13 Reasons Why Hannah Baker Lived

Chapter 64: The Return Of The Tapes

Diego Torres: Hey. You waited for me.

Jessica Davis: Of course I waited for you.

Diego takes a seat next to Jessica.

Diego Torres: Um... Negative.

Jessica Davis: Good. Yeah, me too.

Diego Torres: Um, thanks for telling me, and coming with me.

Jessica Davis: Of course. I wasn't worried. He'd never do it without protection. He was pretty hardcore on that.

Diego Torres: They, uh... They tell you about PrEP? That seems like a good thing.

Jessica Davis: Yeah. Though I don't plan on having sex again, ever, so...

Diego Torres: Look, I'm sorry... about Justin. I... I know how much you loved him.

Jessica Davis: How would you know that?

Diego Torres: I... I saw you dance together.

Jessica thought back to that moment and how happy she was until he collapse.

Diego Torres: And... a guy can tell... when a girl's heart is spoken for. I'm sorry... for... everything I put you through. I'm done with it. I just... I couldn't let it go. I... (Breathes Shakily) I miss Monty so much. But it... It can't be anything like what you miss Justin.

Jessica Davis: (Sighs) I don't know. Missing is missing.

Diego Torres: (Chuckles Lightly) I... I know it's very much too soon to be saying anything like this, but... if you ever need someone to miss people with, I would like to maybe ask you out sometime. To go out with me. Again. But in a new way, sometime.

Diego then realizes that it was too soon to ask Jessica out.

Diego Torres: Maybe I can... Can I start asking in about a month?

Jessica Davis: Maybe in a month.

It had been a week since Justin's funeral. Today was the last day of school for the seniors of Liberty High. Graduation is in 3 days and I really wished Justin was here. I arrived home from school where my dad & Valerie where sitting on the couch with my mom sitting across from them.

Hannah Baker: I'm home. Hey, guys.

Andy Baker: Hey, how was your last day?

Hannah Baker: Well, it was...

I stopped when I looked at the living room table and saw what was laying there. It was something that I haven't seen in over 2 years.

Hannah Baker: Is that what I think it is?

Olivia Baker: It is.

It was my tapes. The originals, still in my old shoe box. I kneel down and I open the box. Everything was still there: the tapes, the bubble wrap, the marked map I'd included. Everything.

Hannah Baker: How...

Olivia Baker: The court had them returned after a year. Since you were the one who made them...

Andy Baker: We figured, they belong to you.

These tapes. These damn tapes. These tapes made a complete mess. A part of me was saying that I never should've made these tapes. The other part of me was saying that if I hadn't, no one would know what kind of person Bryce really was. But these tapes... they drove Clay crazy, drove Jessica to drink, drove Alex to shoot himself, drove Justin to run away and got him AIDS. All night, all night I just stared at the tapes on my bed. Bridgette asked me about them. I told her that it was a school project that I did with my friends. I don't want her knowing what I went through, not now at least. Maybe when she's older, like when she's in high school, just to prepare her for the dangers of high school. The next day, I went over to the Jensens. No one was home, so I waited. I sat there in their front lawn on top of the steps when Clay finally arrived. Clay gets out from his car, grabs his backpack from the backseat, & puts it on. He begins making his way up the steps.

Clay Jensen: Hey, Hannah. How are you...

Clay stops when he notice what I have on top of my lap.

Clay Jensen: Is that...?

Hannah Baker: My tapes.

Clay invites me inside. We make our way to his kitchen as I set down the shoebox on a counter. Clay opens it up and see the tapes and the map that was still inside.

Hannah Baker: This must be deja vu for you.

Clay Jensen: You got that right. How...?

Hannah Baker: The court returned them to my mother and she gave them to me, yesterday.

Clay Jensen: You've had these since yesterday? Why didn't you tell us?

Hannah Baker: Because I was thinking about what to do with them. And I've made a decision.

Clay Jensen: What are you going to do with them?

Hannah Baker: Well, Ryan & Courtney are coming to graduation. Right?

Clay Jensen: Yeah. Sheri can't make it though.

Hannah Baker: Right. So... it would be perfect to bury them. Once and for all. Closure.

Clay Jensen: Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.

Hannah Baker: It'll be closure for me, you, Jess, Alex, everyone... including Bryce... and Justin.

Clay Jensen: (Whispers) Yeah.

Hannah Baker: How have you guys been?

Clay Jensen: We're trying. We should tell everyone, about your plan.

And we did. We called everyone over to Monet's and I brought the tapes with me. They couldn't believe that I got the tapes back. For Ani & Charlie, this is the first time they've seen the tapes. I told them about my plan and they were all in. We later called Ryan & Courtney and told them about the plan and they too are in. This is going to be a graduation to remember. I just wish that Justin was here.