After (The After Series)

delicious.
“Sorry I’m late,” I hear from behind me and my fork falls out of my hand onto
my plate.
“Hardin! I didn’t know you were coming!” Karen says nicely, then looks at
me. I look away. My pulse is already quickening.
“Yeah, remember we discussed it last week, Tessa?” He smiles his menacing
smile and takes the seat next to me.
What is wrong with him? Why can’t he just leave me alone? I know it is partly
my fault for letting him get to me, but he really enjoys playing cat-and-mouse.
Everyone’s eyes are on me, so I nod and pick up my fork. Dakota looks confused
and Landon looks worried.
“You must be Delilah?” Hardin says to her.
“Oh, Dakota, actually,” she corrects him sweetly.
“Yeah, Dakota. Same thing,” he mutters and I kick him under the table.
Landon glares at him, but Hardin doesn’t seem to notice. Ken and Karen go
into conversation between themselves, as do Dakota and Landon. I stay focused
on my food and think of an exit strategy.
“So, how’s your evening so far?” Hardin asks in a casual tone. He knows that
I won’t cause a scene, so he is trying to annoy me.
“Fine,” I answer quietly.
“You’re not going to ask me how mine is?” He smirks.
“Nope,” I mumble and take another bite.
“Tessa, was that your car outside?” Ken asks and I nod.
“Oh yeah, I finally got my own car!” I say, with a little extra excitement in the
hopes that everyone else will join in so I’m not stuck talking to just Hardin.
Hardin raises his eyebrow at me. “When?”
“The other day,” I answer. You know, the day that you told me that it’s all
about the chase?
“Oh. Where did you get it?”
“A used-car lot,” I answer and watch Dakota and Karen both try to hide their
smiles. Sensing an opportunity to direct the attention off me, I say, “So, Dakota,
Landon told me you were thinking of going to New York for a ballet school?”
She tells us all about her plans to move to New York, and Landon looks
genuinely happy for her despite the distance that will stay between them.
When she finishes, Landon looks at his phone and says, “Well, we should get
going soon. That bonfire waits for no man.”

---

“What?” Karen says. “Okay, but at least take some of the dessert with you!”
Landon nods and helps her put some into a Tupperware container.
“Are you going to ride with me?” Hardin says. I look around like I’m
confused about whom he’s addressing.
“I’m talking to you,” he states.
“What? No, you’re not going,” I tell him.
“Yes, I am. And you can’t stop me from going, so you might as well ride with
me.” He smiles and tries to put his hand on my thigh.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I say under my breath.
“Can we talk outside?” he asks and looks toward his father.
“No,” I say quietly—every time Hardin and I “talk,” I end up crying.
But Hardin stands up quickly and grabs my hand, pulling me to my feet.
“We’ll be outside,” he announces, and pulls me through the living room and out
the front door.
Once we’re outside, I yank my arm away and warn him, “Stop touching me!”
He shrugs. “Sorry, but you weren’t going to come with me.”
“Because I didn’t want to.”
“I am sorry. For everything, okay?” His fingers play with his lip ring and I
avoid focusing on his mouth. I stare at the way his eyes search my face.
“You’re sorry? You’re not sorry, Hardin—you just want to mess with me. Just
stop. I am exhausted and drained from fighting with you all the time. I can’t do it
anymore. Isn’t there anyone else that you can mess with? Heck, I’ll even help
you find someone, some poor innocent girl for you to torture as long as it isn’t
me.”
“That’s not what I am doing. I know I am back and forth a lot with you, and I
don’t know why I do it. But if you give me one chance, one more chance, I will
stop. I tried to stay away from you but I can’t. I need you . . .” He looks down at
the deck, rubbing the tips of his boots together.
The audacity of what he’s saying helps me keep my tears in check this time;
his ego has seen quite enough of them. “Stop! Just stop. Aren’t you tired of this?
If you needed me you wouldn’t treat me the way you do. You told me yourself it
was all about the chase, remember? You can’t just show up here after everything
and act like nothing happened.”
“I didn’t mean that. You know I didn’t.”
“So you admit you just said it to hurt me?” I glare at him, trying to keep my
guard up.
“Yeah . . .” He looks down.
I’m so confused by him; he says he wants more, then he kisses Molly, then he
tells me he loves me and takes it back, and now he is apologizing again? “Why

