The windshield wipers squeak against the snow and the noise makes me want to pound my head against the window. That, and the fact that my life just fell apart within minutes.

"You warm enough?" He asks and I nod.

"Either talk now or take me back." I snap.

He inhales deeply and runs his hand over the stubble on his chin. "Okay.. what do you want to know?"

"Everything, how it all started." Honestly, I don't want to know another detail but I owe it to myself to find out.

"Okay, you're sure?" He asks and I nod.

*Flashback*

"Why does she have to come again?" Molly asked the small group as she took a drag of her cigarette.

"Because she is Steph's roommate and Steph likes her for some reason so she is bringing her along." Nate explained.

"She's a total bitch though, super fucking obnoxious." Hardin groaned which caused Molly to laugh and lean into him. Her pink hair was still slightly disheveled from sleeping with Hardin less than an hour ago.

"She's hot though." Nate added.

"Hot? No, she's not." Hardin snorted and rolled his eyes.

"She is definitely hot dude, I would fuck her in a heart beat."  said Zed.

"You wish, she is a total prude obviously. I mean who is a virgin in college?" Molly mocked the innocent girl whom she would never admit her jealousy for.

"Maybe that's why she is such a bitch because she hasn't been fucked properly." Hardin said and moved a few inches away from Molly, hoping she wouldn't follow.

"I may need to do that then." Zed said in an effort to make everyone laugh.

"Yea right. You couldn't even if you tried." Hardin antagonized his friend.

"And you could? I would have a better chance than you!" Zed countered.

"What did I miss?" Jace sat down and pulled a joint from his pocket.

"Steph has a total snob of a roommate and Zed and Hardin here are arguing over who could fuck her first." Molly informed him.

"You know.. we could make this much more interesting. You up for it?" Hardin spoke to Zed.

"Depends." Zed smiled.

"Hmm.. okay so lets see who can fuck her first." Hardin raised his brow arrogantly.

"I don't know.. " Zed began to feel a little bad for the girl who he had only met once. Zed thought Tessa  was so pretty and her gray eyes seemed so pure and sweet.

"Come on, don't be a pussy. It wont be that hard, we will play another game of truth or dare. That will open it all up, it will be simple." Hardin explained. He knew he could get to her before Zed, he just wanted to prove it.

"This is stupid, who gives a shit who can take some random girls virginity?" Molly huffed.

"If you're so convinced you can do it, I will give you a week." Jace said and passed his joint to Molly.

"A week? Dude, she is super bitchy and we already don't get along. I need longer than a week." Hardin wagered.

"How long? Two weeks? Look, if you get it within a month I will give you five hundred." Zed said.

"Five hundred dollars?" Molly was beyond annoyed at all the attention the girl was getting and she wasn't even here.

"And I will add three. Eight hundred bucks. You think you can do it?" Jace asked with bloodshot eyes.

"Yea, of course I can do it. I just hope she doesn't go all psycho and clingy." Hardin laughed.

"Doubt it." Nate teased his friend and Hardin agreed.

"She isn't going to go for you, she doesn't seem that stupid." Zed spoke.

"Yea, so we need proof when you hit it." Jace laughed loudly.

"I've never fucked a virgin, this should be fun." Hardin smiled and rolled his lip ring between his fingers.

......

"It took longer than a month." I sob as Zed finishes explaining.

"I know, he kept coming up with excuses and he kept asking for more time and he would lower the amount he was supposed to get. It was weird. We all just thought he was obsessed with winning, like to prove a point. Once Steph found out, she was pissed and wanted Hardin to call it off but he wouldn't. It was all he talked about, then that day when I invited you to the movies he flipped out. After he dropped you back off, he totally flipped shit on me and said I had to stay away from you but I just laughed it off because I thought he was drunk." Zed stops talking for a second and his eyes scan my face.

"Did he.. did you tell you about the stream? And the.. other stuff?" I hold my breath as I ask.

The pity in his eyes answers me wordlessly.

"Oh my god." I put my hands over my face.

"He told us everything.. I mean everything.." He says in a low voice.

