Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.
July 5th
"I got the last seat!" Marlene exclaims happily, slamming her laptop shut.
We all call out some form of "yay!" from our various spots in the living room. Today is our last day in Venice, and by our I mean all of us. After Tobias and I announced we were leaving, Zeke was the first one who insisted he wanted to come too.
Though he's already graduated from Virginia Tech, his job and apartment he shares with Tobias are still in Virginia. The two of them need to sort out their living situation, and most of it depends on whether Tobias can land a new job there.
When Zeke announced he was going, of course Shauna asked to tag along as well. Her feelings for him are so plainly obvious to anyone except Zeke himself, though we can clearly tell that he reciprocates them, he just doesn't know it yet. Hopefully he realizes soon.
Lynn grumbled that the only reason she is here is because Shauna is, so she bought tickets for herself and Lauren as well. Damn. If I was them I wouldn't want to leave that nice ass beach cottage, but to each their own. They ended up being able to rent it out for the rest of the summer, so they're not wasting any money. Good for them.
Christina announced that she was not ready to be in Venice without me, since the whole reason we came down here was to be with each other. Soon enough, her ticket was booked. Apparently she had enough miles on her own to change it without too high of a fee. I'm still glad Tobias was able to score one for me for free, but I plan on paying him back the full amount anyway. I feel guilty he used up his miles on me.
Uriah and Marlene then whined that the house would be boring without Christina and I, and the beach would be boring in general without everyone else. Naturally they wanted to come along for the adventure too. Somehow, we all got onto the same flight. God, I'm already feeling bad for the other passengers, but excited for this new journey for all of us. It's nice to be surrounded by such solid companionship, even if we are spending the end of our summer in a way that none of us imagined.
We're working out the details with our landlady on how to rent our house out to someone else for the rest of the summer if we want our money back, which we do. I think the deal is gonna go through, but I'm not sure yet. We're waiting to hear back today.
As for Zeke's condo, apparently it belongs to his parents and his family has owned it for years, so they don't have to worry about it. I guess it'll be nice to always have a place to stay in Venice, then. I'm gonna miss it here, but it's time for new things.
We don't even have to worry about paying for new housing in Virginia because Evelyn has offered to put all of us up. Yep. You heard that right. All nine of us. And from what I heard from Tobias, her new home is not nearly as spacious as the old Eaton residence.
When I questioned him about why she was so eager to have all of us there, he answered that he thinks she's been dealing with empty nest syndrome her entire life. She always wanted a big family, but after Marcus started being cruel to her and Tobias she realized she couldn't bring another child into this world and subject them to that as well. It makes sense to me, though I don't know if hosting several 20 year olds in your small home will necessarily scratch the itch of wanting many children. I suspect some of it also has to do with her guilt towards Tobias and how she treated him… they're reforging their relationship and she would probably do a lot to show him that she cares about him. If it means hosting all his friends, free of charge, then why not?
Evelyn lives in Charlottesville, which is about a 2 hour drive from Blacksburg, where Tobias's school, apartment, and job interviews are. We'll make the two hour drive down there the two days that Tobias has interviews. The rest of our time in Virginia will be spent relaxing, enjoying the end of summer together and truly figuring out what the future holds for us.
I'm nervous about doing long distance this next school year with Tobias… but it's either that or be separated completely. We both have undergrad to finish, degrees to obtain and careers to start. We can make it work, though. I have lots of faith in us… and we've come so far than those erratic teenagers that we used to be. For now, I'm just going to enjoy our time together.
"Shauna! That's such a gross combination!" Christina exclaims from her spot on the floor, looking up from her magazine.
"Hey, pizza and ranch is good. Don't knock it till you try it," Shauna responds from the kitchen, leaning against the counter as she eats.
"I kinda like it too," I admit.
