Chapter 15
I don't own Divergent!
TOBIAS'S POV:
Tris stares at me as if I'm completely foreign to her, her lips parted but not moving.
"Since when!" She asks.
"Since you were an initiate," I chuckle.
"So you decide to tell me you were "Instructor" now?" She says pushing me into the nearest tree.
"Don't be mad it's not like I wanted my little initiates to know who I was," I say putting an arm up against the trunk of the tree, digging my fingers into the soft
bark.
And I didn't. Initiates, people coming to camp, to see me, as their instructor doesn't appeal to me.
"And I'm just stupid that I didn't notice it was you?" She asks.
"No, I was pretty sure I knew you from somewhere but I guess after I did the new batch of initiates this year I wasn't sure," I say.
Besides the bruises at her neck, she looks fine, nothing like the girl I picked up from the Chasm yesterday.
"Well now I just feel awkward," she says glaring at the tree.
Her gaze sets in a little west of me.
"Why do you feel awkward? It's not like we can't be friends," I say.
My bones are vibrating, buzzing with hope, maybe she feels awkward because she likes me.
She scratches her neck as if she's embarrassed.
Yes. Come on just say it.
"Just because..."
"Because?"
"Just because."
I take a step back around the tree.
"Tobias watch ou-"
I take another step backwards and my feet slip under me.
I'm engulfed in slippery liquid, icy cold and distinctly pure.
I hear laughs from above and I emerge from the water gasping.
Tris doubles over laughing and holding her stomach.
"Tris! Come on Tris help me, its cold!" I whine.
Water sloshes into my boots and I grapple around trying to find a handhold.
"Tris!" I say my voice low like a bark.
Her eyes widen and I regret having my tone so sharp.
"Sorry I didn't think you were-"
"I'm fine. It's fine. It's just its goddy freezing!" I exclaim lightly brushing the back of my hand on her arm, letting her notice that I'm not mad.
My nose burns from the sharp intake of water, the cold liquid slipping off my body.
"Well I was warning you Tobias," she says as if she's chiding me.
"I know," I say simply.
"Any spare clothe?" She asks me.
I look down at my body. It's soaking with water the frayed layer of my jeans looking limp. My jacket is dark black although it is actually navy blue.
"Um I think I forgot about that," I say sheepishly.
"Ugh boys," she sighs grabbing my hand dragging me back to camp.
My mouth quirks looking at her tugging me through trees as if I'm a lost child.
Her feet patter on the cold ground and I shake off my hair the little orbs of water flitting off into the atmosphere.
"I changed earlier," she says.
"That has to do with me how-"
"Let me finish, I still have your shirt that you gave me earlier," she finishes.
My neck heats where my flames curl.
Oh, oh that what she meant.
We walk to camp and like a magic fairy visited, the tents are up and there is a small fire started.
"Wow, who did this?" Tris asks still tugging me behind her.
"Zeke actually knows some crap!" Uriah exclaims as if they all assumed Zeke is stupid.
"I'm sure he does," Tris responds rolling her eyes and subsequently laughing.
"What happened to Four?" Marlene asks.
"Yeah man it looks like you were rained on. Where were you anyway?" Zeke says clapping me on the back earning a sopping wet hand.
"Eh the river... Kind of fell," I say my voice low.
Tris next to me smirks.
Christina's eyebrows raise and I feel my neck heat again.
I have a feeling Christina knows I have a thing for her best friend.
Bloody hell.
"I'll get your shirt," she says.
"Ooh Mr. Hot Stuff why does she have your shirt?" Zeke says.
"Because when she got the crap beaten up out of her I lent it to her," I growl.
Zeke's eyes widen and his accusation dies down.
I don't know why I snapped. Maybe this cold is getting to me. Maybe I might have hypothermia.
"Somebody get that sopping thing off Four," Shauna says.
"He's going to get sick," Lynn chimes in, in the most unlike Lynn way.
I feel Zeke pull the sweater off my shoulders. I shiver.
"Four I think you're going to take off your shirt," Uriah says.
I don't think about anyone or anything when I slip off my shirt and throw it into a wet puddle on the grass.
I look up from where I sat down on a log to see a gaping Tris.
My head feels a bit foggy and I'm still cold but I smile when I see her staring.
"Here- here's your shirt..." She says.
I take it whispering a low "thanks" and scoot myself closer to the fire. I don't put on the shirt yet letting my chest dry off.
"You can sit Tris," I say patting the spot on the log besides me.
She blushes but sits down.
"Who wants to roast marshmallows?" Uriah asks throwing a bag of white fluff at Zeke's face.
"Ooh me!" Marlene squeals all girly like.
After a minute, I slip on the shirt Tris gave me.
I lean back placing my hand on the wood, close to Tris.
"So my initiate, what did you think of me during initiation?" I ask.
My face is close to hers although not close enough to kiss her.
Tobias stop it.
"I'm not your initiate anymore!" She voices indignantly elbowing my ribs.
"Prove it."
"Well first, Four I'm Dauntless. I'm not training to be one and second initiation is over!" She exclaims.
"Those two were kind of alike," I say poking her cheek."
"Ugh Four, really," she sighs elbowing me again.
Nobody notices us talking which I am thoroughly grateful for, because I would have unending teasing from Zeke in the future.
"Really."
"Then I don't care," she says.
