Roommates

Independence

Thank you for checking out my new story! I wanted to give readers a heads up that this story is Fourtris. It will not be a Fourstina (Four x Christina) story nor is it an Eris (Eric x Tris) story, so if you feel strongly about Christina, Fourstina, or Eris I would suggest you don't read it.

Disclaimer: The Divergent series and its characters are property of Veronica Roth. All I own is my own ideas/plot.

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Four
Late August

I groan as traffic slows in front of me. I have been in the car for nearly two hours and I am so close to reaching my destination... but with Chicago traffic slowing me down, the ten minutes I thought I had left could easily become over half an hour... or longer. I hate long car rides. Most people might not consider two hours all that long, but it's different when you're claustrophobic. Rolling down the window would help a bit... if it weren't raining.

My phone rings and I fumble for the cheap headphones that came with the phone. I would really like a pair of bluetooth headphones, but I haven't wanted to spend the money I've been saving to get by at college when I have these cheap stock headphones that are perfectly functional. My father, who I prefer to simply refer to as Marcus, doesn't approve of spending money on 'self-indulgent' things like that, and I am hesitant to work more than part-time-- once I actually find a job, that is. If I don't keep my grades up, Marcus will make me regret it.

I get the headphones situated in my ears and plugged into the phone barely in time to answer on the final ring before it would have redirected to voicemail. I don't even get a chance to see who is calling until just before I answer. It's my girlfriend, Christina. "Hey, Chris," I say tiredly, trying to listen, watch the stop and go traffic, and stretch out my stiff neck all at once-- without causing an accident.

"Hey, baby," she purrs, and I roll my eyes. She is quite sure of her sexual appeal and while I won't deny that she's gorgeous, one of her flaws that is hardest for me to look past is how self-centered and pushy she can be. "Aren't you here yet? I miss you. I wanted to see you before work." I swear I can actually hear her pout her lower lip.

I need to get it together. This is my girlfriend of a year. I am frustrated with the traffic and sick of the car, but if I don't get my mood under control fast, I'm going to end up with an argument that I really don't want to deal with.

"Sorry, babe," I answer, careful to keep my tone light. "I'm stuck in traffic. I should be ten minutes away, but judging from the sea of red brake lights ahead of me... I'm guessing it will be at least half an hour, maybe more." I glance at the dashboard clock. It reads five-thirty. I was supposed to leave Milwaukee much earlier in the day but that just... didn't happen. Marcus kept me busy doing all the chores and house repairs he doesn't want to bother with himself before losing his supply of forced child labor. "Then once I get there, I need to get my dorm key, eat dinner, move my stuff in..." I hear Christina huff in annoyance. "What time is your shift?" Chris started her job, cocktail waitressing at some fancy club that I'll probably never be able to afford to hang out at, the night before last, so she moved down to Chicago a few days ahead of me. It sounds like it's going well so far.

"Seven o'clock, and I close tonight so I won't be off until probably three. I'll need to give myself at least half an hour to get there."

"Aw, that's too bad." Honestly, I don't mind having some time to myself tonight, my first night in my dorm room, to get to know my new roommate and all that, but if I tell Chris that, she'll flip shit. "I'm sure you'll want to sleep in tomorrow, so... lunch?"