After (The After Series)

She’s so irritating, with her stupid pink hair and her skanky clothes. She is a
slut. I’m surprised by my thoughts and my anger toward her, but it’s true. And I
really don’t like her. I don’t think I’ve actually ever called anyone a slut, even in
my head.
So of course she picks right now to compliment me. “You do look good, girl,
better than ever before!” she says and then leans into Hardin’s chest.
I make eye contact with her and fake a smile.
“Mind if I have a sip?” Zed asks, but grabs my cup before I really answer.
I let him drink out of my glass, which I’m usually against, but I am so
uncomfortable right now that I can’t think straight. He gulps down half my Coke
and I nudge him.
“Sorry, babe, I’ll order you another,” he says smoothly. He really is very
attractive and looks more like a model than a college student. If he didn’t have
so many tattoos, he probably would be a model.
A noise comes from the other booth, and my eyes dart to Hardin. He clears his
throat loudly, staring at me with blazing eyes. I want to look away, but I can’t.
I’m caught in his gaze as Zed lifts his arm up and rests it on the back of the
booth, directly behind me.
Hardin’s eyes narrow and I decide to have a little fun.
Remembering that he was pretty adamant about me not hanging out with Zed
before, I lean into Zed ever so slightly. Hardin’s eyes go wide, but he quickly
recovers. I know how immature and ridiculous this whole thing is, but I don’t
care. If I have to be around him, I want him to be as uncomfortable as I am.
The biker woman returns and takes everyone’s food order. I go with a burger
and fries, minus the ketchup, and everyone else orders hot wings. She brings
Hardin a Coke and the rest of them another round of beers. I am still waiting on

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my Coke but I don’t want to be rude by pointing that out to the woman.
“They have the best wings here,” Zed informs me and I smile at him.
“So are you going to the bonfire next weekend?” I ask him.
“I don’t know, it’s not really my scene.” He takes a drink of his beer and
brings his arm down from the booth to rest fully over my shoulder. “Are you
going?”
I don’t look his way, but I imagine Hardin’s irritation at this. Truth is, I do feel
guilty flirting with him this way, and I’ve never really tried to flirt with anyone
before, so I’m sure I am terrible at it. “Yeah, with Landon.”
Everyone bursts into laughter. “Landon Gibson?” Zed asks, still laughing.
“Yeah, he’s my friend,” I snap. I don’t like the way they are all laughing at
him.
“He would go to the bonfire! He is such a lame,” Molly says, and I glare at
her.
“No, he isn’t, actually. He is really cool,” I say in his defense. I understand
that my definition of cool is not the same as theirs, but mine is better.
“Landon Gibson and cool do not belong in the same sentence,” Molly says
and brushes Hardin’s hair back off his forehead.
I hate her.
“Well, sorry if he isn’t cool enough to hang out with you guys, but he is . . .” I
start to shout and sit up straighter in the booth, knocking Zed’s arm off my
shoulders.
“Whoa, Tessa, calm down. We are just teasing,” Nate says and Molly smirks
at me. I get the feeling she doesn’t care for me much, either.
“Well, I don’t like when people tease my friends, especially when he isn’t here
to defend himself.” I need to calm down . . . My emotions are running wild from
being around Hardin and the way he’s hanging all over Molly in front of me.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Besides, I do gotta give him some credit for that black
eye he gave Hardin,” Zed says and wraps his arm back around me. Everyone
excerpt Hardin laughs, even me.
“Yeah, good thing that professor broke the fight up, or Hardin would have
gotten beat even worse by the loser—” Nate says and then looks at me. “Sorry, it
slipped,” he says and gives me an apologetic smile.