by Mj Fields
���He must have been really trying to buy your love that day.���
He laughed and grabbed her hand.
���Lucas, how many girlfriends have you had?���
���Tessa, do you really want to know now? Maybe we should wait until we have time to play the game again.���
���Now, please.���
���I really don���t know. Lost count.��� He started to turn on the radio, and she grabbed his hand.
���What was the longest relationship?���
���Tessa, do we have to do this now?��� he asked, looking out of the corner of his eye nervously.
���Yes.���
���Eight months.���
���Was it Sadi?��� she asked quietly.
���Yes.���
���Did you have sex with her?���
���Tessa������
���I want to know.���
���I cannot believe I am answering this but yes, I did.���
���Was she your first?���
���Really, Tessa?��� he said as he pulled into the school parking lot.
���Please?���
���No Tessa, I���ve had a lot of sexual partners. My first was when I was fourteen,��� he said. She gasped. ���See? We shouldn���t have had this conversation now.���
���How many?���
���Sadi was number twelve.���
They got out of the car and started walking toward the school. ���They were all before you, Tessa, and none were at all like you. You���re just��� better. I don���t have time to explain it now, but I will after school. Please, just don���t be mad.���
She gave him a weak smile and a peck on the cheek. ���I���m not. See you at lunch.��� The bell rang and she ran to her locker and quickly to class.
���Why are you so late?��� Jade asked.
���Long story, I���ll catch you up later,��� she answered dismissively.
Tessa looked out the window and thought about what her mother had said. Remember who you are.
At this point in her life Tessa really didn���t know who she was. She did know that she didn���t want her first time to be with someone who was just going to use her and move onto the next person.
CHAPTER SIX
Tessa avoided deep conversation with Lucas for the next couple days. Not as much kissing, and no alone time. She had only been with him for a few days, and she needed to make sure she wasn���t lucky number thirteen anytime soon. The way he made her feel when she was alone with him, well, she wasn���t going to chance it. On Friday, they went straight to the gym. Tonight, the boys played their game under the lights. Tessa would take the kids, assuring no intimate moments. They would stay at the farm and her mom would get them Saturday around one in the afternoon.
* * *
���What was the score again?��� Jake asked, as they walked on the field toward Alex and Lucas, surrounded by a slew of female fans.
���Thirty four to fourteen, Saints.���
���Alex, Lucas,��� Jake said, pushing through the crowd toward them. ���Awesome game! Good guys win!��� He gave them high fives.
���Well, they are good guys,��� a couple girls in the crowd smiled seductively at Lucas.
Sadi gazed at Lucas. ���I know personally that the quarterback is.���
Tessa watched him look at Sadi and shake his head.
���Oh, here come the prosti- tots,��� Sadi laughed loudly.
Tessa stewed, concentrating on how not to kick Sadi���s ass all over the field.
���Tessa, baby, they were all for you!��� Lucas yelled so that Sadi could hear him. Tessa smirked, as he walked over to kiss her. He picked her up and twirled her in a circle. ���My good luck charm!���
The girls waited as the guys showered. After awhile, Sadi walked out with a crew of implants toward Tessa���s truck.
���You think he likes you, Tessa?��� she asked.
���Yeah, I do,��� Tessa said, smirking. She was glad that Alex had just taken the kids.
���You���re just the flavor of the week. I���m the only one that lasted more than a month with him. He���s going to get sick of you, farm girl,��� Sadi said.
���For the record, he and I have already discussed his past, um, how shall I say it? Mistakes. Yeah, that���s a perfect word for it. He���s done with you; you should try to let that sink in. I���m not the reason you two broke up, so maybe you should get off my case.���
���It���s never over between him and me. He���ll be back,��� Sadi said ���and you���ll be on your ass. Just like the rest of them.���
���Maybe you should get a bit of self- respect. Seriously, why the hell do I need to know you���ve been a revolving door for him? You���re pathetic, and you���ve done that to yourself.��� Tessa looked her up and down.
���Don���t look at me like that, bitch,��� Sadi swung at Tessa.
Tessa ducked, ���That all you got, Sadi?���
Sadi grabbed her hair, and Tessa punched her in the eye. Sadi fell to the ground as Lucas and Tommy came running toward them. Jade had grabbed Tessa, pulling her back trying to stop her from kicking Sadi���s ass.
Sadi saw Lucas and started crying. ���Did you see what your little whore did to me?���
���Yes, and I saw how it started.��� He took her arm and pulled her to her car. ���Go home Sadi. We aren���t doing this again.���
Tessa watched as he watched Sadi drive away and he looked wounded. Tessa saw he appeared torn and it made her think that maybe there was truth in what Sadi had said to her.
* * *
Tessa got in her truck and drove home. She wanted to be alone. As she pulled in the driveway she looked at the headlights behind her getting closer. When she parked the truck Lucas followed her into the driveway.
