Learning To Let Them In

by aubreylovesthegames

Tris is broken. She is alive, but she isn't living. One day took everyone from her. She and her guardian, Tori, decide to move to Chicago for a fresh start. Tris pushes away everyone she meets, not wanting any 'friends', but that becomes a little difficult when the boy next door, Four, slowly starts to break her walls down, piece by piece. What will happen? Will Tris let them in?

24. Chapter 24

Guys...it's just now sinking in that I've been writing for over a year now. Like...WOW. It hasn't felt like that long! Want me to tell you something? I originally planned for this story to be 25-30 chapters long. Want to know something else? It's definitely going to go on longer than that. I'm having so much fun writing LTLTI that even when I reach the epilogue, I don't think I'll be able to let it go yet.:( You guys have supported and motivated me so much it's unbelievable! Even on the worst days, I remember that I have a whole group of people who enjoy my writing and will support me no matter what. I came home from volleyball practice and found 14 new reviews...IN LESS THAN A DAY! THANK YOU!

And...just a warning. It's a pretty long chapter ahead of you. I wanted to type more than usual so I can get to Haviland!:)

Now I've blabbered long enough. Onwards!

Disclaimer: Nxji bcjskakis ckosk. Dkoaodnnc. (Translation: I don't own Divergent.) (Jk, those were just random letters.) (Man I really need to cut down on these parenthesis.) (Ok. I'm done now.)

Chapter 24

Tris' POV (*winces*)

When I wake up, I'm still exhausted. I open my eyes and blink several times to try to get everything in focus. I let out a yawn. After a minute or so, memories flood back in my brain and I'm awake enough to know that Tobias isn't next to me anymore.

I turn and look at the clock. Well that would explain why he's gone. It's 9:13. I've been sleeping for 4 hours. I let out another yawn and sit up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I step out from under the covers, regretfully. I know I've been sleeping for a long time, but it's nothing compared to the sleep I've lost.

I stand up and walk over to my door, about ready to go downstairs to see Tori, but remember that I'm wearing a short sleeved shirt at last second. I walk back to my dresser, yawning, and pull out the first hoodie I can find. I slip it on and then walk out of my room and downstairs. I see Tori on the couch.

"Hey Tori."

Her head turns to me. She smiles. "Hey Bea."

She pats the space next to her, indicating for me to sit down. I walk over to the couch and sit down beside her. She turns away from the TV to look at me. She frowns.

"You still look exhausted."

"I am. I probably won't stay up for long."

"At least drink some water before you go back to bed, okay?"

I nod and get up to walk to the kitchen. I open the fridge and grab the first water bottle I can find before heading back out to the living room. I sit back down with the water and take a few gulps of it.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Four said to call him after you woke up. He seemed to feel bad that he had to leave. I told him he didn't have to, but he said he didn't want to intrude."

I smile. He's so selfless. "When did he leave?"

"About an hour and a half ago."

"You mean, he stayed with me for 2 and a half hours?"

"Yup," she says, popping the 'p'.

That only supports my thoughts. He is so much more than I deserve. I shouldn't really smile, especially with that thought, but I smile even bigger. He stayed with me, doing nothing but holding me and 'fighting' off the bad dreams. I slept peacefully for 4 hours. That's the longest I've slept at one time in the past few days.

"I'll probably go call him then."

She waves her hands towards the stairs.

"Go right on ahead then. And you should probably go back to bed afterwards."

"Ok." I nod.

I grab the water bottle and head towards the stairs. I go up the first step, then stop.

"Hey Tori?"

"Ya?"

I turn to look at her. "I love you."

She smiles. "Love you too Bea. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I climb up the rest of the stairs to my room. Once I get up there, I decide to take a shower first before I call Tobias. I only take undergarments because I just changed clothes earlier. I turn on the water and strip quickly. I look in the mirror again while I wait for the water to warm. The purple marks under my eyes aren't as pronounced, but they're definitely still there. I'll probably have to cover that up with some makeup tomorrow. Damn. I hate makeup.

