On Friday mornings Tris slept in. It was the one day a week she allowed herself that indulgence, and that was only because it was the one weekday that she didn't have class at the community college in the morning. After working on some homework and having lunch with Natalie, Tris packed up her things and went to the high school for her afternoon classes and a volleyball game.

After winning their match, the volleyball players showered, changed, and bundled up for the varsity football team's home game. Tris sat in the bleachers with her best friend Christina, Christina's boyfriend Will - who played basketball and baseball, but not football - and Coach Tori, their volleyball coach.

This was the football team's last regular season game, and the stands were packed. It seemed like every student, teacher, and coach at Factions High was there. Thankfully, Will had saved them a row in the bleachers while the volleyball players showered and changed.

Tris' eyes scanned the sidelines. She saw Coach Amar, Uriah, and a few of her other friends. She noticed Four assisting Amar and wondered if Eric was out there as well. Her cheeks warmed and her heart thumped as she secretly looked for the muscular older man.

"Is this spot taken?" a deep voice said, close to Tris' ear. It startled her, and she glanced up to see the icy grey-blue eyes of the very man she had just been looking for.

"Um, I don't know," she replied. Turning to her friends, she asked if they were waiting for anyone else. When Christina said that they were not, Tris told Eric that he was welcome to join them.

"I wanted to get here earlier," the teacher said. "I, um, I had to wait for my girlfriend. But she's not… um, she's not coming after all, so I just... I ended up being late."

Tris nodded and burrowed deeper in her warm coat. Of course he has a girlfriend, she chastised herself mentally. He's gorgeous. And older. And my teacher. Tris knew that the idea of a relationship with Eric was just an impossible dream, and that it was ethically wrong for him to be anything but professional with a student, but the heart wants what it wants, and Tris' heart was crushing on her student teacher.

Eric sat beside Tris, talking with her, Coach Tori, and her friends for the whole game. He bought them a round of hot chocolates at halftime. He explained some of the finer details of football to Tris. Tori and the girls told him about their volleyball game and the upcoming playoffs.

After the game, Tris' friends were gathering at Uriah's for a party. Normally Tris attended the parties, but tonight she didn't feel like it. She was in a melancholy mood and just wanted to go home and nurse her childish crush and frozen limbs alone in bed.

.

The volleyball team's first playoff game was on a Tuesday. Tris saw Eric in the stands cheering for them and it warmed her heart no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that it had nothing to do with her. She, Christina, and their other teammates pushed themselves and worked hard, but they couldn't pull off the win, and their season ended too soon.

The football team, on the other hand, was dominant. They won in the regional competition, and went all the way to the state tournament. Tris and her friends attended every game that they could, and Tris always saw Eric there. She never saw a girlfriend with him, but he didn't sit with Tris and her friends again, either.

School days passed one assignment at a time. Tris did well on her midterms at the community college, and was setting herself up for another straight A semester. Eric and Four continued their student teaching assignments. Four stayed involved with the football program while Eric began working with Max and the hockey team.

Though things seemed normal on a day-to-day basis, something about Eric felt off. Tris reminded herself often that he was just her teacher and that it was none of her business, but he seemed to be carrying some kind of heavy emotional load. Tris noticed that he was often lost in thought. He began arriving for weight training class at the last minute. He easily became aggravated by students that messed around too much or gave each other a hard time.

Homeroom was the last class of the day. Students were divided by faction and grade level, and the faction's teachers alternated each day so the seniors had each coach, including Eric and Four, one day per week. One day the seniors were working on weapons training - something only Dauntless seniors were allowed to do. The class was practicing field stripping and reassembling weapons. Peter Hayes, one of Tris' least favorite classmates, started goofing around and pointing his (thankfully unloaded) handgun at various things around the training room.

"I don't know why we have to do this," Peter whined. "Leave the mechanics to Erudite. I want to shoot something."

At that exact second, Eric snatched the gun from Peter's hand. "This isn't a water pistol!" he barked at Peter. "I could make you factionless for this! Do you want to get kicked out of the program? Treat every gun as a loaded gun, and pay attention to what you're doing. If you don't, someone could get killed!"

Eric glanced around the room, his grey eyes bright with anger. "Pedrad! Explain to Hayes here why we need to know how to disassemble and reassemble a weapon!"

Uriah's face turned serious. "Because you're not going to bring a gunsmith into battle. You need to know how to properly clear jams and keep your own weapon clean."

Eric nodded in acknowledgment of Uriah's answer, then pointed to the pull-up bar mounted on the training room wall. "Here's what we're going to do right now. Hayes, you're going to pull yourself up on that bar and hold yourself there with your chin above the bar and no part of you touching the wall. You will stay that way until every single student in this class has stripped and properly reassembled their gun. If anyone is not done within five minutes, you're all running laps. Go!"