---

should I forgive you—you just admitted that you did something solely to hurt
me.”
“One more chance? Please, Tess. I’ll tell you everything,” he pleads. I almost
believe the pain in his eyes as he looks down at me.
“I can’t, I have to go.”
“Why can’t I come with you?” he asks.
“Because . . . because I am meeting Zed there.”
I watch as his expression changes and seems to crumple before me. It takes
everything in me not to comfort him. But Hardin did this to himself. Even if he
actually does care, it’s too late.
“Zed? So are you guys, what . . . dating now?” His tone is full of disgust.
“No, we haven’t even talked about it. We are just . . . I don’t know, spending
time together, I guess.”
“You haven’t talked about it? So if he asked you, you would?”
“I don’t know . . .” And I honestly don’t know. “He is nice and polite and he
treats me well.” Why am I even explaining myself to this boy?
“Tessa, you don’t even know him, you don’t know—”
The front door shoots open and an exuberant Landon asks, “Ready?”
His eyes dart to Hardin, who for once looks unguarded and even . . .
heartbroken.
I force my feet toward my car and follow Landon as he pulls out of the
driveway. I can’t help but look back at Hardin, who is still on the porch, still
staring back at me as I drive away.

---

chapter sixty-five
P
ulling into the spot next to Landon, I text Zed to tell him that I have arrived.
He writes back immediately with a note to meet him at the far left corner of the
field.
I tell Landon where he’ll be as he and Dakota walk up.
“Sounds good,” he says, but he seems less than thrilled.
“Who’s Zed?” Dakota asks.
“He’s my . . . friend.” He is just my friend.
“Hardin’s your boyfriend, right?” she asks.
I look over at her. She doesn’t seem to be implying anything, she just seems
confused. Welcome to the club.
“No, babe.” Landon laughs. “Neither of them are.”
I laugh, too. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
Right as we get to where everyone is, the school band begins to play and the
field becomes more and more crowded. I’m relieved when I spot Zed leaning
against the fence. I point him out, and we head over there.
“Oh,” Dakota squeals as we get close. I can’t tell if she’s surprised by his
tattoos and piercings, or his good looks. Maybe both.
“Hey, beautiful,” Zed says, beaming, and hugs me. I smile at him, returning
the hug.
“Hi, I’m Zed. It’s nice to meet you both.” He nods toward Landon and
Dakota. I know he’s met Landon before, so maybe he’s just trying to be polite.
“Have you been here long?” I ask.

---

“Only about ten minutes. A lot more people here than I expected.”
Landon leads the way to a less crowded area near the enormous mound of
wood, and we all sit on the grass. Dakota sits between Landon’s legs and leans
back against his chest. The sun is going down and the breeze is picking up. I
should have worn long sleeves.
“Yeah, have you been to one of these before?” I ask Zed, who shakes his head.
“No, this isn’t my typical scene,” he says with a laugh before adding, “But I’m
glad to be here tonight.”
I smile at his compliment and right then someone walks up to the central
bandstand and gives us all a warm welcome on behalf of the school and the
band. After a couple of minutes of rambling on, they finally count down to the
lighting of the fire, and three, two, one . . . the fire ignites and swallows the
mound of wood fiercely. It’s actually quite beautiful being this close to the
flames, and I can tell I’ll be warm enough after all.
“So how long are you here?” Zed asks Dakota.
She frowns. “Only the weekend. I wish I could come back for the wedding
next weekend.”
“What wedding?” Zed asks.
I look at Landon, who answers, “My mother’s.”
“Oh . . .” He pauses and looks down, as if thinking about something.
“What?” I ask him.
“Nothing. I’m just trying to remember who else said something about a
wedding next weekend . . . Oh yeah—Hardin, I think. He was asking us what he
should wear to a wedding.”
My heart stops. I hope I don’t show it on my face. So Hardin definitely still
hasn’t told any of his friends that his father is the chancellor, or that he’s
marrying Landon’s mother.
“Bit of a coincidence, right?” he asks.
“No, they are—” Dakota begins, but I interrupt: “Quite a coincidence, but,
then, in a town this size, there are probably a few every weekend.”
Zed nods in agreement, and Landon whispers something in Dakota’s ear.