Surprise, surprise! I updated! This is the complete Chapter 25, (the seconds half is in 1st person as so much of you guys preferred it). AN at the end of the chap :)
Chapter 25
Tobias
Zeke is quick to notice Four's distance as soon as he sits down without a food tray. It wasn't that he wasn't usually distant, but it appeared that he was confused, or rather lost. Zeke follows Four's trail of sight to the blonde girl who's making conversation with Christina in the cafeteria line and can't help the smirk that takes over his features.
Tobias is scowling at Zeke even before he can get a word out, egging him on to see if he really wants to go there by giving Zeke a look that would send any sane person running for the hills. Zeke defensively puts his hands up, shuffling away from Tobias and muttering something incoherent to Tobias only because he can't focus on anything besides Tris.
Zeke knows too much for Tobias' liking, no matter how close he is with him. It bothers him that someone knows his new weakness, there's undeniable feeling of being left vulnerable because of it, her. He's brought out of his reverie when Tris takes her seat beside Will; at the other end of the table, and continues to talk to Christina about things Tobias could care less about.
They act almost like strangers, strangers who weren't caught kissing in the gym by a bewildered Tori. Tobias is sure of himself about one thing; and that is that no matter the circumstances, the situation always seems to end up back where he started. Unsure of what he thinks he's doing.
"Why is it that every time I leave you alone, you either have a new tattoo or a bruise?" John exasperates as he drops his papers on the counter. All Tobias can muster up is a hasty look and an uncertain shrug. The crease between John's eyebrows only seems to deepen. All Tobias was asking for was to pass out and hopefully avoid the integration he knew John had planned.
"All you need to know is that it wasn't my fault and no one died." Simple and short, the way Tobias wished most people made conversation. Two words that could be used to describe Tris.
"Tobias," John begins with a warning in his tone, "you have to stop drawing attention to yourself if you want to finish your schooling without hassle". It's not a secret between either of them that the older Tobias has been getting the more trouble he's getting involved in.
Tobias pinches the bridge of his nose, hoping that if he stems the blood flow to his brain then maybe he'll pass out.
Tobias' ringtone sounds through the otherwise silent house. His eyes flash down to the screen to see a name he didn't think he would ever see.
"Who is it?" John queries, intrigued by the look of surprise on Tobias' face. Tobias angles the phone so John can see the caller ID. "The chatty girl?"
Tobias chuckles at that because if Christina was going to be remembered by anything, it would be her ability to talk at a rate faster than his Aventador's rpm. He taps the green button and holds the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, Four. I'm going to be blunt here but, do you know where the fuck Tris is? I'm at her house and her parents said that she went out for a drive and I had to make up some lame-ass lie to save her the trouble—" Christina's words come to a abrupt stop and Tobias raises his eyebrows at the heavenly silence, "—wait one fucking minute." It's not like Tobias had a chance in hell of interrupting her.
He hears her hurried steps, at one point he's almost sure that she trips but it's not long before he hears knocking. But not only is it heard over the phone, but he can only assume that the blow to his head is causing him to hear it at his front door as well.
Tobias hears John opening the door. Oh hell, no.
Over the two years Tobias has known his group of friends, only the Pedrads knew of his residence. Christina was definitely not a Pedrad, but he hears her voice echo down the halls and he let's out a groan of frustration. Not now.
Tobias makes his appearance behind John, hanging up his conversation with Christina over the phone to face her in a exasperating reality.
Tobias sees John's slightly titled head, intently trying to piece together what Christina was saying. As soon as Christina's eyes land on Tobias' figure behind John she surprisingly stops talking and takes in the two men staring back at her who shared the same blue eyes and almost the same build.
A quizzical look came over Christina's face. "Four, you have a brother? How has that never come up before?"