I step into the shower. I shampoo and condition my hair quickly, then look at the razor. I stare at it for a while.

"Only if you promise not to use it."

I reach towards it and grab it, gripping it tightly.

"I promise."

I quickly put it back and turn the water off before I can change my mind. I step out, dry off, and get changed. I dry my hair as well and remember to put my dye in before I go back out.

Once I'm in my room, I plop down on my bed and grab my phone. I quickly dial Tobias' number and wait for him to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Do you not have Caller's ID?"

He laughs. "I do. I just didn't look at it before I answered."

I open up my blinds to see him staring at me.

I smile. "Hey Tobias."

"Hey Tris."

"Tori said you stayed for 2 and a half hours."

"Mmhmm...and?"

"And...you didn't have to stay for that long, I hope you know."

"I wanted to."

"Why?"

"You looked so peaceful...it was a nice change from earlier. I didn't want to disturb you."

"It wouldn't have been a big deal if you did."

"Tris. Don't sit here and try to convince me that I should've left earlier. It's never gonna happen."

I roll my eyes and smile.

"Ok. Got it."

"What time did you wake up?"

"Around 9:10."

"See? I told you that you needed sleep."

I smile again. "Whatever."

"Are you still going to school tomorrow?"

"Yes. I already told you that."

"I know you did...but are you sure?"

I frown. "Yes."

"Ok. I was just checking."

"Why are you so concerned about that?"

"Just...after today...never mind. If you say you'll be fine, then I'll believe you."

"I'll be fine. I promise."

"Ok. Then I guess I can ask my next question. Do you want a ride tomorrow?"

I smile. "I'd love that."

A few moments of silence pass.

"Hey Tobias?"

"Ya?"

"What are we going to tell them...about us, I mean."

"Whatever you want. We don't have to tell them yet if you don't want to."

I think for a few moments.

"I think we could tell them soon...but I don't know how to start talking to them."

"You'll figure it out."

I frown a little bit. "Thanks for your help."

"I'm here to serve."

I roll my eyes. "But really, Tobias, how am I supposed to start talking to them? Any ideas?"

"Just join in a conversation."

I wait a few moments to see if he adds anything on to that, but he doesn't.

"That's all you've got?"

"I'm being serious, Tris. Ya, they'll be shocked at first, but they're not gonna bombard you with questions about it. You know that they're not those kind of people. They're not the Erudite."

I think of Caleb. I think of his straight-A report cards he brought home every semester. I think of his nose always being stuck in a book somewhere. I think of his never ending thirst for more knowledge, more information.

"And what's wrong with the Erudite?"

I said it too harshly. Way to go, Tris.

"I'm not saying anything is wrong with the Erudite. I'm just saying that the Erudite tend to ask more questions than the Dauntless because they want more knowledge. That's all, Tris!"

I sigh. "I know you didn't mean anything bad. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, but why did you react so strongly to that?"

My voice drops lower. "It's just the faction that Caleb would've picked if he were here. And when you said something about the Erudite...I just...I started thinking about him and..."

I sigh again. "That's all. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Tris. Don't apologize for it."

That's not the only reason I got defensive. Not just because of Caleb. But because I got an Erudite result for my aptitude test. Along with Abnegation and Dauntless.

"Did you ever test for which faction you'd fit into?"

"Ya I did. Everyone did. Why?"

"What were your results?"

"Abnegation..."

Something inside me deflates a little bit. I know Matthews said it was extremely rare to get two results, let alone three, but I was still hoping to find someone else like me. What was the word she used? Oh ya. Divergent.

"Why are you asking?"

"I was just wondering."

"What were your results?"

"Dauntless..."

I see him nod.

"...and Erudite, and Abnegation."

"Wait-so you got three results?"

"Yes..."

"That's...amazing."

I blush. "Not really...I mean, I didn't really do anything. I just filled out a sheet of paper."

