by Mj Fields
���What time is it?���
���It���s about five,��� Maggie said softly.
Tessa jumped up ���I have practice.���
���No honey you���re skipping tonight, I already talked to your drama coach, and he said it was fine, he just wants you to get better.���
���I want to get better too, Mom,��� Tessa yawned and fell back to sleep.
* * *
The next morning Tessa was called to the office for the very first time in her life. She sat and waited outside the principal���s office. The door opened, and Lucas and Sadi walked out, he carried her bag and had his other arm wrapped around her.
���I hope you���re happy, bitch,��� Sadi yelled at Tessa.
���Enough Sadi,��� Lucas softly scolded her, and they walked out.
The principal gave Tessa detention for leaving school without permission the day before. Tessa accepted her consequence and went back to class. She ate in the library and went to detention after school. She avoided everyone. She was not proud of how she had reacted the day before with Sadi, she was not proud of many of her actions lately. She felt herself sinking into darkness and desperately wanted to get out. She went to practice at five and straight home to bed after.
Her phone chimed
- Hey, hot stuff I can���t wait to see you on Saturday!��� Ben
- Me either Ben, I miss your face��� Tessa
- Miss yours too talk to you soon���. Ben
She fell asleep and was woken by Alex.
She jumped up, ���There was an accident with four people, someone died Alex,��� she cried, ���and a baby boy Alex.���
���Okay Tessa��� it���s a dream you���ll be fine,��� Alex hugged her.
Thursday morning she went to school, it was the same as every day. She was tired and didn���t pay any attention to what went on around her.
Her phone chimed.
- No Lucas today��� will you PLEASE eat lunch with us?!?!?!... Jade
���So tell us about Ben!?��� Phoebe asked as soon as Tessa sat down…
���What would you like to know?���
���Are you two together?��� Jade seemed annoyed.
���No Jade not officially, but I like him, he makes me smile.���
���Wow, Tessa that���s three this year already��� you think you might want to slow it down a bit?��� Jade snide comment rubbed Tessa the wrong way.
���Hey Jade, I���m still a virgin in case you wanted to know,��� Tessa shot back at her.
���Well, what else have you done Tessa? Everything but isn���t any less.���
���Well, let���s see: I haven���t given or received oral, and no fingers have been inside me,��� Tessa sat back crossing her arms across her chest.
���Holy shit,��� Tommy covered his face, ���Are we really going to have this conversation?���
���Sure, do you need more Jade?���
Becca stood up her face was red, and she walked away.
Tessa smirked and Phoebe laughed
���So are you okay?���
���No Jade not really, but I���ll get there.���
After play practice, she went home and slept. She woke up and sent a text
- Ben, I can���t wait to see you��� have been missing your face��� Tessa
- Two days Tessa, can I bring you home after and stay and play a bit?... Ben
- I would love that, happy dance commencing now��� Tessa
- wish I could see that happy dance��� Ben
- two days, goodnight��� Tessa
Tessa texted Jade
- are we okay?... Tessa
- of course, I just feel like I suck as your friend right now and I guess I���m lashing out. I���m sorry��� Jade
- I���m glad you���re in love Jade. Tommy is amazing and loves you so much���Tessa
- Oh, thank you, I have never been happier Tessa I can���t wait to be with him forever��� Jade
- I can honestly say I believe you two will be together for the rest of your lives��� Tessa
- Well, how about you? What���s Ben like?... Jade
- He���s perfect, and I���m trying to be that for him too, he wants to go slow and I���m so happy he does���Tessa
- Do you love him?... Jade
- I know I could someday��� Tessa
- Good, lunch tomorrow?... Jade
- We shall see, goodnight���. Tessa
Friday went by fast. Lucas came to school in the middle of lunch, Tessa wondered where he had been but wouldn���t ask. He acted very uncomfortable, and Tessa was too. Lucas bounced his knee up and down and didn���t eat. She excused herself and left them.
Tessa had one week before the play. Next week was going to be busy, and she welcomed it. After school, she went for a run in the park. It felt good, she needed to do this every day again, and she decided she would. On her run back to the school, Lucas drove by and looked the other way. Fine by me, asshole, she thought. Mad is good, yep really good.
Cassidy and a few of the cast members decided they wanted to go up and watch Ben���s band. Tessa was excited; she would ride up with them and back to her house with Ben.
Saturday morning she texted Jade, Phoebe, and Becca
- I want to get a Mani- Pedi at eleven, and maybe lunch, anyone else want in?��� Tessa
- I am��� Jade
- Me too��� Phoebe
- Me three��� Becca
- Excellent, I���ll pick you all up at 10:30���. Tessa
They drove to Ithaca and walked into the salon.
���What brought this on?��� Jade asked smiling.
���I���m going to meet Ben tonight; he���s playing in Syracuse again,��� Tessa smiled.
���That���s cool, you like him Tessa,��� Phoebe said.
