I do not own anything, just my ideas!

Chapter 39

TRIS

"I can't believe you convinced me to get this. You can see the scar clear as day!" I scream at Christina.

She walks over to me standing in my dress. We are in her room and both our hair and makeup done. Christina really had me have it this time. She made a bunch of tight curls and then brushed them out. It is half pinned up with little jeweled studs dotting the back of my head. She gave me a green smoky eye to match my turquoise dress.

The dress has a sweetheart neckline with a strap in the middle that wraps to the back. But this time the strap, because it is in the middle, does not hide my scar.

Christina walks to me as I stand in front of the mirror. I say, "Christina, you have to cover it up. There has to be some kind of makeup to make it disappear. There is no way I'm letting it show like this!"

I feel my eyes shake and burn the way they do when tears form. Christina says, "No, you are not allowed to get upset about this."

Shauna, who was down stairs, comes up. "I heard screaming. What happened?"

"Look at me! Look at this!" I point to my scar. This time, little tear drops speck my cheeks.

Shauna shakes her head and grabs a tissue from the dresser. She begins to dot the tissue around my eyes. "Tris, it's fine. You don't need to freak out about it," she says. She continues to carefully wipe my wet eyes with the tissue, making sure my makeup isn't messed up. "Besides, this makeup is not completely waterproof."

"Don't need to freak out?"

"Yeah. Why are you trying to hide it anyway?" Christina says. She softens her voice, "It isn't like people don't know."

"For the longest time, you were hiding it because you were hiding the truth. You don't need to do that anymore, Tris." Shauna says.

"I hate it, though. I hate it! I don't want it showing. It's just a reminder of that horrible night. And I don't want that night to ruin this one."

"Is that what you're afraid of?" Christina says. "Tris, you should never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you. It's a symbol of your strength."

I am about to spit something back at them, but I can't. I can't because Shauna's comment has caught me off guard. I have never thought of a scar as a symbol of strength. To me, my scar always seems like an imperfection. An ugly ripple along my smooth skin.

But what if I was simply looking at it all wrong. Everything in life is based off of perspective, right? All I saw was the bad, because every time I looked, felt, or even thought about the scar, it would bring horrible memories. Yet I was still there. Still looking. Still feeling. Still thinking. I am alive, even when I was facing death... I survived.

"I... I've never thought of it that way," I say softly.

"Well, now is a great time to start because," she points to the clock on the wall, "we are meeting the guys at the park to take pictures in an hour. So let Christina fix up your make-up and we will get ready to go."

"Okay."


It is a true spring night. I would not expect anything less from Prom night.

The evening was sunny and beautiful. The sun's rays felt so good against my skin as we did our pre-Prom events. (Which, if you ask me, is a bunch of silly hoop-lah, but I still did the pictures and the dinner with a warm smile.) There were small clouds circulating the sky, but no threat of rain any time soon.

But as soon as Tobias and I and our friends exited Prom, the chilling wind greeted us. I did not quite notice it when Tobias and I were in the garden, but now it is evident. I guess that is how spring works. The sun shines bright, preparing for hot summer days soon to come. But the night still holds on to the crisp winter air that sends a slight shiver through my teeth.

Tobias leads me to his car, and we drive to his house to change for After-Prom. There is no easy way to get back, but the drive does not feel long at all with him next to me. We don't even need to speak; the silence feels comfortable.

I must doze off because the next thing I know the lights of his car have turned on and he is shakes my arm. I grab the little gym bag I packed and walk into his house.

"You can go to my room and change," he says.

"Alright," I say back as I turn the halls to his room. When I walk in, I open up my bag and lay my tennis shoes and clothes on the bed.

My dress comes off and so does my annoying strapless bra. It's not like I have much to work with there, anyway. (I have a theory that strapless bras were once medieval torture devices.) I put on a much more comfortable sports bra and my red OSU long-sleeve T. I pull on my leggings and they come right up to just above the ankles.

Next I disassemble my hair. As I pull out the little studs lining the back, I look around Tobias's room. His dad never comes in here, so it is the only place in the house that Tobias can make his own. On the wall across from his bed reads FEAR GOD ALONE in red. It isn't too big, and there is a poster underneath it that can be placed over top the words in case his dad ever comes in.

But my favorite part is a small blue sculpture on the dresser next to his bed. It is simple and beautiful and Tobias loves it. It was the last gift his mother ever gave him before she passed.

I have pulled out the last booby pin, loose curls falling all over my head, when I feel a pair of arms snake around my waist from behind, and a pair of lips touch my cheek. A small chuckle breaks my lips.

"How long have you been there?" I ask.

"Long enough," he says. He has changed out of his tux and into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I look at the wall and it says 12:18. After-Prom began eighteen minutes ago. I reach for my socks and my tennis shoes and put them on.

"Well, I don't know about you, but it looks like we aren't going to get back in time for the grand opening of After-Prom."

"We technically don't have to be there till 1:00."

