Divergent UNIVERSITY ✅

chapter 14

The game started with the Tigers taking the field. Four has always hated away games. The noise of the crowd was deafening. He always has had to be better away, more on his game.This stadium was no different than the rest. The difference here is this is the place where he will finally defy his father completely and cause what will potentially decide his future in sports. If he is able to lead his team to a victory then his father will surely come after him, but if for some reason they lose, he will be looked at as a cheat. He has no intention of losing this game, but sometimes the odds are against you and he knows it.The first half of the game saw little excitement. Four managed to throw two touchdown passes and got his team close enough for a field goal. They went into halftime up seventeen to nothing. Four knew that right now his father was fuming and may even send someone after him now.Brian was proud of the way Four was playing. Nothing seemed any different, but he knew that everything was different. Four is playing for his life right now. His present and future are on the line in this game. He sits on the sidelines and has agents patrolling the stands and entrances. Marcus Eaton isn't getting in this building without being spotted.One of the things that Brian did to help secure the arrest and conviction of Eaton was to have agents make bets with him or known associates for the Tigers. This was to make sure that they knew the faces of some of Eaton's known associates.When the Tigers came back out on the field following half time, the mood on the field was light, but Four is churning inside. "Just thirty more minutes of play and this game is done," he thinks to himself. He could put the game to rest during the third quarter and then hopefully the coach would take him out of the game for the fourth quarter and bring in the second string quarterback.The other team has the ball to start the second half so Four sits patiently on the sidelines waiting for his chance to get back out there and put an end to this game once and for all.When the other team has to punt Four has his chance. He goes out and fires four plays down the field resulting in a seventy yard drive and a touchdown. The team is ecstatic and his coaches are impressed with his resolve to win this game. But all Four is concerned about is proving that he is no cheat. He will not be labeled as anything but a great ballplayer.On the next drive, he hands the ball off to Uriah a couple times to kill some time off of the clock. They manage to easily drive the ball down the field to get their first down. Four takes this opportunity to finish off the game. The Tigers are currently up twenty-four to nothing at the end of the third quarter. Another touchdown would effectively end the game and any chance for the other team to comeback.Four goes out to pass and finds Zeke deep in the other team's territory. He easily makes the catch, leaving the Tigers with a first and goal on the eight yard line.The next play he hands the ball off to Uriah who rushes for an additional four yards.Then he decides to do something out of the ordinary for him. The next play he calls is a quarterback keeper. He does this to make a point that he will not be threatened or used for other people's benefit.The ball is snapped and Four fakes the handoff to Uriah who runs out in front of Four. He and the linebackers make a path for Four to run. Four easily finds the end zone for the touchdown.The extra point goes up and it is good. The Tigers are up thirty-one to nothing at the start of the fourth quarter.When Four goes into the sidelines the coaches do exactly what he anticipated. They call in the second string quarterback, Will, to finish the game.Will manages to score an additional ten points in the fourth quarter leading the team to a forty-one to nothing win.When the Tigers get back into the locker room there is a sense of peace that comes over Four. Even though he knows that his father and his associates are going to come after him, he made a point that he can't and won't be bought by anyone.When he leaves the stadium to get on the bus that will take them to the plane to go home, Four is greeted by a man standing by the bus."Great game Four," says the man.Four just keeps walking and doesn't acknowledge the man standing there. He loads his things under the bus and turns to board. The man is now right in his face glaring at him."Because of you I lost a lot of money today. You are going to regret going against Marcus.""I didn't go against Marcus. I don't know what he told you, but I never agreed to anything that he was suggesting," Four lies. "Why would you believe a thing that he says?""He told a lot of people that you were going to take care of him for this game. Are you telling me he lied to all of those people, or did you just get cold feet?""Did it ever look like I was going to lose this game? Was there ever a point that it may have seemed that I may be working with Marcus?"Just then Brian sees what is happening from a distance and starts to come over to see if Four is in trouble."The thing is, there was never a point in this game that the other team was even remotely close except for maybe the opening kickoff. Does it look like I got cold feet or does it look like I never had any intention to lose this game?"The man thinks for a moment then shoves Four into the bus and presses his forearm into his throat."Well, maybe not. But your old man lied to me and cost me thousands, now I'm going to take that