All it took was one look between the two of them before they burst out laughing. John was on his knees wiping at his eyes while Tobias used the wall beside him as support to keep himself from falling into the same position as John. John and Tobias had been through a lot, and that included being constantly thought of as father and son, uncle and nephew—the two of them nursed that idea quite often—hell, they'd even been called cousins, however "brothers" was new to their vocabulary. And for some reason, the thought of the two being related was always a hysterical thought to Tobias. Christina's tone of sobriety didn't help either.
Once Tobias was able to string a proper sentence together and John regained his ability to stand, they dismissed Christina's thoughts completely and laid the same story they'd told Tris. "Christina this is my Uncle, Johnny."
John's smile falters as he smacks Tobias upside the head for that one. The only thing that held Tobias back from whining was the fact that Christina was studying the two with a close eye. Tobias settles for slapping John's hand away, extra hard.
Ignoring John's muffled groan, Christina moves along to her next ammunition of questions. "Wait, you live next door to Tris? How in the hell did I not know this? It's like fate or something..."
Groaning on the inside, Tobias aimed to finish this pointless conversation. "Christina, what's wrong? What do you need?"
It was no secret that Tobias lacked in his kindness.
"Uh," Christina blinks for a few seconds, "Tris? Do you have any idea where she went? I've been trying to get ahold of her ever since she took off after school and we had plans, and she's never stood me up because she at least calls me to let me know and her parents told me that—"
John's eyes are as wide as saucers, he doesn't think he's ever seen anyone talk such a mouthful without breathing before.
"Look, right now is really not a good time." Tobias cuts Christina off. He even almost casts a glance at his non-existent watch to prove his point but he decides against it to avoid a verbally abusive threat being thrown at him. Both physically and verbally. "I have to be somewhere in five minutes, sorry Christina." Tobias gives an apologetic look to John and takes a few steps back before all but sprinting towards his keys on the kitchen counter, leaving John to handle Christina.
A few seconds later a V12 roars to life and pulls out of the driveway and speeds off, Tobias only catching a glimpse of John's slack face before everything blurs.
Tobias did have to be somewhere in fact. Somewhere Tris would hopefully be.
Tobias POV (1st Person)
She was sitting right where I thought she would be. She looked like she had been crying and a feeling foreign to me pounded in my chest and made my hands tighten into fists. I knew it was because of the asshole who I had the displeasure of acquainting today.
She was sitting on the metal bleachers of the Woodley Track, her hair free from its constraints and shielding her from seeing me. She would have noticed me if I hadn't left my Aventador parked near her 302 a block away from the track. Before knowing what my feet were doing, I was moving toward her.
The sound of my feet hitting the metal benches drew her eyes towards my approaching figure. A look of surprise took over her features before quickly wiping at her face to rid the evidence of her crying.
When I get close enough, I take a seat beside her and just stare out at the track for one of two reasons. One of them being that I'm not actually sure of the urge I felt to drive all the way out here to see her or the fact that Tris hasn't looked at me yet. I'm not sure what scares me more. Her reaction is unnerving.
"Tris," I begin, my voice is thick and uncertain, having no idea what to say. Hell, I have no idea what I'm even doing here. She looks at me with vulnerability in her eyes and the foreign feeling returns, trying to break free from the confines of my chest.
I stare back, my eyes searching hers, and once again by body seizes my thoughts and I reach out to grab ahold of her hand. Her fingers intertwine with mine and she holds on tight but tries to shield her face as more tears fall. There's a long silence, surrounding us so closely it's almost restricting air from entering my lungs.
After some time has passed, I lean closer towards her. "It okay to let yourself cry every now and then." At that, her eyes snap to mine and she glares at me hard. My eyes widen at her response as they dart around her face. I suddenly have the urge to protect myself. "S—orry?"
After a few seconds of staring into the depths of my soul with her icy glare a small smile turns at the corners of her lips. "If I didn't know any better Four, I'd say that you were scared."
I let out a huff of surprise and one side of my mouth lifts, "Trust me, you know all too well."
