Tobias POV
Everyone becomes silent. Tris sits there stunned for a moment, too shocked to speak. She shakes her head suddenly and rolls her eyes.
"Wow, Four." She says. "You've really done it this time."
"What are you talking about?" I ask.
"Eric is with me because he loves me. And I love him." Tris says.
He loves her? He must've just said it recently.
"He doesn't love you, Tris. He's trying to pull you in and then rip you to shreds, just like Peter and Al did." I say.
"That's enough, Four!" She shouts.
"What is the matter with you?" Shauna hisses.
"Four, I've done everything I can to make you like me, so I don't know why you keep making this up. I would never hurt Tris. I love her with all my heart." Eric says.
He turns away and pecks her cheek. She grins and blushes as everyone else awes.
"This is fucking bullshit." I curse.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Lynn says.
"Get used to what?" I ask.
"Being the only single one. I could care less at this point." Lynn says.
"Is this really what you guys think this is about?" I shout. "That I'm mad if I'm single?"
They all nod and make eye contact with one another.
"Four, man take a rest and let them be happy together. She's never been so happy." Zeke says.
"You're fucking with me, right? All of you. You all think I'm stupid and an idiot but you're all idiots. All of you will see. I'll make sure you know that you're fucking stupid for not believing me." I say.
"Zeke is right, Tobias. You need to let this go. They're in love and happy together. Everyone has accepted Eric except you. He seems to be making an effort to get along, but you aren't." Uriah says.
"Oh my god. You guys are treating me like a child." I say, rubbing my forehead.
"Its because you're acting like a child." Chris says.
"If you act like a child, we will treat you like one." Mar says.
"I'm done. I'm fucking done." I say, grabbing my things. "Don't say I didn't tell you so!"
I walk out of the restaurant and call my mom to come pick me up. She arrives within minutes and I see dad there too.
"We got here quickly because we were up the road eating dinner with Hana." Mom says.
I get into the backseat and cross my arms over my chest.
"Good game, son. You were a leader, like always." Dad says.
I don't respond.
"Tobias." Mom says.
Dad looks back at me and I see mom look at me through the mirror.
"Tobias, answer me." Mom says.
"What?" I ask, snobbishly.
"Don't talk to your mother that way." Dad snaps.
"What's wrong?" She asks.
"Nothing." I mumble.
"Bullshit." Dad says.
"Tobias you've got to stop doing this. You need to let yourself show emotions. We're your parents, I don't care if I see you cry and get emotional. You're human." Mom says.
I turn my head to look out the window and feel tears wetting my face.
"Nobody listens to me. Everything that comes out of my mouth is shit and nobody takes me seriously." I say, wiping my face.
"Who's nobody?" Dad asks.
"My friends! They think I'm mad that Tris is dating Eric and that I need to accept him." I say. "I am mad because after the game I heard him and Peter talking about this bet."
"What was it about?" Mom asks.
"It was how when Peter dated Tris his goal was to get in her pants and then dump her but she caught him cheating too soon, so Eric got dared to do the same thing." I explain.
"Then what happened?" Dad asks.
"I went over to them and questioned them about and he got me so mad so I punched him. Tris has been through hell, she doesn't deserve this." I say.
"Tobias you've got to stop punching people, even though that was one of your better reasons for doing so." Dad says.
"Have you told them what you heard?" Mom asks.
"Yes, I tried. Eric was there too and nobody believed me. Eric says he loves her and she loves him back. They've been dating for what? Less than a month! It's ridiculous!" I shout.
"Calm down." Mom says.
"I can't calm down! Eric is acting all innocent but when it's just me and him, his true side shows. Lynn thinks I'm mad because I'm single, and Zeke says Tris seems happier than ever. They kept saying I was acting like a child." I say.
"Done?" Dad asks.
I nod. "Yes."
"So you're positive he's playing her for a bet, right?" Mom asks.
"Yes, I'm positive." I say.
"Let things play out. Ignore Eric and his relationship. When things go down, everyone will see you were right." Mom says.
"But I can't, Mom. It's so frustrating." I say.
"It sounds like you like her." Mom says.
"Like who?" I ask.
"Tris." Dad says.
"You wouldn't care this much about this situation if you didn't have some feelings for her." Mom says.
"That's ridiculous. I'm only mad because I hate Eric and Zeke and Uriah would want me to look out for her. Other than that, I hate her." I say.
"Keep telling yourself that." Dad says.
When we get home, I shower quickly and go into the living room where my parents are starting one of my favorite movies; The Breakfast Club.
