“Are you going to tell me what that was about?” Damien asked, pulling me out of my emotional haze.

“Why do you care?” I muttered, feeling like I had been pulled through the wringer and on top of that it had been done with an audience. The last person I wanted to see any of this.

He frowned as I turned to walk back to my house. He caught my wrist stopping me.

“Tessa.”

I bit my lip, feeling too emotional and feeling the tears still burning. I took a shaky breath.

“Who is he?”

It was a question I didn’t want to really answer but Damien would be persistent and all I wanted to do was go back to my room and lick my wounds.

“Why would you want to know? I’m pretty sure you’re not the person to dish out relationship advice?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“He is your boyfriend?” he questioned, when it finally dawned on him.

“Technically my ex-boyfriend.” I had made such a mess of things.

I wasn’t sure it would have gone any better had it been in a different situation. It was probably best it took place at home, it would have been more embarrassing at school in front of so many people.

“What was the fight about?”

I pulled my wrist free. “It doesn’t matter.” My shoulders sagged. The last thing I wanted to talk about was the kiss we shared. It was a reminder of stuff I still didn’t want to face.

“It does. He shouldn’t have yelled at you. Why would you let him treat you like that?”

I frowned, halting my departure. “He was justifiably upset.”

He shook his head. “There is no excuse for that behavior.”

I glared at him, hating that he was the one to witness it. “Why did you even bother to interfere?”

My feelings of hurt and guilt turned to anger. It was directed all at Damien. I wanted to hold onto the fact that had he not initiated the kiss I would not have responded to it and I would not be wading in heartbreak and guilt right now.

I stepped closer, poking my finger into his chest.

“This is all your fault. Before you arrived everything was fine. Perfect.” I took a hurried breath and continued. “And you ruined everything.”

“I couldn’t let him yell and shout at you Tessa.” He replied, refusing to back down as he took hold of my wrist to stop me from poking him.

I stared at him and shook my head. “No this isn’t about now. This is about you did. You’re the one who kissed me. I didn’t kiss you.”

He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“You kissed me. I had a boyfriend and you kissed me.” My chest was expanding with each deep emotional breath. “You were the one who started this. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t done that.”

“You were the one acting like some jealous girlfriend when I barely know you. I’d only met you for the first time a couple of days ago,” he reminded and I really had the impulsive and angry urge to hit him.

The truth was that it wasn’t his fault. The anger that had carried me so far dissipated and all I was left with guilt and heartache.

“You can’t blame me for this Tessa. Maybe you what you really need to ask yourself why you would be acting one way when you were involved with someone else.”

His words put my back up immediately even if there was some truth to them.

“I bet you haven’t said a word to your girlfriend. Have you?” I asked, already knowing he wouldn’t have.

“Don’t try and turn this around on me. I haven’t made any promises to anyone.”

I frowned. “So you’re just stringing them along?” I don’t know why I cared, he was right it wasn’t any of my business but I couldn’t seem to help myself.

“I’m not stringing anyone along.”

I scoffed. “That is so typical of someone like you.”

“What are you talking about? You don’t even know me.”

“You’re one of those guys that does whatever he wants, you don’t care who you hurt in the process.” I didn’t have to know him to be able to deduce he was a stereo typical guy that had the looks and confidence to pull any girl he wanted. He could treat them badly and they would still come back for more.

His jaw tensed but I could not stop myself.

“You just go around kissing girls without even thinking about the consequences.” Like he had with me. He had kissed me and I had kissed him back.

“You’re the one on your high horse treating me like I’m doing something wrong like hanging out with another girl when there is nothing going on between us. You are deluded Tessa.”

His words shook me. Deluded. I knew what that meant. Crazy. I was seeing my dead best friend in the bathroom mirror. He was right. I was crazy.

Mental issues ran in my family. My father.

I faltered, my anger evaporated but I was filled with so much pain. Pain from the past.

“I hate you,” I whispered.

“The feeling is mutual Tessa.” He folded his arms.

I gave a brief nod and turned my back on him as I headed back to my house.

I didn’t want to spent another moment in his company. Nothing good came from it. I was shaking inside. Crazy. The word echoed in me, bringing up all my fears.

I could not shake it free. If he knew how right he was I would be in a strait jacket and a white padded room.

It is why I hadn’t mentioned seeing Parker to anyone. They would judge me, just like I judging myself.

When I got to the front door, I looked back over my shoulder to see Damien still standing in the same place watching me.

I opened the front door as quietly as I could as not to wake up my grandmother and closed it behind me. For a moment I leaned against it, I felt so wiped. I released an emotional breath but did feel any better.

The confrontation with Joey had gone terribly and then the confrontation with Damien had gone even worse.

Joey I would be able to avoid but Damien was not going to be that easy. I would have to be in his space every morning and afternoon, I would have to figure out a way to ignore him. It was the only way.

Otherwise I didn’t know what I was going to do.

I was overwhelmed already, pushed to my emotional limit.

I looked up the stairs as I pushed off the door. I was still afraid to look in the mirror for fear of what I would see.

There was no what to explain it or confide in anyone. I had never felt so alone.

It made me miss Parker.

I sighed as I walked up the stairs and headed to my bedroom. Once inside I stood outside the bathroom door fearful and knowing I had to conquer the fear.

If I could just go inside and look in the mirror and not see the ghost of my dead friend maybe I could put it down to an isolated incident that did not need explaining.

People saw ghosts all the time, it didn’t mean they were crazy.

Feeling emboldened I entered the bathroom and took a deep brave breath before I stepped in front of the mirror. I had been avoiding looking into the mirror since I had seen Parker. But this time there was only me, my reflection staring back at me. My eyes were red and puffy. Tears steaks on my cheeks. I looked a mess.

I released the breath I had been holding. Everything was fine. No ghost, Just me.

I felt relieved. See I wasn’t crazy, I wasn’t seeing any ghosts.

In that moment I felt a glimmer of hope that I wasn’t losing my mind and that despite what had happened with Joey things might not be as bad as I thought.

I reached for my tooth brush and squirted some toothpaste on it.

When I lifted it to my mouth everything stopped. In my reflection in the mirror standing behind me was Parker.

I dropped the tooth brush that clanked on the counter.

“Tessa.” The sound of his voice brushed against my cheek.

Then I screamed before shoving my hands over my mouth. I could not wake my grandmother.

I fumbled and a glass container of face cream smashed against the floor. In my haze I stepped on the glass and cried out as I lifted the foot. Blood dripped from the wound. I grimaced.