Divergent UNIVERSITY ✅

Chapter 8

For the next two mornings Tris meets Four outside in the morning at six to train. Over the past four days Tris can already feel herself getting stronger and faster than she ever was. Four pushes her harder than Brian ever has, but he doesn't make the workouts long and pointless. Brian would have her working out for four to five hours a day. With Four, she only works out for three hours, but she gets more out of the workouts. She has added a couple tenths onto her speed on the forty yard dash. He worked with her on hitting balls that are high and inside so she can pull them to the right side of the field. When he hits the balls to her for fielding he doesn't take it easy on her. He hits them so she has to work hard to get at them; they are rarely routine plays that he forces from her. She feels like she is becoming a better ball player than she has ever been.When she is finished she always sits and watches him practice plays. A couple times she has even gone to sit on the hill side with Marlene and Shauna at the outdoor practice field to watch the whole team practice. It doesn't take her long to realize why he makes her better, it's because he is the best on the field all of the time, and he pushes her to be the same way.On Wednesday morning during training she finally decides she needs to call Brian. She has decided that she can't occupy Four's time like this forever and will need to go back and work with Brian. But before she does she wants to talk to Four about her idea first. So after training she brings it up on their way home."Four would you mind if I invited Brian to come to our training tomorrow morning. I realized today that you have been spending a lot of time working on my skills and you have been sacrificing your training time on me. I should probably go back to working out with him."He looks at her, a little shocked and upset, "What you don't like working out with me?""No, that's not it. I just don't want to screw anything up for you. You have a lot riding on your abilities too. I don't want you to focus so much on helping me that you forget to work on your own skills.""Tris, I've been working harder the past few days than I have ever pushed myself alone. I like having you around. If you want to invite him to meet us at the training facility to see what you are doing that is fine by me. Maybe he will have some suggestions to make our workout better for both of us."She smiles at him. A smile that melts his heart. He knows that he is falling for her but he is afraid to tell her. She is so focused on her goals and he doesn't want to get in the way of that. So he will do everything he can to keep working out with her so that he can see her every day and hope that someday she will notice how he looks at her."Tris, Saturday is a home game, I was wondering if you would come to the game. I get tickets for every game. Marlene and Shauna will be there.""I'd love to, Four."He gets a huge smile on his face. She can't help but notice how happy he gets that she will be at his football game on Saturday. They walk the rest of the way back to the Dauntless sector of the campus talking and laughing. Neither of them has ever been this comfortable around someone other than their friends.They stop in front of the Kappa house and Four leans on the fence. "So I'll see you in the morning then?" he asks hopefully."Yeah, I'll be here," she says standing in front of him. "I'm going to tell Brian to meet us at the training facility for about seven since we are usually starting to lift at that point.""That's fine," he says. He stands up straight and suddenly realizes that he is standing very close to her. He has the urge to pull her into a hug, but he doesn't do it. He wants to feel her body in his arms again, but he isn't sure if she feels the same way.Then she does something unexpected. She stands on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek. "Thanks for helping me," she says. Then she quickly runs into the house.That kiss throws him for a loop. He wasn't expecting her to do something so bold.~oOo~She runs into the house and can't believe what she just did. She bursts into her bedroom and Marlene is sitting there at her desk doing homework."Mar, I just kissed him," Tris says out of breath.Marlene turns and looks at Tris shocked, "Who did you kiss? Four?""Yeah, we were talking about me going back to work out with Brian and he told me he didn't want me to. He said he likes working out with me. Then he asked me if I would come to their game on Saturday and that he would get me a ticket. Then he asked if he would see me tomorrow morning for training and I agreed. Then before I came in I reached up and kissed him on the cheek."She plops herself down on the bed and buries her face in her pillow. "What if I just messed everything up? I love working out with him, I don't want to have ruined it. It's the only way I get to see him every day.""I knew you had feelings for him!" Marlene says. "Did he do anything?""I didn't give him a chance, I just ran into the house.""Right now, you need to calm down. You have class in forty-five minutes so you need to go get a shower and get yourself ready to go. There's nothing you can do about it now. It was just a kiss on the cheek. Did you say anything?""I thanked him for helping me," Tris says."Okay, well if he had a problem with it then you can just tell him it was a thank you. And if he didn't have a problem with it then maybe you two can quit beating around the bush and finally decide to get together. It's not like you wouldn't be the perfect couple."Tris grumbles into her pillow then gets up and gets her things to go get a shower.While Tris is in the shower Marlene calls Uriah, "Hey was Four acting weird or did he say anything when he came back from training with Tris this morning?""He was a little spaced, but he didn't say anything. Why?""Tris kissed him on the cheek and now she's freaking out.""Mar, no offence, but guys don't usually come running in the house and talk about things like that. Especially not Four!""All right, I know. I just thought you might notice if he was acting weird or seemed freaked out or something.""Again Mar, this is Four. Even if he was feeling something, it's not like any of us would ever know it. Besides he's a guy. There is no way he's going