���Tessa ��� wait!��� he said, running to get to her before she got to the door. ���Why are you angry with me?���
���I saw how you looked at her. I���m not stupid. You care about her. So go be with her, and leave me alone,��� she snapped at him.
���Tessa, come with me,��� he said, forcing her back toward the barn.
She wanted to scream but didn���t want to alarm her family. ���Get your hands off me! I can walk.���
He sat on a bale of hay and asked her to sit, too.
���I���ll stand, thank you very much,��� she said.
���Okay, listen. I���m going to trust you with something, Tessa. No matter what happens, this is between you and I. Sadi and I dated for about a month before we had sex. She played head games, and it drove me crazy. I told her I loved her, and at the time I thought I did. We���d been together four months when she got pregnant. I wanted her to keep it, and she wouldn���t. She had an abortion behind my back, so I broke things off.���
���I���m so sorry Lucas.���
���I hooked up with a girl and we dated for about a month. Sadi threatened suicide. We got back together. We broke up and she started seeing someone else; I was hurt which was her intention, and we got back together for the final time. She was a complete bitch, and I broke things off again and started sleeping around. I guess I do care Tessa, but I don���t love her. I pity her. I���m sorry if that hurts you,��� he explained.
Tessa sat down. ���That���s a lot to absorb, a lot to go through. I���m sorry.���
���I���m sorry you got hit because of me.���
���I hit her in the face, that was a first for me,��� she said, disappointed in herself.
He pulled her into him. ���She attacked you. It���s called self- defense.���
They sat there for a long time, looking out the open barn doors to the road. A car slowed down, almost stopping in front of the house.
���I think that was Sadi���s car,��� Lucas said.
���She���s crazy, isn���t she?��� Tessa asked.
���Yeah, I think so.���
Tessa thought about all that Lucas might bring into her life. Crazy ex���s and a sexual past that was just as crazy. She knew a bright flashing yellow warning light should be slowing her down, if not causing her to put on the brakes completely, but she had never been afraid of anything in her life. More importantly, as hard as she tried she couldn���t fight the feelings flooding her heart for him if she tried.
He walked her to the door and kissed her, it was a soft kiss, a sweet kiss. There was no tongue or lip biting. She thought it was some sort of apology kiss.
���Text me when you get home,��� she said. ���Oh, and by the way, I was never a very big football fan, but that quarterback is awesome, and superhot in those tight pants,��� Tessa said over her shoulder as she went inside.
Tessa washed her face and brushed her teeth and climbed into bed. She put on Lucas���s sweatshirt and grabbed the bear he had given her. Her phone chimed
- made it home baby���Lucas
- thanks for letting me know you���re safe���.Tessa
- of course��� Lucas
- thank you for trusting me���Tessa
- please trust me��� Lucas
- always be honest with me and I will���Tessa
- you make my head spin just thinking about you; I���m falling Tessa, hard and fast��� Lucas
She reread the text a hundred times smiling and daydreaming about him.
- awkward silence, we ok?��� Lucas
- Of course, goodnight���Tessa
- ok then��� goodnight��� Lucas
- BTW���me too���Tessa
- phew, that was weird for a second, goodnight baby��� Lucas
* * *
Saturday Jade came over at four to get ready. Both their father���s said they could go, but only because it was a double date.
Jade hugged Tessa and then started getting ready for their date. ���I���ve missed you so much!���
���I���ve missed you, too! Which is weird since we see each other most of the day at school, at practice and after practice when we ride home with our boys,��� Tessa said, laughing. ���So I want to know everything, all the behind the scene stuff about you and Tommy.���
���I want to know about you guys, too,��� Jade said.
���We can make this easy, swap phones and read texts,��� Tessa suggested.
They did. Tessa read the texts, Tommy was so sweet, and they talked about music and books. He goes to church with his family every week and he has two sisters, one older, one younger. He works on the weekends at one of his parent���s many convenient stores. His parents have been married for twenty years and are very happy. He has not had sex yet but wants to with Jade when she���s ready and he���s sure she���s the one, the forever one. He writes cute silly little poems and sends them to her throughout the day and sometimes in the middle of the night.
Tessa smiled when she finished reading them. ���Jade, he���s amazing, I am so happy for you.���
���Wow Tessa, intense. You never told me about Thursday morning. Do tell,��� Jade said.
���He picked me up from my mom���s and brought me to school.���
���What time did he get there? The message texts said he would be there by 7:12. So what happened for almost an hour, Tessa?��� Jade persisted.
���We played a game.���
���Like a board game?���
���Naked twister, and he won. You should see the rules for what the loser has to give up at the end,��� Tessa said, laughing.
