Author's Note

Someday, I want to be able to sit in one of those fancy desk chairs and turn around when someone walks into my office, and say, "I've been expecting you." I want to be able to say it seriously, too, and not crack up laughing before I finish the sentence. I think it'd be fun.

Anyway, again: I am open to story suggestion both to read and write, if anyone has one! I would, of course, mention that the theme was your idea!

I wanted to make the announcement that there will probably be about five chapters left, one of which being an Epilogue, and I might do a Sequel, because I would like that!

This chapter is the dance! I hope everyone finds it interesting and enjoyable!

Enjoy!

Wearing His Jersey

Chapter Thirty~One

Tris's Point Of View

He pulled my door open and I took his hand, stepping out of the car.

"I knew you'd live up to the gentlemanly expectations we set back at the house; keep it up!" I ordered with a laugh. He smiled and nodded.

It was quiet for a second.

"I don't know why I'm nervous for this. It's a dance. It won't jump out and bite me or something."

"I don't know why you're nervous, either," Four responded. We stood outside the car together, looking up at the school. He reached his hand over and took hold of mine, giving it a light squeeze.

"Okay," I said.

"Okay," he repeated. I smiled.

"Let's go.'

We started toward the entrance, where I could hear the music from inside blasting through the doors. We stepped in and continued down the hall toward the cafeteria, where the first thing I noticed when we walked in was the Christmas tree by the entrance, still full of children's holiday wishes. I frowned. I knew the tree was being taken down soon due to the date coming closer to late December. It was already December Fourteenth.

Four nudged me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "But . . . What do they do with all these names if no one picks them? I feel like someone might've told me already, but I can't remember."

"The woman in the front office told me, too. I can't remember, either, though," he said, a frown making up his features. "I think they might have the teachers and everyone take them, or just not do anything with them. It's upsetting. These kids aren't asking for much; it's the holidays, and while there are people who get dozens of gifts and still want more, each of those kids wants one thing to make up their holiday." I nodded, biting my lip.

Just then, I heard a familiar shriek from behind me,, and a moment later, the girls were all around us. Marlene hugged me, then Shauna, Christina, and Lynn. The boys said hello, too, and I pulled them in for hugs.

"You guys look amazing!" I exclaimed to the girls.

"You do, too!" Christina said. Lynn nodded along, and Marlene and Shauna complimented my dress.

"Hey, do you guys want to go grab a drink?" Will asked. Everyone nodded, and we headed over to a table in the middle of the dance floor, containing a variety of different drinks. After Zeke announced to be careful with any drinks that were not sealed individually due to the possibility of a spiked drink, I picked up a sealed water bottle and waited while the others put together small snack plates and grabbed waters.

We headed to an empty table, sat down, and began eating. I stole a potato chip from Four's plate and popped it in my mouth before he could react. He playfully narrowed his eyes at me, and I grinned innocently. He slowly shook his head, bringing another potato chip up to his mouth, but at the last second, he turned his hand and threw it at me. I picked it up, glared at him, crushed it into a couple smaller pieces, and dumped them in his hair. His mouth fell open and I laughed, before he stood up and bent over, trying to shake the chip bits from his short brown hair. I couldn't stop laughing.

"What's so funny over there, you two?" Christina asked, shaking her head in their pause from conversation.

"Nothing!" I replied.

"This little monster crushed chips into my hair," Four helpfully replied. I shook my head at him.

"I am not a 'little monster.'" He glanced up at me from his bent position before grinning and bending back down, running his hands through his hair.

When he seemed convinced enough that there were no longer little pieces of potato chip in his hair, he asked, "Do you want to go dance, Tris?"

"Sure!" I grinned. He smiled at me and stood up, holding his right hand out to me; I took it and he pulled me to my feet, leading us toward the busy dance floor, where there were couples and groups of friends dancing wildly around each other. We stood across from each other toward the edge of the groups of people. It was loud enough where we were; I doubted we'd be able to hear each other talk or the music if we moved any further into the crowd.

"You know," I said, wanting to tell Four something that had been on my mind for a while.

"Yes?" He prodded.

"Well, after you gave up your spot on the football team for me, I hadn't been so sure about whether or not you thought of me as a friend anymore or not. I'd thought that maybe I had messed up our friendship after you gave me your place. I know you'd given it out of choice, but I thought you would regret it. You could have been on the football team this whole season, and now there's only one game left, and I really want you to go. Before, I didn't know if you giving up your place had made us closer or pushed us farther apart, but now . . ." I laughed. "I'm glad it happened. I feel like we wouldn't have been able to reach where we are now ~ laughing and talking together, dancing, dating, all that ~ without it, so I just wanted to say thank you. You couldn't have known at the time that generously giving up your place on the team would lead to this relationship, which isn't even just a relationship; I feel weird using such a simple word to define it. It's also a friendship, and a partnership, and a million other things that I can't think to put into words. So, thank you, Four."

I didn't realize until I was finished talking that we'd both stopped dancing, the crowd around us continuing their movement and loud laughing and talking, but we were standing still, my hands finding Four's.

"Don't call me that."

"What?" I asked, surprised by his response.

"Only the people I really care about know my real name, and it's definitely something I want to share with you, Tris."

I nodded, and he continued.

"My real name is Tobias. I've been going by Four since I was little, always managing to be number four on the football field."

"You would have been number four this year, too," I commented. He chuckled.

"Yeah, but like you said: look at the outcome of what we did, Tris. I am so glad I wasn't number four this year. You are, and that means a lot to me," he smiled, then pulled me toward him, his arms wrapping around my back and mine around his neck.

I could see emotions flickering through Tobias's eyes, each one quickly being replaced by another. I could tell he was thinking over what I was about to do, wondering if it would be okay.

I leaned in, stretching up to reach, and pressed my lips gently to his. I could practically taste the emotion explosion.