to be freaked out by a kiss from a pretty girl that he obviously likes.""You think he likes her?""You've known him for about a year now, when have you ever seen him pay any attention to any girl ever? He usually blows them off."Marlene thinks about this for a moment, "You're right. Even the night of the party he got a drink dumped on his head by some girl that he was ignoring.""Exactly, so just relax. It'll be fine.""Okay Uri, I gotta go. She's getting out of the shower."They hang up just in time before Tris enters the room. "Mar, do you really think it isn't a big deal?""Tris, I've known Four for a while. He's not one to freak out about things or read into them. You'll be fine. You better get going or you'll be late for class."Tris throws on a pair of black leggings, a T-shirt, and her black sneakers. She grabs her bag and runs out the door to class.She's not paying attention and ends up running right into Four on his way to class."Oh sorry," she says before looking up."Isn't this how we first encountered each other?" he says with a smirk."Oh, Four. Sorry, trying not to be late for class.""Where are you heading?""Human anatomy, Georgetown Hall. How about you?""I'll walk with you, I have biomechanical factors in Georgetown Hall."They walk together quietly, then Tris can't handle the silence anymore, "I'm sorry about earlier.""What are you sorry for?" he looks at her confused. He desperately hopes she isn't talking about the kiss."I shouldn't have kissed you. I...""I'm not sorry you kissed me," he says with a smirk.She looks down and blushes."Besides, I'd have to be crazy to be upset by being kissed by a pretty girl."Now she just looks shocked. No guy has ever told her that she was pretty before. Especially a guy like Four. They walk quietly together to their building and go their separate ways.Four hopes that he got his point across that he likes her, but he realizes that he may have to be a little more direct. Tris isn't the normal girl that he is used to, she is shy and reserved and seemingly more innocent than the girls he is used to chasing him. Besides she isn't chasing him, she's just being herself and that is what has captured his attention because she is real.Tris goes up the stairs to her class happy and a little nervous. 'He liked that I kissed him', she thinks to herself. Then panic sets in, what does she do now?She gets through class barely paying attention. The only thing she can think about is that Four was happy that she kissed him. Does that mean that he likes her? She leaves her third class and is walking home when she decides that she needs to go see her mother. When she gets back to the house she runs in, grabs her keys and gets in the car.An hour later she is pulling in front of her mother's tattoo parlor. Maybe it's time for a new one anyway.The bell rings as she enters the shop. Her mom looks up from the counter and immediately gets a huge smile on her face."And to what do I owe this surprise visit?"Tris comes up to her and hugs her. "Thought it might be time for a new tattoo," Tris says smiling."Oh, okay," her mother knows that this is Tris code for 'we need to talk'. "What are you thinking?""I always wanted those ravens." She points to an image of a flock of three ravens flying. "Can you put them on my collarbone?""Sure honey, come on back to my station."They walk through the parlor and she feels like this is more her home than their house ever has. She spent more of her free time here than anywhere else. Everyone that works here has been here since she was young."Hey Tris," Bud says as they walk past. "Your mom told us about the Olympic tryout that is so great! I'm so proud of you!"Tris goes up to him and hugs him quickly, "Thanks Bud!" she says. Then she proceeds to her mother's station.She starts getting everything ready and Tris sits and gets comfortable. "So tell me, what's going on?"She starts on the tattoo and Tris starts talking."I don't know if I want to train with Brian anymore.""Really, and why is that?" he mother asks."Well, remember I told you I was going to take a couple days off?""Yeah.""Well I did, but not from training. I took a few days off from Brian. I've been training with someone else and already in three days he has helped me get faster and stronger than I have ever been.""And who is this he?""He's the quarterback for my school's football team and he plays first base for the baseball team.""Okay, well have you talked to Brian?""No, not yet. I'm going to call him and invite him to my training tomorrow morning. I want him to see what I'm capable of now without him. But I don't want to train with him anymore. He yells at me all of the time and he criticizes everything that I do.""Well, we don't have to have you train with him anymore. Did you talk to your father?""I can't talk to him. He won't listen."Her mother knows that this is true. When she called about the Olympics all he did was yell at her about her argument with Brian instead of listening to what she had to say."Mom, there's something else.""I knew there was. You wouldn't have come here to talk about Brian.""This guy that I've been training with, I kissed him. We were walking home from training this morning and I was just so appreciative that he has been helping me so much that I kissed him on the cheek. Then later I saw him walking to class and talked to him a little and apologized. But he said he wasn't sorry that I kissed him. What does that mean?""Tris breathe. More than likely it meant just what he said. Boy's don't tend to mix their words.""But does that mean he likes me? He asked me to go to his football game on Saturday. He said he'd get me tickets.""Tris, if I had to guess, I'd say he probably does like you. But the only way to know for sure is if you talk to him about it.""But, I can't."Her mom stops after the second raven and takes her daughter's face in her hand. "Tris you are a gorgeous girl. I don't know why you think otherwise. But you need to find the self-confidence I see in you when you are on the field and use it in your everyday life."She goes back and finishes with the last raven. She rubs cream on the new tattoo to help it to heal and then she covers it.Tris stands and hugs her mother, "Thanks mom.""My pleasure dear. Do you have time for dinner? We could go get something to eat.""Yeah, that would be great."