A/N: ...Right, so this is JerkNone here. I almost forgot my pen name, it's been so long! I could write some long story about an extreme case of writer's block and MAJOR school stress, plus fanfiction's editing has been icky but there's really no excuse for, what, thirty days between updates? Thank you to everyone supporting this story; we are determined to see it out to the end!
To make up for the looong wait, how about a big chapter? It's the best we can do.
This one's a lot more light and fluffy. :)
***Zeke's POV***
I hold the dinky little card in my hand. Good old Four getting married to Tris? A girl I don't know?
"Zeke," Shauna says, "What's that?"
"A card to my friend's wedding," I say.
"Are you his best friend?" Shauna asks me.
"I guess."
"Then you have to host a Bachelor party!" She exclaims happily.
"He didn't host mine," I argue.
"Because your brother Uriah hosted yours pea-brain, but remember. He did go to the Bachelor party and the wedding."
"Okay wifey," I say, "When do you suppose I host this party?"
"Tomorrow," she states blankly.
"Tomorrow? I ask.
"Yes tomorrow, the day after today. Ie: You are going to host Four's Bachelor party tomorrow," Shauna says, "Got it now?"
"I know what tomorrow is Shauna. It sorta just seems late notice," I say.
"And you suppose to have it when? The wedding is Friday, today being Tuesday..."
"We could do it Thursday," I say.
"On the day before the wedding is usually the rehearsal dinner, and you don't want Four to be hung-over the day of the wedding, do you?"
"So I guess the only option is tomorrow, Wednesday night it is," I say.
"Good choice, Captain Obvious," Shauna says, grinning.
"And to you too Sergeant Sarcasm," I say, walking over to her. I slide my hand down her arm.
"Have I ever told you that I love you Officer Zeke?" she asks.
"Only all the time," I say smiling.
Her lips hit mine. "We are married now," she says between kisses, "Laws can't stop us."
**Christina's POV***
"Paintball?" I ask Will. He nods his head enthusiastically, resembling a happy dog.
"Yes, paintball! They have that place at the mall, and we could all go after the Bachelor and Bachelorette parties," he suggests.
I mull this over. Would Tris be up for paintball? I think she would…
"Alright, fine. Isn't Zeke supposed to plan the Bachelor's party?" I ask.
Will grins. "Oh, yeah. He's going to make it great, too!"
I roll my eyes. "Right, I'm going to call him." I pull out my phone and punch in the numbers. It rings a few times before there's an audible click and Zeke answers.
"Hello?" he asks.
"Zeke, it's Christina. How do you feel about paintball?" I ask.
He takes a second before responding. "I like it, but what does it have to do with anything?"
I sigh at his slowness to catch on. "We should meet up after the parties to play a game of it!"
He laughs. "You're so going down! You know that, right?"
"Just schedule it; I've already got to plan Tris's party."
He clears his throat. "I'm on it. Wednesday night, probably around midnight."
"Wednesday?" I ask. "So soon? And wouldn't it technically be Thursday if it was at midnight? I think we should give them more of a heads up."
"Okay, 11:59 on Wednesday! When else would we do it? Thursday during the rehearsal dinner? Just think about it Christina. Wednesday will be the only time," he says.
"Alright, fine." I hang up and smile at Will.
He grins back. "Is it a go?"
"You bet it is!" I say, giggling.
He pulls me up in his arms and says, "I cannot wait until our wedding."
"Me too," I say.
***Zeke's POV***
"Alright, fine," she says, hanging up.
I start thinking. what exactly could I do to entertain Four? And who can I invite for some fun...
I look down at my watch. Ten minutes till show time. Uriah showed up to my house, and we were waiting for the Limo together. When it came into view Uriah hopped up and down. "Yay! I get to ride in a LIMO!" he screams.
We both get in. Next stop, Four's house. We drive for a little bit, then pick him up. We drive for a bit longer and arrive at Edward's house, then Will's, then Peter's. When Peter gets in I see Four get tense. Peter will just add a bit more excitement to tonight. And he may help us win paintball, but first the plan I have for tonight...
We arrive at the cliff, and I pull cases of beer and liquor out of the limo. After everyone has had a few drinks, I pull out the ropes. This will be a night we we will remember forever.
"What's the ropes for big brother?" Uriah asks.
"Bungee jumping!" I exclaim.
I set all the safety precautions up, then ask, "Who want to go first?"
I can hear the crickets. "PANSYCAKES!" Uriah yells.
"Does that mean you want to go first Uriah?" I ask
"Hail yessss," Uriah says.
I hook him up to the harness and he jumps, hundreds of feet down.
***Christina's POV***
Tris, Shauna, Lynn, Marlene, Lauren and I are all in the Priors minivan, heading to the surprise destination. Of course, Tris had immediately warned me that if we were headed anywhere near a bar or male strip club, I would be dead before I could say, "sorry."