I smile and sit down, in between my parents. Mom drapes a blanket over me and dad hands me a bowl of popcorn.
"We love you, Tobias. You're the greatest thing that's ever happened to us and we hate to see you so frustrated and upset. Just please stop punching people." Mom says with a laugh. "Other than that, we're so proud of the young man you've become and everything you've accomplished."
She kisses me temple and dad gives me a smile and ruffles my hair.
"Before we get far into the movie, this came in the mail today." Dad says, handing me a letter.
I glance at my parents and rip the letter open.
Tobias Eaton,
We have not yet finalized our decision, but right now, you have been accepted into Chicago University with no yet given scholarship. Within the next month or so, you will receive another letter determining a scholarship and confirmed spot. We look forward to hopefully seeing you in the fall!
Matthew Ben
Chicago University Messenger
I get up and throw the blanket off me and the popcorn goes flying.
"Tobias," Mom scolds.
"I'm in!" I shout.
Mom takes the letter from my hand so her and dad can quickly scroll through it.
They stand up and start jumping with me.
"That's basically a yes, you just got to lock that scholarship, boy!" Dad says.
They hug me for a minute before pulling away.
"We're so proud." Dad says.
"Now clean up the popcorn." Mom says.
"Oh please Evelyn." Dad says.
He helps me clean up the popcorn and we both sit down again and start watching the movie. In the middle of the movie, I feel mom drape the blanket over me again. I feel myself start to become drowsy as my eyes drift closed and I fall into moms lap.
Later
"Marcus, lift him up." Mom whispers.
"He's huge! He's taller than me and he's got so much muscle weight." Dad whispers back.
"We've got to get him in bed." Mom says.
"You try, Evelyn." Dad says.
"What, no! I cant lift him!" She says.
I stir and my eyes open.
"Great, you woke him." Mom says.
I sit up and see that the movie is over.
"Hey kid, think you can walk to you're room?" Dad asks.
I nod and they follow me to my room.
Dad stands in the doorway and mom sits on my bed.
"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Mom asks.
"I might hit the gym in the morning, then I have a private basketball training session with Uriah and Zeke after Zeke is done with baseball. After that, I'll probably end up doing some laps." I say.
"You sure you don't want to take a break? That's a lot." Mom says.
"He's gonna be a champion!" Dad says.
I grin.
"You positive? Homecoming is later too." Mom says.
"I forgot all about that!" I say. "It's fine, I'll figure it out." I say, falling asleep yet again.
The next day
I wake up the next morning at 6am. I take a quick, cold shower and drive myself to the school. I find the workout room and see that I'm the only one here.
I spend around an hour and a half doing my workout, taking my time since I have the room to myself. I bench 315 again and this time, I'm successful.
When I finish my workout, I check the time. 9:15. Shit. My private with the twins is at 9.
I run into the gym and see George with Zeke and Uriah.
"Nice of you to join us, Tobias." George says.
I throw my bag down and quickly lace up my shoes. I grab a ball and run up to them.
"Sorry, I was down the hall." I say.
"Working out again?" Zeke asks.
"Yup." I say.
"You have an obsession." Uriah says.
I shrug. He's right. When I do something and question it, I become obsessive and don't stop.
George explains to me what they're doing and I catch on pretty fast. Zeke does more defensive stuff and Uriah plays in the middle. I take most of the close up shots and penalties. Overall, Uriah's probably the best.
"What are the plans for later?" I ask during our water break.
"Maybe if you hadn't left, you would know." Zeke says.
I roll my eyes.
"The girls are going to Marlene's and the guys are coming to our place." Uriah explains. "Why'd you leave?"
"You know why. Everyone there was treating me as if everything coming from my mouth was shit. I didn't feel like hanging around people who couldn't take me seriously and listen to what I was saying." I say.
"Of course we weren't listening to you, they love each other." Zeke says.
"I'm not getting back into this." I mumble, standing up and walking away.
"So what did you do once you left?" Uriah asks.
"We hung out." I say.
"What we're you doing though? You didn't answer anything at all and neither did your parents." Uriah says.
"There's this thing called quality time with family and you don't go on your phone." I snap.
"My bad." He says with the same amount of attitude. "I don't have a dad so my family time must not be as awesome as yours, right?"
"Why the fuck do you always go there? Why are you making me look like the bad guy?" I ask.
"Boys, let's go!" George calls. "Do not give me that look, Tobias."
We start doing another drill until time is finally up. I grab my things and run out to the track. I run into Tori on the way.
"Slow down, Tobias." She says. "Where are you headed?"
