Flower Child

Chapter Twenty One

Later that night, Uriah, Lynn, Mar, and I had decided to get out of the dorm. Apparently, before I got back, Peter had been antagonizing Tris with this stupid news article that had been questioning her and her brother's tansfering. As soon as Mar and Lynn had told me about it and I heard Peter and Molly laughing about it, I had lunged at him. Luckily for him, Lynn is a strong girl and was able to pull me off him before I clawed his eyes out.
Mar had forced me to buy a new shirt because she was starting to "get sick of the baggy long sleeves" that I had started to wear since we didn't have to fight anymore.
Now, we are at the tattoo parlor. I had seen Tris, Will, Al, and Chris leaving and I pulled Tris aside and gave her a hug, telling her that we could tag team Peter if she wanted. She laughed and told me she wanted to have a go at him by herself. They left after that.
"Are you going to get something," Mar asks from my left.
"Yeah," Lynn says, "do you even have a tattoo yet?"
I nod, "actually, I do. I got it on our last day of fights."
Uriah grins, "show us!"
I roll my eyes and lift up the left side of my shirt and push down my leggings on the side so it exposed my hip and a little into my thigh. The tattoo is beautiful. It's a tree with no leaves, the base of it is surrounded by a wildfire, a small hand encased in fire reaches for the base of the tree and a large hand reaches back from the tree, its meant to be me(the wildfire) reaching for my father before he slips away into the watercolor sky behind the tree.
"That's beautiful," Mar squeals, "I've never seen something like that."
"I designed it," I say.
Uriah gives me a wide eyed look, "really?"
I nod, "if I'm getting a tattoo, it has to mean something to me."
"Good philosophy," Lynn says.
"Well," Mar says, "little miss philosophy, I've seen you eyeing up the font book over there, thinking of something else meaningful?"
"Actually," I smile, "I am."
I wiggle my brows at them and make my way towards Tori, who I spot in the back.
She sees me approaching, "back for more?"
I nod, "yeah, I got something in mind."

Lynn and I walk behind Uriah and Mar.
"I can't believe you got a wrist tattoo," Lynn snorts.
I scoff, "what's wrong with a wrist tattoo?"
She shrugs, "it just seems so basic, you know? And you don't strike me as the basic kind."
I roll my eyes, "you're right about that, but it's just one word, I'm not gonna just get a giant word tattooed on my back."
She laughs, "I'm not saying it should be on your back! Just that the wrist, and that little cursive font you chose is a little basic."
I slap her arm but laugh anyway, "whatever, fight me."
I see Four standing by the chasm. He's with a group of people, I'm pretty sure I see Zeke and Shauna. He starts laughing, and he laughs so hard that he has to grab the rail to keep his balance. He holds a bottle in his hand, and his face is bright, I'm assuming he's either drunk or he's nearly there.
"You're staring," Lynn says.
I look over at her and laugh, "no I'm not!"
"Sure," she smirks and shrugs, "I don't care, at least it's not Eric."
My nose scrunches, "Eric?"
She nods, "you'd be surprised how many girls think he's easy on the eyes."
"Ew," I say, fake gagging.
"I know, right," she laughs.
"Mor," Four's voice calls out to me.
Lynn wiggles her brows. She moves away from me and goes to stand next to Uriah and Mar, who stopped to watch this encounter. Across the way I see Tris, Al, Chris, and Will, they're all staring.
Four pushes away from the railing and walks over to me. His steps are a little wobbly and I have to fight the urge to grab him and help him find his balance.
"You look different," he says, his words sluggish.
I smile a little awkwardly, "so do you. What are you doing?"
"Flirting with death," he answers with a laugh, "drinking by the chasm. Probably not the best idea."
"Probably not." I laugh and push a strand of my hair out of my face with my left hand.
Four's eyes fall on my wrist and he takes a sip of his bottle, "thought you were gonna show me your tattoo when you got it."
He's looking at my new one, "not quiet what I was imagining it'd look like."
I look down at my wrist. It's wrapped in a see through plastic since it's still fresh. White is written in deep inky black cursive. Behind it is the same watercolor sky as my hip tattoo.
"This isn't the one I designed," I say, "I got that one done two days ago."
"Are you going to show me," he asks.
My face heats up unwillingly. I was willing to show my friends, even Uriah even though he's a guy, but showing Four feels different.
"Um, I don't think I should," I say, my voice raising in pitch.
He raises a brow, "why not?"
I chuckle awkwardly, "um, I don't think pulling down my pants in front of my instructor is the best idea."
His eyes shine a little and he laughs, "no, probably not."
He glances back at his group of friends, who are continuing on unlike mine, "I'd invite you to hangout with us but, you aren't supposed to see me like this."
"Like what," I ask, trying to ignore the fact that he'd want to invite me to hangout with him at all, "drunk?"
"Yes, no," he says, "more like, real."
I don't understand but at the same time I do, "I'll pretend I never did."
"That's nice of you." He smiles and leans closer to me, his lips next to my ear. "I still want to see that tattoo some time."
I have to fight my blush away. He's drunk, he has no idea what he's saying right now.
I force out a laugh, "do me a favor please, and stay away from the chasm."
"Of course," he winks at me.
I smile as he turns away from me. I hear someone cough pointedly, I think it's Uriah, but I don't turn away from Four. That has got to be the strangest conversation I've ever had.
Someone picks me up and throws me over their shoulder. I shriek and let out a loud laugh.
"Come on little miss," Uriah says, "we're taking you to dinner."
I rest my elbows on Uriah's back and catch Four looking at us. I wave at him and he nods with a small smile, turning back to his friends.
Uriah sets me down, "what was that about?"
"Yeah," Mar grins, "I want to know the answer to that and why you were so smiley."
I shrug, "honestly, if I knew, I would tell you. He was drunk, that's why I was smiling, it's funny seeing him like that considering how he usually is."
Lynn grins, "it couldn't be because you..."
I elbow her in the stomach. She caught me staring at him, she probably guesses that I was smiling more than just about how comical the situation was.
Lynn gasps, "oh you're so dead!"
I smile sweetly and then book it back the direction we came. I can hear her chase after me and I laugh as I run. There is no way she was going to catch up to me. I see Four as watching me as I run, I grin at him and speed past him and his friends.
"Get back here, Mor," Lynn yells as she passes them.
I throw my head back as I laugh. This is what Dauntless has always been to me, to laugh, to run, to fight. Amity was about peace and happiness. Here, I am free.