I feel Tobias stiffen up behind me. We sit on the couch, my back pressed against his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around me. I glance around our small beach house. I'm really going to miss this place… I think back to how timid and unsure I was the first day that Christina and I arrived. I didn't know what I was in for this summer… geez, I had no clue. Now that I've experienced it though, I've grown up a lot. Christina more or less told me the same thing last night, too, when we were having an emotional 3 am discussion while we packed our bags.
"Pizza with ranch is awful… and if you genuinely enjoy it I think this might be it for us," Tobias states.
I reach behind me and take a good slap at his head.
"Ow!"
"Serves you right."
"Don't listen to them, Shauna. It's good," Marlene says in her sunshiney voice.
"Thanks, Mar."
"Okay… so we have 3 votes for yes, and 2 votes for no. Any more input?" I ask, glancing around the room.
"Uh, make that 4 for yes," Zeke pipes up, leaning out of the pantry. Shauna looks very happy at his words, no doubt taking the fact that they have similar taste in pizza as some sort of sign about their compatibility.
Meanwhile, Tobias trails his fingers lightly down my arm, sending shivers up my spine and distracting me slightly from the current conversation.
"Sorry guys, but it's gonna be a no from me," Uriah says through a mouthful of potato chips. All of the yes's boo at him, meanwhile Christina holds her arm out for an air high five and Tobias gives a proud "hmmph!" His fingers that were running up and down my arm have now moved to my bare legs, circling very close to dangerous territory and hiking up my denim shorts slowly. My breath hitches slightly. As if teasing me in private isn't enough, he also does it when we are around our friends. It's frustrating in the best and worst ways possible.
"Yeah, I'm also gonna say no," Lauren adds on.
"Okay now. It's 4 for 4," Zeke walks into the center of the room, rubbing his hands together.
"Lynn? You're the deciding vote," Marlene points out. Everyone stops what they're doing and turns their heads towards Lynn. Even Tobias's tantalizing fingers come to a halt… though it doesn't really matter anyway because my panties are already totally drenched.
Lynn scowls at everyone's attention and puts her hands up in a mock surrender gesture. "Really? I don't even give a fuck."
"Do you like ranch with your pizza? It's a simple question," Shauna huffs.
Lynn purses her lips, and it's like we are all on the edge of our seats while we wait 200 years for her answer. Finally, after pondering it for a bit and letting out a long exhale, she answers, "Yeah. I guess."
All of the yessers holler in victory, meanwhile our opposers grumble under their breath. Tobias locks his arms around my waist and holds me in place, "Whatever. I know I'm right."
"Oh? And how do you know that? I clearly have the superior taste out of the two of us."
"Mmm… I don't know about that."
I pinch his ear, "It's true."
"You don't always have to be so mean, you know."
"Mean? I'm just honest," I tell him innocently.
"Okay… let me be honest then… I don't think the third Harry Potter is as good as you think it is," he states quickly.
I gasp, "You take that back right now!"
"Can't. Already said it."
"Those words should never exit anybody's mouth. Prisoner of Azkaban is the best book and movie in the series and that is a hill I will die on."
"See, I can't believe you're saying that when Half Blood Prince exists."
"We've been over this! Half Blood Prince just has certain flaws that I can't overloo-"
"Being anti Snape doesn't mean you can jus-"
"It's not because I'm anti Snape! It's because-"
"Oh my God, guys. Will you guys stop nerding out?" Christina butts in, looking at us as if we're aliens.
We both failed to realize that the rest of the group had ceased their conversations as well and have diverted their attention towards us, judgement clear on their faces.
"We weren't nerding out!" We exclaim in unison.
Christina just presses her lips into a firm line, shaking her head.
"Tobias just can't recognize what true art is. Despite the fact that he spent this past weekend at an art museum with me, things still go over his head."
"I just think you're too cynical sometimes. A good story is a good story, it doesn't have to have all the fantastical elements."
"Obviously I agree with that to some extent. But when you're analyzing and comparing art you have to take certain factors into consideration."
"Oh, and what factors are that?"
"Limited character development for one…"
"Well, what about-"
"Jesus Christ you two, cut it out!" Zeke interjects this time.