���Tessa, seriously? Tell me!���
���Okay, I told him that I liked the kissing thing but really wanted to get to know him. We compromised; each question answered got a kiss. It was very enlightening,��� Tessa said.
���You are SO bad Tessa,��� Jade said, ���and the texts! He���s falling fast and hard? That was so cute. Too bad he has baggage, huh? And the baggage followed him here, too. That���s a total downer.���
���Sadi���s nuts,��� Tessa said. ���But I���m not worried about it. We���ll be fine or we won���t, we���ll see.��� Tessa looked in the mirror, searching her face to make sure she looked as cool about the situation as she was trying to seem. ���What are you wearing tonight?���
���Not sure. What are you thinking?��� Jade asked as she fixed her hair.
���Something that shows off the goods I���ve been hiding all summer. I have boobs now, Jade!��� she laughed. ���And I have you tonight, so I am safe!���
���I think you should wear your long black skirt with that hot pink V- neck top and your black cropped jacket with your cowgirl boots, hair down and straight. I���ll put some makeup on you, too,��� Jade said.
���Okay, but only light makeup,��� Tessa insisted. She never wore anything that fit, she was very self- conscious of her body and make up was taboo for her, the less attention the better, but not tonight. ���What are you wearing, Miss Jade?���
���This,��� Jade pulled out a red knee length halter dress and a black denim jacket, ���with black heels.���
Jade worked her make- up magic. When they were done getting ready, they looked in the mirror. Both of them looked great. They walked out into the kitchen and John and Jack were sitting at the table looking uneasy. The boys picked them up and promised to have them home by midnight, and John and Jack stood in the window watching their girls leave for their first dates. They walked out and got in the back seat, the boys in the front. Tessa looked out the window at her father and waved.
* * *
Lucas pulled into a restaurant in downtown Ithaca and they all got out of the car. Neither girl had ever been there, but when they walked in it was obvious that the hostess knew Tommy. Tessa thought he must come here often.
���Good evening, Tom. A table for four tonight?��� The hostess asked.
���Yes, ma���am. Could we sit on the deck please?���
She led them out to the deck. The restaurant was on Cayuga Lake and they were seated at a table next to a huge fire pit. Lucas and Tommy pulled the chairs out for them and they sat down. The hostess handed them all menus and excused herself.
���You look so different tonight,��� Lucas said as he looked at her. ���You look great everyday, but wow Tessa, you are looking���. Wow. That���s all I can say.���
���Pretty girl, look at you,��� Tommy���s eyes raked over Jade���s body. ���You turned into pretty woman tonight.��� Jade choked on her water. Tessa reached over and patted her back, ���You okay?��� he asked.
Jade looked over and whispered, ���You do know that Pretty Woman is a movie about a hooker, don���t you?���
���Um no, wow, you know I didn���t mean that, right?��� Tommy asked, clearly embarrassed. ���I didn���t know. You watch porn?��� he asked shocked.
���No!��� she said loudly.
���Everything okay?��� Tessa asked.<
br />
���Can we go to the bathroom please?��� Jade said standing and taking Tessa���s hand.
Once in the bathroom, Jade told her what Tommy had said. Tessa laughed out loud, Jade looked awfully serious and then started laughing, too. They went to the bathroom and washed their hands and laughed some more. They went back to the table and Tessa saw Lucas trying not to laugh and Tommy looking uncomfortable.
���Funny, right?��� Lucas whispered in Tessa���s ear as he pushed her chair in.
They ordered dinner, and the waitress brought a bottle of wine to the table. They all looked at each other and avoided the bottle. Lucas and Tommy went to the bathroom, and Tessa noticed a woman who looked like her mother sitting in the dark corner of the deck with a man. It can���t be, she thought.
It was, and he was rubbing her hand. We just need time apart���You don���t know what I have lived for twenty years. Everything he mom had told Tessa and her siblings was a lie. Everything she had been brought up to believe was a joke. Everything she had avoided and was ashamed of was BULLSHIT! She grabbed the bottle and poured herself a glass, drinking it down before Jade could say anything. Then she poured another.
���Tessa,��� Jade whispered, ���what are you doing?���
Tessa continued staring at the corner and slammed back another glass of wine. Jade reached for the bottle, but Tessa snagged it out of her hand and poured a third glass.
���What the hell are you doing? This isn���t like you.���
���I���m being naughty. And liking it.��� Tessa poured another glass. Jade reached for the bottle again. ���If you touch that, I will scream and we���ll all get in trouble. Leave it alone.��� She drank the fourth glass, and the bottle was almost gone when the boys returned.
Tessa���s eyes were glassy and Lucas looked at her she was clearly tipsy. Tessa poured yet another class of wine, staring in the same direction; she drank it in two gulps.
���Oh my God Tessa,��� Jade whispered. Tessa looked over and saw that Jade noticed her mother and the man.