Tris's Contenders

ch 11

Tris POV

The day flew by thank god because if it hadn't surely I would have killed myself. Homeroom went slow because of Chris's gossip on her and Will's night. History...well let's just say I fell asleep and Uriah had already had his head down when I walked in. The rest of the classes went fairly the same route.

Eric has met me at my locker after almost every class and now lunch is about to start and I fear what his intentions will be. I walk up to my locker and see Al waiting for me. I breathe out in relief and practically run up to my locker. Opening it I shove my books in not caring about the mess I made. "Hey Tris sorry I haven't texted..." I grab his arm cutting him off from what he is saying and pull him towards the lunch room.

"Sorry Al I am just..." I want to say I am trying to get away from Eric's clutches, but even though Al and I have always been one hundred percent with each other, I just can't get into the story of Eric with him. "I am just really hungry." I decide to say and he laughs at me. We get in line and I notice my hand still sealed around his arm. Letting go I apologize and he smiles at me. Al's mouth is very small almost fish like and his height shadows over me.

"Well now that we are in line and done running through the halls for..."He looks around the corner at the menu." meat loaf and mashed potatoes..."

"I love their mash potatoes...after putting like six of those little butter scoops in it." I say laughing as I accidentally step on the girl's flip flop in front of me. "Oh sorry. Hey Cara."

"Oh hey Tris, it is okay. How you been?"

"Pretty good."

She smiles and turns back around. Cara is Will's older sister. She is on the honors list and in all the AP classes. Very pretty and even though she is a know it all she is respectful to pretty much everyone.

I grab my tray and walk over to my table where Uriah and Marlene have already taken their seats. Al trails behind me and as we sit down he finally finishes what he was saying to me. "I am sorry I wasn't able to text you last night. I got caught up with family stuff."

"It is fine Al." I smile as I finish shoveling the rest of my mash potatoes into my mouth.

Uriah and Marlene do their regular flirting and I finish my food as Al talks to me about his old school. Uriah hadn't brought Four up at all like I thought he would, but seeing how fixed his eyes are to Marlene I get why.  A few minutes pass and I see Eric walking over towards our table with his henchman Peter. He keeps walking though, right pass me and again relief washes over me and I decide it is time to get some air.

I lean against the cool bricks of our school's outer frame and smell the freshly cut grass wave in the wind. I let my right hand scope the random flacks of brick eroding from itself. Sliding down the wall I feel the brick eat at my shirt, but I ignore the snagging sound. I shut my eyes and let the wind sing me a lullaby of blissful slumber.

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 Four POV

I saw her leave the lunchroom awhile ago and she has yet to return. Zeke is turned around talking to Cara about her running for student president. I look at my tray of food and everything is untouched, hunger left me long ago. The chatter from the cafeteria is scrambling my thoughts so I decide to get up patting Zeke on the back as a see you later. He nods to me and I walk to the trash dumping in my tray. As I turn around I feel my shoulder get impacted. A small ting of pain spreads through my arm and I see Eric and his new buddy walking away laughing.

My itch to hit something hard is taking me over so a stomp out the left wing doors. The door's bottom corner just misses a black and white converse shoe. Tris is sitting up against the wall and her eyes are closed. Then my memories engulf me and I remember her.

**FLASHBACK**

"Tobias! Get down here our guests have arrived."

I run down the stairs hitting the last step and sticking still to see my father's eyes glaring at me with the threat of not embarrassing him. My mother had just left us and his eyes stand colder then they had before. My back aches with the lashes that her abandonment saved her from. I can't keep eye contact with those eyes so I let them fall to the floor. The sound of knocking sends warm comfort through my body and I see the setting sun's rays cover my shoes as the door opens.

"Andrew. Natalie. Caleb. Beatrice. Welcome to our home." He beckons them in waving me to him for introduction. "This is my son Tobias. Tobias this is the Prior family. Andrew is my new executive to the council.

"It is nice to meet you sir." I say holding my hand out for a shake.

We all sit around the dinner table eating steak, green beans, and macaroni and cheese. My mother would have been the one to cook before, but now it is up to me or my father. The adults are all talking about politics of our county as I look up seeing Beatrice playing with her food. Her and her brother look really close in age, I am 9 so they must be a year or two younger then I am. We all just stay quiet and move our food around our plates until my father speaks. "Well how about we move this into the living room. The kids can watch television while we discuss the rebuilding of the Erudite Book Co."

I let Caleb flip through the channels and I sit on the edge of our plush black sofa. Time is going by slow, but it is nice knowing that they are here. I know they don't know this, but right now they are saving me from the belt. Caleb put an animal planet show on and I feel boredom ease into me. Glancing to the right I see Beatrice sitting on the floor against our recliner with her legs laying out making her appear like an "L". Her eyes are closed and she seems so calm and free.

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She stirs awake and I see her eyelids slowly open. My body takes over all my movement and I find myself sitting down next to her. "Hey."

She stretches and her voice sounds sweet "Hey you."

"So...you sleep out here often?" I see her begin to reconcile her whereabouts and she shoots up frantically.

"Oh no what time is it!?"

"I'm not really sure, but I do think you are late for your class." I say laughing slightly at how worried she is. She finds my smile and exchanges hers. She sits back down next to me and the air suddenly feels serene.

"Well since I am already late might as well not rush in. What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Just needed some air. Why are you sleeping out here?" I raise my eyebrows at her and feel my cheeks grow hot.

"I didn't mean to. I just needed some air." She mimics my tone and we laugh together. This feels nice. Maybe too nice.

We sit there for a few minutes letting the tree leaves make the only conversation. Then Tris turns her head towards me and leans it against the wall. I copy her actions and our eyes look deep into the others. Her eyes are a mixture a blue and grey scores. "Tris..." I don't know what else to say because just saying her name feels like pure perfection.

"Four." The wind blows as she says my name and I can smell her hair. Her smell is natural like vanilla. I can feel my entire body vibrate and I wish I had heard her call me by my real name.

"How about we go hang out somewhere other then outside these doors?"

She smiles. "Does class not matter to you Four?"

"It does, but today is only day two of this school year." I get up and reach out my hand to her. Her eyes look at my palm searching it then they glide up to my eyes and I see her arm reach out. Her skin electrifies me and I feel like my heart...my soul got rebooted back to life.