"I bet you do," I say playfully.
"Does it look like I do?" She says raising her eyebrows.
"Hmmm..." I say acting like I'm thinking. "Yes, it does," I finally say.
She bumps her shoulder with mine.
"Now, now Tris," I say chiding her.
"Tobias Eaton, I don't think you're sane," she says,
"Funny, I didn't think I was either!"
"Well then that makes two of us," she says leaning into my arm.
I freeze.
Night is approaching, and I can feel it in my bones. The thin ache of the wind pushing against the foliage and the whistle of birds and the other avian creatures.
She doesn't seem to think she is doing anything odd, anything out of the ordinary, but I'm rigid, surprised.
She looks up at me quickly trying not to catch my eye but she does and I can see her blush distinctively.
"If you really want to know what I thought of you then here: I thought you were mysterious, informative, and very inspiring," she says ticking off the three adjectives with her fingers.
"How about now? Well now that you know who I am?" I ask.
The shadows of the fire leave eerie shapes floating and sliding off the trees trunks. The amber color slipping into the shadows and melting in with what seems perpetual darkness.
"Now?" She asks her cheeks reddening.
On the other hand, maybe it's from the fire.
"Now that I'm not your instructor," I say nodding.
She bites her lip not making eye contact with me.
She rocks herself back and forth sliding her hands underneath her thighs.
I close my eyes briefly, scared of what she might say.
"Well..."
"You're cool and..." She stops trailing off.
"And?" I press leaning forward a bit.
"Hey I'm gonna go crash in the tent!" Uriah exclaims sauntering off looking dazed.
Will and Christina who lean on each other kiss briefly then nod standing up.
Zeke pulls himself up latching on to Shauna's arm.
Marlene already disappeared.
"I like you," Tris says ending her sentence then dashing off to the tent Christina and her share.
I look at the fire and then back at where Tris ran off to.
Either my head is swimming from how cold I feel or the fact that the girl I like said she likes me.
Now all I have to do is make a goddy move.
[PAGE BREAK]
I extinguish the fire letting the smoke slowly fan out. I sit down on the log making sure that the fire has stopped so that I won't burn down the whole campground.
I lean my head back on the tree behind me letting myself breathe.
My head ache which is my distinct telltale sign that I'm sick.
I play different scenarios in my head about telling Tris I like her. None of them seem correct though, and after a while, I feel myself nodding off slipping off the log.
I wake up with a cold start my arms numb and cold and a pungent smell burning my nose.
I shake my head grimacing from the aches that it brings me.
"Did you sleep out here?" A voice behind me asks.
"Aren't you an early riser?" I say lifting my eyebrows to a fully dressed Tris.
"Maybe. God, what's that smell?" She asks.
"That is what I think is a dying specimen," I reply in a professor-y accent.
"Well sir, let us investigate," she says wrinkling her nose again.
We search the little meadow-ish place that Zeke picked out smelling the pungent smell of rotting animal.
"Hey about yesterday..." I say trailing not knowing how to say what I want to say.
My mind goes off on a tangent of a song that plays in my mind for a second.
"Forget about it Tobias, I get it, you don't like me," she says kicking a few pebbles.
My stomach warms at my name, Tobias.
I stop abruptly from walking and she does when she sees me stop.
"Hey, that's not what I was going to say!" I say indignantly.
"Well let's just say that's a version of what you were going to say," she says in a resigned tone.
"No, actually not at all."
"Really?" She asks her eyes lit with a spark of hope.
"I was going to say that I like you too," I say.
There. Done. I said it.
She steps closer to me, her body about six inches away.
I almost sigh. Just six inches.
"You know I didn't think you'd say that," she says quietly.
"Why not?"
"Well there are a couple reasons... First I'm not pretty, there's plenty of other girls, and well I'm small I guess. It goes with lots of stuff after that," she says like she's ticking off the reasons she doesn't like herself.
"You know what?" I ask.
She looks at me as if I'm supposed to agree and say, "Yeah, well I guess so".
I lean in, I'm closer so we share breaths.
"I think you're quite pretty, I don't want other girls, and from what I've seen and experienced you're quite the killer if you wanted to be."
She bites her bottom lip, chewing; she is thinking.
"Well I like you too Tobias but I guess you already knew that."
"It's not too bad to hear it again," I say softly.
She smiles lightly.
I lean in closer our lips almost touching, so, so close.
"Then Tobias, I like you," she repeats.
I smile.
She leans a centimeter closer. One more and we would be kissing.
"Tobias Eaton! I thought I told you to listen!" A voice erupts from behind me.
The shock registering from Tris's face lets me realize that she was as caught up in the moment as I was.
I spin around seeing my oh-so-delightful father looking like he hadn't cleaned up since the night I knocked him out cold.
Blood is crusted on what is usually a stiff grey uniform suit. His black and white tie is wet with a liquid I wouldn't vouch to be water.
Suddenly I remember what he texted me and I feel stupid for being out here.
Stupid, stupid, stupid Tobias. God forsaken Marcus is roaming and you don't remember!
Tris stays silent slowly gravitating closer to me.
"Tobias don't worry, I'm not here for you."
A/N: I'm not feeling this chapter. Thanks for reviews, follows, favs, and everything! I'm glad people like reading this. I never actually said this but this is my first fan fiction.