Page 78 of I Hate You More

I glanced nervously around the corridor before I kept going. “Tessa, I think I might be in love with her, and I know she feels something for me too. I need to know what the problem is so I can fix it. I’ll do anything to fix it.”

Her expression softened, and she glanced down the corridor like she too was checking the coast was clear. “You really like her?”

I nodded. “I do, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get her to give me another chance.”

Tessa glanced at Miles as if seeking his opinion. He gave her a noncommittal shrug, which I worried wasn’t going to help my plea.

The bell rang, and Tessa scowled at it. She let out a long sigh before stealing a pen from the top of the huge stack of books Miles was cradling. She then took my hand and started writing an address across the back of it.

“I have to get to class, but meet me at my house after school tonight, and I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

“You will?”

“Yes. Come to my place at four, and don’t be late.” She stared into my eyes until she was satisfied I understood before she linked arms with Miles, and they started down the corridor.

I took a step back and glanced down at the address scrawled across the back of my hand. The messy black ink ignited a flicker of optimism within me. Tessa sounded certain she had the answers I needed, and for the first time since Ally had rejected me, I felt like perhaps this wasn’t where our story ended.

* * *

When I arrivedat her house, Tessa’s mom answered the door, looking like she’d just had to battle her way through a war zone to reach it. Her hair was askew, there was flour on her face, and crusted bits of food were hanging from her shirt. There was a kid screaming at the top of his lungs in the background, and the TV was turned up so loud that it sounded like she was still under fire.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

It seemed to me like she was the one who needed help. I’d bet she could do with a stiff drink and a holiday right about now.

“Is Tessa home?” I asked, giving her a warm smile. “I’m Chase, and she asked me to meet her here after school today to, er, study.”

“Oh, Chase, of course,” she replied. “Tessa’s expecting you. She’s in her room. It’s up the stairs, two doors on the right. I’d go get her for you, but—”

“MOM!” the kid screamed from inside.

I gave Tessa’s mom a warm smile. “I can find her.”

“Thanks,” she replied before sprinting back down the corridor and straight into the heart of the battle like the solider she clearly was.

I hesitated by the open doorway before I stepped into the house and followed the directions I’d been given to Tessa’s room. As I reached the top of the stairs, I heard music pumping from down the corridor. I followed the sound until I reached the second door on the right.

Even without the directions I’d been given, it wouldn’t take a genius to work out which room was Tessa’s. Given the blaring music and the “Enter at your own risk” sign hung across the closed door, it was pretty obvious. I knocked several times, but she didn’t answer. I doubted she could hear me knocking over the noise in her room, so I decided to crack the door open.

“Tessa? It’s Chase,” I shouted, as I slowly pushed the door wide. The music was even louder inside the room, and the bass was so intense her windows seemed to rattle. She was sprawled over her bed with her eyes glued to her phone. She still hadn’t realized her door was open and I’d entered the room.

“Tessa?” I shouted again.

That finally got her attention, and her gaze darted up from her phone. “Oh, you’re here,” she said, jumping up off her bed to turn down the volume.

“You said four, right?”

“That I did,” she replied.

“What’s with the loud music?”

“You’d try to break your speakers too if you lived with my little brother.”

As if he could sense we were talking about him, her brother screamed from deep within the house.

“I’m suddenly glad I’m an only child.”

“You have no idea,” Tessa muttered.

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