I'm starting to doze off with my phone in my hand. I set it down on the night stand and look my eyes are drawn to the picture of Mom and Dad. They would be happy to know that Caleb and I are making an effort to see each other over Thanksgiving. The only thing that would make it perfect would be if they were there too. I think about my dream from last night again. I almost wish I could have it again, just to see their faces so vividly. It almost makes the horrible ending worth it. Almost.

As darkness comes over the city, I take a look at my watch. 7:30. Al is going to be here around 9 to take me to dinner. I told him we were going as just friends, but I'm not quite sure he got the message. He seemed pretty insistent that it was our 'first date'. Either way, I'm excited to hang out with new people. I love my friends, but I think I need the escape just as much as Al does.

I decide that I better start getting ready. I walk out to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Christina is making a late dinner, some kind of chicken dish with peppers and asparagus. Normally, Christina is jumping all over the idea of helping me get ready for something like this, but she hasn't been too talkative today.

"Ugh, I have no idea what I want to wear tonight. And that obviously means I'm not going to know how to do my makeup." A smile creeps across my face and I wait to see if she takes the bait. I feel like this is something for the record books. Tris Prior is blatantly asking for help with makeup.

She doesn't turn from her work. "That does sound like a pretty big problem. I thought you'd be a little more excited for your 'date'." I can hear the sarcasm dripping through her words.

"Yeah well, you know how hopeless I am!" I feel like I'm dangling a carrot in front of a horse.

"Maybe you don't really want to go on this date as much as you thought. Or maybe it's not an issue of wanting to go, maybe it's an issue of who with." She says, still not turning to face me.

"Way to be subtle, Christina. Why do you even care that much?" As much as I love Christina, sometimes I don't understand her.

"I just don't like it when people lie, even to themselves. You're my best friend, Tris. I know it seems insignificant now." She still hasn't looked up at me. My face feels hot and I'm sure I've taken on a new shade of red. She is right in one aspect, it is insignificant.

"Christina, you haven't even met Four." I can hear my voice rising in volume. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand what this is about. "For all you know, he could be the worst person on this planet." She finally turns her head and thinks carefully about her next words, her eyebrows turning downward in a hard scowl.

"I know he's not. Not with the way you talk about him." And with that the conversation is over. Christina finishes making her plate and takes the food to her room. I can tell that I've really struck a chord with her. She's such a neat person and never takes food into her room, so she must really want to get away.

I groan to myself before snatching my cup of tea and going into my bathroom. Is Christina right? I've known the entire time that this date means something different than I make it out to be, but it's too late to back out now. Al will be here in the next hour and to cancel would just be cruel. I start doing my makeup, covering each section of uneven skin tone, any blemish on my face. I don't have many. I was blessed with my mother's clear skin. She told me I was lucky and growing up, every one of my friends was jealous. I didn't have to worry about the 'awkward zit' stage. It was the only time I felt like I was ahead of the game in the visuals department. After I put on my foundation, I take a sip of warm tea. It would be so nice to just curl up on the couch and watch a movie.

I finish getting ready in the bathroom, grab my cup of tea, and head into my bedroom. I decide to just wear my hair in a neat pony tail. If I wear it down, it will just be messed up by the end of the night anyway. Why put the effort in to just have it ruined in the long run? I go back to my room and once again I'm immediately drawn to my parents' faces in the picture on my night stand. For the first time, I see judgement in their faces. I march over to the other end of the room and slam the picture down on its front. Why can't anyone just leave me alone today? I look in my closet and I'm met with yet another reminder of the bartender I just can't get out of my mind.

In one quick movement, I rip the jacket off the hanger and throw it across my room. It lands on my bed in a lazy, crumpled manner. Angrily, I sift through my closet trying to find a good outfit for tonight. I don't know exactly where we're going, which makes it hard to decide on clothes. I eventually settle for a dress the falls just above the knee. It has blue and orange geometric patterns covering it with a diamond cut out of the back. It's just casual enough that Al doesn't get the wrong idea, but not so casual that I look sloppy. I cover my shoulders with a denim jacket and put on my favorite pair of boots.

I check the clock again. 8:45. He should be here any minute. I hear the front door slam and figure Christina probably went to go hang out with Will somewhere. A few minutes later, I hear the buzzer ring for the front door. I grab my purse and head out the front door. When I get downstairs, Al is waiting for me as expected. We exchange an awkward hello and he tries to give me a hug, which I not-so-skillfully turn into a handshake.

"You look nice tonight Tris." He says. I can tell by his tone that he is nervous, making me think he already has the wrong idea of why I asked him out.

"Thank you, you do too." It's not a lie. I can tell that he definitely tried to dress up for tonight, which I appreciate. He is wearing a clean pair of jeans and a blue button down shirt, with the top button undone. This makes me feel a little better about his intentions. He looks just as casual as I do. We walk in silence for a little while towards our destination.

"So," I start. "Where are we going tonight?" I hope he has some kind of plan.

