Cascade » fourtris

|4| Chris and Tris

Chapter : : four

“The saddest thing about betrayal is that, it never comes from your enemies.
It comes from friends and loved ones.”

*         *         *

I thought I had it all planned. Go to school, remain off the radar of boys, become 17, choose being an uncured and then finally at the age of 18, get the procedure done and be safe.

But life is not so brilliant in my case.

Nothing is happening as I had thought. Four has become a big disaster. A very serious threat to me. I hate my shitty life and mostly myself for being such a big coward.

I’m wearing a baggy tee-shirt to look inconspicuous. No let me rephrase it, to remain ‘off the radar of Four.’

We have school today. Even though it’s our choosing ceremony. As the choosing ceremony is at three in the afternoon, we’ll be told more about the so-called ‘cured and uncured thing’ at school, which honestly looks suicidal to me.

Even though I don’t really wish to confront Four today, I’ve to. I groan picking up his jacket. I just can’t help but smell the jacket. It smells so nice, like .. like winter wood. I like it so much.

Today I’ll be choosing and well, my choice is very clear.

I see Chris coming towards me.

“Uh .. Hey,” She says and smiles sheepishly. I give her a blank look and try to keep my anger at bay. But looks like I’m doing a bad job at it. A very bad job! My fingers are already curled into a fist.

“What do you want now? Do you know, what a disastrous experience it was? The patrols, the regulators, then the thing with Four!” who almost kissed me, I add in my mind. My voice comes harsh, which doesn’t sound like music to my ears at all nor did I expect it to though. She flinches at my sudden outburst.

“I’m sorry,” she says, looking down, “I... I was completely wasted. But I was just about to find you, when...when Will came and ...” she trails off.

“What? Will? What do you mean? You don't make any sense.”

“Nothing! Just forget it.”

“What in the world? I know you are hiding something. Now spill.”

She sighs dramatically. It’s not the time for drama, Chris.

“Look, I need you to forgive me for whatever I’m going to say,” I cross my arms over my chest and try to keep my stupid trap shut, which is going to burst out something stupid very soon.

“I was waiting for you to come. I was a bit tipsy. And well, there’s something I didn’t tell you,” she waits for my response, observing my expression, which surprisingly enough, I have managed to keep blank.

“Go on.”

“Will and I, we are together.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. This can’t be true!” My jaw drops, it’s inches away from grazing the floor. And my eyes wide open, looking like a ‘very curious saucer’.

“Tris, it’s true,” she says. Seeing my incapability of speaking, she continues calmly, “And yesterday he kissed me, at the party.”

“And?” I press, knowing she’s hidding something.

“And I kissed him back.”

I am pretty sure I might be looking like a tomato right now, with smoke flaring out of my nostrils. Scratch it. No one gives a crap about it. The thing is, I am scared that she will leave me forever if she chooses differently.

“Get lost or I will kill you even before you can say the word ‘catastrophe’!” I hiss. She reaches out and tries to touch me but I give her chest a hard shove.

“Do you not understand English? Piss off! Fous-moi le camp!” I pick up some random crap whenever I’m about to explode.

She has a hurt look on her face and opens her mouth to say something but thinks better of it, knowing I’m not in the mood to understand. She turns around and goes away and for some reason I feel good when she leaves me alone.

I breathe deeply and sniff Four’s jacket, which in a strange way provides me relief and for once I consider keeping the jacket with me forever.

What the hell am I doing?