"What did you want to talk about?" Zed asks as I sit in silence.

Strippers? And Hardin? That doesn't seem like something he would do, especially after our date but why would Zed say that if it weren't true?

"Well.. I was wondering how long you've known Rebecca." I ask and he looks confused.

"What?"

"How long have you known Rebecca?" I ask again.

"About a month or less. Not long. Why?" He sits leans back on the couch and rests his feet on his coffee table.

"Well... this may sound strange but I think she's cheating on you."

His brows crinkle and he removes his feet from the table so he can shift to face me on the opposite side of the couch.

"Why do you think that?" He asks all emotion gone from his expression.

"Because my mother met her the day of my accident and then saw her again at a dinner with Noah, my ex-boyfriend. They are dating, I think. Oh and they were both in California at the same time.. and they are both in high school.. and I think.."

"Tessa..look I know you don't like her and all but I think her dating your ex-boyfriend is a little far-fetched you know? I mean he lives like hours away doesn't he?" He interrupts me.

Oh god, I bet I seem like a crazy jealous girl making all of this up.

"Yeah but she just moved here right? I know it sounds crazy but my mother said she looked exactly like the girl she met at the mall which was your girlfriend." I explain.

"I don't know.. I mean I guess that could be.. but I don't know, she doesn't seem like the type." Zed says and ruffles his hair.

"The type? Sometimes people do things they shouldn't, it doesn't make them.." I begin to defend myself.

"Hey...hey I wasn't talking about you. I mean if anything I'm worse than her because here I am with you."

"Yeah but we aren't doing anything. She has another boyfriend."

I'm no better than her that's for sure. I dated Noah for years and dropped him like loose change for Hardin and I kissed Zed while Rebecca was out of town.

None of us are innocent in this daytime soap opera, college edition.

"Yeah but that doesn't mean I don't have feelings for you and I kissed you, that's just as bad isn't it?" He asks.

It is really.

When I don't respond he continues.

"I should call her and ask her what's going on." He sighs.

"Now?" I squeak.

"Yeah, I mean I want to know if she's seeing someone else."

"Yeah.. I guess you're right."

I stare at the wall thinking about what Zed said about being "the type". It's ironic that someone like me doesn't seem like the type to cheat on their long time boyfriend but I did and ironically Hardin who seems like "the type" is actually a lot better at being faithful than I am. I kissed a random guy out of spite right in front of him.

I hate this place and the type of person I have become since I got here. Seattle is my chance to begin again, no frat parties, no bad memories. No Hardin.

"She didn't pick up." Zed says and places his phone on the table.

"Are you okay?" I ask him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I mean I'm bummed but I'll be alright." He shrugs.

"So you do believe me?"

"Yeah of course I do, I'll admit at first I was a little thrown off but there have been signs that I didn't really pay much attention to but now it all makes more sense."

"I'm sorry that she did this. You and Noah both deserve someone better. You know that don't you?"

"Do you know that? About yourself?" He challenges.

"I'm moving to Seattle." I tell him to change the subject.

"You are?"

"Yeah, I'm going to transfer to the Seattle campus and work at Vance's new office." It's beginning to sink in.

"Wow, that's really great!" He says with a big smile that lightens the mood immediately.

"Thank you! I'm really excited, nervous as heck but excited." I smile.

"When are you going?"

"Soon..two weeks."

"Woah, really soon." He says.

"Honestly I'm ready to get out of here. I need a change of scenery and a new start."

"I don't blame you and I know you've always wanted to go to there. I'm really happy for you." Zed beams.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me." I tell him.

He smiles again and looks away when our eyes meet.

"Did anything else happen at the party?" I ask, changing the subject again.

I can't get the strippers out of my head. How could Hardin stand me up for that?

"Not really, it was just the typical party. Have you talked to Hardin?" He asks, his eyes focused on his can of soda as his finger pushes the tab back and forth.

"No, I.."  I don't want to admit that he stood me up.

"What were you going to say?" Zed questions.

"He said he was going to come over but he didn't show."

"That's low."

