Forgive me for taking a while to update and for also having this update be a short one. I'm losing direction of where I should go in this story, so bear with me, please. Hopefully, I can get back to something more concrete.

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Aidan's birthday was just around the corner and quite frankly I couldn't think of anything that would top my Christmas gift for him.

"He's turning eighteen," I practically yelled in the cafeteria one morning as Edward, Myra, Eric and I were eating breakfast. "This gift needs to be perfect!"

"Well, perhaps you can get him something like a gift card," Edward offered which made both Myra and I look at him weird.

Eric just shrugged at him. Eric's idea was to just give him money. But I didn't want to do that either.

Suddenly the idea came to me as Aidan came into the cafeteria with Uriah, Zeke, Four, Peter, and Will. He and Uriah were singing as Zeke and Will were attempting to dance. Peter came in and shook his head. Four attempted to look the part of the responsible one as ever.

"Gotta kiss myself, I'm so pretty," Aidan said as he imitated Colin Kapernick's arm muscle kiss.

"I'm too hot," continued Uriah as he did a shoulder bump with Will. "Hot damn," they both yelled and then pointed towards Four who shook his head.

He let out a sigh and stated with all seriousness: "Call the police and the fireman."

"I'm too hot, hot damn," said Uriah dancing around the table.

"Make a dragon want to retire man," shouted Zeke as everyone started clapping. I had no idea how these boys could get people so riled up.

"I'm too hot," Uriah stood up on the table as a few people around us shouted 'Hot damn.'

"Say my name you know who I am," Peter shouted as Lauren walked in.

"Oh God, shut up already," she yelled as Peter scooped her up and then brought her onto the table. Shauna walked over to Zeke as they continued to sing, well, Aidan and Uriah.

"What's with the singing," asked Shauna after her and Zeke shared a kiss.

"Uriah is all excited because Bruno Mars is doing a concert at Dauntless Convention Center this weekend. He thinks our Mom is going to let him go," Zeke shrugged.

"I got it," I grabbed onto Eric's arm fiercely. I couldn't help it. I finally realized what I could get Aidan for his birthday. Unfortunately, the grip and shock of it all caused Eric to jump back a little.

"Geez Alex that hurt a bit, you know," he replied.

"Sorry, I thought my man was strong," I teased leaning closer towards him. Eric smirked that oh so wonderful smirk that I loved and leaned in too.

"Oh trust me, I'll show you how strong I can be," he pulled me towards him as I giggled and tried to pull away. We were smiling at one another about to kiss when Aidan jumped in between the both of us.

"Don't believe me, just watch," he shouted falling into the chair. I stared angrily at him, as Eric licked his lips looking at me and then scooted down for Aidan.

"Aidan!"

"Not in front of me, remember," he looked at me. I made a face at him and then turned to finish eating breakfast.

"You're lucky you're my brother and that I love you."

That night I called my parents and explained to them what I wanted to do for Aidan's eighteenth birthday. Dad let me take the money out from my savings. Eric told me that I didn't have to pay for the whole thing, that he would contribute, but I insisted that I just needed a card number.

"Now why do you have a credit card," I asked as I sat in his lap and he finished purchasing the gift online using his card.

"It is actually my Mom's." I turned towards him.

"Will you get in trouble for this?"

"Not since she'll see the cash deposit that I made to it," Eric said but I was still worried.

"Perhaps I should have just gave the money to my parents and they could have..."

"Stop it Alex. I want to help out, you wouldn't let me pay for half, so at least let me do this." I nodded and we both smiled. I gave him a kiss and then we turned back to finishing the purchase.

Later that weekend, my parents took Aidan and a select group of friends, twenty-six total according to Aidan, to Dave & Busters. It was only supposed to be twenty-five, until Aidan insisted that Cara come down. It was mostly guys there, besides Cara, Shauna, Tris, Myra, and myself. I really wanted Lauren and Lynn here with me too, but as my mom reminded me several times that this was Aidan's party.

He choose Myra, because other than me, Cara was most comfortable with her, too, which made sense. He wanted his girlfriend to be okay at the party. Shauna could be like a second mother and help keep the boys in line. Then I almost wanted to punch him for the reason why he choose Tris. Actually I did punch him.

"What," he said rubbing his arm. "I'm telling you, her, Myra, Cara, Shauna, they're all going to do it. But Tris the most. It's just who she is."

"Just who what is," Eric asked as he stepped out of the bathroom looking very handsome in normal everyday clothes. Sometimes I forgot about those arms or any other really attractive features on him when he was stuck behind that school uniform. I almost dropped my jaw. Eric caught me staring though and lifted an eyebrow at me. When he got close enough, I pulled at his shirt to come even closer.

"Sleep over at my room tonight," I whispered.

"Of course," he smiled leaning down, but once again Aidan interrupted us by throwing one of his dirty laundry clothes at us.

"Aidan," I yelled throwing it back. He chuckled and toss the shirt into the basket. "First you use my friend and now you throw your dirty shirt at me!"

"Use your friend," Eric questioned.

"The only reason why he invited Tris is because he said that he knows that she'll help out the most with the party. Help set up, help clean up, help with basically whatever needs to be done."

Eric shrugged. "Well, that's kind of how Tris is."

"See," Aidan exclaimed.

"That doesn't make it right," I pouted.

