Hey guys! I am so sorry for the delay. I appreciate all your feedback! Things are going to slowly start to build from here, I think. I haven't been able to get this chapter out of my head, so I had to write it. Songs are Painkiller by Three Days Grace, Centuries by Fall Out Boy, and Burning It Down by Jason Aldean. I'm not going to post the lyrics. This chapter is rated M for mild sexual content. No, they don't yet. I apologize if this all sounds rushed and jumbled, however I was trying to convey the disjointed effects of the alcohol. Enjoy! Send me your ideas! Be brave, jump first, and stay Dauntless!
Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent or its characters!
Tris
The party is a whirlwind of color and noise around me and I sway unsteadily on my feet, the beer in my cup sloshing out over my hand. Uriah is currently doing a keg stand, quite successfully might I add and I find myself cheering along with the rest of them. The events of last night have moved to rest into the back of my mind the more inebriated I become and despite the stupidity of this whole shindig I am grateful to Uriah for pulling it off. The Dauntless certainly know how to face fear and tragedy head on. That is, if you call stumbling around drunk and dancing facing things and right now I do. Oh, I do. My day plays back in my head brokenly.
After Four caught me last night, I woke up in my bed with Uriah asleep on the floor beside me and Christina curled up on the foot of my bed. The floor had been cleaned and disinfected, leaving no trace of the foul event that had soiled it. The day had flown by with Four and Zeke trailing me at intervals until Uriah informed us all of Zeke's party he was throwing that night and that his band was playing. I was railroaded into coming, but now that I'm here it is nice to forget the craziness that is unfolding.
Christina throws an arm around my shoulders and stumbles into my side squealing unintelligibly over the music and pointing at the stage where the band has begun to gather. We push to the front of the crowd by the stage in time to see Will, and Zeke running out. Will takes his place behind the drums and Zeke takes up one of the guitars previously leaning against an amp haphazardly and wraps the strap around his shoulders. No singer? Who is playing the other guitar? I look to Christina and Uriah in shock as Four takes the stage and picks up the other guitar while walking to the microphone.
Gone is the closed off, harsh man that had broken down the door with a loaded gun and in his place is a carefree, excited teenager. I stare at him entirely too long and my mouth waters as I take in the way his black t-shirt stretches over his abdomen and squeezes his biceps. I sway again and chug the rest of the frothy liquid in my cup and toss it in favor of a bottle that Uriah shoves into my hand. I am vaguely aware that I should probably slow down, but the excitement around me is infectious. It's a living, breathing thing and I can't help but let myself get swallowed up and carried away for once.
"Hello, Dauntless! We've got three covers for you tonight! Are you ready!?" Four pumps his fist in the air and the crowd goes wild, clamoring closer to the stage and pushing Christina, Uriah and I up against the wood to stand directly at his feet.
Without further ado, he immediately launches into a cover of Centuries by Fallout Boy. The crowd jumps and screams and jostles us around but we hold fast to the stage. They move into Painkiller by Three Days Grace and my jaw goes slack. My cheeks heat at the way Four hugs the guitar against his body, his fingers moving rapidly over the neck and frets, sweat dotting his forehead underneath the spotlights. His voice is deep and smooth, overwhelming my senses until I have to hold onto Uriah to remain upright. Maybe it's just the alcohol, but holy shit that man can sing.
The song ends and slows into something more intimate and I recognize the opening chords of Jason Aldean's Burnin' It Down. I look to Christina in surprise, but she is too focused on Will to care. I look back to Four to find his gaze locked on mine and dizziness that has nothing to do with a bottle swallows me. The chorus rolls off his tongue and my entire body heats under his attention. His mouth curls into a devilish smirk as he sings, no doubt fully aware of the effect the lyrics have on me with my conservative upbringing.
We're just hanging around
Burnin' it down
Sippin' on some cold Jack Daniel's
Jammin' to some old Alabama with you baby
Laying right here naked in my bed
I'm just doing my thing
You love it when I sing
Say it makes you feel like an angel
We about to get a little tangled up right about now
So girl let's keep burnin' it down
Burnin' it down
Burnin' it down
I flush crimson as the meaning of the words sinks in. I turn away and move from the stage towards the open bar. I trip into the makeshift bar and raise my hand to the bartender who immediately slides another bottle into my waiting grasp. I am vaguely aware of the band leaving the stage and turn in time for Christina, Will, Zeke, and Uriah to surround me. The boys are all beaming and their eyes are bright with excitement. I laugh along with them and surface from my haze enough to grasp what Uriah is screaming over the crowd.
"Tris! Candor or Dauntless, baby!"
I shake my head and sigh. Random rounds of Candor or Dauntless are great and all, but I have a feeling they get more out of control when everyone is under the influence. Still, the alcohol races through my blood and with it spreads a burst of courage. So it's true what they say; alcohol is liquid courage. Point taken. Maybe we should drink before fear landscapes. The thought makes me giggle and I manage to squeak out "Dauntless" between laughs.
Zeke jumps in before Uriah can respond. "Turn around and make out with the first guy you grab." He smirks as though he knows something I don't and I am momentarily confused before the alcohol takes ahold of me again.
