Thank ya'll for the love on the last chapter! Tris and Tobias are going to go through a lot and ups and downs in this story so just prepare yourself! There will be a lot of questionable decisions that I'm sure y'all will feel some type of way about but it will make for great discussion! Keep the comments coming!

Tris sits on the floor of her room, while Lauren braids her hair. It was two days until the NC 3A State Championships. She was nervous about this final game after having to sit out most of the game and the team still winning. Her confidence was shaken. She couldn't stop thinking about the conversation she and Tobias had in his car that night. She was still frustrated about the double standard but she realized she had to play smarter.

"You coming to my game?" Tris asks Lauren after a few minutes of thinking.

"Of course, but I got a midterm the next morning so I gotta bounce at half time"

"Seriously," Tris groans. Her mother rarely made time to come to her games, Caleb, Lauren, and Andrew were always there as much as they could be. She really wanted her sister there to cheer her on.

"I'll stay as long as I can, I promise" Lauren knew she was going to give in and stay the entire game.

Lauren had chosen to go to Johnson C. Smith, a historically black university in Charlotte. It was still almost an hour away with traffic from where the Priors lived. She had always supported Tris as much as she could going to as many of her games that she could make. It had been harder when she started college. Lauren couldn't understand why Natalie didn't go to many of Tris's games, as their father did. But this was a big game and Tris needed her support.

The added stress Tris had was she still didn't have a scholarship offer to play collegiate basketball in the Fall. Lots of recruiters had been to her games over the past season. She had already applied to the school with good programs like Baylor, University of South Carolina, Oregon, and Dauntless University. She had two visits at home but there was still no formal offer. The state championship was her last shot to show what she could do. Coach Tori Wu from Dauntless University was coming to the game. The team they were playing, Heathwood Academy was good, so they could easily be looking at players from the other team too.

"So what's up with you and prom?" You got a date?" Lauren asks as she parts Tris's hair with her comb to start another section.

She knows Tris was so focused on basketball and school she was missing out on some of the other important things of high school like dating and boys. Lauren didn't miss the way her sister looked at Tobias when she thought no one was looking. She also didn't miss the way Zeke looked at Tris when no one was looking either. Tris just needed a little push and to gain some confidence with someone she wasn't so invested in.

"Yeah, brothers are lined up at my locker" Tris replies sarcastically. She had never been on a date before. Tobias was still the only person she had ever kissed or made out with.

Lauren thinks about it for a minute, nervous about how Tris would react to what she was about to say so she decides to just get it over with and put it out there.

"I found you somebody" Lauren puts out there and braces for her sister's reaction.

'What? Found me somebody!" Tris almost chokes as she turns around to get a look at her sister.

Lauren sighs, this is what she was afraid of. Tris was so stubborn and she never wanted anyone to do or give her anything.

"Who is he?" Tris finally says after a few moments. Lauren smiles and picks up the next section of hair.

"A brother from my college, and he is fine as hell," she tells her sister excitedly.

"College, why would he agree to go out with me?" Tris says quietly, picking at a spot on the carpet.

"Simple, I told him you look like me and I showed him a few pictures"

Tris scoffs "They must have been ones you made me up for"

"Tris, you are so pretty, you have no idea how much you are, your body is sick, and you are finally getting that booty, and trust me if you were tore up I would not claim you" Lauren adds at the end trying to lighten the mood. She wished Tris would see how beautiful she really was. "We'll get you a sexy dress, some heels, trust me this will be epic"

"Heels! Tris eeks out now more nervous about the idea of prom than she had been. "Okay, normally I go along when you want to dress me up but I can't walk in heels!"

"Stop stressing, you worry about playing your heart out for that recruiter tomorrow night, and let your big sis worry about your outfit for prom. We still have a few weeks"

Tris had never been more nervous before a game. She had taken to heart what Tobias had told her and she didn't want to mess this up. She looked up in the stands where she saw Lauren and her father sitting together. Lauren gave her a big wave and a smile. She looks over to see Caleb, Uriah, Zeke, and Tobias sitting at the top of the bleachers. Her eyes drift over to who she knows is the head coach at Dauntless, Tori Wu. She's looking across the floor and writing notes on her clipboard. Tris breathes in deep, this was her shot, she had to make it count.

