For Real? ✅

Chapter 25

LEAH

I need to patch up with Tess.

I feel that unless I try to talk to her, she's not going to talk to me. Tess thinks that I'm mad at her, but I'm not.
I only want to be there for her during this phase.

I finally found her at Betty's, two weeks after her fight with Greg.

Annette told me that Helen was on leave today, so it was even better. Time to go into 'Mom Mode', which Tess often loved retreating into.

I had to talk some sense into her.

"Hey, Tess! Do you remember me? I'm your friend Leah." I tell her mockingly.

Tess does her typical eye roll.
"Haha, Leah. You are so funny." She says stiffly.

She adds the chocolate stuffing to the dough, before rolling it up into a croissant. It looks delicious.

"I feel so bad for you, Tess," I start, "I mean, you and Greg were-".

"Quit with the pity, Leah," Tess closes her eyes, "I don't want to think about it."

I glance around the empty room, "Let it all out, Tess. Helen isn't here."

Tess sits on her stool, looking defeated. After a pause, she starts shouting.

"Greg was gay! All the time! And not once did he think of telling me..."

"He found out at the party too. When he kissed Will-" I say, but Tess flares at the mention of Will.

"Will! That jerk who broke your heart! Seriously, what was Greg thinking? Doesn't he know that Will's a huge lier?"

"Will can be charming when he wants to be," I speak, but Tess shakes her head.

"That's not the point. I thought Greg would be smart... I thought he loved me," Tess's voice breaks and dry sobs echo through the hall.

"Maybe he did. But he didn't want to stop talking to you, Tess. It breaks his heart to treat you like a stranger." I tell her slowly.

"No, it doesn't." Tess dismisses immediately.

"He's just too scared to tell you-".

Tess looks surprised. "Greg is scared of me?" She interrupts.

"Yeah, haven't you noticed? You do threaten him a lot sometimes -"

"I don't threaten him, I only want him to be better at what he does!" Tess yells angrily. She then draws back, as I raise my eyebrows at her.

"Oh my god, I do," She says, her eyes wide.

I nod sadly, as she continues to look stunned.

"I mean, I can put up with you... But Greg's a softie. You're a bit too stern for him, aren't you?" I explain.

Tess seems to be deep in thought.

"On the other hand, Will is really sweet. I was sceptical before, but they've been dating for two weeks... I actually feel like it may work out."

"But I'm sweet too," Tess says softly. She looks hurt.

"Look, Tess. Everyone has their own pros and cons. You need a guy who is direct with you, and doesn't hide stuff-"

"Are you saying that I didn't see through Greg's lies?" Tess asks, directly looking at me.

"All I'm saying is that Greg may not be the right person for you, despite what you think. I know you love him, and I know it's hard, but you gotta move on." I say slowly.

Wow, am I good at advising others, or is Tess rubbing off me?

"Well, Greg still loves you, as a friend." I end, carefully observing Tess, who throws me a calculating look.

"And you know this because?" She asks coldly.

"Because Andy said so", I answer, my firmness wavering.

I begin to ice my cupcakes, with little floral patterns. I know that Tess is trying to steer the conversation towards me. That's her annoying habit when someone tries to advise her.

"I didn't know that you trusted Andy", Tess replies sarcastically, raising her eyebrows.

I sigh. When was she going to understand that this was about her and Greg?

"For this once, I had to. Otherwise, I always switch on my radar when he's around", I reply, secretly hoping that she would stop being on my case.

Tess gives me a knowing look. She used to pair me up with Andy just because it irritates me. I guess she's doing it again.

I rack my brains, trying to shift the focus off me.

"By the way, did you know that Greyes and Andy are friends? I saw him at her apartment yesterday." I tell her, relieved that I got an interesting diversion.

"Woah... Are they dating?" Tess asks me, equally interested. Finally.

"No... I think his dad is going to marry her mom." I tell her, recollecting what Andy had told me.

Tess looks stunned. She seems to be deep in thought.

"Poor guy's probably getting bullied by Greyes. Or maybe she's forcing him onto drugs." She mutters to herself, not noticing that I was still in her conversation.

I can't believe that she still thinks Andy is an innocent schoolboy.
Or that Greyes is a hard-hearted drug dealer.

"I think he already does drugs, Tess. He's not a ten-year-old...", I say after some time.

"Maybe," Tess shrugs carelessly. She looks lost in her sea of thoughts.

Then suddenly she starts to speak, "I went to visit my Dad, Leah."

It takes her a few minutes to explain that her dad was going to sell their house. The garden that her mom was so fond of. With the apple tree, the flowers and the vegetables.

She told me that her mom had wanted it too.

"She came into my dream. And she told me that you were going to need me." Tess looks serious as she says this.

"Ooohh, why? Maybe I'm finally going to die," I say carelessly, and regret it after seeing Tess's face.

She stops me harshly, "Leah, death is not something you joke about. I'm sure my mom has her reasons for saying so. You've got to be careful."
She looks disturbed.

Realising that my stupidity could make it worse, I walk away from her to ice my cupcakes again.

Tess has a lot going, than what she lets on.