I spin around and stalk towards the first guy I see, my vision doubling and blurring. Without a word I slam my lips up into his, my fists bunching in the shirt stretching over his chest to draw him against me. I feel his surprise and hesitation for a brief second and the rejection stings in the back of my mind before everything slips away. He responds in full, his mouthing moving skillfully over my own and coaxing it open.
I'm vaguely aware of walking backwards and my back slamming into the wall of the pit, but I'm too lost in this moment to care. The party fades into the background as he pulls away and I squeeze my eyes shut tightly, afraid to shatter the mood. I gasp loudly as he presses his body against me, his hands bunching in the fabric covering my thighs and lifting it slightly. His lips brush against mine once, twice, before capturing my mouth in a bruising kiss. My palms flatten against his chest and clutch tightly at his shirt in a desperate attempt to cling to reality. He catches my lower lip between his teeth and I inhale sharply. His tongue skims my lip before lazily stroking my own in a way that leaves me breathless and clenching my thighs together.
I slide my hands up and into his hair and tug gently, reveling in the way he moans in response. He distances himself briefly to nip and suck roughly at my pulse point while his hands slide up my thighs to hook into the elastic of my now soaked panties. For the first time since I the kiss began his gaze locks with mine and I begin to tremble with need, heat shooting straight to my core.
His deep, soulful eyes are hooded with desire and are so dark they appear almost black. The wicked glint swimming in their depths steals my breath and weakens my knees so rapidly I have to lean back into the wall for support. His lips are swollen and parted slightly, his breath coming in short, quick pants. He looks so familiar, but I just can't place him. The haziness in my head has progressively gotten worse and the lack of air and the electricity spiraling through me certainly isn't helping matters at all.
My eyes drop to his waist of their own accord and a quiet moan escapes at the evidence of his arousal straining against the dark denim slung low on his hips. My mouth waters in anticipation and I tip my head back, unable to continue staring. A hand on his shoulder causes him to freeze, a low growl rumbling in his chest in response to the interruption. I shake my head rapidly and force all of my focus on the person behind him.
"Dude, you can't devour her against the wall of the pit. While I'm sure all of Dauntless would love to see you in action, I personally do not want to see the legendary Four naked in the throes of passion." Zeke's voice is filled to the brim with amusement and I gasp loudly. The face of the man I'm wrapped around finally comes into focus and I freeze in shock, numbness and desire fighting for control of my trembling form. Sure enough, Four is staring back at me. His eyes are dark and smoldering in the low light of the pit and I bite my lip in response, inciting a groan from deep in his throat. He leans forward again, his lips brushing against my ear. "If you keep biting your lip like that I'm not going to be able to stop myself." His lips brush against mine and I taste the burn of whiskey on his tongue as he flicks it briefly against my lower lip. He steps away; going off in what I assume is a search for more alcohol and my cheeks burn in embarrassment. Fuck.
Christina and Uriah are slack jawed and Zeke is cackling in delight. The hair on the back of my neck stands up and awareness tingles into my limbs. Someone is watching me. I spin around frantically to find the source of my discomfort but see no one even glancing in our direction. The unease stays with me as I grab Christina's arm and drag her to the bathroom quickly. I fling open the door and shut it quickly, engaging the lock. She hops up clumsily onto the sink and giggles, her face flushed with her intoxication. "Alright, Trissy, spill it!" She slurs her words and I lean my head back against the door. This is going to be a long night. I swear to God, Zeke is so in for it now.
Unknown
My stomach turns in nausea, my beer turning bitter and sour in my mouth. I swallow painfully and slam the bottle against the wall, relishing the noise it makes as it shatters and the shards rain down to the stone floor with a soft tinkling that is indistinguishable above the roar of the party. My eyes are locked on them, on her wrapped in his arms. His hands roam freely over her and I tremble in fury and jealousy. I will break every one of those fingers for touching her so openly. How dare he compromise her, take advantage of my Beatrice! The alcohol flows throw me and I nurse my buzz as best I can, desperately attempting to erase the image of her pressed against him so intimately that is burned into my mind.
I growl and stalk into the crowd to the bar, my gaze locked onto his retreating form. Time to pay up pretty boy. I shove the writhing bodies of the crowd aside and push my way through to stand beside him at the bar. I study him out of the corner of my way and quickly catalog his body language. His eyes are burning and his lips are swollen and parted slightly. His chest is heaving, but slowing, and his pulse is thundering at the base of his throat. He swallows audibly and turns to me and grins drunkenly, no doubt still high off the experience. He snatches up two beers and shoves one into my hand and lifts his own in victory. "Cheers, man! Enjoy the party!"
With that he slips off and away and I lose him soon after in the throngs of people milling about on the dance floor. I clench my teeth and grind them together before downing the contents of the brown bottle he handed me. The warmth spreads and calms me, igniting something entirely different. I lean against the bar and smirk to myself, images of Beatrice filtering through my addled mind. Soon that will be us. Soon, my sweet, you'll be all mine and you will forget you ever even knew his stupid fucking name. I shove my bottle off the bar to floor and hop back as it shatters, mumbling an empty apology before moving towards the door. Soon. I chant it like a mantra in my head and the familiar calm envelopes me. She will be mine, and she will watch as I make him pay for hurting her like that. She'll thank me, worship me as I do her, and we will live happily ever after. Yes, it is only a matter of time, Beatrice, only a matter of time.