"To get three results, though? That's amazing."

I stay silent, not knowing how to reply.

"That never happens, Tris. Well, almost never anyways."

"Why not?"

"I'm not exactly sure. All I know is it's really rare."

A few more moments of silence pass.

"Why did you join Dauntless?"

"Instead of Abnegation, you mean?"

"Yes."

"My fath-Marcus-went to that school when he was younger. He was in Abnegation. When I first started going, I was put into Abnegation. If parents went to the school and sent their kids there too, the kids would start in the faction their parent's ended in."

I frown. "Then how did you end up in Dauntless?"

"When you start high school, you can choose to either transfer or stay in the same faction. I didn't want to do anything Marcus wanted me to do, so I switched to Dauntless; the one faction he absolutely hated."

"Wait-so you joined Dauntless just because Marcus hates it?"

"At first, ya. But I've grown to love it. I met Zeke, Uriah, Shauna, Marlene, and Lynn first. They were Dauntless-borns."

"So Dauntless-borns are people who originally started in Dauntless?"

"Exactly. Then the rest of the gang formed together within our first year of being official Dauntless."

"So where did Will and Christina come from?"

"Will came from Erudite. Christina came from Candor."

"Well that explains why Christina talks so much."

He laughs. "Exactly."

I hear another ringing coming from my phone. Someone else must be trying to call me. I frown and pull the phone back from my ear. It's a number I don't recognize. I hear Tobias' voice on the phone.

"Tris? You there?"

I put the phone back to my ear for a moment and look back at him.

"Ya...just a second. Someone else is trying to call me."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

I pull back the phone and quickly answer the other number before it goes to voicemail.

"Hello?"

"Bea-"

A sob.

"-trice?"

I go completely still and feel the color drain from my face. Tobias frowns at me and I break my gaze with him.

"Beatrice-"

Another sob.

"I know you're there."

I stay silent, ignoring her.

"Ok, ok. I guess I deserve this."

A sob and several deep breaths.

"I know I deserve this and so much more...but I just...I just..."

Sobs.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know it probably doesn't mean anything now. But I've just been thinking about everything that I've done, and I-and I-"

Sobs. Again. I'm still silent, but it's because of shock now, rather than ignorance.

"I was so, so, horrible to you. Guilt crushes me every single day for what I've done. I don't blame you if you don't believe what I'm saying, but something happened and-"

More sobbing. It lasts longer than a minute this time.

"I could just use a friend."

A few minutes pass.

"Please Beatrice...please say something. Yell at me, scream at me, I don't care. But please just say something."

I finally snap out of my original shock and look back up at Tobias. He's standing up now. Once he meets my eyes, he raises his eyebrows at me, silently asking me what's going on and who's calling me. But I ignore him for now and break his gaze again.

"I'm not gonna yell at you, Taylor," I say softly.

A sob, then, "You're not?"

"No. But please stop crying so you can tell me what's going on."

"Thank you, Beatrice. Thank you, thank you, thank y-"

"My name is Tris now. Not Beatrice, okay?"

"Okay."

I hear her start to take deep breaths and her sobs quiet down. After a few minutes, they've completely stopped.

"Okay, now first question, how did you get my number?"

"You'd be surprised at what I can get when I really set my mind to it."

"No. No I really wouldn't."

I can practically hear her wince.

"Ya...I so deserved that."

She takes a breath. "What's the second question?"

"You never answered my first."

"I did. Just not in the exact way you wanted. It doesn't really matter, anyways. So, second question?"

"Why did you call me? You could've called Hailey."

"Ya, well, Hailey and I...we aren't on the best terms right now."

"How did that happen?"

"Let's just say...we had a fight...and I sort of took your place at this school."

I immediately straighten and quickly stand up.

"What do you mean, you took my place?"

"C'mon Be-I mean-Tris. You know exactly what I mean. I messed with Hailey and now I'm the target of the school."

"Since when?"