���There���s nothing not to like, he���s hot, loves music, and plays sports. When I���m with him, it���s like I���m the only person on the planet. Ben has been in three relationships that all ended well and is willing to wait until all the demons are gone from my crazy head. His views on relationships are awesome, it���s two people that respect each other, and he doesn���t share. Just like it���s supposed to be. Honestly, if I don���t grab him up now, someone else will,��� Tessa looked surprised she had said that, they all laughed.
They went to lunch, and as their appetizers were delivered Lucas walked in with a girl. Tessa was shocked, and the girls all looked in the direction she was looking.
Phoebe grabbed her hand under the table and whispered ���Tessa, look away.���
Tessa looked at her and felt like she couldn���t breathe.
���I need to go to the bathroom now Phoebe, please.���
Lucas saw them and noticed Phoebe was holding Tessa���s hand. He knew she was probably upset, but what the hell did she expect? She had Ben. He looked over at the table, and Jade was walking towards him.
���Hey Lucas, what are you doing?���
���Hi Jade, I���m getting lunch. What are you ladies doing?��� he smiled.
���Girl stuff ��� speaking of, who���s your friend Lucas?��� Jade pushed her hip against him and scooted in the booth next to him.
���Jade this is Amy, Amy this is Jade, Tommy���s girlfriend.���
���You know Tommy, Amy was it?���
���I do ��� we used to go to school together,��� she smiled.
���Well isn���t
that special.��� Jade smiled. Her smile turned to a scowl as she looked at Lucas, ���So Lucas are you on a date?���
���Amy excuse us please, Jade let���s take a walk,��� Lucas all but shoved Jade out of the booth with his hip. He stood up and stormed across the restaurant and she followed him.
���What are you doing Jade?���
���Just meeting your friend,��� Jade raised her eyebrow as she put her hands on her hips.
���Okay well, what I do is none of your business or hers,��� Lucas pointed to Tessa as she walked by.
���Well, genius this isn���t helping your cause, and to think I was giving her a hard time about Ben, guess I���ll switch teams now, asshole,��� Jade sneered.
���Jade, Amy is friends with Sadi. I���m here to talk about Sadi. I am not going to take her home and fuck her. And as far as Tessa goes, she can do whatever the hell she wants, there has been way too much damage done there.���
���So you don���t care about her?���
���Actually Jade I���m fucking pissed at her!���
���Why?���
���I don���t want to talk about it! Why don���t you go join the Doe camp crew and let me eat fucking lunch,��� Lucas stormed away.
���Good chat Lucas,��� Jade called after him.
Lunch was on the table when she got back, ���Friend of Sadi���s.���
They finished eating lunch and left. Tessa was angry with herself for getting upset, even angrier that she threw up in the bathroom,
Phoebe had laughed when she threw up, ���Look at that, a sign; he even makes me physically sick.���
Tessa went home and showered and shaved her legs. She washed her face and brushed and flossed her teeth. She wasn���t sure what to wear, so she called Jade. Jade told her loose jeans and a very tight shirt. Tessa did as she was told and added brown cowgirl boots, a brown belt, and a cropped jacket. Her hair was blown out and down. The way Ben liked it. Her make- up is a little heavier than she usually did. She looked good.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Cassidy picked her up and handed Tessa a bowl, ���Actually I���m good,��� she smiled.
They pulled in, and Tessa got butterflies. It���d only been five days since she���d seen him, but it felt like it was all new again. Tessa walked in, and he was singing. Black jeans and a white tank under a buttoned- down gray shirt, he looked hot. His face was beautiful and very boyish, he had big dimples, and he was right about his butt��� it was perfect. Tessa stood smiling as she watched him. Ben seemed to be scanning the crowd; she knew he was looking for her. She grabbed Cassidy���s hand and walked as close to the front as she could. Ben saw her and lit up; he winked at her and kept singing. Cassidy and Tessa danced as they watched the band.
His first set was over, and he jumped off stage and grabbed her face and kissed her.
���You look hotter every time I see you, Tess.���
Tessa smiled and stepped back and looked him up and down. She walked around and patted his butt.
���So do you,��� he laughed and kissed her again.
Ben went back on, and he played guitar for a few songs and then he sang. Tessa loved to hear him sing. As his eyes bore into her, he sang ��� making the butterflies turn into hummingbirds. She lifted her shirt and flashed him. Ben stopped singing and laughed the band stopped.
���Tess, come up here for a minute,��� she shook her head no. ���You can either come up or I���ll come get you,��� Ben raised his eyebrow and held his hand up. He grabbed her and pulled her onstage.
���Tess did you just flash me?��� She smiled and slowly shook her head no, ���Tess the truth,��� she laughed.
���Did the girls miss me?��� she laughed, and he dropped to his knees and slowly started to lift her shirt. She pushed his hands away.
���Trust me,��� he mouthed.
