Divergent UNIVERSITY ✅

chapter 19

Chapter 19.The group makes their way from the stands and follows the team to the locker room. They wait outside while the girls all go in to meet with the coach, shower and change.Lynn can't wait to for Kenzie to come out so she can congratulate her. She's so excited that Kenzie was able to be the hero of the game, just once. Kenzie is the outgoing but silent one in their relationship, she's friends with everyone but she goes along with the crowd, while Lynn is sarcastic and cynical. She'd sooner have the two of them sit alone together than socialize. Over the past couple months of their relationship Kenzie has forced Lynn to become more social. Lynn has found friends in these people and is for the first time in her life she's happy with who she is. She isn't embarrassed or uncomfortable with these people and they don't look at her like she's weird like so many others have over the years.As they stand outside of the locker room she is no different than Four, Zeke, or Uriah waiting for their girlfriends and they don't treat her any different either. This thought makes her happy.Tris' mother walks up to the group."Is everyone coming to the tattoo party?" Natalie asks.All of them nod their heads."Great!" she says.When the girls come out Natalie calls Tris, Marlene, Shauna, and Kenzie over to her."Girls I have to get back to get ready for the party, but I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of all of you. You all had a hell of a game." She pulls them each into a hug. When she gets to Kenzie she whispers, "I really like Lynn. I'm so happy that you found someone that makes you happy.""Thanks Mom," Kenzie says smiling. Natalie isn't Kenzie's mother, but all of the girls call her Mom. She's like the team mom, especially for some of them whose moms are far away.Then she hugs Tris, "Do you know how amazing you are? That last play was the most amazing thing that I've ever seen. I'm so proud of you."Tris kisses her mother's cheek, "Thank you for coming Mom. It really means a lot to me.""I'll see you at the shop in a while."Natalie turns and walks away.When Tris turns back to the group they are discussing traveling plans."Well, there are ten of us going. Who all has a car?""Four has a motorcycle, Tris has a car, Zeke has a car," Uriah says."I can go with Four on his motorcycle and someone can drive my car. If there are four in Zeke's car and four in mine, we should be fine then.""Who wants to drive Tris' car?" Zeke asks."I'll drive," Will says. Tris hands him the keys.~oOo~They arrive at the tattoo parlor. Everyone is extremely excited about this party. They go in and Tris' mom has it completely laid out. Food and drinks, music, and enough people there to tattoo every single one of them. Tris had told them that these are some of the best tattoo artists in the region. They've been featured in several magazines and have won several awards for their talent.The group goes in and immediately is overwhelmed by the artwork on the walls and all the possibilities."Hello again," Natalie says. "We have enough artists here to accommodate each of you. Please eat, drink and browse the artwork. Talk to the artists about what you are thinking. They have a talent for creating things from ideas that astound people."They each start walking around. Four goes directly to Bud. Since Four's first tattoo, he and Bud have become friends. He knows all about Four's father, he knows firsthand what abuse is like. They sit and talk for a while about everything that has been happening, all the while, Bud draws.Zeke sits with a woman and they begin talking about football, college, and Shauna. Zeke tells her how much he liked Four's tattoo that's covering his back."What do you think you're looking for?" she asks."I was thinking something comical but fierce," Zeke says."Well, I have this idea," she says. She goes on to describe a design that she's been thinking about drawing up. While she talks she draws so Zeke can see what she's talking about.When Zeke is finished he has a crazy looking skeleton with a top hat on his bicep that looks like it is ripping through his skin. It is the perfect combination of funny in the skeleton but the blood and image of skin that looks like it is being ripped from the inside is fierce and gory."This is awesome!" Zeke says.He thanks the artist and goes to see what Uriah is doing. On Uriah's chest it looks like the superman symbol is ripping through his skin. It takes up almost his whole chest."So now you think you're Superman?" Zeke laughs."I've always been Superman, Bro. You've just been in denial all these years."Zeke laughs and goes to find Shauna. She's standing by Marlene who's getting the image of a rose with a serpent winding its way around the stem."Hey Babe, did you end up getting anything?"She lifts her shirt revealing her stomach. She has a small heart on her stomach near her belly button."What about you?" Shauna asks.He peals the bandage from his arm revealing his masterpiece. "Like it?" he asks."It's awesome. I just couldn't come up with anything and figured that this was safe."He nods.Tris sits at her mother's station talking. "Did you want anything?" her mother asks."Actually I had an idea. I want a dove on the inside of my wrist.""Love? Tris are you falling in love with him?""It's not for him," Tris says rather unconvincingly. "I don't know if I'm falling in love with him. I like him a lot. I think maybe someday I could love him. But we haven't known each other all that long yet. It's only been a couple months since we met.""Oh Tris, I think we both know that isn't the entire truth. You are falling hard. I just want you to be careful. He's a great guy, but just be careful."Tris doesn't say anything. She knows it's pointless to continue to deny her feelings for him. Her mother sees something happening between her and Four.Four looks toward Tris from Bud's station. They really haven't talked since they arrived here a couple hours ago. Most of their friends are either done or they are in the middle of a tattoo. He sees that her mother is