"Alex," Eric tried to pull me towards him. "Tris would take a bullet for a friend. That's just who she is. She always thinks about others first. What was your first reaction to Tris, do you remember?"

"She was pretty cool. Quiet at first, but she spoke up when she saw my patience with Christina and Marlene's constant babbles wearing thin. Tris," I paused and glanced over at Aidan. "Tris was the one who decided to leave a party in order to make sure I was safe," I remembered when I had gotten drugged with that date rape drug that Drake and Clayson gave to me when I first had got here.

"She was the first to tell me that I should give you a chance. She was the first to," I paused and almost started to tear. "The first one of us to accept Rachel and Tara back onto the squad."

"Exactly, Alex. She would do anything for those that she cares about. Half the time at parties, Tris is level-headed. She doesn't get too rowdy. That party at the cabin was one of the only times I saw her cut loose."

"It just seems like Aidan would be taking advantage of her kindness."

"Then I'm guilty of it too, Alex." I looked at him weird. "I turned to Four to help me with a couple of our fights and do you know where he got mostly all of his advice from?"

"Tris," I smiled.

"It was her who encouraged me to be open with you about how much I loved you Alex." He leaned down and kissed my softly. "Don't be mad with Aidan, instead look at the good that he noticed in your friend. I think your brother worded it wrong, Alex. Tris is the type of friend that is going to make sure everyone is happy. That's how she is. So if Aidan was to ask her, he knows that she'll help. Even Four knows it."

I hadn't really taken the time to notice it and when we got down and waited for the two expedition limos to pick us up, I pulled Tris on the side and thanked her for everything that she had ever done.

The dinner and party went really well. We played a lot of games. Really silly games that helped to produce blackmail pictures for later on. Peter came by me and told me to delete those pictures, but when my Mom came over and said that he looked very photogenic and handsome, he just smiled and thanked her for the lovely party. I burst out laughing and ran to hide behind Eric who of course was taking to my Grandpa.

Yes, Grandpa Kent came and in reality had taken to a lot of Aidan's friends. Of course meeting Eric and Cara again where one of his high points. He had really come to like them both and I was glad.

Roman, Uriah, Justin, and Drew just kept eating all the food up. Justin smashed a cupcake in both mine and Myra's faces and said that that was payback for the jello incident. We reminded him that that was part of the dare and would pay him back eventually.

I scrunched up my nose as Shauna wiped off the frosting from my face in the bathroom. "So," she stopped and smiled the second Cara and Myra left the bathroom. "I, uh, got accepted into Divergent University."

"Shauna that's awesome," I said hugging her, then I gasped and pulled back. "I thought Zeke is going to DSU?"

"He is," she said as her smile disappeared. "I got a full ride though. And his basketball scholarship is for DSU. I'm not going to lie, I'm scared to lose him, but I think that eventually we'll end up that way."

"Shauna," I said softly. I had never felt so much pain before and this wasn't me and Eric, this was Shauna and Zeke. They had been together so long.

Shauna shrugged and then looked down. "We're going to try and make it work, but I just have this feeling. We won't see one another everyday, you know? And of course the Universities are only a couple hours drive from each other, but still. I can't really stand the thought that maybe, just maybe..."

"Then don't think about it."

"You're the first person I told."

"What," I asked her.

"Well, Zeke told the guys. But out of the girls, nothing was mentioned. Tris is going to the same school as Four. Lauren will be with Peter. Marlene and Uriah are both taking that first year off to do that volunteer program in Bolivia or Peru or wherever it is they're going." Her eyes got watery. "You still don't know what Eric is doing after high school, so I know you understand, Alex."

I pulled her to me and she started to tear. "I love him, Alex. I love Ezekiel Pedrad," she sniffed as I started to tear too. "I'm just so scared."

"If the two of you love each other, which I know you do, nothing can stop that, Shauna." I pulled her back. "You just need to trust, that everything will work itself out. You're right though. I know the feeling. I'm scared about what could happen with Eric and I after high school. I worry. Right now, though, it doesn't help any that we worry about it. We need to make the most of the time we have with them. We need to make everyday count. Zeke loves you Shauna, talk about your feelings with him. It's something you can't forsake now. His shoulder is there for you right now to lean on. You two are going to have to continue that, even after. Continue to tell him every little feeling you have."

"Sometimes it's not a big deal though."

"Shauna," I placed my hands on her shoulders. "Little things can turn into big problems down the line. I know it may sound like you're nitpicking, but you know Zeke. You know when too much is too much. But that still doesn't mean that if you're upset about something that you shouldn't tell him. Tell him you're worried and he'll reassure you. That's how it was with Eric and I. I kept things in sometimes, actually a lot of times," we both smiled at one of the memories.

"But once I told him, he was there for me. Zeke will do that same, Shauna."

"Thanks Alex. I feel a bit better. I think I just needed to get it out."

"Hey, that's what friends are for," we hugged and then laughed a little to get the tears away.

Zeke was playing air hockey against Uriah when Shauna walked over. He ended up getting boost of confidence I guess and hit in the winning shot, causing Uriah to swear, which made some of us laugh.

"See that," Zeke shouted, picking up Shauna and spinning her around. "I did that because my girl was at my side," he smiled and gave her a kiss. Shauna gripped onto Zeke tightly as he wrapped her in his arms. Her head resting on his chest, turned to look at me and gave me small smile.

"Thank you," she mouthed to me and I smiled back.