"Track." I say.
"Ah, Tris is there too. I'm free right now, want me to time?" She asks.
"Sure, why not." I say.
"How long have you been here for?" She asks.
"Since 6:30." I say. "I was upstairs lifting for a while, then I had a private with the Pedrads for basketball."
"Tobias, you're gonna be sore later. You kids have homecoming tonight!" She says.
"Eh, I don't care much. I don't have a date and all my friends do." I say. "Will you be there?"
"Of course. I love hearing everything going on and watching stuff go down." She says. "Tris usually keeps me up with all the drama. Why don't you go with football friends?"
"I don't have many friends on the team. Most of them hate me and I hate them but some are nice. I do it for myself and could care less about anyone else." I say. "Plus, the nice guys all have dates already."
"Wait so do you care about the basketball or track team?" She asks.
"I love the basketball team actually. The juniors and seniors on track are fine, but the sophomores and freshman are terrible and annoying." I say.
"Yeah, and you guys are leaving me with them next year." Tori says.
We get outside and walk towards the track.
"I'll be around more than you think. Between you and me, I got a letter from Chicago University basically accepting me." I say.
I place my bag down and Tori does the same.
"Really? Tobias that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" Tori squeals.
"They were talking about a scholarship too." I say.
"Scholarship? What sport!" She asks.
"None yet, they said it wasn't official but I should keep looking for letters in the mail with more detail. I'm guessing football though." I say.
Tris walks over and takes her earbuds out. "What's all the squealing about?"
"Tobias got," I nudge her in the side with my elbow.
"Tori!" I shout.
Tris hasn't gotten any letters from Chicago and her brothers still haven't told her the truth. I feel bad.
Tris raises her eyebrows.
"Oh! We were talking about homecoming. Do you have a date with Eric?" She asks.
Tris shakes her head.
"He never asked you?" I ask.
"Nope. I think he's just going with some friends and forgot to mention it to me." Tris says.
I roll my eyes. "What a bitch."
"Why don't you two go together!?" Tori says. "You guys would be so cute together!"
"You're kidding, right?" I ask.
"Is that a joke?" Tris asks.
Tori shakes her head and smiles.
"Hell no! He's so annoying and I hate him." Tris says.
Ouch.
"She's annoying and I hate her." I say.
"Alright, alright, let's start." Tori says.
"Tris, come on, we're leaving." Uriah says, walking up with Zeke.
"But we just got here!" Tris says. "Tori was gonna time us."
"Tori can time you another time." Zeke says.
"No, I'm staying." Tris says.
"Homecoming starts at 5, and Tris you need to be out of the house by noon." Uriah says.
"I'm staying, Uriah." Tris says.
Zeke rolls his eyes and pulls Uriah away from us.
"Run a warm up lap." Tori says.
Tris and I run side by side.
"What happened?" Tris asks.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"They didn't say anything to you. What happened?" She asks.
"They kept bothering me about leaving early last night and asking what I did after that. I told them I spent quality time with my parents and that's why I wasn't responding, but I snapped it at them. Then Uriah made a comment about not doing that much because you guys don't have a dad and he made me like the bad guy." I explain.
"Wow." Tris says. "I'm sorry he brought my dad up."
"It's fine, it just makes me feel really bad and I don't know what to say." I say.
"Uriah and Zeke still treat me like a child. We're in the same grade and almost the same age. It's always 'protect Tris, she's the baby' or the look of disapproval or disappointment." She says.
"Yeah, but they love you." I say.
"I know but I just wish they were as honest with me as I am with them. Nobody takes me seriously and since I'm 'younger' my ideas and thoughts don't matter." Tris says.
"I understand that." I mumble.
"Even Eric. When I ask something people tell me the short version with no details. You're one of the only people that tell me full stories, like you just did." She says. "It's nice that someone keeps me updated."
I laugh and pick up my pace a little bit.
"About last night," I start.
"Stop, it was a regular fight." She says. "I don't want to talk about it."
"That wasn't a regular fight. Regular fights are just between you and I, and that was everyone against me." I say.
"Tobias please," she begs.
"Fine." I say and start sprinting the last 100 meters.
Tris and I stay at the track for over three hours. Tori bought us lunch and then we digested before running again.
"You guys have homecoming, you're friends are going to kill me." Tori says.
"Tori, are you kicking us out!" Tris exclaims.
Tori laughs and nods.
"Can you give me a ride?" Tris asks as we grab our things.
"We're not actually going straight home, right?" I ask.
"Of course not. I don't have a date and neither do you, at this point I don't care if I miss it." Tris says.