When the team huddles up, Coach Becker looks at the team.

"We have worked hard for this moment Ladies," Coach Becker says looking at each of the girls.

"We are going to play with control and play smart" This time he looks Tris in the eye. She feels her stomach flip but nods her head. "Captain"

Tris looks around the circle at her teammates. "Who's House?"

"Our House" They reply in unison.

"Who's House?" she says louder.

"Our House!" they reply just as loud again in unison.

Tris puts her hand in the middle and everyone joins her. "Lady Crusaders on 3. 1, 2, Lady Crusaders!"

The energy is high in the gym but Tris blocks out all the noise as best she can. The Lady Wolverines are good, and the lead flip flops several times in the first half. It all comes down to the last 2 minutes of the game. Tris had kept her cool, but had 4 fouls, which meant that she only had one more before she would be forced to sit out of the game. They were down by 4. Tris had made 5 three-pointers already that game. She inbounds the ball and heads up the court when her teammate bounces it back. She had to make this shot.

1 minute and 30 seconds left, I can do this.

Tris swings the ball to the right and her teammate goes in for a layup but misses it. Tris keeps her eye on the ball and jumps up for a rebound. She dribbles back and pulls up to shoot a 3 pointer. Tris holds her breath as she watches it hit the rim and then spins out.

"Foul, Foul" Coach Becker yells from the bench.

Tris does as she's told and grabs the player running up the court with the ball. Immediately the ref blows his whistle and Tris makes her way to the bench already knowing she was out of the game. She can't help the fat tears that fall down her face as she sits in her seat at the end of the bench. She pulls her jersey up over her face as her body shakes as all the emotions run through her.

Lauren and Andrew feel heartbroken for her as they watch her cry, the rest of the game lost in the moment. Tris wasn't one to ever let anyone see her be weak so for her flat-out cry in the middle of all these people, Lauren and Caleb knew she was beating herself up.

"It's okay, Tris," Lauren yells.

After the game Tris takes a shower, not wanting to hear the "You played a great game" comments. The Lady Wolverines missed both free throws and the Lady Crusaders made one more basket but still lost by 2 points in the end.

Tris expects to see her father and sister waiting for her when she exits the locker room with her gym bag thrown over her shoulder and her head down. She stops suddenly when she looks up to see Tobias, Lauren, Uriah, Caleb, Zeke, and Susan all clapping for her. Her face heats up and she rolls her eyes which were still red and burning from crying earlier.

"Will you all stop it please," she pleads as she walks up to them.

"Not a chance," Uriah says as he throws an arm around her shoulders. "And we have plans tonight"

"Plans? To do what?" Tris asks, looking at all of them. She really just wanted to crawl into her bed and watch Teen Wolf while she drowned her sorrows in a tub of ice cream.

"There will be no pity party tonight, we are going to hang out and have some fun" Caleb announces rubbing his hands together.

"Ugh, y'all I really don't feel…." Tris sighs, she appreciated her friends, but she kind of just wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

"Nope, we said no pity party" Zeke interjects before she can finish.

Tris continues to grumble and Tobias throws her over his shoulder and carries her to his car.

"Put me down, Tobias! I swear to God I will kick your ass!" Tris yells as she tries to squirm to get down with everyone laughing and Susan picks up her gym bag that was abandoned on the ground.

"There's the Tris we know! This will be fun we promise" Tobias laughs as he gives her a pat on the butt which infuriates her even more.

Tris glares at Tobias when he puts her down in front of his SUV slapping him across the arm and he feigns being hurt and laughs as he runs to the other side of the car. She knows her friends mean well, they are only trying to help after all.

They end up at Frankie's Fun Park, a game and entertainment center with go-karts, laser tag, and arcade games. Lauren stays for about an hour but has to leave to get back so she can study.

"Thank you, sis, for everything, I love you" Tris whispers in her ear as they hug.

"That's what big sisters are for, I text you tomorrow. Eric's excited about taking you to prom"

Tris smiles and rolls her eyes in response before heading back to the rest of the group. Tris, Uriah, and Tobias go on the go-kart track. When Susan goes to the restroom, while Zeke and Caleb play air hockey Caleb takes the opportunity to push his friend.

