Hi all! Quick thanks to BeatriceEaton46, A Dauntless Selection, mosuzmartian, Brokenwings35, and lonelygirl702! Thank you guys for your love and support!

Soo posting this chapter is making me really really nervous because I'm not sure what reaction it's going to get but I hope you guys like it anyway... Let me know what you think!

Tris POV

It was five months ago today. That's all I can think as I stare at the tombstone. I look at Lynn, who is sitting next to me on the ground, as she stares at it blankly. I'm not entirely sure why she asked me, of all people, to come here with her, but I didn't ask her. Instead, we walked to the cemetery together, mostly in silence. And we have been silent ever since we sat down in front of Marlene's tombstone about a minute ago. I look at the flowers that Lynn got for her. She says they were her favorite, but I have no way of knowing if that's true or not.

I realize that I didn't know the little details of her life, like friends do. I didn't know her favorite flowers, her hobbies, her middle name (though I know now from her tombstone), or anything like that. But what I did know about Marlene felt so much more significant than that. I knew her thought process, the way she felt, the way she smiled when she was upset so that nobody would bother her. She always looked at people, as if she knew something that they didn't. And I realize, it's because she did know something about everyone, including me.

She knew so much about me before I even told her anything. In one of the first conversations we ever had, she figured out my past without me even having to say a word. She was perceptive. She saw everything, just like Lynn said.

"Can I tell you something?" Lynn says more quietly than I've ever heard her speak.

I look at her, as she wrings her hands nervously. On one of her hands, I notice that she has drawn the eye. She painted the eye in my room so that I would feel like Marlene was with me, so I have to guess that she drew it on her hand so that she would have the same feeling. When I look up at her face, I see that her eyes are glassy, though her jaw is clenched so that the tears won't escape.

"Sure," I respond.

There is silence for a moment, as she stares at the tombstone, her expression harsh.

"Don't tell anyone." She glances at me, and I nod in response. "I had a crush on her."

"On Marlene?" I stutter out, surprised.

"Yeah," she sighs. "Nobody knows. Nobody knows that I even, you know, go that way."

"Did Marlene know?"

She glances at me again before looking away and taking a deep breath.

"I don't know," she says, her voice shaking just the slightest bit before she composes herself. "I wrote a note for her because I didn't want to tell her in person. I gave it to her right before New Year's, but... Well, you know what happened on New Year's. Sometimes, I wonder if she did read it, and then she went through with it anyway because she just didn't care about me. Or maybe, she didn't read it at all, so she never knew. I don't really like either of those options."

"I think she read it," I tell her. "But I don't think she went through with it because she didn't care about you. Sometimes, when you get to that point, thinking about the people that care about you is like motivation. You just keep thinking about how you're not good enough for them, how they shouldn't care about you as much as they do."

"Is that why you went out into that storm a while ago?" she asks suddenly. I freeze at the question, mostly since it has been some time since I've even had to think about that night. "Look, things travel fast, especially in this group. I know what happened, but I don't think anybody actually knows why you did it."

"Yes." I feel her eyes on me, as I look down. "I knew how much they all cared about me, but I didn't understand why. I didn't understand why they thought I was so great. Especially Four. It didn't make sense to me that he liked me so much. So I figured, the only way to make him understand that he could find someone better was to get rid of myself completely. Maybe that's what Marlene was thinking, too."

There is silence for a moment, but I still feel her eyes on me. It feels strange, revealing this kind of information to Lynn. Still, I find myself hoping that this information will comfort her in some morbid way, that even in her last moments, Marlene only wanted the best for her.

"That's sick, you know."

I look up, as she stares at me pointedly.

"Yeah." I nod my head a bit. "I know that now."

"You wouldn't do that again, would you?" she asks, sounding more concerned this time.

"No," I say. "Would you?"

She stares at the tombstone for a while, and I feel the silence between us growing more and more tense for a while before she finally shakes her head in response.

"I hope not," she says.

Uriah POV

Tris lets out a soft laugh, as I hold my foot down on the piano pedal and stare down at the keys dramatically, as the sound rings out. After a moment, I let go of the pedal, and the room goes silent for a moment. I look at her with a grin on my face, and surprisingly, she is smiling too.

"You hear that?" I ask, and she raises an eyebrow at me. "That's the sound of us winning that talent show!"

"Uri," she chuckles. "We have like three weeks, I think we can stop practicing this one song now."

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry, I'm just excited!" I say, as I tap some random keys. "I've never done anything like this, you know?"

"Yeah, me neither," she replies, and I can hear the nervousness in her voice.

"It's gonna be awesome," I say with a grin.

"I'm sure it will," she says, as she turns around to look at the clock above the music room entrance. "I should probably get to my locker before the bell rings. Want to come?"

"Sure!"

She picks up her notebook and closes it before shoving it into her bag. She throws the bag over her shoulder, as we both stand up and start walking out of the room. When we get into the hallway, there is already a good number of students walking around since the bell is going to ring any minute now.