My voice sounds a little shaky.

"We fought mid-summer. Then it started at the beginning of the school year. It's only gotten worse since 4 days ago. Since...since...since..."

She lets out a sob. "I'm sorry. I can't help it."

"Since when, Taylor?"

She's sobbing too hard to answer.

"Taylor, since when?"

I've never heard her like this before. I'm not sure what to say or do. She said she fought with Hailey, but what about? It was bad enough to make her take my place as the school target. But I honestly can't think of anything that would make Taylor a target like that. She was the princess of Haviland. Just like me, her family was amazing. Her parents and my parents would often do community projects together. Her mother and mine were the best of friends. Almost like Tori. Almost.

"Taylor. Since when?"

"Since my mom...she..."

Another round of sobbing.

"She found out she had cancer a year ago."

My eyes widen. I think I know where this is going.

"She wasn't responding to anything...the meds, chemo, nothing. They told us a week ago she would have about a month."

A month. A month to live.

"She-"

A sob.

"She went a lot earlier than that."

She starts sobbing again. I take a step back and fall onto the edge of my bed so I'm sitting again.

Andrea White. The woman who loved nothing more than to help others. Who knew my mother since they were 6 years old. Who loved her like a sister. Who visited me after the accident. Who was a speaker at their funeral. Who sought me out afterwards and hugged me like a mother hugs her daughter. Who promised me she'd always be there for me if I wanted to talk. Even if Taylor wasn't there, she would be. Like a second mom. And yet another one whose promise was broken by reality. Another one whose life was cruelly taken away.

I feel a single tear drop down my cheek. After the accident, she and Tori were the only ones who were truly there for me. And now, if we hadn't moved, it'd only be Tori.

"Taylor," I whisper.

I hear another voice on the other end of the line; a voice I know well because of all the hours spent at her house.

"Taylor." It's muffled and quiet.

"Taylor, who are you talking to?"

Her sobs quiet down down a bit. I hear the phone being moved around.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"It's Beatrice. Although, I go by Tris now."

I hear him sigh in relief. "Thank goodness it wasn't Hailey. How are you...Tris?"

"I'm...ok, I guess. Taylor told me about...you know..."

"Ya...I was going to tell her she should talk to you, but I guess she already knew she should."

"How are you, Justin?"

He sighs. "The way anybody would be after that."

"I'm sorry. She was amazing. She didn't deserve to die."

"No good person ever does."

"I couldn't agree more."

I don't hear anymore sobbing in the background. Taylor must've stopped.

"How is Makayla and your father taking it?"

"Dad's in shock. He doesn't really do much these days. I came back from college a week ago and I've pretty much been taking care of all of them for the past week. I've been taking the classes online instead. Makayla doesn't exactly know what's happened...she's still too young to understand, I think. I'm grateful for that."

"How old is she now? 4?"

"3 and a half."

"How's college going?"

"Would've been better with Caleb."

Justin, Taylor's older brother, was best friends with Caleb. They were planning on rooming together at college, but that plan was thrown out. Makayla is Taylor's little sister. She's always been a cutie. I'm also grateful that she's too young to know what exactly is going on. Makayla's always liked me better than Hailey, which I think she was a little jealous about.

"Speaking of Caleb...we were walking through the cemetery the other day; we, meaning Taylor and I, and we didn't see Caleb's stone."

"How hard did you look?"

"Hard enough."

"I don't remember his stone at all. You could've just walked by it."

"It probably got knocked over. We've had really bad storms here lately. Lightning, hail, everything."

My heart sinks a little bit. "Oh."

"We can always get a new one."

"No. It's fine. It would've happened someday anyways."

"Are you sure?"

"Ya."

I hear quiet murmurs, then, "I'm gonna hand back the phone. Bye Be-Tris."

"Bye Justin."

The phone is rumbly for a few moments, then it's clear again.

"I liked Caleb, you know," is the first thing she says.

"I know you did. Everyone liked Caleb."