"It's just a little pub a few blocks away. I'm sorry it's not anything super fancy. I honestly wasn't expecting you to call—"

"No! It's perfect!" I assure him, and it really is. I'm hoping tonight will get my mind off of Dauntless and Four for just a little while. It will be nice to talk about nothing with someone who doesn't really know me all too well.

"Okay, great." He says with a smile. We walk a few more blocks before finally coming across the pub. He was right in saying it's a smaller place with a friendly warm feel, not like Dauntless at all. There are TV's across the walls playing a soccer game with two teams I've never heard of. I can't tell the staff apart from the customers, clearly there is no dress code here. As we walk up to a table, a Golden Retriever runs up to Al, full of excitement. He bends over to pet him.

"Hey River! How are you girl?" I can't help but laugh, but I think the idea is cute. Granted, I can't imagine ever having a dog at Dauntless, the poor thing wouldn't know what to do.

"Sorry about that." He says to me after River trots away to meet a new guest that has just walked in.

"No, don't be sorry. I think it's cute! I wish we had a dog at Dauntless." I tell him. Our server comes by and we order some drinks. Al gets an Irish beer that is unfamiliar to me and I stick with water.

The night goes surprisingly well. I tell him stories about work and he either thinks they're hilarious, or he's a good actor. I tell him stories about people that are mad when they find out their beer doesn't have free refills and about kids who are upset that they can't come into the bar at night. He tells me a few stories about his job. He works for a steel company in Detroit. It doesn't surprise me all that much, he looks like he could lift a two hundred pounds over his head if he needed to. But at the same time, I don't think that makes him particularly strong. Many of his movements are awkward and carless. He almost spills his beer on himself a couple of times. He has brute strength, but he isn't powerful, not like Four.

I shake my head at the thought. I agreed to this date to get Four out of my head, not to compare him to Al.

"How long are you visiting your family?" I ask him. His expression softens a little bit.

"It's hard to say." He explains. "My mother has been pretty sick. Lung cancer. Right now, it's just kind of a waiting game, but unfortunately, I think it will be in the next couple of days." My first instinct is to reach out and grab his hand, or pull him in a hug. If there is anything in the world I understand better than most people, it's situations like this. Sometimes, you just need to feel comforted.

"I'm so sorry…" my words trail off. He said he needed an escape, and now I can see how true those words are.

"Well, I kept telling her that the only thing that should smoke as much as she does is a chimney!" He tries to joke. I like to believe that having the mental preparation for what he's going through would make things easier. I didn't have the same luxury, but I know it's harder than he lets on.

The more we talk, the more I realize that being around Al is kind of nice, but probably not in the way he is hoping. I can talk to him like I talk to Caleb or how I was with Will the other day. After a while, I'm starting to feel tired and our conversation dies down.

"Tris, thanks for coming out with me. I didn't realize how much I needed it." I smile back at him in response. We leave the pub and head back towards my apartment. Just like a few nights ago, the temperature had dropped pretty far while we were eating. I really need to start bringing a thicker jacket places, it is November in Chicago after all. Beside me, I feel Al shifting closer and closer. I'm not entirely sure if he just wants to make sure I'm warm, or if he thinks this is going anywhere else. I check my watch to see that it's almost 11:30. At least the excuse that I'm tired will prevent the awkward moment of 'do I invite you up to my apartment or not.'

"I'd really like to do this again sometime if you're interested. I'll probably head back to Detroit sometime next week." As he says this, he tries to wrap his arm around my shoulders. I fake a cough and he retracts his arm.

"We could try. I work a lot in the next week so it kind of depends on my schedule, but you're more than welcome to come visit me at work again." As much as I like talking with Al, it would be much easier for him to just come to work. That way, I can always excuse myself from the conversation if need be. I wonder if Four would be bothered if he saw Al there again, talking with me as much as he did the first night? For the second time tonight, I find myself trying to shake the thought of Four out of my head.

"Yeah, sure. I can do that." I can sense the disappointment in his tone. Eventually, my apartment building is in sight, and I can feel my body aching for the warmth of my own bed. However, something on the stoop of my building catches my eye. It looks like the crumpled form of a person and even from here, I can see the half empty bottle of liquor propped up against his body. His jacket is torn at the shoulder of the right arm and it is covered in dirt. He likely stumbled a good distance before finally ending up at the door of my building.

"Oh wow, that's an attractive sight." Al mumbles to me. He puts his arm around me again, but not in the same manner as before. This time, it is to usher me to his other side and away from whoever is sitting on the ground. I don't shy away from his touch this time. As we get closer, I can already see a purple ring forming around the man's eye.

"You know, I can walk you up to your door if you want." Al suggests softly. If I had been remotely interested in his proposal, I might have missed the man on the ground opening his good eye. There is something about him that sends alarms off in my head. We get even closer before I figure out what is so unsettling about the man at my door. I'm shouting and running to him before I'm really even sure what's going on.

"Holy shit, Four. Are you okay?"

A.N. Aaaaaaand the plot thickens….It's not a super long chapter, but important none the less. Thank you all again for reading. Give me feedback as usual! I seriously love reading all of your thoughts Happy Friday! -dauntlessbybirth