Chapter 84 (1/2)

“Tessa. Answer me.”

“I’m fine. I’m allowed to drink, right, Dad?” she tries to joke, but the way she says that last word gives me a chill.

“If you want to get technical, you aren’t actually allowed to drink. Not legally, anyway.” I’m the last person to lecture her; it’s my fault she started drinking so regularly anyway, but this burning paranoia is clawing at the pit of my stomach right now. She’s drinking alone, and she sounds sad enough that I jump to my feet.

“Yeah.”

“How much did you drink?” I text Vance, hoping he’ll respond.

“Not too much. I’m fine. You know what’sss weird?” Tessa slurs.

I grab my keys. Damn Seattle for being so fucking far. “What’s that?” I push my feet into my Vans. Boots take too much time, and time is something I can’t afford right now.

“It’s weird how someone can be a good person but bad things just keep happening to them. You know?”

Fuck. I text Vance again, this time telling him to get his ass home—now.

“Yeah, I do know. It’s not fair the way that works.” I hate that she’s feeling this way. She’s a good person, the best I’ve ever met, and she somehow ended up being surrounded by a bunch of fuckups, me included. Who am I kidding? I’m the worst offender.

“Maybe I shouldn’t be a g-good person anymore.”

What? No. No, no, no. She shouldn’t be talking like this, thinking like this.

“No, don’t think like that.” I wave an impatient hand at Karen, who is standing in the doorway of the kitchen—wondering where I am running off to this late, I’m sure.

“I try not to, but I can’t help it. I don’t know how to stop.”

“What happened today?” It’s hard to believe that I’m talking to my Tessa, the same girl who always sees the best in everyone—herself, too. She has always been so positive, so happy, and now she’s not.

She sounds so hopeless, so defeated.

She sounds like me.

My blood runs cold in my veins. I knew this would happen; I knew she wouldn’t be the same after I got my claws into her. I somehow knew that after me she would be different.

I hoped it wouldn’t be true, but tonight it sure as hell seems that way.

“Nothing important,” she lies.

Vance still hasn’t answered me. He better be driving home.

“Tessa, tell me what’s wrong. Please.”

“Nothing. Just karma catching up to me, I guess,” she mumbles, and the sound of a cork’s being popped echoes through the silence on the line.

“Karma for what? Are you insane? You’ve never done anything to deserve any of the shit that’s happened to you.”

She doesn’t say anything.