Chapter 13

-4 months later-

Indeed, I wrote "Vodka," the poem later featured.

"Hey, guys," Tris says as she sits on the stool. "Are you havin' a good time? Are your PrioriTs straight?"

The crowd cheered. Shouts erupted and cheers roared inside the arena.

"Okay. So this piece is something I just finished. Literally. Ten minutes before this very show. And since this is my last show of my very first tour, I want to bless you all with this masterpiece—well, what I consider to be a masterpiece. This is the last thing I will perform for my first tour. This is probably the most true and relatable thing I've written. My favorite. Would you like to hear as to why that is?"

Cheers.

Tris smiled. "Alright. So, all of you know my Tobias, right?"

The cheer that trumped all other cheers erupted within the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

"Well," she said as it became silent, "it's been hard—"

"We love Tobias!" somebody shrilled.

Tris grinned, laughing. "Me too. Any how, this poem is dedicated to him. It's been really difficult being away from him this long. I've been on tour for six months, and he's only been able to visit one time. It's been four months since I've seen him, and I… I just miss him so goddamn much that I thought, for some reason, getting drunk might solve this problem. It didn't. And guys, don't make the same mistake I did, because when you wake up, the pain in your chest is ten times worse than what you ever thought it could achieve.

"And so here… here I present… 'Vodka.'"

Tris took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prepared to speak the poem of her life.

"I don't need you

I need vodka

I need my shoes

I need a ride

I need to hide

You played a part

In a crime

that involved my heart

You've crossed the line

So all I really need

is vodka

holding onto me

and marijuana

making me carefree

It's put me in nirvana

and now you can finally see

that I don't need you

in order to be happy

I fall straight do—"

Tris looked around the stadium, then left, right. And to her left, Tobias stood there, smiling, arms crossed. She gasped, dropped her song book, and ran.

He walked a little bit onto the stage, and Tris practically tackled him.

"Tobias!" she yelled. She jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around her love's waist. "Oh my god, I've missed you. I love you. I love you so goddamn much." Her eyes were watery, and she hopped down and grinned.

Tris had forgotten that her microphone was hooked up to her ear and that the audience could probably hear everything she was saying.

She didn't care though. Not one bit.

"I love you too, Tris."

"Okay, okay," Tris said, turning to the audience. She grabbed his hand and walked him out to the middle of the stage, then let go of it. "This is my producer, Tobias Eaton. Also the love of my"—Tris turned back toward Tobias, and then saw him down on one knee—"life," she breathed out.

"Beatrice," he began. A backstage guy handed Tobias a microphone, and he spoke again. "Beatrice Prior. Tris. PrioritT… I love you. More than I should. Probably a dangerous amount. I've got enough love that it could end wars and we'd have world peace."

Tris turned away, terrified she'd sob in front of thousands of people.

She turned back.

"It's been a rough six months in New York without you, but if we can make it through that… Well, then we can make it through anything. I may not be the greatest person in the world, but I will love you like there is no end." Tobias opened the box that contained a ring. "So, don't be a wanker and say no. It's not like we're just shagging. And besides, I'm not rubbish or dodgy or a knobhead. I think you and I together would be absolutely brilliant."

Tris nodded, laughing. "Yeah," she whispered. "Yes."

The audience erupted, and Tris couldn't think straight. He slipped the ring on her finger.

She took the moment and held it tighter than anything before.

"What do you think, guys?" she asked her fans. "You think I made the right choice?"

They were like volcanoes. Constantly erupting.

"All right," she said, laughing. She held Tobias's hand as she sat on the stool. "This is 'Vodka,' and this is for you, Tobias.

"I fall straight down

to the the ground

I can't get up,

but I eventually do,

and I take another huff

and another shot

because it sounds better

than any

of my thoughts

so my ride carries me,

unwillingly,

back to her car,

and it feels kind of far;

probably because i'm drunk

but I still know

I haven't had enough

So all I really need

is vodka

holding onto me

and marijuana

making me carefree

It's put me in nirvana

and now you can finally see

that I don't need you

in order to be happy

So as we ride home

the car pulls over

on the side of the road

and I yell a hello

to my imaginary friend

as I bend

to expel

this night's

hell

So I look away

and I hop back in

because I know I can't stay

since the air is becoming thin

the night is no longer young

but I am

so I must continue on

So I roll down the window

and scream

"My God,

What's become of me?"

It's the only sober thought

I've had all night

but I won't remember anything

because I'm higher

than a kite

So all I really need

is vodka

holding onto me

and marijuana

making me carefree

It's put me in nirvana

and now you can finally see

that I don't need you

in order to be happy

So when I arrive home

I trip over the steps

of the monochrome home

then I noticed something I kept

It was yours,

that t-shirt

and so I throw it on

to release the hurt

since your presence

it always lurks

So I'm not surprised

when I find

that I

Am crying

So I've decided

That what I don't need

is vodka

holding onto me

and marijuana

making me carefree

It hasn't put in nirvana

and now you will finally see

that I need you

In order

To be

Happy."

And then they exploded. Claps thundered throughout the arena, and she grinned a wide grin.

"Thank you, Los Angeles!" Tris screamed. She grabbed Tobias's hand and ran backstage with him.

She took him into the dressing room, then slammed the door behind them. She pressed him against the door, taking charge. Tobias sighed. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his even more.

"Are you sure?" she whispered, slightly pulling back. "I'm kind of crazy."

He laughed at her. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life, Tris Prior."