"No, that's not what I meant B-Tris."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I like, liked him. Like...more than my best friend's brother, liked him."

My eyes widen. "Oh...I had no idea..."

"I didn't tell anybody. For good reason."

"I can understand that."

A few moments of silence pass.

"Well...I know that I shouldn't even be able to be talking to you right now...so I'll let you hang up. I really appreciate you talking to me."

"Sure. It was...nice."

I'm being honest. I'm surprised at how easily I could talk to her again.

"You always were too selfless for your own good. Thanks for not yelling at me like I thought you would."

"Of course. I know you've changed...no one can't not change after something like that."

"I've tried to change who I am. So...I'll talk to you later?"

She says it cautiously.

"Ok."

I hear her sigh in relief.

"Hey Taylor?"

"Ya?"

"Keep me updated."

"On what?"

I hear her confusion.

"About...school."

"You mean, keep you updated on how accurate they hit the target each day?"

I wince at her words. "Yes."

"I can do that."

"Try not to get hurt too bad, ok?"

"You know I can't promise that."

I sigh. "I know."

A few more moments of silence pass.

"Bye Tris."

"Bye Taylor."

I hit the end button and sit there for a few minutes, just thinking. I pinch myself hard, then wince at the pain. Nope. Definitely not a dream. My phone starts ringing again. Tobias. I look back up at him. He looks concerned so I answer.

"Hey..."

"Who was it?"

I sigh and then yawn.

"Can I tell you tomorrow? I'm honestly still kind of shocked right now. I think it'd be best for me to sleep on it."

"Tris."

"I'll tell you tomorrow. But for now, I'd like to sleep."

He raises an eyebrow. "Tobias, I'm being serious. I really will tell you tomorrow."

"Really."

"Yes, really! I will tell you, ok?"

"Ok...but you're telling me everything."

"Ok. Can I go to bed now?"

He smiles a little bit. "Sure."

I smile. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Tris."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ PAGE BREAK /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

(Tris is still tired. She has already done everything to get ready for school (including the make up for her eyes). She's walking to the door to meet Tobias so they can ride to school right now.)

I open the door to see Tobias leaning on the door frame. I smile at him and lean back inside.

"Bye Tori!"

"C'ya Bea!"

I close the door.

"Bea?"

I blush slightly. "It's a nickname she and Caleb gave me. She still calls me Bea."

He smiles and kisses my cheek. "Well, good morning."

"Good morning."

He opens the door for me and I blush again as I get in. Once he's in too, he starts the car and the radio starts playing. I remember what I said last night, and quickly turn it off. He frowns.

"What?"

"I told you I'd tell you who called last night."

"So...who was it?"

"Remember what I told you about my two old best friends...?"

"Yes..."

I pause, trying to figure out how to explain it.

"Oh my God, Tris. You've got to be kidding me."

"I didn't even say anything!"

He gives me a side glance then looks back at the road. "You didn't really have to."

"Then tell me what you have seemed to figure out, oh great one."

"I'm guessing that one of them, not sure which one, called you and told you that they were sorry. Then you, being the kind of person you are, forgave them just like that."

He snaps his fingers for emphasis at the end.

I blush.

"It wasn't exactly like that."

"But I've got the outlines, don't I?"

"I haven't completely forgave her yet!"

"Really?"

He doesn't believe me, I can tell by his tone. Even I'm not completely sure if I believe myself.

"Tobias...listen. It wasn't like that."

"Then what was it like?"

"Taylor called me. She couldn't stop sobbing. I ignored her at first, and she kept saying how she knew she deserved it and how something happened. Eventually, she told me to say something, or to yell at her. I told her I wasn't going to yell at her and to stop crying so she could tell me what happened."

"So, if she was best friends with Hailey, why didn't she just call her?"

"I asked the same thing. She and Hailey got into a fight...she took my place at that school Tobias."

I say the last part quietly.

"What do you mean, your place?"