At that, she gives me a genuine smile and then buries her face in her arms that are resting on her knees.
I'm left wondering what I'm supposed to do here, sitting next to the girl who's managed to weave under my skin in merely a few months. "What made you come here?" I ask.
She raises her head and but doesn't look me in the eye, only my shoes and everything else. She shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know," she sighs, "this was the only place I could think of and I wanted some fresh air and the peace that comes with it. I get this feeling every time I come here, I don't know…," she trails off, finally meeting my eyes.
I keep my eyes on her, unwavering. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that this is only the second time you've been here, Tris." A hint of a smile appears on my lips and reflects on hers as my eyes search hers.
There's a slight breeze blowing around the track, signalling the near ending of summer but that becomes the last thing on my mind as she says, "I know."
We don't break eye contact until a loud ringing cuts the silence and draws our attention to my phone. A sigh escapes me, as does another one when I see that it's Zeke calling me.
"Are you going get that?" Tris asks. If I'm being honest, I don't want to but I just slump my shoulders and hit the green button.
"Four, where the fuck are you?" Zeke's voice bursts through the speakers, I pull the phone away from my ear and cringe. "You know Wednesdays are garage days."
Dammit, I knew I had forgotten something.
I didn't want to give my location for one of two reasons. The main being I didn't want him to intrude with his loud ass mouth like I knew he would.
"Shit, I forgot." My hand rubs at the nape of my neck in hopes of coming up with an excuse. "Uh, I'm…occupied?" Zeke's groan can be hear by Tris I'm sure because I can see a smile edge its way onto her lips. "Just get started without me, I'll be there in an hour tops." After sharing some more profanity Zeke agrees and then hangs up.
"You should go, I don't want to hold you from—," Tris starts but I cut her off.
"You want to come check out my garage?" I ask.
I realise my interest in her is slowly starting to become more that just an 'infatuation', and it's not like Zeke didn't already have his head wrapped around the whole ordeal. Plus, if he said anything out of line, a straight kick to the shin or punch to the gut sufficed as a quick fix.
Her eyes light up at the idea. "Are you serious?"
I laugh and nod as I get up, dusting off my jeans and then stretch out a hand for Tris to grab onto. She grabs ahold of me and I pull her up.
Even though I didn't get any of the answers I wanted from her regarding today, there's an oddly comfortable silence that settles between us as we walk back to the parking lot. I realise then that we'll have to take two seperate cars to get to my garage.
"Follow me, yeah?" I call out just as she's about to get into her Boss. She nods and then ignites her Aventador roars to life and I pull out of the car park and check my rear view mirror to see Tris trailing closely by.
As I enter the main road, another car managed to wedge in between mine and Tris', and even before I signal to switch lanes, she already ahead of me as we merge into the free lane to our left at the same time.
Before I know the exit we need to take approaches and I signal left. Her headlights flashes at me through my mirror in acknowledgment.
As we near the isolated area where I chose to have my garage, I slow down to an almost crawl before turning in and sliding right into the usual spot I park the Aventador. The Boss slides into the vacant space next to me and kills the engine.
The two of us get out and start to walk in when Zeke walks out swiping on his phone but not paying attention. "I swear I heard two engines, but—" Zeke stops his line of thought as stops dead in his tracks as his eyes take in the Boss parked side by my Aventador. "Oh, you bought Tris…" Zeke says with an almost suspicious glint in his eyes while making absurd movements with his eyebrows. I roll my eyes, fighting my initial response to smack the smile off his face. "This is as good of a time as any other to check out what's under the hood of your baby Tris, I guess."
Zeke brushes past me on his way to circle Tris' car and as he does so I hear him mutter, "I'll just 'occupy' myself over here," sarcasm dripping from his voice.
And there is my first opportunity to raise my fist and knock him on his ass, but I settle for a solid punch to his bicep. "Ow, for fuck sake Four!" Zeke whines, slapping my hand away.