Taking that into account, I pulled up to a local area known for it's ziplining. Tris instantly gives me a grin when we pull into the parking lot, and we all pile out. Luckily, no one wore a skirt.
A man inside the small building grabs the harnesses and gives us a quick run-through of the steps needed to zipline. Before we know it, we're at the top of a perch, a long, thin cord running across a large chasm-like drop below us. Shauna shoves her way in front of us all, grabbing onto a harness and strapping herself in.
She steps forward, turns back to look at us, and then springs off the ledge. She howls in pleasure as the cool night air whips at her face. Her hair cascades behind her.
Once she reaches the bottom, she whoops and calls for Marlene to go next. Marlene bounces over and straps herself into a harness, and I notice Lynn grow a bit uneasy. When Marlene jumps, Lynn intakes a sharp breath.
Marlene reaches the bottom; her giggling can be heard from all the way at the top. Tris makes her way to the front, determination on her face. I wish her luck before she plunges, letting the zipline hold her weight as she covers the distance to the next ledge.
Lauren goes next, then Lynn, and then me. When we've all reached the bottom, we decide to go one more time. Lauren goes first, then Tris, Lynn, Marlene, Shauna, and I last again. It's still just as exhilarating as the first time, though as short as my hair is, it finds a way into my mouth. I spit it back out and announce that our next stop is the mall.
"Really?" Lauren asks with disdain in her voice.
"Chris, you know-" Tris starts to say.
I put up a hand to stop her and smirk. "Yes, I know you don't really care for shopping. That's not what we're doing there. I have a big surprise for you!"
Lynn rolls her eyes and sighs. "Can we just get going? The sooner we get there, the sooner we get out."
Marlene nudges her shoulder. "Come on, Lynn. Don't you like the mall?"
Lynn looks as though she's had acid poured down her throat. "No. I don't like shopping and I don't like people."
Lauren laughs. "I have to agree with you on that."
Shauna looks at me. "I like shopping. Do you?"
I nod my head. "Yes, but we're not going shopping. Everyone just get in the car."
My snap causes them to hustle towards the minivan, but I thank the man before we leave. We head in the direction of the mall, and I let Shauna drive so I can discreetly text Will and ask if the guys are there yet.
Yep, just got here. Poor 4 looks pretty lost.
I fight back a laugh. Only Will, Uriah, and Zeke know why they're there. I text back:
I bet. The girls aren't that happy, either.
I look back up and see that we have arrived. We pile out once again and head up to the doors, getting strange looks from the workers leaving. The mall closes at around nine thirty, but we made special arrangements.
"So we're at the mall after it's closed because…" Tris says.
I smile at her and keep my mouth shut. We turn a corner near the food court to come face-to-face with the guys. I'm surprised when I see Peter in the group, as well. We weren't sure if we were inviting him, and Lauren only came because both Tris and Four know her. I give Will a look and he nods towards Zeke. Of course, leave it Zeke to make things awkward. At least Al, Tris's cousin didn't come.
"Tris?" Four asks. Tris looks at him.
"What's going on?" she asks warily.
Uriah jumps in between the groups. "Everyone's playing paintball! We already have teams made, so let's get to it!"
***Tris's POV***
It's girls versus boys, apparently, meaning that Tobias can't be on my team. The man who owns the paintball place, David, gives us our guns and let's us go to the course. The lights are turned off and we all start in different spots. I swear I can see someone just before we start.
The game begins.
I decide that staying back will get me "killed" and instead head straight for the nearest wall to use as a guide around this maze. I remember reading once that if you keep your left arm on one wall of a maze, you'll eventually get out.
With my left hand on the wall and my right on the gun, I hurry off. I hear a group of footsteps behind me, so I move faster, only to run into someone. The grunt is distinctly female, so I say, "It's Tris," to avoid being shot.
Christina replies. "Thank goodness! I thought you were Peter. I heard him talking to Edward behind me."
The footsteps are even closer behind us now, and I shove Christina to get her moving again. She scurries off in a different direction, whereas I stay on the same path as before. I hear the click of a paintball and freeze, thinking someone spotted me.
Peter stands over Lauren, who has narrowly avoided being hit. I can see Will sneaking up behind her, preparing to strike…
Lauren shoots Peter and bolts with just barely enough time to evade Will. I breathe a silent sigh of relief when she escapes. Will, though, must have been aware of my presence the entire time, as he is now approaching me.
Without thinking I shoot him. He looks startled, and I run before anyone else can come after me. I can hear female talking ahead and stay on the same path as before. I arrive just in time to see Edward shoot Lynn, and then Marlene shoot Edward.
Marlene's gun is pointed at me, but lowers when she realizes who it is. She gives me a quick nod before running off, presumably to find Shauna. I find a nice little alcove where I can sit with my knees against my chest and head rested in my hands, gun pointing out at anyone who passes by. No one can see me hear, making it the perfect spot.
