Previously: Mommy dearest.
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Samantha: Tessa notes that she has truly stunned her mother, which doesn’t happen often. Her mother remarks that she can’t afford this place. Tessa does not tell her that Hardin pays for it in order to manipulatively hold something over her head when they fight. She just offers to show her the lease. Her mother spirals about how this is a horrible idea (true) because Tessa hasn’t met his parents (false) and isn’t she embarrassed to be seen with him (did you hear he has tattoos?).
Tessa screams at her mother about how Hardin’s dad is the chancellor of the school and how dare she and blah blah blah. Hardin comes out of the bedroom and Mama cannot believe his dad is the chancellor. Tessa continues her rant about how her mom doesn’t even deserve to know Hardin. Listen Tessa, no one deserves the hell of interaction with Hardin.
Marines: There is something super icky about Tessa using “his dad is the chancellor” to further stun her mother here, one scene after she was gun ho about never forgiving him for whatever blame she puts on him for what happened to Hardin’s mom.
Samantha: Mom calls Tessa a whore. This is riveting. Tessa and Hardin look ridiculous together, Noah was perfect for her, the usual. Throughout all this Hardin is getting tenser and tenser. She demands that Tessa come back with her to the dorms and reconcile with Noah, who will certainly take her back. This lady’s hold over Noah is super weird.
Mari: So is this insistence that two, hot, young white kids don’t look good together.
Samantha: It’s always weird o’clock in the After universe.
Tessa’s mom insists that Hardin will only stick around until he gets in her pants, so Tessa announces that he already has and he’s still here gosh darnit! Tessa’s mom says that she better not come back to her when Hardin breaks her heart. Tessa says that she wouldn’t and that her mom will always be alone.
“Just because you couldn’t control my father doesn’t give you the right to try and control me!”
Tessa knows she’s gone too far bringing up her dad. Mama agrees and hauls off and smacks her.
Hardin tells her to GTFO, or he’ll call the cops. He tells her that if she weren’t Tessa’s mother he would do more than call the cops. Tessa thinks that she doesn’t like her boyfriend threatening to beat up her mother. (M: No kidding.) Mom leaves and Hardin holds her. Tessa apologizes and Hardin plays the “I’m a caring boyfriend” game. He gets her some ice and Tessa internal monologues about how she’s proud of herself for standing up to her and how she would probably like Hardin if she just got to know him. As long as he keeps his rudeness in check, she also thinks. You see, he hasn’t stopped being an absolute garbage pile but he does hold her hand sometimes so it’s OKAY! She actually likes being the only person he’s not 100% awful to!
Mari: A boyfriend who is 100% awful 90% of the time is what we are all looking for, am I right?
Samantha: Hardin tells Tessa that he almost lost it but the power of Tessa’s love kept him from murdering her mom, or something. Tessa CHOOSES to believe that he wouldn’t actually do anything terrible and, uh, remember when he almost murdered that kid for kissing you? Like? That sure happened.
They go to be, and Hardin gets all freaky putting her finger in his mouth until Tessa is literally panting from it. He eats her out and spouts some Fun Facts about how the clitoris was built strictly for pleasure and nothing else. Cool.
Tessa dreams of a curly haired little boy crying for his mother because it’s the same night as that I guess. Geez. (M: This is ripped straight from the pages of 50 Shades. How long shall this haunt me?)
Tessa wakes up the next morning and is determined to have a nice day. I’m sure Hardin won’t ruin it at all. She makes a huge breakfast and Hardin tries to hook up with her in the kitchen but she says, “Hands to yourself until after breakfast, Scott.” Y’all I spent a stupid amount of time trying to figure out why she was calling him Scott. I was so confused. It’s his last name! I am a detective.
Hardin gets dressed, and Tessa marvels at the way his pants hang off his hips. FFS. (M: WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO US?) She helps him tie his tie, mentally hoping that he doesn’t ask how she knows how (Noah) since he might freak out. Tessa puts on her dress and thank goodness Hardin seems to approve of it, since he picked it out and everything. He “jokes” that as long as all the guys are his father’s age at the wedding, they should be fine. IDK old men can be lecherous too and also fuck off? Yep, fuck off.
They take some selfies which is a Big Deal cause Hardin doesn’t usually do photos.
They go to get gas and omg I think I live in this chapter now. Zed and Nate pull into the gas station. Zed is all beat up and scowls at Hardin and ignores them. Tessa puts two and two together and calls Hardin out on beating up Zed the night he didn’t come home. Hardin begs her to wait to talk about it after the wedding.
“I agree and gently squeeze the hand of his that did so much damage to my friend.”
Wow, what a fucked up sentence.
Mari: She’s comforting Hardin when Zed is over there, assaulted. Cool.
Samantha: Also, remember when Tessa was like “I know he wouldn’t do anything too terrible” a couple pages ago? Like, maybe he kept himself from beating on your mom (gosh) but not anyone else.
Next time on After: The wedding, finally. I’m sure it’ll be great in Chapter 93.
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.