"Watch that shit talker of yours and I reckon you should be fine." Tris interjects laughing and I smirk.
"Hey, I'm just calling it how it is." He defends, raising his hands and backing away with an evil smile on his face as he looks between the two of us.
I shake my head at him and lead her into the shop. The only lights in this area of the street, aside from the street lights is emitted from the garage.
I hear the small gasp that Tris lets out when she see's my fully pimped workshop, and in it are my three of my four beauties. The Shelby. The Skyline. The VeilSlide.
"Damn Four, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were loaded," she whispers as her eyes roam all over the detailing.
Damn me was right. I hadn't thought this through. How the hell was I supposed to explain how I managed to afford all I had?
"I wouldn't say that exactly," I draw out. "Let's say I got help starting off, but I like to think I've earned every cent."
Her eyes draw to mine as she processes my words. I take note of the fact that all traces of her tears are gone and any question of whether she was crying or not would have been thrown out of the window if I hadn't found her when I did. "I get it, no questions." She smiles knowingly as she slowly walks around the shop.
"Ah, the sad, sad confines of confidentiality," Zeke sighs loudly as he walks back into the shop. "Maybe one day, Tris. But that day might be sooner than you think, right Four?" He winks, nudging me.
There goes strike no.2. I grab the elbow he nudges me with and twist it as far as considered possible for it to be able to be used for its' purposes afterward.
"Fuck, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Zeke groans. I smirk, only letting him go when I deem he's deserved enough. He frowns at me and walks towards the Shelby muttering incoherent curses.
The moment is interrupted by my phone ringing and I reach into my pocket and see that it's John. I raise my phone towards Zeke and Tris and then step outside.
"John—?"
"Where-the-fuck are you, Tobias?!" I'm greeted with the same curse words I was earlier before, except this time John's voice is whispered and rushed and he sounds frantic.
"I'm at the garage now, why?" I ask, confusion laced in my voice. I start walking back and forth in front of the roller door.
"Christina is still here!" He whisper shouts again, and then he sighs as he exassperates. "Oh my god, she won't stop talking, and I can't keep up! I'm dying out here, it's question after question, there's no end and who the hell knows how long it is before she realises something she's not supposed to!"
I can't help but laugh at his misery. It sounds like Christina's rubbed off on him. "Tell her Tris is fine and she'll be back in an hour max, tell her to go home."
"Yeah, like that's going to work." He mutters sarcastically. "I can't believe the shit you put me through." And then the line goes dead.
I feel the stares of Zeke and Tris and when I look their way and I see Zeke's eyes quickly avert to the celling and Tris gives me a small smile. I roll my eyes at Zeke and return Tris' smile. I put my phone away walk towards her.
"What's wrong?" She asks.
I grimace a little, not knowing how to word the current situation. "Uh, John's dealing with a little…Christina dilemma." Her eyebrows furrow. "She was at your house and then she came over to mine deciding to give a fully fledged investigation about you, and I, sort of left John to deal with her."
Zeke bursts out laughing, "CC, Classic Chris."
Realisation dawns over her. "Oh my god, I completely forgot about her." She groans as her hands wash down her face. "Dammit. Fuck me." She mutters to herself.
"Come on, Tris," Zeke 'tsks' her, leaving us to crease our eyebrows at him, "at least buy him dinner first."
I guess it was about goddamn time! I'll admit, I could have written better but I didn't want to give into my writers block and so the rest of Chap 25 was born.
Sorry I have been so MIA on this story. I started writing this like three years ago and the of this story and its writing makes me cringe. majority. So much has changed in my life, and school has not been easy. I can't wait until I'm done with it. Im not giving up just yet ;)
Please leave you're thoughts on the chapters and let me know what you want the next chapter to include or be about. I need some ideas and some inspiration! Thanks for all the support guys, couldn't have made it this far without it!
~ till next time (whenever that may be), writes. all the love to you guys xx