"So," I start, making her look at me as we walk. "Quick question."

"What?"

"Well, I was thinking since basically everyone is going to Prom that maybe I would ask Christina to hang out with me that night," I say, trying to ignore the smirk she throws me. "So I guess I was just wondering, what do you think she would definitely say yes to, like date-wise? I know she likes shopping, but I'd rather not join her for that."

"Well," she says slowly, as we approach her locker. "I'm pretty sure she's having a girl's night with Myra that night, but maybe you can try to crash it."

"Goddamn," I mutter, as I lean against the locker next to hers.

"Uri, chill out," she says, as her locker pops open. "You know Christina likes you. Just ask to take her out another night."

"But Tris," I whine. "Then I have to wait even longer."

"Uriah-"

"I don't wanna wait anymore," I continue, pushing her arm dramatically.

"I don't know how she puts up with you in the first place," she says, though she is smiling.

I stick out my tongue at her, and she rolls her eyes before closing her locker door. Her eyes shift past me before she looks back at me expectantly.

"Well, you don't have to wait any longer," she says teasingly. "Here comes your girlfriend!"

I turn around, only to see Christina approaching us. She waves at us, and I smile back, feeling a bit awkward since I was just talking about her. We say hello to each other, but before we have even started the conversation, Tris excuses herself and shoots me a look. I roll my eyes, hoping that Christina didn't notice. But she seems to notice everything.

"What was that about?" she asks, as she watches Tris walk away for a moment.

"Oh, nothing."

"You know I can tell when you lie, right?"

"Fine." I sigh. "I was just trying to figure out what to do the night of Prom since everyone is gonna be there, and Tris said that you and Myra are having a girl's night."

"Hm..." she hums thoughtfully before looking at me and smiling. "Well, you could join if you want."

"Join your girl's night?" I say, rolling my eyes.

"Well, obviously it's not a girl's night if you join!"

"Look, it's fine," I say playfully. "We'll just have to hang out another night. You know, just us."

"Like a date?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

"I mean, hey, if that's what you want to call it."

She snorts and rolls her eyes before looking at me for a moment. She presses her lips together, as I smile back at her, before she finally nods her head.

"Okay," she says finally. "Let's do it."

Four POV

"Okay, so..." Shauna looks at me and sighs. "No, put that down."

I groan in frustration, as I replace the tie back on the table with the rest of them. When Shauna heard that I hadn't gotten my suit for Prom yet, she immediately got mad at me for waiting until the last minute, and then she forced me to go shopping with her so she could help me pick it out.

"But red is her favorite color," I mutter.

"Right, but her dress is grey and black," she say in a matter-of-fact tone. "You are not wearing a red tie. God, Four, you're hopeless."

"I'm feeling the love, Shauna."

She rolls her eyes, as she looks around. Finally, she picks up a silver-colored tie and holds it up for me.

"Here," she says. "Perfect."

"Thanks," I mumble, as I add it to the pile of items that we have collected.

She looks at me for a moment, a small smile on her face. I raise an eyebrow at her questioningly, and she shrugs her shoulders, though her smile widens.

"Sorry, I wasn't gonna say anything," she says. "But Zeke told me what you said about Tris. You know, the love thing."

"Oh, that..."

"You know, how you're in love."

"Yeah, I get it."

"You know, how you're head over heels-"

"Shauna."

I roll my eyes, as she grins at me.

"I just think it's cute," she continues. "I'm so happy for you, both of you. I mean, I was scared that you were never going to date anyone, the way you just kept ignoring girls left and right. And I know she hasn't had the best history with relationships either. I'm just happy you guys have each other now."

"Well, I'm happy for you and Zeke, too," I offer.

"Yeah." She nods her head and smiles cheekily. "I am too."

"Is this standard procedure?" Tris asks teasingly, as she puts down her water bottle. "To make your girlfriend fight you two days before Prom?"

"It is when she would refuse any days off," I reply, raising an eyebrow at her.

She laughs a little, as she starts walking back over to me. I look at the clock across the room and see that we only have a few minutes left before I need to return to work. Or before Amar walks in on us, as he does sometimes.

As Tris walks toward me, she looks down to fix the hem of her tank top. Suddenly, I have an idea. I walk forward, closing the space between us, and grab her shoulders. She looks up, as I gently push her back against the wall and hover over her.

"What do you do?" I ask, as I hold her there.

"I'm tired, Tobias," she whines.

"Not what I asked you," I say with a smirk.

She raises an eyebrow at me, and I see a mischievous look in her eyes just before she leans up and presses her lips to mine. Unfortunately, she pulls away shortly after and smirks back at me.

"So, that's what you would do if someone pinned you against a wall?" I ask sarcastically.

"You know, you're probably the only guy that would rather me punch you than kiss you."

"Only for practice," I say.