"Then we should scoot along." I say as he leans down to kiss me. I quickly dodge it at the last second and run out of the room. I am fast, but this is his house. For a moment, I am a carefree girl, running and giggling, with my heart slightly racing with the adrenaline that goes with a chase. He catches me, though, in the living room and pulls me onto the couch.

Tobias glides his hands through my hair and straightens out some of the curls. This time when he comes closer to kiss me, I slightly move my head in a last ditch effort to dodge it. But he knows me, and he keeps on his track. Now, instead of kissing my lips, his mouth comes to my jaw line.

I decide to end my banter of avoiding his embrace and turn my head so my lips meet his. I try to be mindful of the time, but that goes away fast. Instead I find myself retracing every detail on him. The line of his jaw. Each vertebrae up along his back. The way his hair feels through my fingers.

As I brush his hair back and forth with my hands, his hands reach the bottom of my back. At first he pauses, but then he pulls my shirt up over my head in one quick motion. He places a hand on my stomach and it almost completely reaches across. You used to be able to count all my ribs, and I am thankful that fact is no longer true.

His kisses are lined with I love you. And I return with the same thing. We would go on like this longer, and maybe further, if it weren't for my shaking hands. At first, I just hold onto Tobias, gripping his shirt and shoulders to keep the shaking at bay. But the shakes flow through my arms and on to my chest.

Tobias must notice because he slows down and then comes to a stop. Without words, only our eyes communicating, he pulls me back up to a sitting position and reaches for my shirt on the ground. I don't take my eyes off of him as he places the shirt on my head and pulls it down. I wiggle my arms to fit into the sleeves, and as soon as my hand pop out, I wrap them around Tobias.

"Come on," he says through my hair. "Let's go to After-Prom."


At my old school, After-Prom was held in the Community Center. But here, it takes up almost the entire first floor of the school. I guess going to a big school has its perks sometimes.

As soon as we walk through the doors and show our tickets, our friends run up to us.

"It's about time you guys showed up," Zeke says.

"Sorry, she decided to go for a run," Tobias says and I know he is smirking.

"Tris!" Christina yelps. "You went for a run at midnight? On Prom night?!"

"Don't listen to him," I say to her giving Tobias a hard look, but as soon as I see his smirk my look dissolves. "So, there is so much to do... What's first?"

"The hypnotist show. I hear it is awesome!" Zeke says.

"Let's go, then."

We make our way down the hall to the theatre where the show will be. We walk in and find enough seats so we can all sit together. The show starts right away and Will ends up being one of the persons to be hypnotized. He takes the stage along with 19 other people.

Once the man has the group hypnotized, he begins with them watching a movie marathon. First is a comedy and all the people in the chairs start laughing, some so hard they nearly fall out of their chairs. Will merely chuckles to himself, then out of nowhere, he grips his stomach and begins laughing so hard tears form in his eyes.

The movie following that is a horror film. Some of the people jump at least a foot out of their chairs and others cover their eyes. Then there is a romance and a boring documentary and an adventure film. Just seeing the reactions of the people being hypnotized is making my stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Throughout the different movies, some of the people "wake up" and they walk off the stage and back into the crowd.

Will is not one of those people.

After the movie marathon, there are about 9 people left on stage. The hypnotist makes each of them do different quirky things. Because Will sits at the end, the man gets to him last. When the hypnotist gets to Will, the man has him stand up and the man touches Will's belly.

The hypnotist says, "I have your belly button in my hand right here."

The man holds up his hand and Will grabs for his stomach with a look of confusion on his face. He really thinks his belly button is gone.

"I am going to bounce it there, there, there, there, there, there, and that boy over there," he points to Uriah who sits at the end of our row, "will catch it."

The hypnotist cocks his arm back and throws Will's belly button across the room. Will's eyes follow the path it bounce as it was pre-tracked by the hypnotist. Will's eyes stop when Uriah reaches his hand up and pretends to hold the belly button.

"He has your belly button," the hypnotist says. He turns Will so his back is facing Uriah. "Now young sir with the belly button, why don't you tickle it."

Uriah shrugs his shoulders and begins to tickle the belly button that is in his hand. Immediately, Will begins to laugh uncontrollably, but when Uriah stops, so does Will.

"Please throw the belly button back. It will bounce there, there, there, there, there, there and land back onto his stomach."

Uriah throws the belly button and Will follows the bounces until it reaches the stage. Right when it reaches him, Will staggers back as his belly button returns to his body and he sits back down with the others on stage.

The hypnotist does a few more things, then the show ends and the people on stage "wake up." As we walk out of the theatre, we drill Will with questions. What was it like? How did you feel? Did you know what you were doing?

"I knew I was doing the stuff I was doing, but I couldn't stop myself from acting the way he told me to. It was weird. I understood what was happening, but it really felt like I was sleeping. In fact, it feels like I just slept for hours."

"It's a good thing you feel refreshed," Christina says, "because the inflatable obstacle course taking up half the gym floor is calling my name and I bet I can beat you."

