Chapter 25
Tessa’s POV
The car slows to a stop, and I feel the sudden weight of everything pressing down on me. Tyler pulls over in front of the school, and for a second, I just sit there, staring out the window. It’s hard to look at him, harder still to make any sense of what’s happening between us.
“I’ll pick up my things after classes,” I say, my voice sounding foreign even to me. It feels detached, like it belongs to someone else. I’m not sure why I say it that way, but I do. I want to keep my distance, to make it clear that I’m not expecting anything from him.
Tyler doesn’t say anything at first. I can see his profile as he turns to look at me, his jaw tight. “Tessa…” he begins, but I hold up a hand to stop him before he can finish. I know what he’s going to say.
“No,” I say qu
