356 days before
I wake up to the sound of a phone vibrating, and with Tobias's arm wrapped around me. He's still fast asleep. Bzzzz bzzzz…Bzzz bzzz. Who's phone is that? I turn my head and look around. I didn't pay much attention to Tobias's room last night. I see my phone on the floor. How it got there I will never be able to answer.
Bzzz…bzzzzz…Christina's trying to call me. She's probably at my apartment wondering why I'm not answering the door, and probably thinks I died or something. I sigh and answer her call.
"What?" I say so quietly that I can barely hear myself. I just don't want to wake Tobias up.
"Why are you talking so quietly and where are you at!?" Christina. I'm going to strangle her.
"Look," I begin. "The storm was really bad last night and I slept with Four…I mean-!" Horrible choice of words. You're an idiot, Tris.
Tobias stirs a little next to me. I give up being quiet for him since it looks like he's about to wake up anyway. "A storm is not an excuse to sleep with someone, Beatrice. I should tell your brother," Christina chuckles on the other end.
"First off, we just slept. Not like you think at all. Second off, screw you, Christina," I am beginning to get annoyed with her.
Christina laughs loud and obnoxiously. "Okay, I'll let you two keep doing what you're doing. See ya later!" She hangs up before I have the chance to reach through my phone and strangle her. I lay back down.
I look over at Tobias. He looks so peaceful while asleep. I poke him in the ribs. "Hey…" he mumbles. He opens his eyes and looks at me. "Why'd you do that?" I poke him again. He frowns at me.
"Not a morning person, I assume?" I smile at him and he returns the smile.
"I heard your conversation with Christina," he smirks. "So, you have her thinking that we did that."
I feel my face get hot. "I can't stand her sometimes," I mumble.
"I understand, Zeke can be the same way. Besides, you didn't tell her about the kiss," he looks away, towards the ceiling.
I feel my face get hot again. "Yeah…that…"
"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. But then again, you were the one to suggest we share a bed," he looks back into my eyes, and oddly enough, I feel like pulling him in for another kiss. No don't think like that, Tris. You've known each other for a week.
I honestly can't say that I'm in love with him, but he makes me feel like I'm someone special, someone worth wasting your time with. None of my other friends make me feel like that…maybe it is love?
"Don't apologize, because I didn't pull away either. Honestly, I kinda enjoyed it," I smirk at him.
He's smirking again. "Then you wouldn't mind if I did this?" Before I can say anything, his lips are on mine and my hands go up to his mess of hair. We don't kiss as long as we did last night, but this time he's the first one to pull away. "Wow, I'm sorry again," he blushes.
"Stop apologizing," I say to him, staring directly into his eyes. "It's okay, really." He smiles and rolls out of bed.
"Shall I make us pancakes?" He suggests.
"You shall."
…
I sit on the bar stool, watching him. "Plain, blueberry, or chocolate chip? Or all three?" he asks. He turns around and looks at me. "What?"
"What?"
"Tris, why are you staring at me like that?"
"Staring at you like what?"
"Your eyes are really distracting…" Tobias blushes.
I smirk. "Then don't look into them."
"But isn't that where your demons hide?"
"You shouldn't get too close, it's dark inside."
"Okay so that is where your demons hide."
"It's where my demons hide," I smile the biggest smile I've smiled in a while. He chuckles and turns back around.
…
After our breakfast of pancakes, we ventured outside to find a clear sky and a mild temperature. "I don't wanna see a cloud at all after the rain we had yesterday," I frown. The water isn't deep—it's not even an inch—so we go to my car.
"To your apartment?" he asks.
"To my apartment. Do you even know where it's at?"
"…no."
"Okay, I shall give you directions."
"Okay."
The rain definitely didn't stop the Chicago traffic, so I just sigh and look out the window. I think about the events of last night. I think about the events of this past week. Meeting Tobias, finding out that my mother has cancer, kissing Tobias. Weeks like these make me dread death even more. I don't want to lose my family, my friends. I don't want to leave these memories behind.
