So, I haven't updated in a while...yeah, it took me a while to figure out this chapter. I couldn't figure out what I should write about. And I was in such a hurry to update, that I didn't have enough time go over the chapter and proofread. So sorry on any mistakes, I hope there isn't any, again I'm very sorry!
Chapter 27
The season of holidays may be over, but one is coming up. This was a holiday of bitterness for Tris, mostly because it's cliche. Hearts, cheesy Valentine's, chocolate. Yes, it's Valentine's Day. The days where single people feel bad about themselves, couples do incredibly stupid things to please each other. Tobias and Tris told each other that they weren't going to buy each other presents for the stupid holiday. Though, Tris still had too make a run to the store for it.
The holiday also shares it's date with Tobias's birthday. Which after everything, he probably completely forgot about. He's been busy with school, work, and coaching. In fact, that's the day he gets to coach his very first game. Amar is out of the country with his wife's family in Germany, so he left the team in the hands of Eric and Tobias. The two maturely agreed that they'll separate the games. Tobias gets to head coach two, Eric gets the other two. He's rather excited, and nervous.
Now, his birthday lands on a very busy night for both of them. Tris also has to interview other physical therapists. Her and Ryan are the only two currently on staff, and work had gotten busy. The local school needs them during the mornings, prime time for patients. They can't handle all the work in their own anymore. Especially when one is gone, it's a huge mess then.
"I thought you didn't do Valentine's Day." A familiar make says doing right next to her. The scent of peppermint, stale smoke, and the bitter outdoors is strong.
She puts down the package that she's looking at. "I don't, I am picking up a birthday present-"
"For your boyfriend. Yeah, yeah. I know when his birthday is." He leans stops and looks at the boxed heart chocolates in front of him, and shrugs. "So how have you been doing lately? It's been a while since we talked."
"Turner, we are now ex's, we aren't supposed to talk all the time."
"Who said we aren't on good terms?"
"Who said we are?"
He turns and smirks at Tris. "Considering the fact that you are still here, talking to me, says it. Your acting civil, and you seem relaxed. So might even say." He comes in close whispering in her ear. "That we are friends."
She rolls her eyes.
"It's completely tragic." He looks down at her empty basket. "Do you maybe want to get coffee? Because you obviously don't have work, it's 10:30, and who couldn't use some Starbucks at a time like this?"
"What are you doing?"
"Talking to an old friend, that's what I'm doing. Besides, you and I ready didn't end on good terms did we, if we are going to be perfectly honest. We might as well be in good terms, because I really hate it when my prized car gets smashed to death. What did she ever do to you?"
"Easiest thing to take my anger out on." She says shrugging walking away from him.
"Zeke this really isn't a good time to be talking about this." Tobias says walking down the hall, away from the girl's locker room.
"I'm telling you man, they changed the whole game on us. Bras that clasp in the front. I mean I thought that trying to get the back was hard enough, but this is a while new level."
"Zeke-"
"It took me ten minutes just to get the damn thing off."
"Wait what?" He caught Tobias's attention now. Ten minutes. A buzzer sounds in the background signaling the end of the first half of the boy's JV game.
"I've never been so ashamed."
"So your telling me that they made a new-" some parents walk past him. "-device and it comes with totally different controls."
"That's exactly what I'm telling you." Zeke stares catching his drift. "Your going to want to read the manual and have them show you how to use it in the store, because it's locked and loaded."
Zeke and Tobias have always referred to sex, or any woman as like a gun, in public. It's a perfect analogy for them.
Two coaches carrying a sophomore boy, followed by a concerned parent hurry down the hallway. "Eaton." One of them sits and nods at him. The boy looks in pain, his ankle at an unnatural angle, and shoulder looks dislocated.
"Look Zeke, I got to go. Bye." He hangs up on him and walks into the coaches room. The mother is crying and fusing over her son, the two coaches are buzzing around the kid.
Tobias gently takes the mother by the shoulders and leads her out to the hallway, telling her to give him some room. She argues with him, but this is what the boy needs, some room so the coaches can help him. That's exactly what Tobias needed when he broke his leg in his sophomore year, not his mother buzzing around him fretting.
A blonde head appears in the hallway. He can already tell who it is by the way her hair gleams that it is Tris, but the gray polo confirms it. The people that were in front of her disappear farther down the hallway. She stops by him, and notices the crying mother.
"I hate asking you this right after you get done with work, but will you go into the coaches room? There's someone in there will need your help."
"I'm guessing you're the mother?" Tris says starring at her mother, who nods back at her. "You can come in, but give me some space to see what's wrong. Okay?" The mother nods again.