"Oh really..." he says.

They run ahead of us to the gym, and we stagger behind. By the time we have reached them, they are halfway through the course. I can't tell who is winning because all I can see is the shifting inflatable. It isn't until I see Will's head poke up from the top of the slide at the end that I know who has won.

But right as Will's going to slide, I see Christina's arms wrap around Will and pull him down. Christina then slides down, winning the race.

"Hey!" Will says once he's out. "You cheated."

"Best two out of three?"

"You're on!"

They get back in line and the rest of us get in line too. Right as Tobias and I get to the front, he says, "Wait."

"What's wrong?"

"Your injuries. You can't do this without some kind of brace."

For a moment there, I forgot about my near death hit-and-run. Two weeks ago they said I could stop using crutches, and last week the doctor said I only needed to wear a brace when I did something that would strain my body. As much as it would hurt afterwards, I want so badly to run this course against Tobias.

"Tris, you can't run this course."

"But I want to."

"You were hit by a car only two months ago."

"I don't care. I want to do this and I am going to."

"Is there anyway I can change your mind? What if you get hurt again?"

"Then I get hurt," I say stubbornly. "Please, Tobias. Just once, and I'll take it easy. I promise."

"I'm not going to win this with you, am I?" He sighs. "I'm going easy then, too."

"It's a deal."

We reach the front of the line, and I take my shoes off and get ready to go. The person in charge of this inflatable counts down from three and we take off into the obstacle. Right away, I want to run as fast as I can, but I hear Tobias' voice in the back of my head. Take it easy. You were hit by a car.

When I reach the end, I am glad I didn't go full force because I definitely would have made my leg worse. The last part of the obstacle is a slide, and waiting at the bottom is Tobias. So much for going easy, too. But he waited for me and we climb to the top of the slide hand in hand and slide down it together.

As we exit off, I know deep down I would not have wanted him to just let me win.

"I'd say best two out of three, but my leg is telling me to take it easy," I say to him. He kisses me on the forehead and we walk to the front with our friends.

As we walk, someone behind us says, "I'll race you."

I turn, and at first, I don't recognize the guy. But then I know who it is. It's Al from my Physics class.

"It's okay," Tobias says. "I'll just wait with my girlfriend while our friends finish."

I can feel the tension in his words. I know Tobias thinks Al likes me, but he does not have to worry about anything.

"Oh, come on. Afraid you are going to lose in front of your girlfriend?" Al says mockingly.

Tobias squeezes my hand then says, "No. One more time won't hurt."

Al walks forward to the line and I pull Tobias back. "You don't have to do this."

"It's no big deal."

I walk up with Tobias to the line and I grab my shoes, making sure Tobias is in between Al and I. It's not that I am afraid of him, it's just that I feel weary around him. It is a good thing the school year is coming to an end which means an end to Physics.

When the guys reach the front of the line, I walk back to the bleachers to sit and watch and put my shoes back on. I hear the countdown from three and see the two guys jump through the hole at the beginning. It's a stupid inflatable obstacle course, but I really hope Tobias wins.

So when I see his dark hair climbing to the top of the slide and see him tumble down the slide, I actually jump up. I walk over and then I see Al roll down the slide.

"Good run, Al." Tobias says.

"Hmm." Is all Al says as he walks away. We walk back to our friends yet I can feel Al's eyes on me. I don't dare turn around, so I focus on my friends ahead of me and ignore that awkward encounter.

"That was weird," Christina says when we get closer to them.

"You're telling me. At least you guys don't have to see him in class on Monday."

"Whatever. What next to do?" Tobias says, trying to change the subject.

"Food!" Uriah and Zeke say at the same time.

"There's so much food in the cafeteria," Marlene says. "All the local restaurants and a ton of homemade desserts."

They make a beeline out of the gym and towards the cafeteria. We walk after them; Tobias and I holding hands.

Tobias slows his pace. He says, "I'm sorry about what happened back there."

"Don't be sorry. It's nice to know you care enough about me to run through a obstacle course made out of air," I say with a laugh.

He pulls me closer, his arm now draping over my shoulders instead of simply holding my hand. "It's weird to think about what happened this morning; it feels like so long ago."

He's right. Getting ready with the girls feels like ages ago. "If it's any consolation, tonight has been amazing."

"I'm glad. I love you, Tris."

"I love you, too. And if you don't hurry, Zeke and Uriah are going to eat all of the food."

"If that is the sacrifice I make for walking my beautiful girlfriend down the hall, so be it."

"Who said anything about you? I'm starving!"

I shake off his arm and quicken my pace. He catches up to me and we walk together, quickly, to the rest of our friends.


Author's Note

I am officially a high school graduate. I should have more time on my hands, but you never know what the future holds. I am going on vacation next week so I am going to try to update before I leave. Please review!

Be brave, everyone!


QUOTES

1). Sometimes finding the light means passing through the deepest darkness. –The Lucky One, movie

There are no quotes in this chapter! (Bummer! I'm losing my edge.)