The Summer Before

Chapter Forty-Four

Tessa

I couldn't stay there any longer. Not after what Levi told me. I thought he played me last summer and acted sweet and caring just to get me in bed. The reality is somehow so much worse.

He saw something happen between Benji and me when Benji's dumbass showed up unannounced at the lake house. Levi could have talked to me about it. He should have!

The whole mess could have been sorted out with a simple conversation. We could be laughing about it to this day. Instead, he chose not to come to me. He decided to assume the worst- the worst of me, the worst of what he saw, the worst of everything.

That night, he chose to turn that misunderstanding into a shot at revenge. Levi wanted to cut me deep, to make me feel as awful as he did without knowing the truth. He sought out that girl just to hurt me. He made sure I saw them together and smirked at me to dig his dagger deeper into my heart.

All this time, he could have talked to me and cleared everything up. Instead, he chose anger; he chose hate. And now, everything is ruined.

I loved him. Fuck, I still do somehow, but knowing that he acted in anger last summer with the sole intention of hurting me back- that kills me. How could someone I loved and trusted more than anyone do such an awful thing?

I understand how bad it must have looked- seeing Benji and me that morning, but Levi should have come to me. I could have explained everything, and neither of us would have had to live the last year hurting so badly. We could have made so many beautiful memories.

The tears rolled down my face as I threw my things into my bags. I couldn't stay there a minute longer. Levi tried to follow me, apologizing, begging me not to go. I ignored him, slamming my door in his face and locking it behind me.

As I packed, he tried to reason with me. He tried to get me to stay, saying I shouldn't drive while I was upset. I ignored him as I worked quickly to gather my belongings. There was nothing in the world I wanted more at that moment than to leave that town. I had to get away from anything and everything that reminded me of Levi.

My buzz from the reception was long gone, and I knew I was legal to drive. I had to get out of there ASAP. I needed to put as much distance between Levi and myself as possible.

His words were still ringing in my head as I sped down the highway. "Please, Tessa. Don't do this. Just stay tonight. I'll leave you alone if that's really what you want. Just please, don't drive while you're this upset. Please, Tess."

I brushed past him, making a beeline to my car as he continued to plead with me.

"Tessa, please! I'm so sorry. I know I fucked up. Please stop. I'm so so sorry."

My tears fell harder as I drove away, steering my car back toward Surf City. I couldn't stay any longer. Not even Colin and Leah's apartments were far enough away from Levi at the time. I needed to go back to my new home, back to the place that held no memories of the man I once knew- the one I still loved.

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Levi

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I punched the door as I finally made my way back inside.

I watched as Tessa's taillights disappeared into the night. For half an hour, I waited outside, hoping she'd come to her senses and come back. She never did.

The truth about what happened last summer finally came out, and fuck I was devastated. I'd jumped to conclusions last summer, thinking I knew everything I needed to about what happened between Tessa and Benji when I clearly knew nothing.

I fucked everything up over a stupid misunderstanding. And now, she was gone, possibly for good.

I hadn't even had a chance to get her phone number before everything blew up. So, I had no way of contacting her, no way of knowing if she would make it wherever she was going safely.

It killed me not knowing if she was okay. I picked up my phone and called Micah, hoping Tessa was staying with them.

"Hey, man. What's up?" Micah sounded tired.

"Hey, sorry if I woke you. Is Tessa at your place?"

I heard shuffling in the background and Colin's voice asking who was calling. "No, she's not here. Why did something happen?"

Fuck! "We had an argument, and she packed all her things and left. I don't have her number to check to see if she's okay. I was hoping she came to your place."

Colin asked what was going on as Micah quietly explained it to him.

Suddenly, an angry Colin sounded in my ear. "What the fuck did you do?"

"Colin!" Micah's voice sounded somewhere further away as his beau continued reaming me a new one.

"She and I got into it, and she drove off. I thought she may have come to stay with you." My heart was sinking at the thought of Tessa in a ditch somewhere.

"Fuck! I'll call her, but I swear, if anything bad happens to her, I will make sure you live a miserable life for the rest of your existence."

Don't worry; I'll already be doing that to myself.

Micah came back on the phone as Colin stepped away, likely calling Tessa to see if she was all right.

While we waited, a thought crossed my mind. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Did anyone ever mention Benji showing up at the lake house last summer?"

There was a long pause before Micah answered, and I could feel my heart thrumming in my chest, waiting for him to confirm Tessa's story.

"Yeah, actually. The morning after Tessa left, Jason brought it up while we were making breakfast. He said Benji tried to win Tessa back, making all these ridiculous promises, saying he'd change and all that. I guess he tried to kiss her a few times before she kicked him out. Slapped him pretty hard, too, according to J."

I groaned internally. It wasn't that I didn't believe Tessa's story, but a small part of me needed confirmation from someone else to protect my already bruised heart. Micah's story validated everything Tessa told me. And I felt horrible.

I had to fix this. Whatever I had to do, I would do it. I had to make things right with Tessa, even if that meant begging her best friend to help me.

I was prepared to start doing so when I heard his voice on the other line. What he said next made my blood run cold.

"Well, now we all get to panic. She's not answering her phone. It went straight to voicemail." Colin's words, though angry, were laced heavily with concern.

What if something happened to her? I would never forgive myself. I can't live in a world where she doesn't exist.

My heart clenched, and my mouth ran dry at the thought.

Tessa, please be okay. 

A/N:

How are we doing out there? I know the bomb drop of what went down last summer has everyone reeling. What do you think happens next? Can they get through this? Is Tessa okay? Leave your predictions in the comments below.