Previously: Tessa realized Hardin does love her. Except, you know, not really.
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Samantha: As Tessa heads for Hardin, she ponders what happens next. She figures he will either continue being a douche or admit that he has feelings for her and only acts like a sociopath because he’s emotionally stunted. I didn’t buy that shit with Christian Grey and I am certainly not going to buy it here. She continues her #deepthoughts by wondering if she can forgive him for all the truly heinous things he’s done. Is he capable of change?
Marines: Instead of having her MC running away dramatically and finding the boy she loves, we sit here for a page asking a ton of questions about what could possibly happen next! It’s about as painful as her #deepthoughts on Hardin’s potential for douchey behavior.
Samantha: She pulls up to the “damned fraternity house” and I take a moment to imagine if she meant that literally, like one of a couple Buffy episodes, and then we could play the and then they die! game. (M: Or the “I’d rather be watching!” game.) She rushes in and doesn’t see Hardin on the couch so heads for his room. She bangs on the door but he’s not there, so she calls Landon and he’s also not at his dad’s, so she heads back to the bonfire! Well. That was a waste of 3 pages but OMG more of the bonfire!
Mari: Someone (and sorry for forgetting!) recently pointed out that the bonfire was really first mentioned in the 20’s or 30’s, maybe? But that only makes me want to keep exaggerating how long we’ve been hearing about this bonfire.
She tells us that “Hardin’s scent” fills the car, only now it’s mixed with blood. Hawt. (M: Weirdly vampiric.) She tries to remember what she wanted to say to him but can only think of kissing his tortured bleeding mouth. Also, she keeps wildly shifting between being furious with him and being affectionate towards him. It’s weird. And….then….is this book serious? Tessa asks if Hardin is in love with her and he is SHOCKED and APPALLED that she would ask him that while they are DRIVING down a STREET. Again, seriously. He denies it.
“And you can’t just ask someone if they love you when they are trapped in a car with you- what the hell is wrong with you?” he asks loudly.
I mean. What? I am disoriented. This coming from the guy who declared his love as Tessa drove away after purposefully humiliating her? Like???????? Asking this valid question in the car after all the dramz you’ve put her through is so low level?
Mari: Right, all that and a bag of, “…didn’t you already admit that you are?” This story is so CHEAP that the main plot point right now is yelling over things we’ve already yelled about. I think I’m angry crying.
Samantha: Tessa is also confused and doesn’t know how to talk about their problems anymore. A healthy sign. She pulls up to the frat house but he demands to be taken to his dad’s. He then demands to know what Zed said to her, and Tessa wonders why he’s always asking that. When he finds out they went back to Zed’s apartment, he wants to know if she slept with him.
Mari: Oh, no. Is this it? My best hope is that she’s saving sex for chapter 69, except jokes on me because that’s still my chapter.
I'm a 28 year old graduated English major and almost librarian. I can often be found singing too loudly (poorly) in the car or spending some time (hours) on Tumblr. I am a lover of Harry Potter, the Spice Girls, and too many other things.
I'm a 30-something south Floridan who loves the beach but cannot swim. Such is my life, full of small contradictions and little trivialities. My main life goals are never to take life too seriously, but to do everything I attempt seriously well. After that, my life goals devolve into things like not wearing pants and eating all of the Zebra Cakes in the world. THE WORLD.