"Being the target of the school. That's what I mean."

He falls silent. After a few moments, he breaks it again.

"How do you know she's not lying to you?"

"I talked to her brother too. He's come back from college and has been taking care of her and her younger sister."

"What makes him so trustworthy?"

"He just is, ok?"

"No, tell me. What reasons has he given you to make you trust him?"

"Just trust me, ok?! I don't really like to talk about it more than I have to!"

I don't like talking about him because it brings back too many memories. Too many happy memories, forever damaged by depression.

"About what?"

"Tobias..." I say in a warning tone.

He clamps his jaw shut and stays silent.

"He's one person I trust a lot. Even more so than Taylor."

He stays silent for a few more moments.

"So, what was the something that happened to her that made her call you? Or was that it?"

I sigh and lean my head back onto the seat. I close my eyes as I think of Andrea.

"Her mom."

"Her mom...what?"

I feel a tear drop down my cheek and hurriedly wipe it off.

"Tris?"

He grabs my hand. I take a deep breath and feel us stop. We must be at school now. He turns the car off.

"Her mom and my mom were really close. Almost like her and Tori. So Andrea, Taylor's mom, was kind of like a second mother to me. She was one of the ones who visited me almost every week after the crash."

I pause.

"And..." he urges me to go on.

"Apparently she was diagnosed with cancer about a year ago. She wasn't responding to anything though."

He brushes a piece of hair back off my cheek.

"She died 4 days ago."

I open my eyes to look at him.

"I'm sorry Tris."

"No. Don't apologize. I'm fine."

He gives me a look.

"I'll...be fine."

"That sounds more like the truth."

A few more moments of silence pass.

"Her brother said that Caleb's stone wasn't there anymore. That they think it got knocked over because of the bad storms they've been having."

He gives my hand another squeeze.

"How did he know that?"

"He went searching for it the other day, apparently."

"Ok..."

"He probably was looking for places to bury Andrea. Then he just noticed that Caleb's wasn't there anymore and searched for it," I say quickly.

"Uh-huh...I don't believe that, but I'm not gonna push you."

"Just...if you see Taylor at the fair...please don't do anything to remind her of who she was. Please?"

He sighs. "I will if that's what you want."

"Thank you."

I reach for the door handle, but before I can grab it, Tobias' hand pulls me back. As quick as a flash, he has a hold of both of my arms with my sleeves pushed up to my elbows. I feel my face heat up immensely, but don't try to pull away yet. He sighs in relief when he doesn't find anything new.

"You kept your promise."

"I'm trying to. But it's hard."

He nods and pulls my sleeves back down. I pull my arms back right away and curl the ends of the sleeves onto the tips of my fingers. I grab the handle again and he doesn't stop me this time. Once I'm out of the car, I start to walk to where the gang usually stands without waiting for Tobias. I'm not mad at him; I'm mad at myself. I feel a hand on my shoulder, turning me around before I can even take 5 steps.

"Tris."

The next thing I register are warm, soft, lips on my own. He kisses me for a few more seconds then pulls back.

"I didn't want our conversation to end like that," he whispers.

I smile at him and continue walking towards the gang, who I can now see. Christina is making wild hand motions; probably telling a story. Her eyes meet mine for a second and her hands drop.

"TRIS!"

She starts running towards me. I don't get the time to look at Tobias before I'm brought into a suffocating embrace.

"Oh my gosh! Zeke told us you were sick! Are you better now!? Well, obviously you're better if you're here right now! But do you feel completely ok!? Like, 100% okay? Or do you feel li-"

"Christina, I'm fine!"

It slipped out before I could think. Her eyes go as wide as saucers for a moment before they go back to normal and a huge grin covers her face.

"Good! Now c'mon! We missed you!"

She takes my hand and yanks me forward. I stumble, but manage to regain my balance. She pulls me back to everybody. Tobias must have made his way over here during Christina's ramble and death hug. So he doesn't know I talked to her.

