Previously: All of Hardin’s friends were shady.
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Samantha: Mama Whatever-Her-Name-Is immedietly starts yelling at Tessa, who won’t hold Hardin’s hand right now. Apparently “in her anger, her blond hair looks brighter,” which is just straight magic. I’d compare it to Nymphadora Tonks, but she doesn’t deserve to get dragged into this.
Marines: Nobody does. Sorry, dear readers.
Samantha: She’s screaming about having to find out from Noah’s mom in the grocery store that the two of them broke up. Tessa’s all “calm down” but Mama Ridiculous tells Tessa that she got Noah to agree to take her back “despite your promiscuous behavior”.
What? WHAT? Like GTFO lady, you are B-A-N-A-N-A-S. And Noah. Buddy. Why are you agreeing to date a girl who’s mother has to beg you?
Mari: And what the hell kind of mother finds out her 18-year-old daughter dumped her boyfriend and drives 3 hours late enough at night that ALL THE RESTAURANTS ARE CLOSED and just appears to be like “take your boyfriend back.” Who are you, lady, and can you please find more to do because apparently you don’t have enough.
Samantha: Tessa’s tells her mother #legit things like how she doesn’t have to date him if she doesn’t want to and her happiness is what’s important. She storms inside and Mama starts gesturing at Hardin and calling him a “punk” and wondering if Tessa is rebelling. Hardin is all jaw clenching. and Tessa tells her mom this isn’t about her at all. She also thinks about that awful thing where you cry when you’re angry and seem weak or whatever, which is a thing that happens to me, so now I’m relating to Tessa and very uncomfortable.
Mama I-Need-My-Own-Life screams about how Hardin is a freak with no future so Tessa steps to her and shrieks at her mother to not talk about him like that.
Mama can’t believe Tessa would talk to her that way and jeopardize her future. Tessa insists that her future is fine because her grades aren’t suffering and she has a totally-earned-on-her-own internship. She tells her mother to be happy for her or to leave and Mama Terrible says that she’s disgusted with Tessa and how she can’t believe she opened her legs for Hardin. Charming. Hardin tells her to back off and Mama Dearest threatens to stop paying for school. She also is all “he doesn’t love you” and cackles like a witch. Which is offensive to witches everywhere. (M: Including Nymphadora Tonks!) She leaves with an ominous threat of consequences.
Mari: Her mother holding Tessa hostage with this threat of not paying for her dorm is wild. I mean, it’s still privileged in that many of us have student loans for forever because our parents couldn’t pay for dorms (ahem) (S: Same), but also her mother is the worst. And it sent me into a thought spiral about how difficult it must be for Tessa to recognize abusive, aggressive or out of line behavior or how she must connect those things with love in her head because of this mother. AND NOW I WANT TESSA TO GET HELP.
Samantha: Wow. You did it. You cracked this book and gave me some Tessa Feels.
Tessa apologizes, and Hardin tells her not to and holds her while she cries. Tessa doesn’t know what she’ll do if her mom stops paying for the dorms so Hardin offers them moving in together. (M: Terrifying.) Tessa thinks he’s kidding but he’s totally not. She tells him no way and talks about how he wanted to move out of the frat house anyway. They joke about “having fun” in an apartment and Hardin squeezes her butt just as Steph and Tristan walk in. Apparently, Mama Threats flipped off Steph in the parking lot.
Mari: Real mature, lady. Reaaaal mature.
Next time on After: First day of work in Chapter 75.
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.
