Chapter 25
Tris POV
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After my final practice, I grab my water bottle, gulping some before reaching my phone. Instead of getting a text from my mom indicating 'she was on her way'. I got something else.
Unknown: is this Tris Prior?
Tris: who is this?
Unknown: that doesn't concern you, but I think this does.
Unknown: Attachment
I hesitate before opening the attachment. How did someone get my number and what could they possibly want me to see? I set my water bottle down on the bench in front of me and click on the attachment. It opens up and I see it's a picture.
A picture of Tobias and a girl? The camera is faced behind them but I can tell its Tobias. He's hugging a girl, his chest to her back. You can see how his arms are wrapped around her midsection. She's wearing short athletic shorts and a razorback tank top. Her long brunette hair is in a ponytail, her head to the right of Tobias'. The realization of I'm looking at in front of me hits me and I immediately toss my phone into my dance bag, collapsing into the bench in front of me.
My head suddenly hurts as I think about the photo laced into my memory. That was Tobias with another girl. I don't know who, I couldn't see her face but it was a girl. And he was hugging her. That was very clear. His arms with embracing her, like the many times he's done to me. I suddenly feel dirty. And used.
I begin rethinking all the time he's spent with me, everything he's said to me, every time he's touched me.
Why was he with her? Why was he hugging her? Who is she?
I want to believe that there's an explanation behind the photo. That is doesn't look like what it is. That I should trust him after everything he's told me and everything I've told him, that he wouldn't turn around and go hug another girl.
Maybe I'm overreacting. It's just a hug, right? A hug isn't that big of a deal. But then I remind myself that Tobias wouldn't hug anyone. And the thought terrifies that the girl in the photo is someone, and not just 'anyone'.
"Tris, what's wrong?" I look up and see Christina standing in front of me. What do I say?
"I... um got a text." I mutter.
"What did it say?" She questions. I don't answer. She sees my phone on top of my bag and grabs it. She turns it on and I watch her face as she sees the photo.
As first her face is blank, but when she realizes who it is, her faces falls and she looks back at me.
"Is that Four?" She asks quietly, worry on her face.
I nod slowly and pull my legs up to my chest so I can rest my chin on my knees. Christina looks back at the photo then sits down next to me. It's quiet for a minute until she speaks.
"Do you know who the girl is?" I shake my head. Do I even want to know? "Maybe it's a misunderstanding. It could be like a cousin or something." Christina tries to reassure. She could be right, but I've never heard Tobias talk about any other family members. I shrug in response.
"Well my mom just texted me saying that she's going to be picking us up and I think she's here." Christina informs. I nod my head and Christina hands me back my phone. I don't look at it as I place it in my bag and follow Christina out the door.
(-/-/\-\-)
Christina offered to hang out today, but I turned her down. I just wanted to be alone. Wanted some time alone to think.
But I don't know what to think. Hurt comes to mind. I put my trust into him and he well I don't know what to call what he did. Cheat? That sounds too harsh for just a hug.
But I am upset. Upset that I had to find out about it by an anonymous photo. Upset that this whole situation makes me upset. I've become so reliant on him without even noticing it.
Anger. I'm angry at him and myself. Him, for being so thoughtless and heartless. And myself, for believing he would even want to go out with me. I never understood what he possibly saw in me. What he saw that would cause him to want to go out with me. But I guess I was caught up in his deep blue eyes to argue against it. Now I am thinking about it. And all the doubt hits me again.
I sigh, stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel. I wrap it around my body and grab another to wrap my hair with. I walk in front of my mirror and see the red eyes staring back at me. I must've been crying in the shower. I turn off the lights, not wanting to look at my tired face anymore and open the door. I get dressed in some sweatpants and a t-shirt and brush out my damp hair. I'm about to lay down in my bed when I hear the ringtone of my phone go off. I almost wince at the sound.
What if it's more photos?
I do not want to see any more Tobias. Especially not him wrapped around another girl.
I hear the ringtone again and a part of me thinks I should just go check it. It might be from my mom or something. I walk over to by dance bag and grab my phone from the side pocket. I turn it back on to read the text. And guess who it's from.