Tris began methodically taking apart the gun in her hands. As she did, she peeked at Eric every few seconds. He looked tense. Actually, he looked beyond tense. He looked furious, rigid, and stressed to the breaking point. She kept an eye on him, Peter, and the clock as she began to reassemble the gun. Down the table, Lynn cleared her weapon's chamber and stood to her feet, the signal that she was done. Seconds later, another student did the same.

Eric handed Peter's gun to Lynn. "Do that one too," he ordered, his voice firm but less harsh.

Lynn sat down and followed orders. "Help your classmates that need it," Eric instructed the other two who were finished. "Raise your hand if you need their help," he told the class.

Uriah cocked his reassembled weapon and stood. Tris followed a second later. Eric nodded at them in acknowledgment. At four minutes and forty seconds into the drill, the last student stood. As one unit they watched Peter hold himself above the bar, his arms shaking with strain, until the clock hit five minutes and Eric allowed him to drop to the floor.

The students silently put the weapons away as instructed, and after locking the gun cabinet, Eric went over gun safety rules with them again.

"Every gun is a loaded gun," Eric yelled, then made the students repeat him.

"Keep your finger away from the trigger until your sights are on your target and you are ready to shoot."

"Never aim a gun at anything you are unwilling to kill or destroy."

"Know what you're aiming at and what's beyond that."

He led them through the rules several times, making them say it out loud with him. Glancing at the clock and realizing the bell was about to ring, Eric turned to Peter one last time. "Hayes, what did you relearn today?"

"Every gun is a loaded gun," Peter grumbled in reply.

"Forget that again and you'll either be factionless or in jail," Eric said over the sound of the bell.

The students rushed to leave the tense atmosphere of the classroom. Homeroom was the last class of the day, and everyone was anxious to get out of there and get to their sports practices and part-time jobs. Gymnastics season had just started for Tris, but she had the night off from practice. She decided to take her time leaving and see if there was something she could do to help Eric.

"Stiff, why are you still here?" he asked her gruffly. Tris bristled at his use of the put down that the other factions used to talk about the Abnegation kids.

"Ironically, I'm still here because I'm still a stiff at heart," Tris replied coldly. "You've seemed, I don't know, just… off. I mean other than Peter being a dick today. You've been tense and distracted. I wanted to know if there is anything I can do to help."

Eric sighed. "I thought I was hiding it well. I guess not. Great..." He started flipping through the papers on his clipboard, completely ignoring Tris, just waiting for her to give up and leave.

"So..." she began again. "Nothing I can do? No photocopies or grading the freshmen quizzes? You don't want a listening ear? Nothing?"

Eric sighed again. "I just… can't, Tris. You're my student; I'm your teacher. I can't go telling you about my personal life. It's just… it's just not right, okay? I appreciate your concern, but it's not appropriate. Do you understand?"

"Of course," Tris replied. "Just know that I hope you have someone in your life that you can talk to about whatever's bothering you. And if you need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask. You don't have to give me your life story or anything. Just offload some busywork if that will help."

"Thanks Tris," Eric said tiredly.

.

Eric eventually took Tris up on her offer, asking her to do small tasks between school and gymnastics practice. They never talked much, but Tris hoped that her quiet support helped the trainer, and she enjoyed the time she got to spend in his presence. She copied and sorted things for him, cleaned gym equipment, and delivered things around the school on his behalf.

On the day before Thanksgiving break, they were in the training room wiping down machines when Tris heard Eric quietly say "I graduate in two weeks."

"You what?" Tris asked, unsure if he meant to speak out loud.

"Nothing, sorry," the trainer said brusquely.

"Did you say you graduate soon?" she asked.

Eric nodded. "Two weeks."

"In December?" Tris asked.

Eric nodded again. "I did the dual-credit thing in high school, like you. And I took summer classes. This student teaching was the last of my requirements. I graduate at the end of fall semester."

"Congratulations," Tris replied.

He didn't say anything else, so the two of them continued working quietly.

"Does that mean you'll be done here?" Tris asked, suddenly realizing the implications of Eric's graduation. He nodded in reply.

"But what about the hockey team?" Tris asked. "The season just started!"

"Max is coaching," Eric replied. "I'm only assisting. And I'll continue to assist as a volunteer."

"So maybe I'll still see you around," Tris said.

Eric only nodded.

.

Caleb came home for Thanksgiving weekend. The family had a traditional feast and decorated their home for the holiday season. Tris loved having everyone under one roof again. Her dad and brother made it to a gymnastics meet to see her compete. Her mom made a gingerbread house that they worked together to decorate.