"GUYS! Tris is back!" Christina yells.

I'm met with a chorus of different responses.

"You ok?"

"I'm glad you're back!"

"Hey Tris!"

"Are you better now?"

"You're so lucky you missed school!"

"Pass your sickness on to me!"

The last two were said by Zeke and Uriah. What a surprise! Note the sarcasm. I open my mouth quickly, then close it just as fast. I look to Tobias and he gives me a slight nod.

"Yes, I'm fine now. And shut up you two!"

They stand there in shock for a second, then they all break out in grins, except for Zeke and Uriah, who break out in pouts.

"But Trissy..." Uriah whines.

I thump him on the back of the head. Then I do it again to Zeke. The gang laughs. They both rub their heads where I thumped them.

"What'd you thump me for? I didn't even say anything!" Zeke says.

"You're just as guilty. You came up with the nickname. Call me that again and it's gonna be a lot worse than a thump," I say, in only a halfway threatening tone since I have a slight smile on my face.

"Fine..."

I hear the sharp ringing of a bell and we all start to walk inside.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ PAGE BREAK /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

(To lunch! I just don't like writing about school. Ugh. School.)

I once again grab an apple and head to the back table. I sit in between Tobias and Uriah. Uriah's speaking when I get here.

"And so then, Striker jumped over the fence with the carrot and we all had to go try and chase him down. But then we found some cake-"

I lean over and whisper into Tobias' ear.

"Do you know what he's talking about?"

"Not a clue. I stopped trying to understand a couple of minutes ago."

I laugh a little bit and bite into my apple. Uriah keeps talking, but I block him out for now. I space out and just stare at the wall in front of me. I feel like I could fall asleep, right here, right now. But I know I can't, so I continue staring, just letting my mind clear out.

"Tris! Earth to Tris! TRIS!"

I blink several times and look at the person who yelled to me. It was Christina. I should've known.

"Sorry I was spacing out there."

"Obviously," she says with a smile.

"So...what did you need?"

"What was the best dessert you've ever tasted?"

"Mmmm...the cake I stole from Uriah's tray the other day."

She laughs. "Me too."

She then goes back to the conversation they were having before. I feel fingers interlocking with my own under the table and a squeeze. I look over at Tobias. His eyebrows are raised and I can see the silent question in his eyes.

"You ok?"

I smile and squeeze his hand back in response. He smiles. I turn back and continue eating my apple with my right hand, as my left hand is still interlocked with Tobias'.

Pretty soon, we all fall into a silence at the table. It's really surprising. But I guess now is my chance to ask them. I take a deep breath in and out through my nose. I feel Tobias squeeze my hand again. He must know what I'm going to do.

"Hey guys?"

They all turn their heads towards me and I get a chorus of 'ya's.

"Umm...I know you don't know me extremely well...but I was going to ask you if you guys wanted to come with me to something."

This seems to capture their attention. Christina leans forward and smiles at me.

"What is it?"

I quickly glance at Tobias out of the corner of my eye and he nods slightly, just enough for me to see.

"I was going to go back to my hometown in a couple of weeks. They always have this huge fair and I was wondering if you guys wanted to come with. It's in Ohio, but it's only about 3 to 4 hours away..."

I trail off. How else do I say that? After a couple of seconds, they all smile at me.

"I'll ask my parents and text you tonight! I hope I can go! It'd be so fun!"

"Ya, I'll do the same! Sounds cool!"

They all nod after the two comments. I feel myself relax and breathe a quiet sigh of relief.

"Are any of your friends gonna be there?" Christina asks.

I tighten my hold on Tobias' hand. I felt him go stiff after the question. He's probably wondering how I'm going to respond. Wondering if I'm actually counting Taylor as a friend.

"Yes, actually. I think one of them will be. Maybe 2."

"What are their names?"

I take a deep breath through my nose so it's not noticeable.

"Taylor and Justin. Taylor will be there for sure, while Justin...I don't know."