"I know, and you know what the worst part is?  That we had a really good time on our date and I thought he was really going to start putting me first."

Zed's eyes are full of sympathy when I look at him.

"Then he chose a party over going to see you." He adds.

"Yeah.." I really don't know what else to say.

"I think that really shows what type of person he is and that he isn't going to change. You know?"

"I know. I just really wish he would have talked to me about it or told me he just didn't want to come over instead of sitting there for hours waiting on him." My eyes begin to water but I just blink away the tears.

"I don't think you should talk to him about it, if he thought you were worth his time he would have showed and not left you waiting."

"I know you're right but this is the main problem in our relationship. We don't talk about things, we both jump to conclusions that lead to yelling and one of us leaving." I defend.

I know Zed is only trying to help but I really want Hardin to explain to me, to my face why hanging out with strippers was more important than me.

"I thought you didn't have a relationship anymore?"

"We do.. well we don't but.. I don't even know how to explain it." I am mentally exhausted and Zed confuses me even more.

"It's your choice, I just wish you wouldn't waste anymore time on him." He sighs and gets up from the couch.

"I know." I whisper and check my phone for a message from Hardin.

There isn't one.

"Are you thirsty?" Zed asks me from the kitchen and I hear his empty can hit the trash can.

Hardin's POV.

This apartment is so god damned empty.

I hate sitting here without her, I miss her legs resting on my lap as she studies and I steal unnoticed glances at her while pretending to work. I miss the way she would obnoxiously poke my arm with her pen until I snatched it from her and held it above her head, she would act so annoyed but I know she only bugged me to get me to pay attention to her. The way she would climb on my lap to retrieve the object always led to the same thing every time, which was obviously a good thing for me.

"Fuck." I say to myself and sit my binder down. I haven't gotten shit done today, or yesterday, or the past two weeks really.

I'm still pissed that she didn't respond to me last night but more than anything I just want to see her, I'm pretty sure she will be at my father's house so I should just go by there and talk to her. If I call her she may not answer and that will piss me off even more so I will just go by.

I know I'm supposed to be giving her space, but really.. fuck space. It's not working for me and I hope it's not working for her either.

By the time I get to my father's house it's almost seven and Tessa's car isn't here. What the fuck.

She's probably at the store or library with Landon or some shit. I'm proven wrong when Landon is sitting on the couch with a textbook in his lap.

Great.

"Where is she?" I ask him as soon as I enter the living room.

I almost sit down next to him but I decide to stand. That would be weird as fuck to just sit down with him.

"I don't know, I haven't seen her yet today." He responds, barely looking up from his studies.

"Have you talked to her?" I ask him.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Why would I? Not everyone stalks her." He says with a smile.

"Fuck off." I huff.

"I really don't know where she is." Landon tells me.

"Well I'll wait here.. I guess." I walk into the kitchen and take a seat at the counter.

Just because I sort of like him a little more now doesn't mean I'm going to sit there and stare at him while he does his classwork.

There's a blob of chocolate on a plate in front of me with candles reading 'forty-one'. Is this thing supposed to be someone's birthday cake?

"Who's shit cake is this in here?" I yell.

I can't make out the name, if that's what the white icing was supposed to be.

"It's yours." Karen answers me.

I didn't even see her in here, she must have just come in the other side.

"Mine? It says forty-one."

"Those were the only candles I had and Tessa really got a kick out of them." She tells me.

There is something behind her voice that sounds off. Is she mad or something?

"Tessa? I'm confused."

"She made that 'shit' cake for you last night while she was waiting for you to get here." My step mother turns her attention to the chicken she is carving.

"I didn't come here."

"I know you didn't but she was expecting you."

I stare at the hideous cake and feel like a complete ass. Why would she make me a cake without even asking me to come over? I will never understand that girl. The longer I stare at the cake she made, the more charming it becomes. I'll admit it's not easy on the eyes but it may have been yesterday before it sat out all night.

I can picture her laughing to herself as she pushed the wrong numbered candles in the top of the chocolate cake. I can picture her licking the cake batter off of the spoon and scrunching her nose as she wrote out my name.