On the second Monday after Thanksgiving, Coach Max called a Dauntless "family meeting." That meant that Dauntless students in all grades met together during homeroom. As they waited on the gym bleachers for their coaches to arrive, the students speculated about the reason for the meeting.

"They never call family meeting on a Monday," Christina said nervously.

"It's probably about the end of the semester," Will speculated. "Finals are in a few weeks."

"Is there bad weather in the forecast?" someone asked.

Tris checked her phone. "No bad weather," she said.

The students fell silent as the gym doors opened and Coach Max marched in followed by Coaches Amar, Tori, and Lauren. Eric and Four followed behind them.

"Dauntless!" Max barked.

As they had been trained, the entire Dauntless student body stood as one in silent attention.

"At ease!" Max called.

The students relaxed slightly to a parade rest stance.

"Be seated," Max said in a normal tone. Students began whispering and talking as they sat back down.

"Do you want to stand for the entire meeting?" Tori barked sharply. "He told you to sit, not to speak."

"Arf!" barked one of the boys, making everyone giggle.

"Pedrad! Five laps!" Coach Amar snapped.

Uriah swore under his breath at getting caught, but dutifully took off running around the gym while Max explained why he had gathered them all.

"When Harrison suddenly retired in August, I wasn't sure how we were going to do everything this semester," he began. "Thankfully, the university had two great guys ready to do their student teaching. Eric and Four stepped in and went above and beyond. They haven't just helped and learned for their own benefit. They have fully taught you all, and they each jumped in to work with a sports team as well. Four assisted Coach Amar in leading our football team all the way to state, and Eric has been working with me and the hockey team."

Max paused while the students cheered. "Their time as student teachers has come to an end, and Eric and Four are both graduating from college ahead of schedule. This week they have final exams, and on Sunday afternoon they graduate. Let's give them a big hand!"

The students cheered their trainers, and after a few more announcements, Max concluded the meeting. The coaches made themselves available to the students until the bell rang, and Eric and Four visited with and accepted congratulations from anyone who wanted to talk.

Tris walked home after gymnastics practice, arriving right at dinnertime. As usual, Eric was on her mind. She knew, logically, that a schoolgirl crush on her teacher was absurd. But on the other hand, Eric was only three years her senior. They had gone to high school at the same time. She was just a month short of eighteen, and he had to be twenty-one, twenty-two at the most. That's not a big age difference, she argued with herself. And after today, he's not my teacher anymore. But Tris knew that the end of Eric's student teaching assignment was likely to be the end of their contact with one another anyway.

As she turned on to the street where she lived, Tris was surprised to see her dad's car in the driveway. He usually left on Mondays to spend the week in Springfield, and rarely made it home before dinner time on Fridays, so having him still home on a Monday night was a special treat. Tris smiled broadly as she hurried her pace.

"Mom? Dad?" she called as she entered the house.

Natalie hurried out from the kitchen, her face beaming. Tris loved to see the way her parents loved one another. Both Natalie and Andrew lit up when their spouse was around.

"He's on the phone," Natalie said. "But dinner will be ready in five. Can you tell him?"

Tris nodded, then hurried to her father's study. He was just saying goodbye to the person on the other end of the line, and greeted his daughter with a hug.

"Beatrice," Andrew said.

"Da-ad," Tris whined.

"Sorry Sweetpea, I meant 'Tris.'"

"Thank you, Daddy," Tris said. "You're home on a Monday night. Is everything okay?"

"Very good," Andrew replied. "Family meeting at dinner. We're video chatting with Caleb."

Tris grinned. She hoped that her dad was finally going to make it official and run for the open Senate seat. Andrew Prior was a brilliant man. He was a thoughtful and generous public servant who honestly cared about the people in his district. Tris knew that he would make an excellent senator and represent the people of Illinois well.

When Tris and Andrew joined Natalie at the dinner table she was busy calling Caleb on her tablet device.

"Hey Mom," Caleb greeted. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes," Natalie soothed her oldest child. "We're all fine." She moved the tablet so Caleb could see Andrew and then Tris, who greeted her big brother with a wave.

Natalie adjusted the tablet so Caleb could see his father as Andrew began talking to his family. "I'm sure this isn't a surprise," he said with a smile. "We're officially announcing my Senate campaign on Friday."

Caleb laughed with what sounded like relief, and Tris smiled at her nervous but eager-looking father and proud mother.

Andrew talked to his family about what this would mean for them. A Senate campaign could get ugly, though Andrew had no significant skeletons in his closet to worry about. He instructed his family to refuse to give any interviews or comments unless they were cleared through his campaign staff first.

Tris and Caleb expressed their support, and offered to help with the campaign as it progressed.

