Chapter 216.

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Hardin's POV.

"Are you going to follow me the entire way back?" I ask the pestering girl.

"No, I'm going back to my parents cabin."

"Well, go to their cabin alone,"

"You aren't very polite," she hums.

"Really? I've been told it's one of my strongest attributes." I roll my eyes even though she can't see my face.

"Someone lied to you," she giggles behind me and I kick at the rocks under the sole of my boots. For once I'm glad Tessa told me to take my shoes off at the door of the cabin, otherwise I'd be stuck wearing Landon's sneakers. Not a good look and I'm almost certain his feet are much smaller than mine.

"So where are you from?" she asks,

I ingore her and continue to trek down the road, I think I'm supposed to turn left at the next stop sign,  I sure as hell hope so.

"England?" She questions. 

"Yeah, which way?" I ask her and she points to the right.

Of course I was wrong.

"Do your parents know you're gone?" The last thing I need is to piss anyone else off.

"I doubt it, they have company and they were ignoring me anyway," she sighs.

Her eyes are an icy blue and her skirt drags across the gravel below her feet. She reminds me of Tessa, well the Tessa I was first introduced to. My Tessa no longer wears her long, hideous skirts. She has also learned a new vocabulary, all credit for that goes to me for pissing her off one too many times.

"Are you here with your parents too?" Her voice is low, sweet even.

"No, well sort of,"

"They are sort of your family?" she smiles, her use of 'they are' instead of the common 'they're' reminds me of Tess too.


I look over to the girl again to make sure she's actually there and this isn't some freaky Christmas Carol type shit where she's an apparition that has come to teach me some sort of lesson.

"They're my family, and my girlfriend. I have a girlfriend by the way," I warn her.

I don't see this girl being interested in someone like me but then again I once thought the same about Tessa.

"Okay.." she says,

"Okay," I pick up my pace, wanting to create some space between myself and the stranger.

The two of us turn right at the stop sign and move to walk on the grass as a truck passes us by.

"Where is she then? Your girlfriend?"

"Sleeping," It makes sense to use the same lie I told my father and Karen.

"Hmm,"

"Hmm, what?" I look at her.

"Nothing," she stares forward.

"You've already followed me half way back, if you have something to say then say it," I harshly remark.

"I was just thinking that you seem like you are trying to escape from something or hide, I don't know, never mind."

"I'm not hiding, she told me to get the fuck out so I did,"

What the hell does this wannabe Tessa know anyway?

"Why did she kick you out?"

"Are you always this nosey?"

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