She made me a fucking cake and I went to that party.

"Where is she now?" I ask Karen.

"I have no idea, I'm not sure if she will be here for dinner."

"Can I stay? For dinner?" I ask.

"Of course you can, you don't have to ask." She turns around with a smile.

Her smile is a true testament to her character, she must think I'm an asshole but she still smiles and welcomes me to stay for dinner.

By the time we sit down for dinner I'm going fucking crazy. I'm talking fidgeting in my seat, looking out the window every few seconds, about to call her a thousand times until she answers, fucking crazy.

My father is talking to Landon about the upcoming baseball season and I really wish both of them would shut the fuck up.

Where the hell is she?

I pull my phone out to finally text her as I hear the front door open. I'm on my feet before I realize it and everyone looks up at me.

"What?" I snap and head to the living room.

Relief washes over me when she practically stumbles in with books and what looks like a poster board in her hands.

As soon as she sees me the objects begin to topple to the floor. I rush over to help her pick them up.

"Thanks." She takes the books from my hands and starts to walk up the staircase.

"Where are you going?" I ask her.

"To put my stuff away.." She turns to answer but then turns back around.

I would normally start cussing at her but I'm hoping to find out what's wrong with her without yelling, for once.

"Are you going to eat dinner?" I call to her.

"Yeah." She simply answers without turning around.

I bite my tongue and head back to the dining room.

"She'll be down in a minute." I say and I swear I catch Karen smiling but it disappears when I look at her.

Minutes feel like hours before Tessa finally takes a seat next to me at the table. Hopefully her sitting next to me is a good sign.

I don't think it is since she hasn't spoken to me once and she is barely eating the food on her plate.

"I got all my paperwork squared away for NYU, I still can't believe it." Landon says and his mum smiles with pride.

"You won't be getting the discount." My father attempts to make a joke but only his wife actually laughs.

Tessa and Landon both being the polite suck-ups they are smile and attempt a fake laugh but I know better.

Once my father brings the conversation back to sports I find my opening to talk to Tessa.

"I saw that cake.. I didn't know.." I begin to whisper.

"Don't. Not right now, please." She frowns and gestures to the other people in the room.

"After dinner?" I ask and she nods.

It drives me insane as she picks at her food, I really just want to shove her fork full of potatoes in her mouth.

This is why we have issues because I daydream about force-feeding her.

"It was really good honey." My father praises Karen and she begins to clean up the table.

"Can we talk, please?" Tessa surprises me by asking when she stands up.

"Yeah, of course." I follow her upstairs and into the room she's been staying in.

I can't tell if she's going to scream at me or cry when she closes the door behind me.

"I saw the cake.." I decide to speak first.

"Did you?" She sounds almost uninterested and she takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah.. it was..nice of you."

"Yeah.."

"I'm sorry for going to the party instead of asking you to spend time with me."

She closes her eyes for a few seconds and takes a deep breath before opening them again.

"Okay." She says in a monotone voice.

The way she is staring out the window with no emotion on her face gives me the chills. She looks as if someone has sucked the life out of her.. someone has.

Me.

"I really am sorry. I didn't think you wanted to see me, you said you were busy."

"How could you think that? I waited for you as 'I'll be there in thirty minutes' turned to two hours." She still sounds so emotionless and the hair on the back of my neck is standing up from it.

"What?"

"You said you said you'd be here and you weren't. Simple as that." I really wish she would scream at me.

"I didn't say I'd be here. I asked you if you wanted to come to the party and then I even text and called you last night but you didn't answer to either."

"You must have been really drunk." She says slowly and I move to stand in front of her.

Even though I'm standing in front of her she doesn't look at me. She stares off into space and it's really unsettling. I'm used to her fire, to her stubbornness, to her tears.. but I'm not used to this. 

"What do you mean? I called you.."

"Yeah at midnight."

"I know I'm not as smart as you but I'm really fucking confused right now."  I tell her.

"Why did you change your mind? What made you not come?" She asks.

"I didn't know I was supposed to be here. I text you and said hey but you never responded."

