After Ever Happy (After #4) by Anna Todd Read Free Book Online Page B

arrested?” Christian yells.
    Hardin throws his hands in the air, still holding that lighter. “Get the fuck out! Both of you!”
    Christian turns to me. “Tessa, go outside.”
    But I stand my ground. “No, I’m not leaving him in here.” Has Christian not learned that Hardin and I shouldn’t be separated?
    “Go,” Hardin says, taking a step toward me. He flicks his thumb across the metal of the lighter, igniting the flame. “Take her outside,” he slurs.
    “My car is parked in the alley across the street—go to it and wait for us,” Christian instructs. When I look at Hardin, his eyes are set on the white flame, and I know him well enough to know that he’s going to do this whether I leave or not. He’s too intoxicated and too upset to stop now.
    A cold set of keys is placed into my hand, and Christian leans in close. “I’m not going to let anything happen to him.”
    After a moment of internal battle, I wrap my fingers around the keys and walk out the front door without looking back. I run across the street and pray that the sirens in the distance have another destination in mind.

chapter seven
HARDIN
    A s soon as Tessa runs out the front door, Vance starts waving his hands in front of him and yelling, “Go ahead! Go ahead! Go ahead!”
    What is he talking about—and why the fuck is he even here? I hate Tessa for calling him. I take that back; I could never hate her, but, fuck , she pisses me off.
    “No one wants you here,” I say, my mouth numb as I speak to this man.
    My eyes are burning. Where is Tessa? Did she leave? I thought she did, but now I’m confused. How long ago did she come here? Was she even here to begin with? I don’t know.
    “Light the fire.”
    “Why? You want me to burn with the house?” I ask. A younger version of him leaning against the mantel at my mum’s house fills my mind. He was reading to me. “Why was he reading to me?”
    Did I say that out loud? I have no fucking idea. Present-day Vance stares at me, expecting something.
    “All your mistakes would be gone if I were, too.” The metal on the lighter burns the rough skin on my thumb, but I continue to flick the lighter.
    “No, I want you to burn the house down. Maybe then you can have some peace.”
    I think he may be yelling at me, but I can barely see straight, let alone measure the volume of his voice. He’s actually giving me his permission to burn this shit down?
    Who said I need fucking permission?
    “Who are you to give me the okay? I didn’t fucking ask you!” I lower the flame down to the arm of the couch and wait for it to catch. I wait for the all-consuming fire to destroy this place.
    Nothing happens.
    “I’m a real piece of work, yeah?” I say to the man who claims to be my father.
    “That’s not going to work,” he says. Or maybe I’m the one speaking—hell if I know.
    I reach for an old magazine lying on top of one of the boxes and bring the flame to the corner of the pages. It ignites immediately. I watch the fire travel up the pages and toss the burning magazine onto the couch. I’m impressed by how quickly the fire swallows the couch, and I swear I can feel the fucking memories burning along with the piece of shit.
    The trail of rum is next—it’s burning in a twisted line. My eyes can barely keep up with the flames as they dance across the floorboards, flicking and cracking, making the most comforting sounds. The colors are bright, fucking mad and they angrily attack the rest of the room.
    Over the sound of the flames, Vance shouts, “Are you satisfied ?”
    I don’t know if I am.
    Tessa wouldn’t be, she would be sad that I destroyed the house.
    “Where is she?” I ask, searching the room, which is blurry, and filling with smoke.
    If she’s in here and something happens to her . . .
    “She’s outside. She’s safe,” Vance assures me.
    Do I trust him? I fucking hate him. This is all his fault. Is Tessa still here? Is he lying?
    But then I realize Tessa is too smart