After (The After Series)

No. Don’t answer him. Ignore him, I repeat to myself.
“Tess?” he says again, this time louder.
“Do not speak to me, Hardin,” I say through my teeth. I avoid looking at him.
I will not fall back into his trap.
“Oh come on,” he says, and I can tell he thinks this is all funny.
My tone is harsh but I don’t care: “I mean it, Hardin, leave me alone.”
“Fine, have it your way,” he says equally harshly, and I sigh.
Landon walks in and I am so grateful. Seeing the tension between Hardin and

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me, he asks in his kind tone, “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lie, and class begins.
HARDIN AND I
continue ignoring each other all week, and each day that passes
without talking to him makes it a little easier to not think about him so much.
Steph and Tristan have been hanging out all week, so I’ve had our room mostly
to myself, which has been both good and bad. Good because I get a lot of
studying done, but bad because I am left alone with my thoughts about Hardin.
All week I have been wearing a little bit more makeup, but still my baggy and
conservative clothes. By Friday morning, I feel like I am really over this whole
mess with Hardin. That is, until everyone keeps talking about partying at the frat
house. Seriously, there is a party there every Friday—and usually Saturday, too
—so why they feel the need to get excited about it every weekend blows my
mind.
After being asked by at least ten people if I will be at the party, I decide to do
the only thing that I know will keep me from going. I call Noah.
“Hey, Tessa!” he chirps into the phone. It has been a few days since we’ve
actually talked, and I’ve missed his voice.
“Hey, do you think you could come visit me?” I ask.
“Sure, yeah. Maybe I can come next weekend?”
I groan. “No, I mean like today. Like now, could you leave right now?” I
know he likes to plan things just like I do, but I need him to come now.
“Tessa, I have practice after school. I am still at school now, just at lunch,” he
explains.
“Please, Noah, I really miss you. Can’t you just leave now and come here for
the weekend? Please?” I know I’m begging, but I don’t care.
“Um . . . yeah, sure, Tessa. I’ll come now. Is everything okay?”
Happiness floods me—I’m really surprised that squeaky-clean Noah is
agreeing to this, but I am so glad he is. “Yeah, I just really miss you. I haven’t
seen you in almost two weeks,” I remind him.
He laughs. “I miss you, too. I am going to get a slip and leave in a few
minutes, so I will see you in about three hours. I love you, Tessa.”
“I love you, too,” I say and hang up. Well, that settles that. Any chance that I
might have ended up at that party is now gone.
A NEWFOUND SENSE OF RELIEF
fills me as I walk to Literature, and into
the gorgeous old brick building the class is in. That sense of relief vanishes when

---

I walk into the classroom and see Hardin hovering over Landon’s desk.
What the hell?
I rush over just as Hardin slams his hand on the desk and growls, “Don’t ever
say some shit like that again, you prick.”
Landon moves to stand up, but he would be insane to try to fight Hardin.
Landon is muscular and all, but he’s so kind I can’t imagine him hitting anyone.
I grab hold of Hardin’s arm and pull him back away from Landon. His other
hand rises into the air and I flinch, but once he realizes it’s me, he drops his hand
and curses under his breath.
“Leave him alone, Hardin!” I yell and turn to Landon. He looks just as mad as
Hardin does but he sits down.
“You need to mind your own business, Theresa,” Hardin snidely says and
moves to his seat. He really should sit in the back somewhere.
Sitting between them, I lean over and whisper to Landon, “Are you okay?
What was that about?”
He looks toward Hardin and sighs. “He is just an asshole. That pretty much
sums it up,” he says loudly and puts on a chipper grin.
I giggle a little and straighten up. I can hear Hardin’s ragged breathing next to
me and I get an idea. A childish idea, but I do it anyway.
“I have some good news!” I tell Landon in my best mock-cheery voice.
“Really? What’s that?”
“Noah’s coming to visit today, and he’ll be here all weekend!” I say and smile
while clapping my hands together. I know I am overdoing it, but I feel Hardin’s
eyes on me and I know he heard me.
“Really? That is great news!” Landon says earnestly.
Class begins and ends without Hardin saying a word to me. This is how it will
be from now on and it’s fine with me. I wish Landon a nice weekend and walk
back to my room to touch up my makeup and grab something to eat before Noah
gets here. I laugh at myself a little while doing my makeup. Since when am I the