She rolls her eyes, as I lean down to kiss her again. This time, I let go of her shoulders and move my hands to her hips instead. I feel her smile against my lips, as she circles her arms around my neck. Unfortunately, I hear the door open just as I am about to pull away and warn her that Amar could walk in any minute.

"We have to stop meeting like this."

I groan, as Amar's voice fills the room. As I pull away from her, Tris looks down, her face red as it always is when he walks in on us. When I turn to look at him, he has a smirk on his face.

"We still had two minutes," I mutter.

"God only knows what could have happened in those two minutes!" I feel my face go red as well, as Amar chuckles at his own joke. "Anyway, whenever you're ready, Four."

He turns and walks out the door, and I take a deep breath before turning back to look at Tris. Her face is still pink, though there is a small smile on her lips now. I can't help but smile a bit too as I look at her.

"I guess I'd better go," I sigh.

"Tell Amar I said 'sorry'," she says sheepishly. "Again."

"I will," I tell her, as I kiss her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

We say goodbye to each other, and I gather my things and start heading for the door. When I get outside, I realize that Amar was waiting for me outside the door. As soon as I see him, he raises an eyebrow and starts walking with me.

"She said she's-"

"Sorry. I heard," Amar finishes teasingly. "Let me tell you, if I catch you misusing your time again, you'll be sorry."

I roll my eyes at him, as we continue on our way.

Tris POV

My phone has been vibrating in my pocket throughout my entire shift. While Bud wasn't around, I was able to take it out long enough to see that it was Christina sending me multiple texts about how she was going to leave school early tomorrow with me so that she could help me get ready for Prom. Still, I never actually responded. For some reason, I just feel like it would be wrong to text during work, even though I know that Bud probably wouldn't care.

Finally, I take my phone out of my pocket, deciding to text back, as I leave the shop after closing up. As I walk down the few steps leading to the sidewalk, I look around and notice that the sky is fairly dark, and there aren't many people around by now.

"You sure you don't want me to wait with you?" Bud asks from the doorway.

"I should be fine," I say, waving dismissively. "The bus should be here any minute."

"All right, well be careful," he says, as he starts walking back inside. "Have a good night, kid."

I say goodbye to him, as he closes the door. I suppose he is going up to his apartment above the shop now. As I stand under the bus stop, I reach into my bag and search through each of the compartments. A groan escapes my lips, as I realize that I don't have any change. I turn around for a moment, as I consider knocking on the door to ask if I could borrow from Bud, but I decide against it. Something about asking my boss for bus money just seems wrong.

Instead, I decide to bite the bullet and start walking. I have only walked a few feet before I begin to feel the cravings again. Normally, this would be the perfect time to smoke a cigarette. Walking home late at night, anxious that someone might be following me. Normally, that would calm me. But I try to quell the cravings by both reminding myself how long it's been since I smoked as well as trying to convince myself that I will be home in just a matter of minutes.

I take a deep breath, as I start to pass an alleyway. I look around, but there is nobody in sight. Even so, I continue to convince myself that it will be okay. I just need to keep walking, and I will be okay.

As soon as I pass the alley, I feel a hand latch onto my arm and yank me back. Before any noise can escape my mouth, I feel another hand clap over my mouth. Soon, I am consumed by darkness, as the hands pull me backward into the alley. But I don't need my eyes to know who it is.

My heart is pounding so hard in my chest that it hurts, my breathing has picked up. I can feel my body shaking.

Think, think.

I need to do something.

I try to think back to all of the tips that Tobias gave me, everything he told me to do. He prepared me to fight back from this position. I just need to remember.

Elbows, my mind yells frantically. He said to use my elbows.

Without thinking, I bite down on the hand over my mouth, and I hear him grunt in pain. I throw my elbow back, hitting him in the stomach. I lift my foot up and bring it down on his as hard as I can, and I can't help but feel a sick kind of satisfaction, as I hear him make another noise in pain. As soon as he releases me, I spin around to look at him.

His green eyes are filled with hatred. He looks over his shoulder, and it is only then that I realize that Eric is standing behind us, watching us as if we are just live entertainment. He rolls his eyes and starts walking toward us, and I stand there, a million thoughts racing through my mind. Yet my feet feel frozen to the ground.

"You've gotten soft," Eric says with a smirk.

"Shut up," Peter bites back.

As if to prove a point, Peter lunges at me and pushes me hard against the wall, knocking the air out of my lungs. Pain radiates from the back of my head, as he pushes me against the wall again. I swing my arm up, letting my fist collide with his chin, and I hear him groan before he pushes me to the ground.

Think fast, I hear Tobias' voice say over and over again in my mind.

From my place on the ground, I kick his legs out from under him. He makes a noise as he falls, though this time it sounds more like a noise of frustration.

What happens next is a blur. He throws punches. I throw punches. He grunts with either pain or frustration, and yells begin to escape my mouth. My vision becomes spotted, but I don't stop.

The last thing I see before my vision goes black is a flashing light.

Maybe red, maybe blue.

It doesn't matter. It saves my life.