I shake my head, smiling to myself, knowing this discussion is going nowhere. Tobias stood by Half Blood Prince in high school and I guess he will continue to do so now. Sigh. After all the progress we've made, some things never do change. Whatever, I can respect his opinion. Even if it is a dumb one.
"Alright," Christina states, standing up from the floor. "Tris and I have to get ready for tonight… as I'm sure all of you do as well. So, let's break and then meet back here at 5?"
"Sounds good," Zeke answers.
I hop off of the couch, dusting off my legs and then pulling Tobias up behind me. I yank him down for a quick kiss and then send him on his way, excited and sad for my final night in California.
Pacific Park is gorgeous at this time of the evening. It's right along the Santa Monica pier, and the view is stunning. I already can't wait for sunset. I have Tobias's painting in a plastic bag, and when he questioned me about what was in it I just shrugged him off. The first thing I did when we arrived at the amusement park was rent a locker to store it in for the time being.
After we've all gotten situated we hit the rides. I know Tobias isn't a huge fan of heights, so when he casually mentions that he wants to grab food when we approach some of the higher roller coasters, I go with him.
It's still fun, though. One one of the occasions we make it back from the funnel cake stand just in time to see the last loop on the rollercoaster, and Uriah's hilarious facial expressions as he swings by. That made our night.
The group announces they're going to ride the West Coaster one more time and Tobias says he'll go on with me. I ask him if he's sure and he mutters that he can tell that I really want to go. I grin, happy that he's doing this for me and skip onto the ride like a little girl. The entire time he's white faced and gripping the railing like crazy, so I hold his hand, hoping it'll make him feel better.
"You don't have to do that again," I tell him seriously when we get off.
He seems relieved, "Thank you."
I laugh, squeezing his shoulder gently.
We hit some tamer rides, The Shark Frenzy- which is so spinny that it sends Zeke straight to the trashcan right after, bumper cars- which I kicked Tobias's ass in, and then Inkie's Scrambler- Christina kept sliding into me the entire time, but I didn't mind because it let me cozy up to Tobias.
The games are where it really gets interesting, though. Uriah confidently announces from the get go that he's going to win Marlene the giant stuffed tiger… and boy does he fail. Marlene ends up with more wins than him, and smugly gets the tiger after 2 rounds of Whac-a-Mole.
It's endearing watching Zeke and Shauna flirt, too. Zeke looks incredibly impressed at her skills on the hoop shooting and balloon popping… Shauna tries to play it off modestly but you can tell that she's been waiting for her moment to show off.
When Zeke laces his fingers through hers and pulls her back into the photobooth, Tobias and I give one another a knowing smile.
As for Christina, her flirting game hasn't stopped yet. Even though it's our last night here, she's still determined to gather attention from every single guy in our vicinity. Fellow tourists, locals, even employees… you name it. Whatever keeps her on her toes. I have no doubt she'll somehow find a new fling when we get to Virginia too.
Lynn and Lauren are having a good time too, over at the kids soccer area. They're trying to win the giant stuffed dragon, I presume. I don't think I've ever seen Lynn smile as much as she is tonight, nudging Lauren with her shoulder and pausing for lingering kisses occasionally.
And then there's Tobias and I. Both of us are competitive by nature, and we usually work best in teams. A good example of that would be our superior beer pong skills. But now we're going up against each other… and I'll admit, he's very distracting competition to have. He looks way too handsome for a guy only dressed in a white t-shirt and navy athletic shorts. But damn, the way his shirt pulls back against his bronze skin, exposing his taut muscles and his broad shoulders… fuck.
"Let me help you," he says quietly, way too intimately for a public setting.
"I don't need your help," I breathe, but still, I make no moves to stop him as he comes up behind me and circles his arms around me, pulling my arm back.
"Let go now," he whispers in my ear.
I sigh, and let my arm fling forward. The dart flies out from my fingers and pierces the balloon perfectly through its center.