"So are you going to stop playing around and ask Tris to prom tonight?" Caleb asks as he shoots the puck across the table.

Zeke stands up straight and blows out a breath as he wipes his hand across his face.

"I...I don't know…"

"You are so in love with her, why don't you just ask her out" Caleb inquires. He knew that Zeke and Tobias were close but Caleb and Zeke had formed a tight friendship as well.

"Because she's in love with Tobias" Zeke sighs knowing that his crush on Tris was probably going to go nowhere.

"Well Tobias isn't making a move on her, She's not going to just sit by and watch him run around with other girls. Ask her out" Caleb reasons. He didn't dislike Tobias but he wasn't sure he could handle being in a relationship. Tris was strong and independent but he still didn't want her to get hurt.

Across the fun park, Tobias challenges Tris and Uriah to a basketball shooting challenge. You had 2 minutes to make as many baskets as you could. They had played this game so many times over the years. They were all equally good shooters but Tobias usually won. Tris sighs as they walk up to the game, reliving missing her last three-pointer in her head.

"I think I'm going to sit this one out," She says furrowing her eyebrows.

"Nope, get back in the saddle" Tobias pushes. He knew Tris, she would overthink and knew she was going to blame herself for the loss.

"T. is right, you gotta keep going Tris, you just played the best damn game I've ever seen you play" Uriah adds

Tris scoffs, she fouled out and missed the three-pointer that would have put them in one point of a win in the biggest game of her life.

"Seriously Tris, you balled out, there's no reason to hang your head" Tobias finishes nudging her with his shoulder.

Tris nods and places her token in the machine and Uriah and Tobias smile and do the same. After two games they are all out of breath and laughing with Tris winning one of the two games.

By the time they head home, Tris feels lighter but she still had to think about what she was going to do about her future. She couldn't see a future without basketball but she had no scholarship offers and her season was over.

She rolls over in her bed when her phone pings.

Tobias: Turn off your light and go to sleep, things will work out.

Tris shakes her head at the fact he was looking at her window and then she types out, you don't tell me what to do but she deletes it before she can hit send.

Tobias: And yes I already know that I don't get to tell you what to do, just go with it.

Tris laughs out loud at the fact Tobias already knew what she was going to do.

Tris: Thanks, T.

She reaches up and turns her light out and smiles.

On Monday morning before 4th period Tris is putting her books in her locker when Zeke comes up pulling his book bag on his shoulder.

"Hey Tris, you feeling better today?" Zeke asks.

"Yeah, thanks for everything this weekend, I really appreciate you being there not to let me spiral in defeat," Tris says quietly looking down at the floor.

"That's what friends are for. Ummmm I wanted to ask you, well that is if you want to... I know it's last-minute since prom is in two weeks, maybe we could go together?" Zeke shuffles his feet nervously at his rambling.

Tris feels her heart race. Did her friend, one of her best friends, just ask her out?

"Oh Zeke, I...I'm sorry, Lauren set me up on this date with this guy she knows for prom, and I…"

Zeke's face falls but nods his head. "It's cool, forget I asked"

"No, Zeke, I'm really sorry, I wish you would have asked me sooner, I…"

"No really it's cool Tris, I promise"

Tris looks at the ceiling and sighs in frustration as Zeke walks quickly down the hall. She had no idea Zeke would be interested in asking her out but it also made her realize that she needed to sort out her feelings for Tobias. She could care less about Lauren's friend taking her to prom.

The day of prom Tris is stressed out as Natalie sets up a hair appointment where Tris gets her hair trimmed and colored. They straighten it and style it in glamorous curls that made her feel like a movie star from old Hollywood. Tris thought she was going to die as Lauren plucked and shaped her eyebrows but she was happy with the end result and promised Lauren she would attempt to keep it up.

Tris shimmies into the tight form-fitting white dress that Lauren picked out for her.

"Aren't prom dresses supposed to be long?" Tris says hesitantly looking in the mirror at herself. The dress accentuated her hips and her thighs. Lauren picked out a cute wedge heel with rhinestones across the strap. Tris had felt comfortable in them and the added height elongated her legs.

