"So...how are you? Mentally?"

I look over at Orion who had asked me that question in such a hesitant manner it was practically funny. I'm not sure what he means entirely by the question though.

"You know..." he says.

"No, I don't, actually."

"If my brother died in a wreck, and then got into a wreck myself I'd be pretty...upset."

I can't help but shrug. "I'm not dead though--that's the difference."

He knows what I mean and breaks into a smile. "I don't--I seriously can't fathom how strong you are."

"We compliment each other well, like I always say."

Just then there's blur in my peripheral vision. Before either of us know it, Orion's mom is clinging to him, crying.

"Woah--mom."

I look over. Orion's two brother's stand in the doorway. They've obviously been crying. I look away. I'm so sick of people crying. I cannot wait to be recovered and get the hell out of here.

My attention is brought back to my fiance when I hear him break down. Alarmed, I look over.

"I'm sorry," he's telling her, "I'm sorry it's not me in ICU."

"Don't say that," she says sharply.

"But I am. She's your kid. You've known me for only a couple years."

"Shut up," John says, rushing into the room. He goes to the other side of Orion's bed, gently pushing away his IVs, and hugs him. "You're still my fucking brother, I don't care how little we've know you for."

"And you're still my son," his mother chides.

Seth comes over then, pulls up a chair, and sits next to Orion's bed. He briefly puts his hand on Orion's leg, rubbing it up and down.

I can't help but look away, suddenly wishing Orion hadn't demanded we share a room. This is awkward. Plus to say I was a little envious is an understatement. I really am happy Orion has support. I'm happy he has a family that came out in a blink of an eye.

Because honestly? I don't know if my dad would even come see me if I asked.

~

"Orion?"

I knock softly on his door. There's no answer.

"Orion, love?"

Still nothing.

"We've stopped to rest...Please come out."

I hear two steps and the door flies open. He glares at me. "What, so you can further show me how fucking ignorant you are?"

I sigh and look down, running my hand through my hair. I deserved that. Sticking one hand in my jean's pocket, I look at him with my eyes. "Could we go for a walk?"

Orion simply narrows his eyes.

"Please?"

He rolls his eyes and shoves past me. I follow him through the empty bus. Everyone was outside already. The weather had changed, the sky was clear and the sun was out. The warmth felt good on my face. I loathe gloomy weather.

Everyone had been talking, but once Orion and I exited the talking abruptly stopped. I suppress the urge to roll my eyes. Orion ignores them all, hands shoved into his pant's pockets, glaring at the ground. I follow him in similar fashion.

We're at a proper rest stop. To the left is the usual building with the usual amenities. Straight back is a picnic area, and that's where Orion heads. We sit across from each other, and Orion crosses his arms.

"I shouldn't have gotten mean," I tell Orion immediately.

"And I shouldn't have pried," he replies.

"Yeah, you shouldn't've."

Orion lurches to his feet angrily, slamming both hands on the table. "Fine, if you're going to be like that--"

"Orion," I say with a sigh. "Come on. Don't."

"I know like, nothing about you!" he shouts at me.

"There's not much to me," I reply. "You know pretty much everything."

"'Pretty much everything' isn't the same as 'everything'!"

"Well what else do you want to know?" I say testily.

Orion sinks back down. "Oh for fucks sake...I don't know! You know everything about me! You know my favorite food, my favorite color..." He looks down, the anger giving way to sadness. "You know about my childhood. You know the name of the grade school I went to."

It breaks my heart when I see tears gather in his eyes, making them shimmer, but he's refusing to allow them access into the world.

"You know my most embarrassing moment. You know my nightmares, my dreams, my aspirations...You know my fucking middle name."

He raises his eyes at me. "I don't know fuck all about you, Tris."

I reach my hand across the table and he reaches out immediately. I take his hand and smile gently. "My favorite food is steak, medium rare. My favorite color is green. My family transplanted from Alaska--I was born in Texas though, which is why my accent is so strong."