Tobias: good morning beautiful, how was dance?
At first I laugh. Oh the irony. And then I put my phone back in my bag, walk to my bed, and let another tear escape. I lay down under the comforter and curl up trying to get comfortable. I brush away another tear before it hits my gray sheets and I finally close my eyes, hoping they'll stop.
(-/-/\-\-)
My mom wakes me a couple hours later, worry present in her eyes. When I finally sit up and adjust myself, she looks at me again.
"Are you okay Beatrice?" I nod, knowing I don't want to explain myself truthfully.
"Yeah I didn't get a lot of sleep last night and I was still tired after dance." I lie. She nods, but still looks concerned.
"Well Caleb is hanging out with a friend and your father had to go back to work to get something. I was about to go to the grocery store. Would you like to come? Maybe get a late lunch after?" She offers. I hesitate before answering as I realize going out may be better than to wallow in my bed. I nod slowly and my mom smiles.
"Well, I'll let you get ready and we can leave in 20 minutes." She says before squeezing my hand and closing my bedroom door behind her. I lay in bed for a second, still comfortable in my warm cocoon. I finally peel the warmth away and move to my closet. I decide to stay comfortable so I grab a pair of yoga pants and a purple V-neck. I slip on my black toms before moving to the mirror on my dresser. I take out my pony tail and make a new one, not bothering to put on any makeup. I loiter next to my bag, wondering if I want to look at my phone again. I give in and grab it anyway. I don't look at it as I walk downstairs. My mother is in the living room, knitting. Her eyes lift as she sees me and she puts her yarn and needles. I wait by the door as she gets her purse. I follow her to the car and sit quietly as she drives to the store.
I stare out the window, watching the clouds move beyond the sky and birds flying together.
Thankfully, I manage to think of nothing in particular and by that I mean Tobias on the ride to the store. When we reach the grocery store, I hop out and walk besides my mom to the entrance. She grabs a grocery cart and I quietly follow her through the produce section, occasionally helping her pick out some fruit. As my mom looks through the deli section, I wander through the bakery looking at the various breads and pastries. I make my way back to my mother who is picking up some beef. She gives me a wondering look but doesn't say anything.
Once my mother has gotten everything we need, we go to wait in the checkout line. I mindlessly glance over at the magazines. A tall, curvy brunette with large breasts is displayed on the cover of one. Look like this in only three months!
I look over at her body again. She looks nothing like me. I'm short, she's tall. I'm a dirty blonde, she's a pretty brunette. Her hips are visually and her waist is slim, I have no curves. Her chest is full, cleavage visible, I'm an A-cup. A thought runs through my head. This could be the girl Tobias was with. She certainly looks pretty enough him.
The voice of the cashier brings me back to the real world and I begin placing the items in our cart on the conveyor belt. I wait as my mother pays and all our items are bagged.
Like she said, she offers to go to lunch and I nod, realizing its two in the afternoon and all I've had today was an egg.
She drives to a small cafe that we've gone to before. I order a chicken panini and my mother orders a spring salad. We choose a table in a corner and sit as we wait for our food.
My eyes wander to the phone that lays down on the table. I haven't looked at it since I fell asleep and I never responded to Tobias.
"Are you sure you're okay Beatrice?" I hear. I look up and see my mother looking at me. "You keep glancing at your phone." She notices.
"I um..." I try to think of something to say but my mind comes up empty.
"You know you can tell me anything, right? I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I have some experience." She says. I look back down at the wooden table. There's a pause before she speaks again. "Is it friends or boys?" She asks. Startled by her spot-on question I look up once more. She sees right through me.
"The latter." I answer faintly.
"Is it the boy you've been hanging out with, Four?" She questions. I nod, verifying her thoughts.
"What happened?" She inquiries calmly. I breathe out loudly trying to figure out where I begin and what I say.
