Waiting Four You

Chapter 32 (Tobias)

As much as being up high bothers me, I really wanted to go with Tris, but I have the Peter situation to deal with, and it requires the decision of two leaders to make someone factionless.

I knock on my grandfather's office door. It is only a moment before he answers.

"Four," James greets me in surprise. "I thought you'd be off with Tris for the zip line."

I go to speak, but apparently my face gives off more than I expect.

"What happened?" he asks with concern, gesturing for me to enter the office.

I explain about last night, and his face gets angrier and angrier the further I get into my explanation. The point that breaks him, though, is when I explain how hesitant Tris seemed when she kissed me before we went to sleep.

"I'm amazed you came here instead of killing him," James says.

"I was tempted," I admit. "But I have to lead by example. Killing him, especially now, while he's weak, would be cowardly."

James smiles a little at my statement, and we fill out the necessary paperwork to send Peter and Drew to the factionless.

Afterward, I head to the control room talk to Zeke's supervisor. He doesn't seem surprised to see me.

"Here to dig Zeke out of trouble again, Four?" he asks.

"Gus, you know I requested that he takes care of issues with the initates when he sees them," I remind him, keeping my voice low. It always seems to scare people more when I don't yell.

Gus scans my face. "Of course, Four. I apologize." He pauses. "Out of curiosity, what did he stop this time?"

"A male initiate taking advantage of a sleeping female initiate," I say trying to keep the emotion out of my voice.

Gus's eyes go wide when I respond having assumed I wasn't going to tell him. There was no point in keeping it from the guy since he could just pull up the footage whenever he wants like he did last year when Zeke had to break up a fight in the dorm.

A fight isn't really the best word for what had happened. The scrawnyest Erudite transfer from last year had tripped and fallen onto a big ex-Candor who proceeded to pummel the kid. When Zeke got there, the smaller initiate was half-dead.

"I'll take him off the warning," Gus finally says after a period of silence. He turns to his computer, and I take that as a good time to leave.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

As I eat my lunch, I begin to worry about Tris. She's the strongest person I know. She's the reason I was able to stay strong throughout the beatings my father would dish out to me. She was the one who brought me out of depression after my mother "died."

I wish that I knew how to help her because seeing her the way she was last night practically tore my heart in two.

"How are you holding up?" I hear a light, airy voice beside me.

I look to my left to find that Mia had decided to sit with me. Something must be bothering her because she only ever sits with my friends and I when she's upset.

"Well, I haven't killed him," I say trying to keep the mood light.

Mia laughs. "That's good, then." Her face droops into a frown.

"What's wrong, Mia?" I ask.

"It's nothing," Mia lies. I may not be Candor, but I can usually tell when my friends aren't being honest with me. "I just wanted to check in on how you're both handling everything from last night."