Tobias and I both cheer, and I allow myself to be proud, even if he did help me with that one. "Nice, Prior."
He lets go of me to grab my prize from the attendee, since I technically won it for him. It's an adorable stuffed squid. Still, it's nothing compared to the giant shark that he won for me during ski ball. We mill about the games area with our friends for about half an hour longer, before we decide we want to get something to eat before the sun sets.
We decide on the taco place, and we all dig in. It's definitely not the most quality food, but we don't care. We're hungry after being out and about in the summer heat for the past couple hours. We talk about what we're excited for in Virginia, and what the future is gonna look like for us. Those of us who are still undergraduate students still have our final year left of school ahead of us, but the others are looking at their first year in the so-called "real world". It's scary stuff.
Tobias and I exit the restaurant a few feet behind everyone else, his arm slung around my shoulders as I chat his ear off about Frida Kahlo and her global impact and how it's my dream to take inspiration from her art and somehow use it in my modern career. I'm not even sure how the conversation steered into this vicinity either. God, how is he not tired of me yet?
When I'm done with my ramblings I tell him to meet me on the pier, and that there's something I need to grab. He seems slightly perplexed, but he nods and then we separate.
By the time I've grabbed the painting out of my locker and am approaching the pier, the sun is setting. The golden hues hit my face, and I take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous view of the ocean from here. God, I am really gonna miss it.
Tobias stands towards the end of the pier, and I see the rest of our friend group spread out in clumps along the railing as well. Zeke and Shauna are already making out… Good for them. I can feel my heartbeat in my toes as I walk up to Tobias and tap him on the shoulder, I know what I need to tell him tonight.
He spins around to face me and his face breaks out into a smile. The orangeish light coming from the sun makes his sculpted face look even more ethereal and lovely.
"You're so beautiful," he states, lacing his fingers through mine.
I smile, nudging his foot slightly. I break apart our fingers to pull my painting out from the bag, placing it into his hands. "This is for you."
I watch his face take it in. His jaw goes slack and his eyes light up with wonder as he seemingly consumes every detail of the painting. "I… it's… wonderful," he tells me, bringing his eyes up to meet mine.
I smile at his response. "I- um, I thought you'd really like what I did with the blues… because I think it brings-"
He cuts off my potential monologue with a deep kiss, his free hand snaking back through my hair and moving to cup the back of my neck. When he pulls away from me he looks me straight in the eyes, swallowing thickly. "I'm in love with you, Tris. And I don't think I ever stopped loving you…" He tells me certainly, nodding his head to himself.
"God damn it," I mutter.
A crease forms between his eyebrows and his expression grows more uncertain, "...What? Did I do something wrong?"
"No. I mean… yes. I wanted to be the one to say it first, asshole," I grumble, kicking his foot lightly.
He laughs, "Well, then I guess I beat you again, Prior."
"Mmm… but seriously, I love you too, Tobias. And I never stopped loving you either."
He smiles genuinely, and it's a sight that I just… adore so fucking much. I pull him back down for another kiss, relishing everything about this moment from the sound of the waves crashing against the beach to the sea breeze hitting my face gently.
When we break apart, I see he's frowning slightly, seemingly deep in thought.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Nothing… I just… you know this whole 'the future is uncertain' thing?"
"Yeah."
"I just realized… it's kinda bullshit," he tells me. "Screw that… we write our own future. And I know now, I've always known, Tris Prior, that I want you in my future no matter what. That's what I'm deciding and that's how it's gonna be."
A laugh, a wondrous, blissful, loving laugh bursts from my chest. "Here's to the future then," I state, looking over to the ocean, at the sun that has nearly set.
"Here's to the future." We kiss once more.
I know I'm going to miss this place. I grew up here this summer, learned things about myself, about my strength and conscience, and I rekindled my love with the most amazing man I've ever met. But it's also time to move forth, and we're moving forth together. Even if we won't physically be with one another every step of the way, I know in my heart that our love can withstand the distance. After all, we write our own future.