His eyes become wide.

"I went to St. Petersburg Elementary school, Heartland Middle school, and Falcon High School. My best friend's name was Greg." I chuckle, shaking my head. "He was a dick. He'd always come up with hair brained schemes that would get us in trouble. But then again, I was the stupid idiot that went along with it...

"My most embarrassing moment was when I was going to do a pop shove it on my skateboard, which is like, the most rudimentary thing, and I somehow ended up on my face with a broken arm and a bloody lip." I can't help but laugh, shaking my head. "To this day I don't know what the hell I messed up or how I hurt myself so badly."

Orion looks like he might burst into tears, but for an entirely different set of reasons than a few moments ago.

"All I've ever wanted from life is to be happy, settle down, start a family. My biggest fear is dying alone with no friends, no family..."

He gives my hand a squeeze.

"My middle name is Kai, and I hate it."

Orion smiles, and when he blinks a single tear falls quickly. "Why do you hate it?"

I stand up just enough to be able to wipe his cheek off and smile. I sit. "Tristan Kai Smith? It's so...clunky."

He grins. "I like it."

"Of course you would."

"I didn't know you skateboard."

"Did. I don't anymore." I laugh. "I don't know if I'd be able to anymore. I did it for years though, so maybe. For a while there I was thinking of going pro...You know, the next Tony Hawk like every other boy that's into skateboarding?"

Orion laughs.

"Yeah. That was my back-up plan if I ever became a professional dancer and it didn't work out."

"Wait, what? You were going to dance professionally?"

I nod.

"What kind?"

"My heart was set on some sort of interpretive dance trope, but I was really good at ballet. Ballet was more practical, but it's also extremely cut-throat..."

Orion is looking at me, smiling fondly, cheek resting against his palm.

"So yeah. Like I said, my back-up plan was skateboarding." I tisk and laugh in disdain. "I was stupid."

"You were young."

"Both?"

He laughs again.

I look down. "I'm sorry I'm an oaf and didn't think to bring any of this up..."

Orion shrugs. "It's okay. I guess it's just a personality difference. I'm an open book. You're..."

"Not."

Orion looks thoughtful. "Yes and no. You're a really nice guy. You like helping people, and you're enthusiastic, and you're easy to talk to. You just don't like talking about yourself."

I nod.

"I'm sorry, love," Orion says, taking my hand and running his thumb against my black ring. "I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay. I also--for the record--don't know everything about you."

Orion crosses his arms, looking amused, and cocks an eyebrow. "What don't you know about me?"

I lean in, running my thumb along his lower lip. "You never told me how you got that scar."

"I used to have a lip ring."

I raise my eyebrows. "Sexy."

"Got in a fight and it got ripped out. Didn't feel like re-doing it."

"Ouch..."

"Yeah, it sucked. What else?"

"How did you get used to fame?"

Orion cracks up. After a moment he looks at me. "Oh--you were serious?"

"Yeah..."

"Jesus, do you think I'm used to this? Fame is horrible. It kills your soul, bludgeons it to death until you're just limping along because you have to."

That makes me frown. Orion looks over to the group. Someone brought a frisbee, and they're all playing. A dark expression passes over Orion's face, and he shakes his head, looking back at me. "We're all fucked up in our own special way from it."

"Why do you do it then?"

"Why does anyone do it?"

It's not a rhetorical question, so I shrug. He shrugs back. I just frown more.

Orion takes my hand and switches gears. "I like hearing about you."

"I guess I just don't think I'm interesting," I admit. "I just feel like my life is boring, average."

My boyfriend grins at me. "Well, comparatively..."

I crack a grin. "Very few people have a more interesting life than you."

"I'm really sorry," he tells me softly. "About--well, everything."

"I really shouldn't have made a jab about how emotional you are," I reply. "Honestly it's one of your greatest strengths."

He screws up his face. "Wait, huh? I mean, you could've been nicer about it, but I'm a fucking wreck Tris. How is being a mess a strength? I hate it."