I stare out the window, letting the betrayal seep into every crack that Hardin has worked his way into.

"Where is your new dorm?" Zed asks and I notice we are near campus.

"I don't live in a dorm, Hardin and I .. " I can barely finish my sentence. "He convicted me to move in with him, just a week ago."

"He didn't." Zed gasps.

"He did. He's so beyond.. he's just.. cruel." I stutter.

"I didn't know it was going this far, I thought once we saw the she...you know, the proof.. he would be back to normal seeing a different girl every night. But then he disappeared, he has barely came around us at all expect the other night he showed up at the docks and was trying to get Jace and I to agree not to tell you. He offered Jace a shit load of money to keep quiet."

"Money?" I say. Hardin couldn't be lower.

"Yea, Jace laughed it off of course and told Hardin he would keep his mouth shut."

"And you didn't?" I ask, remembering Hardin's busted knuckles and Zed's face.

"Not exactly.. I told him that if he didn't tell you soon I would. He didn't like that idea, obviously." He says and waves at his face.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think he cares about you."

"He doesn't. And if he does, it doesn't matter." I say and lay my head against the window.

Every kiss and touch has been shared amongst Hardin's friends, every moment on display. My most intimate moments. My only intimate moments, aren't mine at all.

"Do you want to come back to my place? I don't mean that in a pushy or creepy way. I just have a couch you could stay on until you.. figure things out." He offers.

"No, no thank you. Can you just take me to my car?" I pray to god that Hardin is gone, or not outside at least.

Zed nods and for a moment my mind wanders to thoughts of how things would be different if I had not blown Zed off for Hardin after the bonfire. I would have never made all of these catastrophic mistakes.

"Do you think he is still here?" I ask Zed as we get closer.

"I have no idea. He's going to come after me if he is." Zed shrugs.

"I would apologize for being in the middle of this.. but you guys did this to yourselves." I say honestly. I do pity Zed slightly because I do believe he had much better intentions than Hardin, but my wounds are too fresh to even think about that right now.

"I know." Is all he says and pulls into the lot. Everyone's cars are parked exactly where they were, expect Hardin's.

"If you don't want to go back to your place or need anything, call me." He offers and I nod before getting out of his car and directly into mine.

The heat is my car works better than I remember and for that I am thankful. Just as I begin to think I have shed every possible tear, they return. I have no where to go, I want to call my mother and go home. I know how that will go so I would rather sleep in my car. I have nothing with me, no extra clothes, no toothbrush, nothing. I had expected to go home.. back to that apartment after finding Steph. I had even expected to fight with Hardin over whatever I found out but I had no clue it would be anything like this.

I have no friends here, only Hardin's. I have spent so much time, well wasted so much time on Hardin.

Landon is my only friend but he lives at Hardin's father's house, the irony of this is not lost on me.

"Zed!" I call before he pulls away.

I need to call Landon, I just feel like a fool. The biggest fool.

I swallow my pride as the snow falls harder and call Landon, I will only ask to stay for one night then I will figure out where to go.

He answers on the second ring and, just like I knew he would, he tells me to come right over. Granted, I haven't told him why I am coming over.

"Jesus, it is really coming down out there." Landon says and rushes me inside. "Where is your coat?" He scolds playfully then flinches when I step into the light.

"What happened? What did he do?" He knows immediately that Hardin has done something. It seems so obvious, just not to me.

My eyes scan the room, hoping that Ken and Karen aren't downstairs.

"That obvious huh?" I wipe under my eyes.

"No." Landon lies for my sake. I know he would never rub my stupidity in my face so he smiles politely instead of saying 'I told you so'. He pulls me into his arms and I wipe my eyes again. I no longer have the strength, physical or emotional to sob. I beyond that, so far beyond that.

Landon gets me a glass of water and tells me to go up to 'my' room and I manage to smile. Instinct leads me to Hardin's door but it stirs the pain that is so close to breaking back through, I turn and walk to the room across the hall. The memory of running across the hall to Hardin when I heard him screaming in his sleep burn as I open the door. Landon joins me a few mintues later and sits on the bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks kindly.