"They don't have to be" Lauren replies as she pulls out her makeup bag and a few new items since she and Tris were different skin tones.

"So Zeke asked me to prom this week," Tris says as Lauren works on her makeup.

'He did?" Lauren gasps straightening up "I had no idea he was into you"

"Yeah I feel really bad, It was like I crushed him when I told him I already had a date." Tris looks down and plays with the hem of her dress. "He's been avoiding me all week"

"He'll be alright Tris, you guys have been friends too long to let this shake you up. When guys get their pride hurt it just takes them a minute to get over it."

Tris sighs. She sits still while Lauren works. After a minute Lauren yells for their mother to come into the room. Natalie Prior smiles when she sees her youngest daughter.

"Go in my bedroom and get your grandmother's pearls" Natalie instructs Lauren.

"I want you to have a great time tonight Tris, don't worry about basketball, college, or anything but being beautiful"

"You think I'm beautiful Tris," asks softly. Everyone always praised Lauren for how pretty she was, never Tris though.

Natalie smiles and takes the strand of pearls for Lauren and places them on Tris's neck.

"Baby Girl, you are so special, you are so beautiful, you just need to see what the rest of us see"

Natalie hugs Tris's shoulders.

Tris groans when Natalie and Lauren take what she thinks are a million pictures of her and Caleb before he leaves to go pick up Susan and then another million when Eric arrives for Tris. Tris is shy and she nervously wipes her hands on her dress when he rings the doorbell. He was handsome, rich umber skin like her father and sister and tall around the same height as Uriah. He wore a black and white tuxedo jacket that complemented Tris's dress as well as the white rose corsage he presented to her. He smiles and says all the right things when Andrew asks him to give him a rundown of his plans for the evening. Natalie makes them take more pictures despite Tris's protesting.

Eric is polite through dinner, Tris doesn't miss the way he eyes her body up and down. When they walk into the hotel where the prom was being held, Tris feels like every eye turns to her when she walks in with Eric. She spots Susans and Caleb as she waves to them. She had gone shopping with Susan when she picked out her dress, a floor-length red gown with gold detail. Caleb had a red velvet tuxedo jacket with black lapels that matched her dress.

She fights the urge to roll her eyes when she sees Tobias dancing with Maria Kelly in their clearly coordinated silver and black.

Tris and Eric make their way to the table where Uriah and his date Mikayla are seated along with Zeke and his ex Lindsay. Uriah dated around, he was nowhere as bad as Tobias but Mikalya was nice and she had hung out with the group on several occasions. Tris was surprised to Lindsay and Zeke together, Tris didn't care for her but she tolerated her presence for Zeke. Noting wanting the night to be completely awkward especially since she there with a complete stranger and still nervous, she asks Zeke to come talk with her for a minute.

"Zeke, are we going to keep doing this awkward thing because I miss my friend," Tris tells him honestly. She and Zeke usually texted and even though Uriah, Tobias, and Caleb were usually in the mix, they hung out almost every day.

"Tris, I…"

"I'm serious Ezekiel Pedread, I will harass you until you stop acting stupid" Tris crosses her arms, and Zeke chuckles. Tris was probably the most stubborn person he had ever encountered.

"We're good, Tris, I'm sorry I let my pride get in the way"

"Why didn't you tell me you liked me?" Tris asks quietly.

Zeke sighs and shrugs. "Honestly, it took me so long because I can see you are head over heels for T."

Tris lets her mouth fall open. She had never said anything about Tobias out loud to anyone. Was it that obvious?

"Well, I don't think that will ever happen but I do know that I don't want us to stop being friends"

"I can handle that" Zeke replies and Tris gives him a hug.

"For what it's worth, I think T. is in love with you too" Zeke finishes as they walk about to their table.

As Zeke and Tris head back to their dates, Tobias looks up from dancing with Maria and stops dead in his tracks when he sees Tris. She looked absolutely stunning. It literally made him hold his breath as he took in how her caramel skin tone popped against the white dress she was wearing. Her hair was straightened but was lighter but it fell down her back and around her shoulders. Tobias was literally speechless. He mindlessly tells Maria he'll be right back as he goes to talk to Tris.

"Hey," He says awkwardly.