putting something on Tris' wrist. He wonders what she's decided on this time."You're falling in love with her, aren't you?" Bud asks Four all of the sudden."What? No, I like her. But love? No," Four says. He knows he is not very convincing, but he also doesn't want Bud telling her that he's in love with her. That would be a sure fire way to scare her off."Four, its fine. You don't have to admit to anything, but I can tell by the way you look at her. Let me just say that I've been friends with Natalie since we were kids. I've also loved her since we were kids, but I never thought it was the right time to tell her. I always had an excuse. Then one day she met Andrew. They became close. Never as close as she and I have been, but she settled down with him and married him. I never understood why, she's his polar opposite. They stay together out of habit or obligation, I'm not sure. I guess what I'm trying to say is whatever excuse you have for not telling her how you feel, don't let it rule you forever."Bud finishes the tattoo that he's been working on. Four decided on the new tattoo on his ribcage. Bud had been drawing something when they started talking and when Four saw it, he knew it had to be his newest tattoo. It has the words 'Fear God Alone' written in a banner through the talons of a phoenix emerging out of fire."The phoenix symbolizes rebirth. In mythology, phoenixes die, going up in flames, and are reborn out of the ashes," Bud explains."It's perfect," Four says when he sees the red phoenix emerging from the fiery reds and oranges of the flames. Bud even had the flames from his back merge with the flames on his side.Bud covers the tattoo. "Just remember what I said. Don't hold back your feelings from her for too long. I love her like she's my daughter. She's a very special girl with a bright future. She needs a man who challenges her but understands her. I know that you're a good fit for her.""Why does her father not seem to care about her abilities?" Four asks."He just doesn't understand. He thinks it is a waste of her time. Her father values intelligence and selflessness. He sees athletics as selfish and a waste.""Thanks Bud." Four shakes Bud's hand and walks over to Tris. For the first time he thinks he understands a little more about Tris and her family. When he gets over to her mother's station, she has finished the tattoo on Tris' wrist and has already covered it."Seems like everyone's done," Tris says. "We should probably get going."By the time they are all ready to leave, they have each gotten some kind of tattoo. Christina got a rose on her ankle, Will got a grim reaper on his bicep, Lynn got ballet slippers and a lily on her stomach, and Kenzie got a skull with roses coming out of the eyes and mouth on her forearm."Thank you everyone!" Tris says."Yeah, this was the coolest thing that we've ever done," Uriah says.~oOo~They arrive back on campus and they are all exhausted from the day. Four walks Tris to her door. She begins to say goodnight, but he stops her."Why don't you come home with me? I liked waking up with you this morning," he says."I can't. I have class in the morning," Tris says. The prospect of sleeping in his room again terrifies her. She is also terrified by what she thinks he is really actually asking her. He seems to read her mind because he starts talking."Look, I'm not asking you to do anything that you're not ready for. I just really liked waking up and having you be the first person that I saw in the morning.""Really?" she asks looking at him in shock."Why do you act so surprised? Of course the first person that I would want to see in the morning is by beautiful girlfriend."She doesn't say a word, she's too afraid of saying something stupid that will ruin the moment. The fact of the matter is she still has no idea why he wants to be with her. She doesn't believe she's pretty or desirable. She has no idea what he sees in her, especially when he calls her beautiful and gorgeous. All she does is move closer to him.As they stand outside of her sorority house by his motorcycle, they begin to press closer to each other. She wraps her arms around his neck and stands on her tiptoes. He looks at the bandage on her forearm."What did you get?" he asks quietly. "Can I see?"She nods and he takes the bandage off of her wrist. "A bird?""It's a dove.""And what does that symbolize?""Doves symbolize love and devotion," she whispers without looking at him. She feels like her subconscious desire for the dove has forced her to admit to something that she hasn't been able to admit to herself yet. But what if he doesn't reciprocate her feelings?He looks at her with a bit of surprise, but doesn't say anything. He wants to ask if it means that she loves him. He wants to ask what her feelings are for him. He wants to wrap her in his arms and kiss her and hold her and never let her go. Does that mean he loves her?Then she does something that she's never done before. She yanks him down to her and covers his mouth with hers in a hungry kiss. He responded immediately, surprising her. He wraps his arms around her waist and presses her body to his so there is no space between them. His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips softer than she could have imagined they would be. He tasted tentatively with his tongue, and Tris opened her mouth with a low moan.They continue to kiss and caress each other for a few moments, and then Tris pulls back. She looks him in the eyes. She couldn't help but wonder if Four's heart was beating as fast as hers, or if he was feeling anything akin to the hot fire of desire that had settled in her belly.Four feels like he has been struck with lightning. Every inch of his body tingling, his heart racing, his senses on edge from the fire of that kiss. He wants to pull her into him and kiss her again. He wants to take her home with him so that he can give in to the need that his body has to be close to her. But she pulls back and steps away. His body cold and longing for her body to press back against his.She smiles at him. "Goodnight," she says.