We get to my apartment and Christina is standing in front of my door, her arms crossed in front of her. I want to smack that smirk off of her face.
"Took you two lovebirds long enough to get here."
I roll my eyes at her. "Why are you here, Chris?"
"Because, I can be." Tobias and I exchange a look and both silently agree that our friend is insane.
I turn to Tobias. "See you around?"
"Yeah, call me," he smiles and gives me a hug. He flashes one last smile at me and walks down the hallway. Christina stares at me.
"You two totally did more than sleep," she says.
I roll my eyes at her and unlock my door. "It was just a hug. You act like you haven't hugged a dude before."
"It's more than that!" She follows me inside. "The way you two looked at each other after the hug! If that isn't love then I don't know what is."
I sigh. "I'm not looking for a boyfrient right now, Chris," I say as I pick up dirty paintbrushes from my floor. There are paint stains all over my walls and floor, and I have to try my best to keep them covered. I guess I should be neater when I paint…
"But you two are so perfect for each other!" I glare at her. "Yeah okay whatever I'm just the cliché friend who tries to hook you up with someone, right?"
"Wrong. Chris, you're my best friend and you're totally not one-dimensional," I say as I throw the paintbrushes in the kitchen sink. "So let's not talk about relationships for the day, okay?"
The biggest smile creeps onto her face. "You know exactly what I'm thinking, Bea…"
"Yeah okay let's go shopping, but first let me get cleaned up." She squeals and wraps me into her arms and starts jumping up and down.
…
Christina and I are opposites of each other. She likes pop, I like alternative. She likes to shop, I absolutely hate it. But it's a bit more enjoyable when I'm with my best friend. I've known Christina for as long as I can remember.
When we were kids, Chris and I would spend the night at her house. She had a dog that we would dress up, and I remember we used to tease her little sister. I remember one time when we were about six or seven and Christina turned to me and said, "you're not leaving me, Bea, promise you'll never leave me." I don't want to leave you, Christina.
"Did you just hear what I said, Beatrice?" she snaps her fingers in front of me.
"Call me that again and we will have problems," I move her hand away from my face. "Both hands on the steering wheel, Chris."
"Sorry, you just got super deep in thought—again—and I was trying to tell you something. You're not a great listener," she sighs. "But hey, you've always been that way. Getting lost in your thoughts."
"What were you telling me?" I ask her, genuinely interested.
"I asked you if you wanted to go shopping at the pier," she glances at me. "We haven't been in a while, you know."
"Your dad used to take us here all the time," I smile at the memory. Christina's father died not long after we graduated from high school. Someone broke into their house and stabbed him to death, and I was just as hurt as she was.
She sighs. "I miss him. Death freakin' sucks." She turns right, into the pier, and then into a parking garage. Once she parks, we get out of her car.
"What store do you wanna hit up, first?" she asks, extending her arm out for me to take her hand. I walk past her and smirk. She glares at me.
"What?" I ask.
"Nothing."
…
Each hand holds at least five shopping bags. At least five of Christina's shopping bags. I don't complain though, because even though I didn't buy anything for myself, I still had fun. Christina and I don't get to hang out with each other as much as we used to.
"I had fun, Tris," she says, unlocking the car.
"I am in control of the music this time," I say as I throw her bags into the backseat and hop into the front.
"I'd argue with you, but you have a decent taste in music, my friend."
"My taste of music is your face."
"You're the tear in Four's heart."
I elbow her in the side and roll my eyes. "There is absolutely nothing between us."
She smirks. "You say that now but we both know you don't mean it."
"Whatever," I say as Stressed Out begins to play.
Wish we could turn back time
To the good ol' days
When our mom would sing us to sleep
But now we're stressed out
Sometimes I wish I was a kid again. I was fearless, and I didn't care what would happen in the future. I just focused on the moment. I wish I was still like that Tris.
To my 43 followers on this story: THANK YOU! These next few chapters will focus more on Tris' relationships with her friends. I don't think I'll have her and Tobias talk to each other for about two chapters. Reviews are always appreciated. As are favs anf follows.