Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent
Tris POV
It probably wasn't the smartest idea to skip gym, but I really don't care for the time being. I do, however, go back into the school for eighth period. Creative Writing as a whole was extremely uneventful, and then I have my study hall.
At my old school, I got a lot of high school credits out of the way. If I were to take a full junior year, then I would only have two or three classes senior year. To balance it out, I was given extra study halls, and I am thankful.
I walk into Tori's classroom, and she calls me over. "So I know that you are stuck with these two study halls at the end of the day, so I could do something to make high school a bit less miserable. I will mark you here for this class if you are here for homeroom, and you can just go home if you'd like," Tori says.
I smile, and say, "Thank you."
"No problem," Tori says. She really is a cool teacher, definitely the best I have this year.
And so I leave for the day. I don't have any homework; it's the first day of school.
I don't want to go home, I will be the only one there. My mom will be at work, my dad left my mom a year ago, for reasons unknown. I blame myself for it, me and my problems, but mom tells me that's irrational, that it is her fault. I guess we'll never know.
I go one place where I know I will feel strong: the gym. I'm not one of those girls that go to the gym and run on the treadmill to be next to the weight room and check out guys. I go to the gym to be strong, to feel strong.
I change, and use the elliptical machine for 30 minutes, then go into the weight room for a while, working both my arms and legs. I then move onto the punching bag, where I excel the most. My mom taught me how to punch and kick when I was younger, saying that a girl should always know how to defend herself. I've expanded on the simple moves that she taught me over the years.
I work for a while until I hear a voice behind me, saying, "I haven't seen you here before." I turn around to be met by none other than Four.
"I prefer coming here in the mornings," I say, "My old school started later, so I would always come here beforehand, but I can't do that anymore."
"I've never seen a girl using the punching bags," he says, smirking.
"Well, I'm not like the other girls," I say.
"I've noticed," he says.
"I mean, I don't come to the gym just to say that I work out and stare at guys," I say.
"That's practically unheard of," he says, "Why do you come to the gym, then?"
"To get stronger," I say, without any explanation. There isn't much else I can say without explaining my whole life story, my whole past that I have been working to escape.
"Do you play any sports?" Four asks me.
"No, I don't do well with teams and such. I don't particularly enjoy being around people that I know I have to be nice to," I say.
"That's a shame," Four says. Why does he care?
"Why are you here?" I ask changing the subject, "I know you play sports."
"True, I play football and run track, both because Zeke forced me into it. I am here for the same reason you are, to get stronger. I come here every day afterschool," he says.
"We aren't all that different, you know," Four adds.
I shake my head. We are more different than he would ever know. "You don't even know me," I say.
"But I would like to," he admits. I don't know what he is trying to say, honestly. He can't like me, does he just want to be better friends?
"Best of luck to you," I say. I don't let people in easily; I don't let people in at all.
"I intend to break the walls you have built for yourself," Four says, "I want to know you, Tris."
The comment makes me automatically stiffen. I am not comfortable talking about myself, not now, not ever.
But a part of my mind tells me that it would be nice to have someone you could talk to, someone to be there for you.
"Do you want to go somewhere?" I ask. I don't know why, but I feel like I need to open up to Four, to tell him everything, but for the first time, I want to. I feel like he deserves to know.
He looks shocked at the question, but also happy. "Sure," he says smiling, "I would love to."
"Let's go to the park," I say, "I have some things I want to explain to you."
Four POV
I spend the rest of the day thinking about Tris. I have decided that I need to tell her that I like her, I need to ask her out. The last bell rings, and I go to Tris's locker in search of her.
I see Zeke along the way. "Hey Zeke," I say, "Have you seen Tris?"
Zeke smiles, and says, "Nope, I haven't seen her since lunch. Why are you looking for her?"
I decide to lie, and say, "I just want to make sure that she is okay."
"Sure," Zeke says, and walks off. He probably could tell that I wasn't telling the truth.
I continue to Tris's locker when Christina comes up to me. "Have you seen Tris?" she asks.
"No, I was just looking for her," I say.
"I waited for her outside of Tori's class, and she wasn't there, and she wasn't at her locker," Christina says. Gosh, where could she be? I hope she's alright.
"That's odd, maybe she left already," I say.
"Maybe," Christina says, "Do you think she is mad at me?"
"She wasn't mad at you, Tris was more mad at herself. I don't know why, she wouldn't say," I tell her.
Christina looks relieved at this, and says, "Okay, thanks Four." She leaves, and soon after, so do I.
I always go to the gym right after school, it became a routine for me. Unlike some others, I enjoy the sweaty hardworking atmosphere. Going to the gym helps me get my mind off of things.
I lift for a while, and then head over to the punching bags. That's when I notice blonde hair in the back corner. It automatically intrigues me; I've never seen a girl at the punching bags. Only when I get closer do I realize that it is Tris.
"I haven't seen you here before," I say, getting her attention.
"I prefer coming here in the mornings," she says, "My old school started later, so I would always come here beforehand, but I can't do that anymore."
That makes me smile, I've never met a girl so committed. "I've never seen a girl using the punching bags," I say.
"Well, I'm not like the other girls," Tris says. I know, you are entirely different and so much better.
"I've noticed," I say.
"I mean, I don't come to the gym just to say that I work out and stare at guys," she says. So many other girls do that, it gets annoying. Tris isn't like them, but I decide to tease her.
"That's practically unheard of," I say, "Why do you come to the gym, then?" I'm curious.
"To get stronger," she says, leaving out the explanation. I wonder what her reasoning is, but I don't think she will tell me.
"Do you play any sports?" I ask. Maybe that's the reason?
"No, I don't do well with teams and such. I don't particularly enjoy being around people that I know I have to be nice to," Tris says. I know the feeling, teams can be tricky. But Tris would be great at sports, I can tell by her build and stamina. She would be good at almost any sport if she tried them.
"That's a shame," I say.
"Why are you here?" she asks, "I know you play sports." For a second, I wonder how she knows that, but then the answer is clear: Christina. They were talking about me; I wonder what else Christina told her.
"True, I play football and run track, both because Zeke forced me into it. I am here for the same reason you are, to get stronger," I say, mocking her, "I come here every day afterschool."
"We aren't all that different, you know," I continue, and it's true. We both like to remain mysterious; we both go to the gym. We both have something to hide. Tris and I actually have quite a bit in common.
She shakes her head, and says, "You don't even know me."
"But I would like to," I say. Something about her makes my heart want to beat out of my chest when we're close, something about her draws me to her beautiful eyes and smile. I want to know about her, I her to know about me.
"Best of luck to you," Tris says. She wants to stay mysterious, I get that. But it isn't worth it, it is lonely.
"I intend to break the walls you have built for yourself," I say, "I want to know you, Tris." Hopefully that gets the message across, possibly she will open up.
She stiffens up momentarily, but then relaxes. I wonder what she is thinking, and how she will respond. She catches me off guard when she asks, "Do you want to go somewhere?"
What does this mean? Does she feel the same way about me, is this a date? I don't know, but I don't care what it is; I say, "Sure, I would love to." This is my chance.
"Let's go to the park," she says, "I have some things I want to explain to you." That leaves me even more shocked. Is she opening up to me?