Tobias watches in awe as Tris checks out the boy, completely distracting him from his pain. Making his broken leg sound like it's completely fine. they sound like they know each other, and she does help out at the school every two weeks, that's probably how. Gary, the boy's head coach, left to go help the JV coach. Mike stays there, standing by Tobias.
"Okay so your shoulder is definitely dislocated, and judging by just looking at your ankle it's a clean break. But, you would need a doctor and an x-ray to tell you that for sure-"
"You mean that you're not a real doctor?" The mother asks.
"No, but I am a physical therapist, with a lot of training in sports medicine. I can help your son as much as humanly possible here, but your going to want to take him to the hospital immediately. Bryan, before you get to the hospital though, we are going to have to pop it back into place." She turns to address the mother. "I'm going to do this because, he'll be in more comfort here than there, and to save you some money."
Her gaze moves to Tobias's. "I'm going to need your help. Tobias get me some ice and a sling. Mike, I'm going to need you to hold him down. Bryan, I'm not going lie, this is going to hurt, but I've done this many times before so you can trust me, okay?" Bryan nods and Tris quickly pops it back into place as soon as Tobias came back with the ice.
The kid moans in pain, but that's all he does. His mother strokes his head lovingly. What Tobias wouldn't give to have that when he was that age. Most boys ignored their mother, not wanting her to show her affection in public. When he went into the Marines that what all the guys wanted though. Mother's affection. Tobias didn't need it though. He was used to not having it when he needed it the most.
He doesn't even notice the kid leave. Tris is standing in front of him talking. "Hey babe, where'd you go?" She waves her hands in front of his face, taunting smile plays on her lips.
"Sorry. I was just thinking." He tucks her hair behind her ears.
"Mmmm..." She kisses him. "Happy Birthday." She kisses him again. "And happy Valentine's Day."
"Same to you...minus the Hair Birthday, yours until May." He frowns slightly, then smiles again.
"Yo, Four get your butt-" Eric walks into the room, mouth open.
It could look bad, Tobias is pushed up to the wall, smirk playing on his lips. Tris's lip is swollen slightly, he bit down a bit too hard. Luckily, Tris is a quick thinker. "Hello, you must be Eric. The other assistant coach? I'm Tris I'm one of the therapist that works at the school here. I'm sure that you two will be busy here. I'm going to go find my seat. Good luck tonight." She pops out of the room, leaving Eric and Tobias alone.
"What the hell just happened?" Eric says looking out the door.
"I have no clue."
The Warriors win their game, Tobias's coaching got them to a higher scoring game against the number one team in the state. Paige, was the leading scorer, causing her stats to go through the roof.
Tris sat by Evelyn through the whole game. The two went through small talk, but that usual suffocating feeling that Tris when she's around Evelyn want that strong. Maybe they're growing together. Though she did notice something, Evelyn pointed it out too. Tobias favors his left leg, more than he should. He tries to stay of his right as much as possible.
"Nice job tonight babe." Tris says meeting Tobias in the commons. He finished talking to someone. She looked about his age with a toddler hanging off of her hip.
"Thank you." He would give her a kids, but they're in public, and Evelyn is literally right over their shoulder.
"Nice job coaching tonight Tobias. You've made some good calls." His former principal says slapping him on the shoulder, then walking away. Still treating him the same way he did when he was in high school.
Tris looks at the principal, he's talking to the superintendent, both watching Tobias intently. She's overheard talk of many new positions opening up at the school, after this year. Math, English, Software 1 and 2 positions, Title, Resource, Guidance. There has been a scandal, they're trying to cover it up. If they offer Tobias a job, that could be amazing for him.
"Hey, when can you get out of here? I was going to surprise you tonight."
"Soon, I just need to get the stat footage to go over this weekend." He disappears down the hallway, going to grab his stuff.
Christina calls her the next second later. She's been crying, and she's screaming into the phone. Luckily Tris is fluent into crying Christina. "Christina, show down what's the matter? Is the baby okay?"
Christina walks into the phone some more, luckily the baby is fine. It's one of the many calls she's gotten in the past months. She's been feeling bad about herself, the baby has made her feel bad herself. "No Christina, just take a deep breath. Go take a warm bath, then go put on something that makes feel good. Okay?"
Christina stops crying and says goodbye. She'll go do what Tris tells her. She always does. "Is everything alright with your friend?" Evelyn asks looking past Tris, in the direction that Tobias went off in.
"Yeah, she's just been having a hard time with her pregnacy."