I assume that Zeke and Uriah are together, meaning that there are only two groups of guys left. Including me, there are still five girls left, making eight people left in the game total. After being shot, the rules say you're supposed to go to the front of the maze, no helping or speaking to anyone. I'm sure that everyone will follow the rules, but have some doubts about Peter.
It's been beyond awkward seeing him here. But, Lauren's nice and I enjoy her company, so I figure I can stand Peter. She obviously sees something in him, though she'll deny it to no-end. She claims that she only married him because she needed a job, but I don't think that's true.
Lost in thought, I don't even notice Zeke and Uriah approaching nearby. They're trying to stealthily approach Shauna, who is hidden away in a corner similar to mine. I didn't even notice that she was there at first, so she must have seen me go into hiding as well. We both know that if she gets Zeke and I get Uriah, we can make it.
I give her a small head nod, and though it's dark, I can tell she understands what I mean. I hold up three fingers and exaggeratedly count off with them so she can see. One, two three…
We shoot simultaneously, both of us hitting our targets. I smirk a little as Uriah flails around dramatically and looks for his assassin. He collapses to the ground and then gets up, brushes himself off, and heads with Zeke out to the front like a good-sport.
One boy left: Tobias. In the distance I can hear Uriah muttering about how his stomach hurts now that I've hit him with a paintball, but nothing else. I can't hear any of the girls or Tobias.
Then, just like that, the sound of another paintball hitting flesh can be heard. I see Lauren walk by, a large paint stain on her shirt. Well, great, Tobias happens to be a great sniper.
Within the next minute or so, I see Christina walk by, as well. She gives Shauna a look but doesn't notice me, shaking her head in defeat. I'm actually becoming a bit nervous; Tobias is really good at this. Does he know he's the only boy left? To my knowledge, Marlene is still looking for Shauna, meaning there's three girls left, four in the game total.
I smile when I think of the number four.
I shake my head to get focused again. Soon enough, I hear another paintball hit it's target. We won't know for about a minute if it was Tobias or Marlene. If it was Tobias, we would be declared the winners and allowed to come out. If not, we wouldn't have any alert.
Soon enough, Tobias's distinct footsteps can be heard nearing us. Did we win, or is he just coming to finish us off? When he finally walks by, he has no paint stain on him, although it's hard to tell in his dark clothes.
Shauna creeps up behind him, though I try and will her not to. Tobias spins on his heel and shoots her right in the shoulder. She rubs it and gives him a dirty look, smearing some of the paint she got on her hand onto him. He chuckles at her and watches her leave.
When his head turns, his eyes lock with mine. I feel something deep in my stomach, almost like a tingle, flare up. Despite the situation, I have the sudden urge to just run up and kiss him. I don't move, though, and instead stay paralyzed.
He walks towards me slowly, then sets down his gun on the ground out of both of our reaches. His hand moves up to stroke my jaw, and his other grabs my gun from me gently. He tosses my gun beside his and I wrap my arms around his neck.
He kneels between my legs and brings his lips closer to mine, obviously having feelings similar to my own. We kiss and feel the instant spark of the connection. His hands run through my hair, down my neck. Mine stay locked around his neck like a vice, bringing him closer to me. He wraps an arm around the small of my back and lifts me up, pinning me against the wall.
We move forward as one, and then I feel something hit my side with much force. Then another something hits my back. Tobias notices the contact and my wince and immediately pulls me back, only to get hit in the arm.
"Ouch! What the hell?" he asks indignantly.
David steps forward, holding one of our paintball guns. He clicks a button and lights go on. Tobias releases me.
"Sorry, but I figured neither of you were going to shoot each other and end the game," he says with a shrug.
I roll my eyes to hide the blush forming on my cheeks. He saw Tobias and I kissing?
David huffs and leaves us alone. That's when it hits me. After our final rehearsal dinner tomorrow, we will be married.
We walk hand-in-hand out to the group, where pairs have already been established. Uriah has an arm wrapped around Marlene's shoulder, Zeke's around Shauna, Peter has his hand on the small of Lauren's back, and Will is practically hugging Christina. Edward and Lynn are trying not to look awkward as they stand there. If I remember correctly, Edward is married to a girl named Myra. Lynn, I'm not sure about.
The picture in front of me is a happy one.
"So, Lauren, did you get a job yet?" Tobias asks her.
She widens her eyes. "The testing was brutal, but yes. Peter and I are both police officers with Zeke."
"And I'll be joining them soon!" Uriah pipes in.
"Super," Lauren mutters, making us all laugh.
Tobias squeezes my hand, and I once again realize that this is it. Our last night of freedom. Our last night of being only engaged, and not married. But as I look to Shauna and Zeke and Peter and Lauren, I can't help feel like this is just the ending to one chapter, and a beginning to another. Marriage won't be the end for us, but a new road.
A/N: Lots and lots of Divergent references in this one! And a title reference, yay! The end is near; we are planning on about five more chapters, maybe six. We'll try to add in some action and fluff.
Question of the Chapter: What Divergent death bothered you the most? We won't give our answers and spoil anything!