Tess Morrison is struggling. Suffering from an anxiety disorder after a tragic accident that claimed the life of her younger sister, Julia, she's simply trying to survive high school--which is tough, since she's the newest student at Eagle Point. En...
As Monday dawned, Tess prepared for school with trepidation. She had no idea what the day held in store. After her fight with Isaac—she'd begun referring to it as "the fight" in her mind, ignoring the details, the implications—she had spent a tense Sunday wondering how he felt about it all. They had texted, and while Isaac seemed normal, Tess thought his messages lacked their normal levity and flirtatiousness. She'd found it difficult to guess his state of mind, and she'd spent all of Sunday confused and upset.
"Everything all right, Tess?" asked Clarette as they got into the car. "You've been quiet this morning."
"Just thinking," Tess said, which wasn't a lie.
"About?"
"My fight with Isaac." Tess still hadn't revealed to her parents what the fight had been about, and she had done her best to forget the details herself. She'd been afraid of Isaac that night, that was true, but it had been their first real fight. Maybe it was normal for things to be dramatic the first time a couple quarreled. Besides, he had told her from the beginning that he got jealous sometimes.
"Are you going to talk to him today?" her mom asked.
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Try not to let it fester, honey. I know it's tough, but it's always better to rip the Band-Aid off and talk about what's bothering you when you have conflict in a relationship. If you can't talk to him and you can't be honest with him, it isn't healthy."
Tess nodded and gave her mom a smile, but she didn't say anything, and they spent the ride to school in silence. As they pulled up in front of Eagle Point, Tess wondered what she'd do when she saw Isaac. She felt the tell-tale flutter in her chest, a symptom of her anxiety. If she could just get through this day...
"Have a good day at school," said her mom.
"Thanks, Mom. See you later."
Tess got out of the car and headed in to the school building, clutching the straps of her heavy backpack and keeping her head down. She passed through the doors, weaving among students who milled in the hallways. Just as she got to her locker, the first bell sounded, signaling the start of the day.
The first class of the day on Mondays was Spanish. When Tess arrived, Isaac was there. She took her seat, throwing frequent glances at the door. As soon as she saw Isaac step into the classroom, she dropped her gaze and focused on arranging her notebook and pens.
She was so conflicted; she was afraid of finding out if he was still mad, but she was also desperate to. When he had taken his seat, Tess couldn't help but glance Isaac's way, and with a cold jolt of surprise, she caught him looking at her. He smiled, lifting one hand in a wave.
Tess smiled back, raising her own hand in tentative acknowledgment. Maybe he wasn't still upset.
There was no time to talk during Spanish, of course; they spent the period learning a new set of vocabulary words, and ten minutes before class ended came a pop quiz in conjugation.
Then the bell rang. Tess deliberately took her time gathering her things, wanting to give Isaac a few minutes to get ahead of her, but when she got to the door, he was waiting.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey," she echoed, hesitant. Isaac began to walk, and she moved at his side, hugging her books to her chest.
"Tess..." He sighed. "I'm such an asshole."
"Isaac, I—"
"No. I really am. I'm sorry." He caught her elbow and pulled her to one side in the hallway, out of the path of the students passing from class to class. "I can't tell you how sorry I am about how I acted on Saturday."
Knowing he was sorry was such a relief. "It's all right, Isaac. You were upset. I know you were, and yesterday you still seemed upset, and I can't blame you—"
"Yesterday I was embarrassed. I just wanted to talk to you in person. That's why I didn't text much." He looked her in the eyes, his expression one of earnest remorse. "I ruined a perfect night. I was a jerk."
"It wasn't ruined," Tess said.
"Yeah, right." He sighed. "Look...I just wanted to tell you I was sorry, and that I hope you can forgive me. And I hope you'll think about what we discussed. I was an asshole about it, but I can't change how I feel."
Afraid to even mention his name, Tess responded carefully. "You're serious that you don't want me to see the tutor any more?"
"You have to understand my perspective. You spend more time with him than you do with me. I can't help but feel jealous." He smiled at her. "I love you, Tess. I hope, if you feel the same, you'll see it's best for us."
The sincere apology in his tone and the tender expression on his face made Tess sorry she had been so upset about it all. He wasn't making demands; he was asking her to make a decision for the good of their relationship, a decision it was within her power to make. Wouldn't it be better in the long run for her to find a different tutor? Ms. Keene had said she knew other students at Tipton; she could probably find someone else. A girl.
Isaac leaned down and kissed Tess. The sweetness of the gesture took her breath away. He broke the kiss after just a second. "We've got to get to class—we're going to be late."
Tess nodded, her head still clouded with the kiss.
"Catch you after your Calc class?"
"See you then." Tess smiled at him, her heart brimming with affection and certainty as she hurried to her locker. She knew what she had to do.
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