Evelyn nods, the booming room seems quieter. The band seems to get louder. "How far along is she?"
"5 months?"
"I see, well she's almost there. It will all be worth it when is over. What about you?" Her eyebrows raise. "Do you want to have kids?"
This was the question that her and Tobias have been avoiding for the last three months, ever since Christina came out saying that she was pregnant. Commercials would come on, babies on the screen. Damn cute babies. She has been quiet about voicing her opinion on them. Tobias's eyes light up whenever he sees Grace, or whenever a little kid does something cute. They freak him out, though. He thinks that he's going to have flashback around them, and he's going to hurt them. So they don't ever talk about having kids around each other, not to mention Tris has her own baggage with them.
"Maybe, we'll have to see what the future holds."
"What does that mean?"
"We'll just have to wait." She repeats not backing down. A toddler rushes past them.
"Well then, I'll wait-"
"Hey Evelyn." An arm slinks around Tris's shoulders.
"Tobias, happy birthday."
"Thanks."
"You did a nice job tonight, I don't know what you did, but I was very surprised by the outcome." Tris notices, that they don't talk as stiffly to each other as they used to. It's almost comfortable. When did that happen?
Tobias shrugs. "I didn't do much, the girls came and played well."
"You and Eric look like a good team."
A snort comes from besides Tobias. Paige. "Please, they work like a bunch of dogs fighting over the last bone. Besides Eric didn't even come to half of the practices this week. Tobias ran them all himself." A boy with red hair, and a loop sided smile stands next to Paige. "I'm going out with Ricky, I'll be back at 11."
"Ten thirty." Tobias corrects.
"11."
"Ten thirty."
"Who are you my dad?"
"No, but I am your coach, and your sports curfew is at 10:30."
"Tris can you help a friend out?"
Tris smiles. "Nope sorry, I don't make the rules."
"Whatever. I'll be back by 10:30. No later. I wouldn't want the dogs sent out for me." Paige winks at Tris. "Love the hair by the way. Edgy." She winks at Tris and skips her way to the door. Tris's hands flies up to her short hair. She got it cut a week ago, she is still getting used to it.
Evelyn watches her daughter skip out the door. The boy waking behind her. "I've go to be going too. I left Danny at home alone with Richard and Mia. You remember what happened the last time I did." She looks pointedly at her son who winces, then nods at the two of the them, waking it the door.
"So what do you want to do?"
"Head to my apartment. I've got a surprise for you."
"Oh you do?"
"Race yah." A mischievous smile plays on her lips. She parts from him and races to her car.
She has to get back to her apartment before Tobias does. His surprise needs to be prefect.
She opens the door, jumps into her kitchen and starts the oven. Then she hops into the shower, to get the smell of hospital off of her. Because the smell of stale urine and sweat and blood really is a turn on. Everything has to be perfect.
Tris is out of the shower by the time she hears Tobias's key turn into the door. Her hair is almost perfect, she only has two pieces to adjust left. She already did her makeup, just simple eyeliner and mascara. "Hey babe where'd you go?" Tobias's voice rings through the apartment.
"I'll be out in a second. There's some crackers on the counter. I know you're hungry." She calls out, there's a squeak of a stool on her wood floor. She knows him too well.
"Beat yah." Tris says coming out of the bathroom, walking down her hallway.
"That's because you took-" Tobias drops off, "well damn."
"You like it?" Her low cut red v-neck, and black skinny jeans that cut her in all the right places.
"I'm definitely not hating what I'm seeing." He reaches out and pulls her on his lap. "I'm at a lost for words. Did you do all of this just for me?" His hands roam her legs. His eyes roam her face.
"What? No. I did this all for me. Are you kidding me? Why would I do this for you?" She bites her lip, leaning in, teasing him. She starts to unbutton his shirt, running her hands along his chest.
"So, how was your Valentine's Day?" Christina asks as soon as she sees Tris step for into the room. Danny is with her, leaning against Tris's desk. "Oh damn Danny, she's glowing. I hope they used protection, because I don't want her to end up like me." She rest her hands on her bump.
"You know, getting the talk from my best friend, and my boyfriend's little brother isn't exactly how I thought I would start my day." Tris slams her bag down on her desk. It wasn't supposed to happen like that, but the damn thing is too heavy.
"Maybe that glow was just the lighting." Danny supplies, getting away from the desk. He might get hurt.
"Seriously, how was it?"
"Great, amazing. That's the only adjectives that your getting." She sits down and opens up her bag. A white chess piece falls out. The king, has fallen for the black queen.