He kissed her belly and then blew really hard on it. Tessa laughed, and the crowd went wild.
���I think they like you almost as much as I do, smile for them Tess.���
She turned and smiled and waved. Tessa saw Tommy, Jade, Ryan and Lucas standing in the crowd. Jade was smiling. Ryan and Tommy were looking down, and Lucas was pissed.
���Stay up here with me while I finish this song Tess, then you���re going to sing with me,��� she smiled at him.
He pulled a stool up and sat her on it and started the song were they left off.
He walked over and kissed her cheek ���Do you know Close My Eyes Forever?���
���I do, but I don���t want to screw up,��� she shook her head no.
���I have the song on my CD player. We���ll do it next set?��� she shook her head yes. ���Cool��� I can think of something for now.���
She looked at him and shook her head no, and he laughed.
���Okay, I got one��� he whispered to the other guitarist.
They started playing I Touch Myself. He winked at her, and she laughed and sang it to him, she didn���t dare look out in the crowd. She played the part and danced around while she sang. When she was done, the crowd cheered.
���Awesome job Tessa, but between you and I,��� Ben whispered into the mic, ���You���ll never have to do that; I���ll take care of you. Alright we have only worked on this for a few days so bear with us.���
They played Zeppelin���s Thank You, he sang to her and smiled, it was perfect. The set was over, and he dragged her off the side and gave her his CD player.
He kissed her ���You���ll do awesome.���
Jade ran up and hugged her, ���You did excellent! And, by the way, he is so damn cute and very into you.���
Tessa hugged her back. ���Why is he here?���
Jade whispered, ���He wanted to come, sorry, he was well aware of who was playing.���
���Oh,��� she was confused. ���Hi guys,��� Tessa smiled.
They said hello and Lucas rolled his eyes and walked away.
Lucas walked up to a pretty dark- haired girl and whispered in her ear, she took his hand.
Tessa turned to find Ben. She hugged him tightly.
���What���s up?���
She pointed to Jade and Tommy and Lucas, and the brunette walking towards the door.
���Company.���
���Does it bother you?���
���I just don���t know why he had to come here.���
���Me either, but we���re going to have fun anyway,��� Ben kissed her, ���Practice!���
Ben put the headphones on her. She buried her head against his chest and listened as he glared towards the door
Ben went onstage singing: she watched him and smiled. He truly was amazing.
���Tess, come on up here,��� he said, and everyone cheered. ���They still missing me?��� he grabbed the bottom of her shirt, she looked away blushing. ���You ready to sing with me? You ready to hear Tessa sing again?��� he asked, and they all cheered.
He leaned over and kissed her ���Just look at me.���
They sang together perfectly. They both put so much emotion into it. In the end, they stood face to face, looking into each others eyes as they both tried to catch their breath. Ben finally smiled and looked away.
���Let���s hear it for Tess everyone,��� she turned and smiled and immediately she saw Lucas making out with a girl.
She watched as he kissed her neck and his hands moved to her breast and she tipped her head back. As they kissed, he walked her to the side of the room, and h
e grabbed her arms and pinned them against the wall, kissing her and grinding against her.
���Tess,��� Ben whispered, ���You going to stay up here and sing with me again?���
She turned to him and smiled. ���Anything you want Ben and I mean anything,��� she heard cheering and the crowd going wild, she laughed and kissed him.
Ben smiled and said, ���On the ride to your place, we���ll talk about it.���
���You can drive Ben and talk all you want, my mouth will be busy doing something else,��� she pulled him by the waistband into her and kissed him. The crowd cheered, and she bit her lip and raised her eyebrow, turned, and walked off stage.
���Alright everyone thanks for coming and goodnight,��� Ben started walking off stage, ���Oh snap. One more set.���
As she danced, she felt someone bumped into her. She glanced over her shoulder, and it was Lucas and number thirteen. Tessa moved, and Jade glared at him, Lucas smirked and moved closer to Tessa.
The song ended.
���Hey Tess, is that asshole bugging you?��� Ben asked, ���Come on up here girl.���
She smiled, and he pulled her onstage.
���We have got another song for you girl, and all you ladies out there who have encountered douche bag boys like Lucas.���
The band played Two Princes. Ben jumped around and sang, his moves were amazing; she could not wait to get out of here. Lucas didn���t even respond he was too busy to even come up for air. They did one more song and ended.
Tessa walked off stage and Ben grabbed her and kissed her.
���Are we good?���
���Oh, way better than good Ben,��� Tessa smiled and her eyes were dancing. ���I���m so happy to have you in my life. Let���s help pack up and then I want to go home,��� she grinned and looked him over.
���You sure?���
���Positive.���
Jade and Tommy came up, Tommy shook Ben���s hand. ���You���re awesome man.���
���Thanks, I think she made me look good,��� he smiled at Tessa.
���Tessa come to the bathroom with me? Be right back Tommy,��� she said and kissed him.