"It's been really good. He's really sweet and nice and funny and good." The smile that appeared on my face falters. "But I uh got a text this morning of a picture..." I pause from the tightness of my throat. "Of him and this girl." I finish cryptically. My mom waits patiently for me to finish but I don't want to. I grab my phone, ignoring the message from Tobias that's still there. I go back to the unknown message and open the conversation. I scroll down even though I don't need to and open the attachment.
The picture appears again and I can't help but look. It's like I remember. Tobias and a girl.
I hand my phone to my mother and watch her face as she studies the photo. She puts my phone back down and looks back at me.
"I'm guessing that's Four?" She asks. I nod my head. "And who is the girl?" I shake my head, partially wishing I could answer her. "And who sent you this?"
"It was an unknown contact. I don't know how they got my number but they knew it was me." I reply.
"Have you asked him about it?" I shake my head and look back at a dent in the wood. Without thinking I trace it with my finger.
"Are you going to?" I haven't thought about that. That Monday will roll around and I'll have to deal with life. Ugh Mondays. "The picture might be out of context, Beatrice. And from what I've seen, he really likes you. You need to ask him if you want to know the truth." She lectures wisely. And I know she's right. I can't avoid him or this photo forever.
"Do I have to be nice about it?" I ask partially joking. My mom smiles at me.
"I never said that." I smile back and take my phone off the table. Now what do I say?
Our food finally arrives by a waitress. We thank her for our food and I look back at my phone. I finally open the message, four hours later. I look at the message again.
Four: good morning beautiful, how was dance?
I would usually tell him about dance and then ask him about his class. But I don't feel like it.
Tris: are you sure you care?
I admit it is a little bitchy but I don't really care. I set my phone down on the table and take a bite of my panini. The second I swallow my second bite, my phone goes off.
Four: yeah of course, why?
I think for a second. My mom watches me and I wish I knew what was going through her head.
Before I can send a response, he texts me again.
Four: what's wrong Tris?
I instantly roll my eyes at his words.
Tris: I'd think you would know
I set my phone down, taking another bite of my panini before grabbing my phone and waiting for his response.
Four: know what?
At this minute I contemplate sending him the photo, but I realize that might not be the best decision in the heat of the moment. I decide to not answer and just focus on lunch. My mom looks up at me through her eyelashes as she eats her salad.
"So?" I take a sip of my iced tea.
"I texted him and he responded and I haven't replied yet." I answer shortly.
"Don't make the situation worse than it needs to be." She cautions almost knowing what I've already texted.
We finish our lunch quietly, me not touching my phone and my mom not saying any more on the topic. Finally she speaks again as she drives home.
"Do you a girl named Cara?" She asks. I look back over at her from where my gaze was on the trees outside.
"Yeah. What about her?" I'm curious to know.
"Caleb is hanging out with her today." She states.
"Yeah Christina and I had our suspicions that he liked her." I decide not to mention that Christina saw them in the hallway sucking face. My mother nods at the new information, probably confirming her own suspicions.
We reach our street and my eyes suddenly move to the car parked in the drive way. His car. And him sitting on the front door steps. Ugh.
He's sitting on the top step in front of my door, arms on his knees and looking down at the steps below him. My mom pulls up to the driveway beside his and his eyes shoot up. My mom parks the car and looks over to him.
"Are you okay to talk to him or should I go tell him that now isn't a good time?" I want to say the latter and go back in my bed and watch Netflix and YouTube. But I decide with the first because I might as well get it over with.
"No, it's okay. I'll talk to him." I decide. I nod again in confirmation.
"Okay well I'll be inside if you need me." I stay seated as I watch Tobias get up and walk a few steps towards the car. My mom quickly grabs the bag of groceries and goes inside through the garage. I take a deep breath and open the car to step out. His eyes meet mine and I want to say that I see confusion and hurt laced in between the deep blue eyes. I ignore it and start to walk towards him. I also ignore the feeling of wanting to run up and hug him.
"What are you doing here?" I ask glancing at him then at a bush next to him. He takes another step until we're about a foot away from each other.
"What am I doing here? Tris, what's wrong?" He says, causing me to look back at him. The worry in his eyes that I saw earlier is back and for a split second I think that he really doesn't know.
