Afterwards: An "After" Fanfiction

Chapter 26: Love You Goodbye

A/N: This chapter goes back to 3rd person so you can see what's going on ups and downstairs at the same time. Hope y'all had a happy Thanksgiving! This chap get a little rough y'all. Be wary if you don't like physical fights/violence (no, Hardin will not hit a girl.)

"I know she's here."

When Hardin's wavering voice floated up the stairs, Tessa's heart nearly stopped. The breath caught in her throat and she grew completely still. Would he barge upstairs? Would he apologize? Despite the fact that deep down, Hardin was the only person she wanted to speak to, he was also the last person she wanted to see.

Still poised by the front door with her arms crossed, Trish seemed to read Tessa's mind. "You can't see her."

"Mum. Really. Just let me apologize to her for--"

"She's..." Trish interrupted, racking her brain for a believable excuse. "She's gone back already. I put her on a plane this morning." The hope drained out of her son's face, and it hurt to see. Trish considered breaking her promise to Tessa for a minute, almost gesturing silently to the stairs. Instead, she grabbed her son harshly by the arm and sat him on the living room couch. "What the Hell have you done, Pinky?"

Though she used his childhood nickname, Hardin could tell his mother was pissed. "It's nothing."

Trish sighed, patting her son's ripped jeans. "The poor dear was sat here sobbing for hours, love. It didn't seem like nothing." She didn't reveal that she knew the whole story. She wanted her son to come clean on his own.

"I didn't know she was coming! If I had just known, you best believe I would have stayed far away from that slag Molly."

"Language!" Trish shut her eyes and pursed her lips. "Anyways. You more than anyone know I've made my own mistakes. Ken was a good man and he didn't deserve what I did to him. Christian too. But in the end, after trying to keep them both, I ended up alone. Tessa...well, I don't know how else to say this, but she's too good for you." Her son's face dropped, but Trish quickly amended her words and lifted his chin with her finger. "I mean that coming from a place of love, of course. She's special. What other girlfriend of yours would have traveled across the world to support your band? Imagine her heartbreak when she found you on New Year's Eve with your ex of all people? No matter what happened or what didn't, you have to realize how badly that could hurt."

Hardin clenched his hands into fists. "It wasn't what it looked like!" He yelled, rising to angrily swipe the content of the coffee table onto the floor. "None of this shit would've happened if Molly hadn't gotten me high!" The vase shattered as he realized what he had revealed. "Mum..."

Shock played across the mother's face. "Drugs, Hardin?"

The boy backed away slowly. "I'm sorry." There was a reason Ken kept Hardin's old habits a secret from Trish. Much like Tessa, narcotics were his mother's breaking point. He wasn't sure what had happened to trigger her whenever someone mentioned drugs, but he knew it must have been bad.

Trish's usually bright features grew exceptionally dark. "I think it's time you leave." Her eyes looked distant, as if she were reliving a terrible memory from long ago. "Now."

"But Mum, I need to speak to Tess."

"Get OUT!"

The loud cry and sound of glass shattering made Tessa jump up and hurry towards the stairs. She pressed herself against the wall so she wouldn't be seen, but so she could hear everything clearly.

Footsteps fell as the mother and son approached the front door once again.

"I'm sorry." Hardin said again, his voice even more unsteady than it had been when he arrived. "I know you're upset. But please. Just know that I never meant to disappoint you...and if you speak to Tessa again...please tell her I love her."