"Hey" she answers, still not sure how to process what Zeke told her a few moments ago.

"Damn Girl, I didn't know Nike made dresses" Maria comments as she pops up behind Tobias and hangs her arms across his shoulder. She was not going to be upstaged by Tris Prior this evening.

Tobias runs his tongue across the back of his teeth. He hated when girls were jealous or mean to Tris. He respected her so much more than any of them and his patience with Maria was starting to wear thin. The crazy thing was seeing Tris walk in with another guy was driving him crazy.

"We should go dance" Maria suggests tugging Tobias by the arm toward the dance floor and Tobias nods and follows.

Tris and Eric sit at the table with her friends. He makes polite conversation while Tris tries to calm her nerves.

"So I'm having a good time with you, what do I need to do to make you have a good time with me?" He asks. Tris can tell he was very charismatic based on how he carried conversations.

"Umm my mouth is kind of dry" Tris says wishing her heart would calm down.

"Can I get you some punch?" Eric asks.

"That would be great" She breathes out. She just needed a minute to get herself together.

"Just don't jet off and leave a glass slipper while I'm gone"

Tris smiles as Eric walks over to the punch bowl. He was okay, she was frustrated that seeing Tobias had flustered her.

"So who is this clown?" Tobias asks walking up to her again.

"He ain't Wilson," Tris says smugly referring to his comment a few weeks ago as she leans back on her chair.

"Right, you Ummm look good" He knew he meant it as a way to rile her up when he teased that she didn't have a date on purpose but now all he felt was pure jealousy.

Just then Eric returns and asks Tris to dance when the DJ plays a slow song. Eric leads them to the dance floor and Tris looks back at Tobias as she swears she sees him frown as she walks away. Tris feels torn as she stands pressed against Eric while they slow dance, she has a clear view of Tobias a few feet away. They lock eyes and Tris can't seem to tear herself away from his gaze. He has his arms around Maria, but the way he was looking at her made her go weak in the knees. She had thought quietly in the night when she lay awake in bed, how much she wanted him, but she always told herself he would never look at her the way he looked at other girls. Even though she never wanted to compete with any girls for his attention, the way Tobias was looking at her across the floor, even though his arms were around Maria, his look told her he only wanted her.

Tobias realizes as he slow dances with Maria that Tris is who he wants. The one girl who drove him crazy but was everything he wanted. Tonight had been like a bucket of cold water thrown on him that he couldn't just smile like he did at other girls, he would have to work for Tris. The question now was how did he do it, how was he going to tell her he wanted to be with her and only her.

After about an hour of dancing, Caleb and Susan bid goodbye to everyone and so do Uriah and his date. Tris was pretty sure what everyone was going to head off to do but there was no way that was happening with Eric.

He leads them to his car. Tris can feel butterflies in her stomach. He offered to take her on a walk near the lake not too far from where the prom was being held. She agrees only because she wanted to get away from watching Tobias with Maria. It was driving her insane. Eric asks her about basketball and she tells him. It was a light conversation but still kind of awkward. They spend most of the time comparing NBA players. When they reach his car, Eric leans Tris against his car.

"You are really beautiful Tris," Eric says as she strokes her hair.

"Thank you" Tris replies shyly as she looks at his tuxedo jacket.

He leans in and Tris feels her palms getting sweaty. Eric wasn't slow and gentle with his kiss. It was wet and sloppy and all Tris could think about was how different it felt when she kissed Tobias.

When Eric moves away from her mouth Tris is thankful, wiping her hand quickly across her face.

"You've been driving me insane all night in that dress" he whispers as he moves his hand to her thigh.

Tris fights the urge to groan because she knows he would probably take it as a sign she was turned on and she was anything but. She shifts her knee slightly and he hisses as she catches him directly in balls.

"Sorry," she says innocently. They keep it up for another 15 minutes, Tris runs over the championship game again in her head, clearly not interested in going any further with Eric after she "accidentally" knees him two more times. He finally gives up realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with her that night.

The ride back to her house is silent on her part. She keeps running back to how Tobias looked at her across the dance floor. She wanted him, she couldn't run from it anymore, but what was she going to do about it now was the question.

Let me know what you think!