Learning to Let Them In | Fourtris

Chapter 47

Tris' POV

"I know, and I'm so, so sorry, but-"

I'm cut off again by a frantic Tori. It wasn't smart of me to fall asleep without informing Tori or Caleb of my whereabouts first.

"Beatrice Edith Prior, sorry doesn't cut it! You disappear in the middle of the night to God knows where, and you have the gall not to tell us?!"

"Tori, I know I should have told you, but it slipped my mind at the time. Honestly! And I was so tired that I just crashed, and I didn't even think about telling you and Caleb until I woke up!"

"Until you woke up?! You woke up because of my phone call!" Tori exclaims.

I sigh. "Tori, I swear I meant to tell you, I really did, but I just...I was preoccupied, all right?"

"Preoccupied with what, exactly? What was so damn important that you left your brother and I in the dark to worry our lives away while you-"

"I can't tell you that, Tori," I say, and my voice suddenly becomes a lot more tired. "I know that after tonight that's not the answer you want to hear, but it's the only one I can give you."

The other end is silent for a few moments. "Are you alone?"

"No," I reply, and, to hopefully calm her down even further, I add, "I'm with Four."

"You said you and Four had broken up," Tori points out, not one to let something like that slide.

"And we did," I say. "Well, sort of. We're on a break, but it's not a bad one or anything. He was sort of a jerk for a while, so we talked things out and now we're on good terms again, but we're still on a break, and...urgh, I don't know, it's complicated! But I'm not alone, and I promise that I'm all right. I'll be home later tomorrow, okay?"

"Tris, I swear-"

"Tori," I interrupt. "I'm okay. I'm safe. There's nothing to worry about. I'll be home tomorrow night. Okay?"

It's silent for a long while, and I hold my breath as I wait for a reply. "Okay," she finally relents. "But if you're not home by tomorrow night, call or no call, I will come looking for you, you got that?"

I sigh in relief. "Got it."

"And don't you ever do something like this again, you hear?" she says sternly.

"Yes, Tori," I say, mostly just to make her happy.

"Good. Now go back to bed. I'll let the school know you and Four won't be coming in today."

"Thank you so much, Tori. I appreciate it. I really do," I quickly say.

"You can thank me later. You're still in trouble, Bea. Don't think you've wriggled your way out of this one that easily," Tori says, irritation still laced in her tone.

"Goodnight, Tori," I say, really wanting the conversation to end.

"Goodnight, Tris."

And then it finally does.

I throw my head back and let out a breath, running my fingers through my hair still tangled from sleep. I silently creep back into the living room where my makeshift bed lies and crawl onto it, covering myself with the blankets once again. I reach over to my phone and turn my ringer off; I don't need to be rudely woken by another obnoxious phone call.

"From what I heard, you're in deep," Tobias mumbles.

Thinking better of it, I turn my phone off completely. Neither Tobias nor I need to woken like that again.

"I'll be fine. She's just worried, that's all. It will have mostly blown over by tomorrow," I reply.

Tobias begins to stroke my hair the same way he did the first time I fell asleep.