"Do you think you'd be sitting here right, right now, if you didn't feel everything so profoundly?"

He cocks his head to the side.

"Your emotions are your greatest strength, but also your greatest weakness. You draw inspiration from them. You're artistic and lyrically clever because of them. Whereas everyone sees things, you feel them."

A look of awe is slowly creeping onto his face.

"Someone might sing about a shed. But you'd sing about how blue the paint is, and how it's the exact same blue of the blueberries that used to grow in your aunt's garden, but you hated your aunt and her house felt like a dark dungeon to you and your soul went there to die."

Orion cracks up. He throws his head back and everything. "Uh, I never had an aunt, well, never one I met anyway..."

I grin. "But you get what I mean, right?"

He laughs. "Yeah, I do. And good job twisting it at the end."

Now I laugh with a shrug. "It wouldn't be an Orion Bauwens song without something menacing happening."

Orion laughs again. "You do know me so well."

I roll my eyes. "Well that one was easy. Everyone knows you're incapable of writing happy songs."

"That's not true! Beating Red is a love song, and so is Part of You!"

Now I crack up. "Orio! Beating Red revolves around cutting out someone's heart and keeping it in a cookie jar so it can never leave!"

"Wander away," he corrects, crossing his arms and sniffing in mock pretentiousness. "It's sweet!"

"It's creepy and it makes me fear for my life sleeping next to you!"

Another cackle. It makes me laugh. "Okay, okay, and what's wrong with Part of You?"

"You talk about wearing someone's skin! Fuck, Orio, once again, am I sleeping next to Hannibal Lector?!"

"It's not like that!" he snaps at me, but still laughing. "It's about crawling inside of someone and wearing their love for warmth!"

"Not any better."

"It's a metaphor, love."

I whimper. "You're going to cut out my heart and wear me like a fur coat..."

"Deal with it. That's as close as you'll ever get from me as a love song "

"Then I don't want any fucking love songs from you."

Grinning, Orio gets to his feet and kisses me softly on the lips. He sits back down. I reach into my back pocket and pull out my wallet. I take out a small photo, tossing it down in front of Orion.

Confused, he picks it up. For a while he scrutinizes it. I love watching him when he concentrates. His brow wrinkles slightly, the vertical line just above his nose indenting ever so slightly. His ruby lips turn down in the slightest frown, and he narrows his eyes. I'm not sure why, but I love it. It's adorable.

When he's done he looks at me. "You and Tyler?"

"Yup."

He looks down again.

"It's one of the only photos I have of us together."

Orion hands it back to me. "Where was it taken?"

"Lake Tahoe, the summer before he died."

"I didn't know you fish, either."

I nod.

"You guys don't, well--"

"Look related?" I chuckle. "I know. He looked like my dad while I look like my mom."

"I mean, you guys definitely look related, just not like brothers."

"I know," I say, looking at the picture a moment, running my thumb along it and smiling. I kiss it a second and then put it back.

Orion smiles at me sweetly. "Do you always kiss it?"

"Every damn time."

It's then I notice the spider on the table. I scream and flail, nearly falling off the bench. Even so I scurry away.

"What?!"

I point at the table. "S-sorry. Spider."

It's a tiny thing, but it looks huge to me. Orion looks. Then an evil smile spreads across his face and I swear.

"Orion..."

"Are you afraid of spiders, Tris?"

"M-maybe..."

Before I know it, he's scooped it up into his hands and is chasing me with it. I'm screaming and swearing at him. He's laughing.

"C'mon, just hold still! It's not going to hurt you!"

"Fuck you, Orion!"

"You'll make a new friend! You love making new friends!"

"I swear to God Orion, if you chuck that on me you're sleeping with the crew!"

"It's my bus, Tris, you don't have the authority to kick me off! C'mon, give the spider a kiss!"

I'm sure we look insane and stupid. But honestly? It's the most fun I've had in awhile.