"Someone texted me a photo this morning." I answer. A crease forms between his eyebrows.
"A photo? Who?" He questions. I look at the ground then back at him.
"I don't know. It was anonymous."
"What was the photo of?" I pause, trying to decide if I want to tell him or show him. But I realize I won't be able to tell him because there's a lump already forming in my throat.
I take out my phone and turn it on where it shows the conversation. I take a brief look at it before handing the phone to him before walking past him to sit on the steps where he was. It only takes him a couple seconds to turn around to face me. His eyes are wide and his mouth is open, ready to speak.
"Tris- this does not-"
"Who's the girl?" I interrupt, ignoring the lump in my throat as I try to speak.
"I don't know. This was taken at Amar's during the self-defense class. I have no idea who that girl is. She just wanted to know how to get out of a certain position and asked me to demonstrate. I was barely touching her. Her friend must've taken a photo of it. Please, you have to believe me Tris. I would never cheat on you." He finishes. I don't say anything.
I sigh, probably out of relief. Tobias didn't 'cheat' on me or do anything with another girl. He was just demonstrating a self-defense move. He was just demonstrating a self-defense move. And I freaked out about it.
Out of all the news I would consider that I just heard, I shouldn't start to cry. But I do. The lump in my throat gets larger as I realize how stupid I was today. I see Tobias through my blurry eyes come towards me, sitting down next to me and putting his arm around my shoulders. I hear his faint whispers but my thoughts are too loud.
How could I have trusted a stranger over Tobias? Believed that he would be with another girl? And I acted so foolishly with it? Instead of asking him I accused him.
"I'm sorry." I mutter once the tears stop. God I have to stop crying in front of him.
"It's okay Tris." I don't believe him. He's probably angry that I would believe he would do that, but he just repeats his words. "It's okay Tris." And I nod.
We sat in silence on my front steps. I can tell he wants to say something but he's still probably trying to piece together his words.
"Can I ask you a question?" He says softly.
"Why would I believe a photo over you?" I answer, already knowing what he's trying to ask. He doesn't say anything but gives a slight nod. Now it's my turn to try and piece together my words.
"She looked perfect for you. She was tall and curvy and skinny and beautiful... and she looked like she deserved you." I answer.
"Why won't you believe me when I tell you you're beautiful? That you're so much prettier than any girl at school or those classes. That it's the other way around, with me not deserving you. This conversation feels very deja vu." And I remember the conversation we had after Nita had said some things to me. I had just finished crying when he came into the locker rooms and found me. He reassured me that everything Nita had said to me was lies provoked by jealousy. And I believed him.
"I just wonder sometimes." I admit.
"Wonder about what?" He inquiries.
"What's in it for you?" I breathe out, letting my thoughts finally out in my words.
"What's in it for me?" He repeats with almost astonishment in his voice.
"Yeah..." I start with a shaky voice. I look down at the cement as I continue. "You could choose any girl you want so I mean if you're just looking for...um you know... that..." I can't even say the word.
"What? Sex?" He finishes for me. I already feel my cheeks becoming warm. "If that was all I wanted, I wouldn't be coming to you." Well that certainly felt nice coming from him. I start to get up, wanting to desperately retreat back to my comfortable bed and Netflix.
"Tris! Wait! That's not what I meant!" His pause makes me want to walk away faster. "I know you aren't that type of person. I have since I've known you." I start to relax. "I'm not trying to get anything out of this relationship, except you. Being with you. No ulterior motives.
"And I would never cheat on you. I like you way too much." He pauses. "And you better believe me this time." He finishes. A smile breaks out onto my face as I place my hand in his outstretched one.
"I will."
"We good?" He asks me. I face him and nod. A smile appears on his face and mine matches it. He slowly leans down to meet his lips with mine. At first the kiss is slow and tender but once he licks my lower lip and his tongue dances with me, it becomes passionate. We stay locked until we run out of air. My forehead rests on his as I catch my breath. I bite my lip as he looks into my eyes and I look into his. The same eyes I fell for the first time I met him. The dark, deep blue eyes that looked as if the darkest waters of the ocean were crashing over each other.