"Yes I did, so did you. You said you weren't having fun and you asked if you could come over."

"No.. I didn't."

Was she drunk?

"Yes, you did." She holds her phone in the air and I grab it from her.

*Lame. Can I come over?*

*Yeah, how long until you'll be here?*

*Thirty minutes*

What the fuck?

"I didn't send those, that wasn't me." I try to replay the night.

She doesn't say anything, she only picks at her fingernails.

"Tessa, if I would have thought for a second that you were waiting on me I would have been here."

"You're honestly telling me you didn't text me when I just showed you proof that you did?" She almost laughs.

I need her to yell at me, at least when she's yelling I know she cares.

"Did I not just say that?" I bark.

She stays silent.

"Who did then?"

"I don't know.. shit I don't know who..Zed! That's who it fucking was, it was Zed."

That fucker handed me my phone from the couch, he must have been texting Tessa acting like he was me so she would be waiting on me.

"Zed? You're really trying to blame Zed for this?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm doing. He sat down on the couch right after me and handed me my phone. I know it was him Tessa." I tell her.

Her eyes flash with confusion and for a second I know she believes me but she shakes her head.

"I don't know..." She seems to be talking to herself.

"I wouldn't tell you I was coming and not show Tess. I have been trying hard, so damn hard to show you that I can change. I wouldn't stand you up like that, not anymore. That party was so fucking boring anyway and I was miserable without you there.."

"Were you?" She raises her voice and stands from the bed.

Here we go.

"Were you miserable while there were strippers there?" She yells.

Fuck.

"Yes! I didn't even stay after they got there! Wait.. how do you know about the strippers?"

"Does that matter?" She challenges me.

"Yes! It matters, it was him wasn't it? It was Zed! He's filling your head with all this bullshit to make you turn on me!" I yell back at her.

I fucking knew he was up to something I just didn't know he would go that low. He text her from my phone, is he really that fucking stupid?

"He is not!" She defends him.

Oh my fuck.

"Okay then, let's call your precious fucking Zed and ask him." I grab her phone again and press his name.

The fact that he is on her favorites makes me want to smash her phone against the god damn wall.

"Do not call him." She growls at me but I ignore her.

He doesn't answer. Of fucking course.

"What else did he tell you?" I am fucking fuming.

"Nothing." She lies.

"You're a terrible liar. What else did he tell you?"

She glares at me with her arms crossed and I await her answer.

"Huh?" I press.

"That you were hanging out with Jace the night I was at his house."

My anger is threatening to get the best of me.

"You wanna know who hangs out with Jace, Tess? Fucking Zed, that's who. They hang out all the time. I went there to ask him about you two since you want to fucking shack up with him all of the sudden."

"Shack up with him? I wasn't shacking up with anyone! I stayed there those times because I like his company and he's always so kind to me! Unlike you!" She steps toward me.

I wanted her to yell at me and now she won't stop but it's much better than her sitting there like she didn't give a shit.

"He's not as sweet as you think he is Tessa! How can you not see that! He's feeding you all this bullshit to get to you. He wants to fuck you, that's all. Don't flatter yourself and think he.." I stop myself.

I didn't mean that, well I meant the part about Zed but not the rest.

"I didn't mean that last part." I try to recover the anger in her instead of sadness.

"Sure you didn't." She rolls her eyes.

I can't believe we are having this fight over Zed. This is such bullshit, I told her to stay away from him but being the stubborn girl she is she doesn't listen to shit I say.

At least she said she wasn't shacking up with him when she stayed with him those times..times?

"How many times did you stay at his house?" I ask her, praying I heard her wrong.

"You already know this." She is getting angrier as the seconds pass and so am I.

"Can we just try to talk about this calmly because I'm this fucking close to losing my shit and it won't be good for either of us." I pinch my fingers together to prove my point.

"I tried that and you.."

"Would you just shut up for two seconds and listen to me!" I yell and run my fingers over my hair.

She does the exact opposite of what I thought she was going to do when she walks over, sits on the bed and shuts her damn mouth.