His book bag thumps onto my backside, the strap pulling tightly on one shoulder. The weight of the hefty books wears out my, already weak, muscles. 

"Are you positive you wouldn't like me to hold it?" Tobias questions, lifting the rough strap the slightest. 

"As I've gone over before, no! You are not supposed to be lifting anything heavy." 

He sighs heavily, "I know, but with your stature..." 

"Are you calling me weak?" I spit, heaving the bags past the steps. 

He sways his head in an assuring manner, eyes humongous, "I am just saying, we both know you have a petite stature, and I would not want you to overwork yourself."  

I chuckle, pushing open the front door with my shoulder, "I'm promising, I'll be absolutely fine. You just need to be focused on surviving the first day back at our deranged high school." 

The door slides closed, clicking as the lock slips in. The two of us stroll over to his jeep, which is in much need of a wash. Our school bags are tossed into the back, which usually remains empty, and I climb into the driver's seat. 

Tobias raises an eyebrow, "Did I say you could drive my jeep?" 

I smirk cockily, starting the ignition, "Well, my dear, you aren't able to drive, doctor's orders! I'm not going to crash, so don't be paranoid." 

He glares at me menacingly, "If you hurt my car-" 

"You would never do anything to me, you big teddy bear." 

"That's true." 

I grin, pulling the car out of the driveway. The commute to school is rather brisk when there is virtually no traffic in the lane's. With plenty of spaces open, there is no trouble finding a parking spot close to the front. 

Before Tobias can try an grab the bags himself, I slip my hand back and collect both. 

"Four!" The screams come from the front of the school, followed by a herd of footsteps going for Tobias. 

Zeke and Uriah are the first to get near him, pulling him into tight hugs. 

"Gentle you dumbasses! Concussion and back injuries!" I screech, tearing them off. 

The brothers both pout, acting as if they are only six years old. 

"We have barely seen him for two weeks, and you refuse to let us hug him?" Zeke glowers, sending me an evil eye in the process. 

I shake my head, ready to sock him across the head, "No dipstick, he's got injuries that can be affected by your recklessness, so I'd appreciate it if you backed off a little." 

The two obey as ordered, and instead give Tobias a bro hug and start conversing with him. 

I sigh, leaving them be. The girls find their way to me, Lynn taking Toby's backpack from my arm. 

"How was it taking care of a big man baby for the week?" She asks, slipping it over her shoulder. 

I laugh, a smile itching at the corners of my mouth, "He really was fine, if a little needy." 

Christina raises a doubtful eyebrow, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, guys, he isn't as bad as your whining boyfriends." 

Receiving a few nasty glances, I smile cheesily. Tobias has always been one to remain strong; in any situation he strives to protect or remain stable. Even while going through the most traumatic experience of his life, he remained resilient and tough. Tobias is the man that most strive to be, which I suppose is one quality I've always wanted in a significant other. 

The group heads to our lockers, which are clustered across three rows. After switching out my overabundance of worn out textbooks and crumpled homework pages, I join the group lounging in the main lobby. 

"Oh no!" Tobias exclaims, as I approach the rest of our stupid friends. 

"What's up? Are you feeling fine?" I question, my voice accidentally dripping with concern. 

"I lifted a textbook! Am I going to die Tris?" He responds sarcastically. 

I scrunch up my nose, tongue sticking out. He laughs like an idiot, his long arms pulling me into a hug, "I'm just kidding, I love you my tiny little Bumble Bea." 

It warms my heart when the words escape his lips;simple sounds that make a girl feel like the most special thing in the world. At first, it was a cute little nickname. I fathom that's what I get for letting him figure out my true name in the first place. Over time, those five words grew into the terms that calmed me, comforted me, and made me feel special. The five words that, only when Tobias said them, made the entire world a better place. 

After a few moments, maybe minutes of holding myself close in his embrace, Christina nudges my elbow gently. 

I move my head over, peeking away from Tobias' sweatshirt. 

"Would you like to come back to reality, perhaps?" She asks, arms crossed. 

"Why would I do that? It's so comfortable here in sweatshirt land." I respond, pressing her buttons. 

Christina rolls her eyes, "Some of us would like to get to class, if you wouldn't mind." 

On time with her words, the warning bell rings down the hall, signaling us to get to class. 

School that day goes by in a blur, me being a dictator over Tobias. Everybody tries to tackle him with hugs, resulting in me pushing others away. Teens don't know what it means when somebody has had a fatal injury. 

"Can't we just go out?" Tobias whines, as the car pulls smoothly into our driveway. 

I twist the key, pulling it from the ignition. The flurry of lights and dials turn off, and the doors click unlocked. 

"Tobias, if I said it five minutes ago, it's still the same. It was a risk for you going back to school so early, so you do not need to go anywhere with Zeke and Uriah!" 

He let's out an exaggerated sigh, pushing open his door. I retrieve the two bags from the back, just like before, and head for the door. The house is quiet for this time of day, usually having Caleb home. 

We head towards my room, where I toss the bags onto my bed. Tobias jumps onto the edge, splaying his body across most of the mattress, "Come on, I want to get our homework done already." 

"We just got home, how about a snack?" I suggest, kicking my boots off to the corner. 

Tobias leans onto his side, so his body is held up by his elbow, "I've got like, ten assignments to finish for Miss. Matthews class, could you bring me something up?" 

Of course, I agree, heading down the stairs. Figuring it would be easier not to cook, I cut two huge slices from some day-old Dauntless cake. The pieces sit on clean white plates, balanced on my arms. To accompany the heavenly sweet, we have some bottles of water tucked under my arms. 

"Tris?" Tobias calls, his voice echoing down the stairs. 

"Coming!" I respond, carefully climbing the steps. 

He meets me at the top, grabbing the larger portion of cake, and leaving me the smaller. 

"No gratitude for the server?" 

"Oh I can give you gratitude." Tobias snickers. 

I roll my eyes, "Pervert." 

"And proud." 

"Did you get the mail ass wipe?" I groan, sitting beside him. 

He pulls out a stack of letters, handing them to me. I look through, mostly seeing bills. Suddenly, one catches my eye. The envelope is an gentle cream color, and the words are written in an ink pen. The sender... Evelyn Eaton.