"Where should we go?" I ask.
"Starbucks!" She says.
I grin and walk to the car.
"You know, it's nice to not be fighting with you." I say.
"Do you want me to start something?" She asks.
"No, it's just different." I say.
"Yeah, I feel like I don't know you." She says.
I pull into Starbucks and Tris pushes me away.
"You paid that last time, remember?" She asks.
"Oh come on, I can pay." I say.
"Nope." She says, cutting me.
I roll my eyes and glare at her.
"What are you getting?" I ask.
"A refresher, what about you?" She asks.
"What do you suggest?" I ask.
"You seem like a black coffee type of guy but like I said, I barely know you. I'll just get you what I'm getting, it's really good." She says.
I nod and stand next to her as she places the order.
We wait at a table until her name is called. She hands me a pink colored drink that has strawberries in it.
"I feel ridiculous." I say.
"It's a strawberry lemonade refresher. My favorite." Tris says, taking a big sip out of her cup.
She scrunches her face up and laughs. "First sip is always sour."
I take a sip out of my drink and scrunch my nose. Tris laughs.
"Take another sip." She says.
I take another sip and smile. She's right, it is really good.
We finish our drinks quickly while making small talk, and once we finish the drinks, I buy us another.
"We should probably go. I have maybe a thousand texts from Chris." Tris says.
"Do you want me to drop you at Mar's?" I ask.
"No, I have to pick up my dress at home and grab some things." She says.
I nod and drive to her house.
We walk inside her house with our drinks and see Uriah, Zeke and Will standing there pissed off.
"What the fuck happened to you guys!" Zeke shouts.
He embraces Tris into a hug as Uriah glares.
I see Tris make eye contact with me and roll her eyes.
"We thought you guys were dead." Will says.
Where'd you guys go?" Uriah asks.
"We stayed at the track later than planned and we both just decided to go hang around after." I say.
"You guys said you would be here at noon. It's almost two." Uriah says.
"Hey, you guys should really listen to your sister and try this drink it's so fucking good." I say.
"Tris, Chris is so pissed, you have to leave." Will says.
"Tobias, go change and shower." Zeke demands.
I salute him, wink at Tris and then run upstairs to his bathroom.
What is going on with Tris and I?
Tris POV
I arrive at Marlene's at 2 exactly. Lynn let's me in and laughs. We walk upstairs and Christina screams.
"Where have you been young lady!" She shouts.
"Tobias and I were at the track for a couple hours then we decided to hit Starbucks." I say.
"Track? Tris tonight is homecoming! We have an hour until we have to leave for dinner reservations. Everyone is basically ready besides you. Go shower, you stink." Chris says.
I roll my eyes. "It doesn't even matter, nobody asked me and Tobias didn't ask anyone so we decided that we didn't care if we were late."
"Lynn is here and she doesn't have a date." Mar says.
"Lynn is Lynn." I say.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lynn asks.
I grin and turn the shower water on. I take a quick shower, and once I get out, Mar starts on my nails and Chris starts my makeup.
"Not a lot, alright?" I ask.
She nods as Shauna grabs a blow dryer.
"Nope! Definitely not!" I say.
"Why not?" She asks.
"My hair will be frizzy." I say.
"So you're going with straight wet hair?" Marlene asks.
I shrug. "Why not?"
"Can we at least braid it or something?" Chris asks.
"Half hour until we're leaving." Lynn says.
"Fine, braid two small braids into a little knot." I say.
Shauna nods and gets onto that.
Marlene finishes my fingers and starts my toes. She blowdries the nails so they dry quickly.
Once Chris and Shauna are done, the make me take a mint and brush my teeth. I wrap my towel tightly around my body and grab my dress.
Chris pulls my towel off me and snatched the dress. I cover my chest up quickly.
"Christina! What the fuck!" I shout.
"Relax and get changed. We've all seen each other naked before." She says.
"That doesn't mean I feel comfortable all the time!" I say.
"Get over it." She says.
I cover my bare body with the dress I took back and run into the bathroom to change.
"Her boobs are bigger than mine!" Shauna exclaims.
I blush and slip the dress on. Christina walks in with shoes and puts final touches on. Suddenly we hear the guys downstairs. They're here.
"Alright ladies, let's head out!" Shauna says.
A/N
Hey guys it's been a long time and I'm sooo sorry about that. I was on vacation for a while after the last update and I hadn't started working on this chapter until a couple days ago. I hope this long chapter i wrote makes up for my absence!
-T
All characters belong to Veronica Roth