My attention went back down to his lips. The full bottom lip and spare upper lip, turned up into a smirk. He leans down again and gives me a chaste kiss before pulling away again. He looks down at his wrist, almost as if he was wearing a watch, but he's not.
"Well it looks like it's around..." He continues looking at his bare wrist and I laugh. I turn on my phone and place it on his wrist. He laughs and continues, "4:08pm." He looks back at me and I take my phone off his wrist. "Are you doing anything tonight?" He questions, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand.
"I'd have to ask my mom if she had anything planned, but I don't think so." I answer.
"Well if you're free, want to do something?" He asks like I would say no. I grin and stand up, pulling him up with me with just a little struggle. I walk him through the garage into my house.
"Uh I think my mom is in the kitchen. I'll be right back." I leave him in the living room, hoping he won't find another picture that is utterly embarrassing.
I reach the kitchen and my mom is cutting up vegetables. She looks up and sets her knife down.
"So, hopefully all is well?" She asks. I nod with an accompanying smile.
"He teaches a self-defense class every Saturday morning and a girl asked him to demonstrate a certain move and some girl took a photo of it. So it looked much worse than what it was" I explain.
"So it's all worked out?" I nod again.
"Yes. Thanks mom. For all the advice and everything." She smiles at me and I remember why I actually came in here. "Actually I was wondering if you had anything planned tonight." I add. My mom looks at the clock on the stove before glancing back at me.
"Well Caleb won't be coming home until after dinner and your father should be home soon for dinner. It'd just be the two of us." She finishes. I move my weight between my two feet.
"Would you mind if it was just you and dad?" I ask, a little vague. My mom raises an eyebrow
"Are you asking if you want to skip family dinner to hang out with Four?" She asks knowingly. I nod my head and she smiles.
"Where are you going?" She asks with no argument.
"I don't know. I'll be right back." I turn on my heels and see Tobias looking at pictures on the wall. Oh, great. I walk towards him and he turns to face me.
"This. This one is my favorite." I look to where he's pointing and I instantly look to where he's pointing. A picture of me, probably six years old with the largest bob cut ever. I instantly go red. A nervous laugh escapes me as I move behind him, trying to hide.
"Ah c'mon! You look adorable." He states with a laugh.
"Ahhh. Nooo." I say with a laugh. He turns around to face me even though my hands are covering my face. I feel his hand peel mine off my face and I see his smirk.
"I'm going to need a copy of that." He confesses. I step back and hit his arm and he gives a deep throat chuckle.
"So what do you want to do?" I ask after we've both settled down.
"Go to the moon." He says seriously, until a smile breaks out into his face. I roll my eyes playfully.
"I'm serious!"
"So am I!" He exclaims. I roll my eyes again and he gives me his best thinking face and looks back to me.
"You know what I have never done?" He asks with a smirk planted on his face.
"Gone to the moon?" I deadpan. He laughs and shakes his head.
"You are correct, but not fully. I've never gone bowling." He admits.
"Well, let's go!
Disclaimer: heyyy. This chapter is either really late or really early. Probably the former. Oops. I do want to point out that right now Tris is a young teenager who does NOT have the highest self-confidence right now and doesn't feel like she deserves Tobias because of her insecurity. That's one of the things I love about their relationship- they both don't believe they're good enough for each other. Just wanted to point that out if you didn't understand all the drama in this chapter. I also wanted to add in a moment with Tris and her mother. I really love their relationship even if we don't have a lot of it. I would also like to thank my wonderful beta reader WolfDiamaZhang. She is a wonderful help and you should totally go check out her page! And one last thing…
I have uploaded a new story a couple of days ago. It is a 3-shot AU FourTris, titled Intrigued. Go check it out if you can and tell me what you think of it! Thanks again and have a fantastic morning/evening/afternoon/day/week/month/year/life.
Disclaimer: the next few chapters are going to be cute and happy. No more tears from Tris!