Christina nods and lets the subject go, but Zeke adds playfully, "Ooh...is Justin your boyfriend?"

I choke on my apple. "No. Never has been, never will be. In fact..."

I look at Tobias from my peripheral vision.. He's looking at me too. He squeezes my hand.

"In fact what?"

"In fact, she already has a boyfriend," Tobias says. I blush.

Christina practically yells, "What!? Who is it!?"

Neither of us answer. Then her head starts to move side to side, looking at both of us. A huge smile breaks out on her face.

"Oh my gosh! No way!"

"What?! Who is it Christina?!" Shauna yells.

"You really haven't figured it out yet?" Will asks, disbelievingly.

"Well, sorry Will. Not all of us come from Erudite!" Uriah yells.

I laugh at their bickering.

"You don't have to be Erudite to figure it out! Christina figured it out right away and she was from Candor!"

"Oh, just kiss already!" Marlene and Lynn say. Will and Christina both blush.

"C'mon! It's obvious you two like each other! Don't be a pansycake!" Uriah says again.

"You can't say nothin baby bro! It's obvious you and Marlene like each other too! Just put us all out of our misery of watching you two shamelessly flirt all the time!"

Now it's Uriah's and Marlene's turn to blush. I laugh even harder. My stomach muscles hurt from all of it. I haven't laughed like this in a long time. I hear Tobias laughing beside me.

"We don't flirt!" they both say at the same time, then blush even harder.

"Oh ya. I can totally see that you don't," Lynn says.

"Guys, leave them be!" Christina yells.

"How 'bout all of you just kiss or hold hands or something! It'd make our lives a lot less complicated!" Zeke says.

"Guys shut up!" Shauna yells. The bickering stops.

"Obviously, not all of us know who it is. So if you could be so kind to tell us Christina, we'd really appreciate it."

I've stopped laughing but I still have a smile on my face.

"Thank you, Shauna. Ok, well you see, it's someone we definitely all know. We're in the same faction. We all-"

"Just get to the point!" Uriah yells.

"Ok, ok! Jeez! It's Four!"

They all stare at us for a few seconds. I blush. Being the center of attention was never something I liked. Zeke is the first one to snap out of his trance.

"You owe me me 10 Uriah!"

Uriah snaps out of it. "Dang...couldn't have you guys waited two more days before you got together?"

"Wait-you bet on us?" I ask.

"Oh ya! I bet you'd get together before the end of September and Uriah bet after the end it! So pay up little brother!"

Uriah, grumbling, takes out his wallet and hands Zeke a 10 dollar bill. I can't help it. I laugh.

"Wait-so when did this happen?" Christina asks, staring at me.

"Two days ago, after school," Tobias answers for me.

"And why didn't you tell me?!"

"Well, I was gone yesterday."

"Oh, right. I forgot."

I feel him squeeze my hand.

"Are you two holding hands right now?!" Marlene shrieks.

I blush even harder. All the girls break out into grins. Even Lynn. But her smile is barely a smile. I make eye contact with her and she rolls her eyes, not at me, but at them. I smile and stifle my laughter. I nod at Lynn. We both think alike. She smiles a little more at me. I guess she's come to the same conclusion.

"Maybe, maybe not. But even if we were, it's not that big of a deal," I say.

"Whatever you say..." Christina says.

The bell rings, saving Tobias and I from more questions. I squeeze Tobias' hand before letting go and standing up. I throw the rest of my apple away and head to class.

Ya, ya I know. Not a good place to end on. Want to know another fact? I had an extra 5,000 or so words added onto this. Then I was scrolling through it and just knew it was way too long for one chapter. So I will have the next one up in a week or so! Ok?! Ok! And THANK YOU SO MUCH. AGAIN. BECAUSE I CAN'T SAY IT ENOUGH. Can we get to 300 reviews?! Please? It's only 14! And like I said before, just a smiley face will do! Cause I like smiley faces.;) SO LET'S DO IT.