"We'll have some public appearances," Natalie told Tris, "starting with the press conference on Friday. We need to do some shopping."

"Wednesday after school?" Tris suggested. Natalie just grinned and nodded her head.

.

School on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon was different without Eric. Tris tried to act normal, but she missed the hulking blonde man. She wondered how his finals were going as she prepared for her own. She wanted to go to the hockey game just for a glimpse of him, but her father's press conference announcement was on the same day.

Shopping with Natalie on Wednesday was fun. Mother and daughter scoured the mall and came home with a few new dresses each for upcoming events. Tris gravitated toward dark grey and black. She had gotten comfortable in those colors during her years in a Dauntless uniform. She also preferred the fit-and-flare style of dresses, with a conservative top, short or no sleeves, and knee-length skirt. She preferred to layer cardigans over tops and dresses rather than wear something too warm. Most of the dresses she liked were reminiscent of the 1950's style.

Tris got a black sheath dress and black and grey plaid pumps to wear with an elbow-sleeved grey cardigan and long necklace that she already owned. That would do for the announcement press conference. Natalie got a suit in dark berry red. The color suited her and the holiday season, and it would look good with Tris' outfit. Andrew would wear a grey or black suit, and they would coordinate nicely. Natalie was in great shape for a middle-aged woman, and the suit fit her curves and showed off her shapely legs without being too revealing.

Natalie also bought two classic formal dresses, one black and one hunter green, for upcoming holiday events. Tris got a black dress with a black lace overlay and red embroidered flowers. She could pair that with black flats for holiday events and still be comfortable. She also got a dark grey wrap dress that could be styled a number of different ways for dressed-up events.

.

Tris' gymnastics coach excused her from practice on Friday, and Max excused her from classes, so Tris had the whole day off to prepare for the press conference. She slept in, as usual. She showered after a short run, and Natalie gave her daughter a haircut. The two women got ready together, and Tris even put on a little makeup for the cameras.

The press conference was held at city hall in downtown Chicago. Tris in her black and grey, and Natalie in her berry red suit flanked Andrew as he addressed the media.

"For those of you who don't yet know me," Tris' dad began his speech, "my name is Andrew Prior. I was born, raised, and educated here in the Chicago area. I spent nearly twenty years here working in community and economic development. My wife, Natalie, and I raised our two children, Caleb and Tris, here. Over the years we opened our home to many foster kids from our community, and we have been involved in our church and several wonderful non-profit organizations. I loved serving my community here. And I have loved representing my district in the state House for the past six years. It would be my sincere honor and privilege to represent the people of this great state in the United States Senate. That is why I am officially announcing that I will be running for Senate in next year's election."

Tris and Natalie smiled at Andrew's words. They waited patiently - laughing, smiling, and looking serious at the appropriate moments - while Andrew answered questions from the assembled reporters. When the press conference ended, Andrew put an arm around each of them and they waved as they walked off.

The press conference was followed by a boring dinner with a few of her father's colleagues who had come to support him as he made the campaign announcement. Tris sipped her water and politely answered the same questions over and over:
Was she excited about her father's campaign? Of course, her dad would be a great senator.
How was school going? Very well, thank you. Finals for college were last week, and the high school's next week.
How is gymnastics season going? Factions has a good team this year. That makes it fun.
What is she planning to do after graduation?

On an on the disinterested adults made polite conversation with disinterested Tris, and she gave polite answers in reply.

When no one was talking to Tris, she snuck peeks at her phone under the table. Christina was all worked up about Tris' appearance on TV and kept sending links to different news sites that had covered the press conference. Her social media accounts were blowing up as well. New followers were coming out of the woodwork, and every acquaintance she had suddenly wanted to be Facebook friends.

On the way home, while Natalie was driving Tris was sorting through the chaos on her phone. She declined most of the friend requests, and tightened up her security settings. She sorted through old photos on her pages and deleted things she didn't want to see appear on some news story or another. She determined that some social media platforms were better for public posts, while other platforms were better for personal communication. She knew she had to be more selective about who she let in close, and she trimmed her lists accordingly.

"What are your friends doing tonight?" Natalie asked.

"Basketball and hockey games," Tris replied. "Chris is cheering at Will's game, but I think Uri and Marlene were going to the hockey game."

"Oh!" Natalie exclaimed. "I forgot to tell you. The CEO of the cable company was supposed to speak at the university's graduation on Sunday, but he got sick. They asked Dad to take his place. I think it's a good chance for him to get in front of some young voters. Any chance I can convince you to go along? I can't go because Caleb flies in on Sunday and I have to pick him up."

"I'd like that," Tris said, surprising her mom. "I actually know a couple people graduating."