I nod. Even though repeating it all hurt worse than finding out about it in the first place, it feels almost liberating to tell Landon. To know that one person didn't actually know about it the whole time.

"I can't believe him! What the hell is wrong with him! Here I thought he was becoming almost.. decent.. and he does this!" As soon as Landon finsishes speaking, his head snaps to the side.

I hear what he is hearing, footsteps rushing up the staircase. Not just footsteps, heavy, rushed footsteps.

"He's here." We both say and for a second I think about hiding in the closet.

"Do you want to see him?" Landon asks and I shake my head frantically.

"Tessa!" Hardin's voice slices right through me.

Seconds later the door opens and I stand up off the bed. I am not sure what I am doing, I suppose trying to create as much space as I can between us.

"Tessa, thank god. Thank god you are here." He sighs and runs his hands over his hair.

I love him so much, I hate him. My chest aches at the sight of him and I look away, focusing on the wall.

"Tessa, baby. I need you to listen to me. Please, just.."

I stay silent and walk towards him, I see his eyes light with hope and when I pass him, the hope is gone. Good.

"Talk to me." He begs and I shake my head.

"No, I will never talk to you again!" I shout, turning away from the first man I ever truly loved.

"You don't mean that." He says.

"Yes, yes I do Hardin." I say and mean it. "Get away from me!" I scream as he grabs my arm.

"You need to go." Landon steps between us and Hardin's jaw clenches.

"Landon, you need to get the fuck out of the way." He warns him.

Landon stands his ground and Hardin looks at me, then back to Landon. I know him well enough to know that he is weighing his options, whether it is worth punching Landon right now, in front of me. He seems to decide against it and he takes a deep breath.

"Please.. give us a minute." Hardin says, trying to keep his calm.

Landon looks at me and I silently beg him not to.

"She doesn't want to talk to you." Landon says.

"Don't you fucking tell me what she wants!" Hardin screams and his fist connects with the wall, cracking and crumbling the drywall.

I jump back and begin to cry again. Not now, not now. I repeat to try to manage my emotions.

"Go, Hardin." Landon shouts as Ken and Karen appear at the doorway. Oh no. I shouldn't have come here.

"What the hell is going on?" Ken asks.

No one says anything and Ken asks again.

"I am trying to talk to Tessa and Landon won't mind his own damn business!" Hardin's voice is loud again. Ken looks at Landon, then at me.

"What did you do Hardin?" Ken's tone has changed from worried to ..angry? I can't quite put my finger on it.

"Nothing! Fuck!" Hardin throws his hands in the air.

"He messed everything up is what he did, and now Tessa has no where to go." Landon speaks.

I want to speak, I just have no idea what to say.

"She has somewhere to go, she can go home. Where she belongs, with me." Hardin says.

"Hardin has been playing Tessa this entire time. He did unspeakable things to her." Landon blurts and I shrink. I am not sure if I wanted Ken and Karen to know, but I probably won't see them again after tonight so I guess it doesn't make much of a difference.

"Do you want to go with him?" Ken asks me and I shake my head.

"I am not leaving here without you." Hardin steps towards me but I cringe away.

"I think you need to go Hardin." Ken surprises me by saying.

"Excuse me?" Hardin's face is a deep shade of red that I can only describe as anger.

"You're lucky I even came here to your house and you dare kick me out?" He scoffs.

"I have been very happy with how our relationship has been evolving lately son, but you have to go. Whatever you did to her, I hope it was worth losing the only good thing you had going for you." Ken spits at Hardin.

I don't know if it was the shock of Ken's words or just that he didn't feel like fighting anymore, but he looks at me once more before leaving the room.

"I am so sorry, I will go. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." I sob as soon as I hear the front door slam.

"No, you stay as long as you need. You are always welcome here." Ken says.

"I didn't mean to come between you." I feel terrible for the way Ken had to kick his son out.

"Tessa, I love Hardin but I think we both know that without you, there isn't anything to come between." Ken says.