah interrupts, "Something's been going on." I hold back a sigh, they are going to get it out of her. I look at her, and she shakes her head. She still doesn't want them to know.
"I think you guys are insane," Tris says, trying to blow it off and change the subject.
"Then you know too," Shauna says accusingly.
"It always happens as soon as we mention something to Tris. She freezes up, and they change the subject," Uriah says. This is bad, really really bad. I want to get Tris out of her, but they will be even more suspicious of us and badger us down later.
"Guys, I don't think that we should push them to say something, they clearly don't want to talk about it," Zeke says, and I am glad.
"What, do you know something too?" Shauna spits out.
"No, I don't! I don't know anything!" Zeke explodes, "I have no clue why they changed the subject when we asked why Tris was shy, or why Tris was in a physical fight. I know just as much as the rest of you!"
"Everyone just calm down. It's not my or Christina's secret to tell," I say, hoping they'll maybe understand…
"Then tell us Tris," Marlene pushes. Nope, it didn't work. They want answers, god I wish my friends weren't so stubborn.
"Yeah, tell us!" Shauna exclaims.
"No, you guys are going to hate me," Tris says. I can tell that she's thinking too much, she's letting it get back to her and becoming vulnerable
"They're going to hate me," she says to me.
"You don't have to tell them," I whisper.
"I feel like I have to," she says.
"No, no I can't. I can't," Tris says, "I'm sorry, you will hate me." No, no, no! Now she is the Tris she was before I knew, the one that put herself down continually because she never knew any different.
"You'll act just like them," Tris continues. Does she really believe that we will be like those monsters? I want to know what's going through her head; I want to talk to her alone, but we are in a room full of people.
"That's not going to happen," Christina reassures her, but I know it won't work.
"Yes it is! I have to go, I'm sorry. I'm too damaged, too broken, I should've known better," she says. I tighten my grip, I don't want her to leave but she gets away. I hate how she feels so insecure that she has to continually run away from her past.
"What the hell was that?" I say, now furious, "She said that she didn't want to talk about it, and you guys all kept picking at her."
"We just want to know what she's hiding," Shauna reasons, "We want her to trust us."
"And you think she'll trust you after that? God, can't you just give her some privacy," Christina bursts. Her expression is just as angry as mine.
"Now she's acting all diffident again, I hat- no, I'll deal with you all later and maybe you'll have the decency to apologize. I have to go after her," I say, and rush out of the room.
I don't know where she went, I drove her here and my car is still in the driveway. Maybe she walked home? Christina and Tris don't live too far away from each other.
I drive to Tris's house, run up to her door, and knock. Her mother answers.
"Four! What a surprise, what can I do for you?" she says cheerfully.
"Mrs. Prior, is Tris here?" I ask.
Her expression darkens, and says, "No, she isn't. Wasn't she at Christina's house?"
"She ran off after- after people started asking her questions. I thought she might've come here," I explain.
"Check the park," she says, "And good luck."
"Thank you," I say, and run back to my car. I speed there, thankfully it's later and there aren't many cars on the road.
I park and walk through, trying to remember where the bench is. I find it, and see Tris sitting there with her eyes closed. I walk up to her, and try not to frighten her.
"Tris," I say.