money out of you."The man tries to throw a punch but Four easily blocks it and throws the man back. Four comes up to the man and punches him in the face, knocking him out cold. Four stands there for a moment shaken by the altercation. He looks down at the man knocked out on the ground and becomes furious. He needs to put a stop to this before Marcus sends someone else after him, or worse yet Tris or one of his friends.Brian comes up behind him. "Nice punch, what happened?""He said I cost him a lot of money and that Marcus promised a lot of people that this game was in the bag. He said he was going to take the money out of me."Brian gestures for one of the agents that are standing nearby, "Take this man into custody and book him on assault charges."Then Brian turns back to Four, "From now on you are not alone. You will have an agent on you at all times.""What about Tris?" Four asks. "You need someone on her too.""There already is. When I'm not with her, there will always be someone trailing her."Four decides then that he will be with her as much as possible so there is always more than one agent protecting her."What the hell was that?" Zeke asks when Four gets on the bus."He threatened me for some reason," Four says. "So I did what I had to do.""I saw that. But what the hell was the man's problem?""According to him, we weren't supposed to win that game apparently.""Is that so? And at what point did it appear that we were going to lose?""That is pretty much exactly what I asked him," Four says with a smirk. "You know people are crazy. They have nothing better to do than to spread the crazy."~oOo~At one in the morning they arrive back at the football stadium. It is quiet when they get off of the bus that brought them from the airport. The players unload their things from the bus and begin to head to their houses and dorms.Brian pulls up in front of Four, "Come on, I'll take you, Zeke, Uriah, and Will back to your house."The four of them get into the car and Brian drives them home. When they get out of the car Brian calls Four over."I train with Tris at eight tomorrow morning if you want to come. She has a game tomorrow so I just want to have her get some swings in and warm up a bit.""Yeah, I'll be there. Are you picking her up or do you want us to walk there?""I'll pick you both up, eight. Okay?""Yeah, I'll be ready."Four goes into the house, but once inside he gets the urge to go see Tris tonight. So he leaves the house and runs down to the Kappa house. All the lights are out, but as the president of the Phi Delta fraternity, he has an emergency key for his sister sorority. Once inside, he has no idea which room is hers. He starts to walk around the house listening, trying to figure out which room is hers.Then he gets the idea to call her. Where ever he hears the phone ring, should be her room.Instead of hearing the phone ring, he hears her answer the phone."Hello," she says in a groggy voice."Hey beautiful. Did I wake you?""Four? Are you home?""Yeah," he says. "Go downstairs to the kitchen.""What? Why?""Please just go down to the kitchen.""Okay," she says. She leaves her bedroom wondering why he would want her to go to the kitchen.When he hears a door open on the second floor, he hurries to the kitchen and sits at the table and waits for her to enter."I'm almost there," she says. "Are you going to tell me why I'm going to the kitchen at two in the morning?"He doesn't answer, but she gets her answer when she opens the kitchen door and is startled by the man sitting at the table smiling at her."How did you get in here?""I have the emergency key. This was an emergency," he says pulling her into him. "I missed you."She smiles, "I got to watch you on TV today, so I didn't have a chance to miss you."He fakes a pout, "Watching me on TV is better than seeing me?""Of course not!" she says and kisses his cheek. She rubs her mouth because the stubble on his face prickled her.He laughs slightly, "Sorry, I haven't shaved for a couple days.""So you played a pretty great game today. You looked like you were on a mission.""I kind of was," he says."Well, I was pretty impressed," she says."Oh you were? So I just have to annihilate another team to impress you?"She punches him playfully in the chest. "You know that isn't what I meant.""I know," he smiles. "So, I'm supposed to meet you with Brian tomorrow for training.""Well then we should go to bed," she says trying to stand but he pulls her back into his lap."Is that an invitation?" he says with a mischievous smile."Not unless you want to sleep with Marlene too," she says sarcastically."You could come home with me and sleep there. I have my own room."She looks at him nervously but doesn't make eye contact. Her heart starts to race and her stomach starts churning."I um... I... I don't know," she starts."Tris, I was joking. I just don't want to let you go yet. Besides, you know we can sleep in the same place without anything more than sleep happening, right?"She nods but still doesn't look at him. This is one of her biggest fears. She isn't ready for anything more than kissing, and they have barely done that yet."Tris, look at me." He takes her face in his hands and makes her look at him. "I would never try to influence you or try to make you do something that you don't want to do. I just want to be with you."She nods her head and looks back down. He kisses her cheek."I'm going to go home. I'll see you in the morning," he says.They stand and walk to the front door. He kisses her cheek again and walks back down the street to his house.