“
That’s sort of what I figured would happen,” Tessa had admitted quietly. “I’m staying at a motel for tonight, just so I can take a few hours and think everything out. But after that I’m not sure what my other options are, Michelle. I can’t afford to keep paying for motel rooms, and I need to save some more money before I can look into renting an apartment or a room somewhere
.”
“
Tessa, for Christ’s sake, you can’t live in your car!” Michelle had exclaimed. “I mean, I know you’ve done it before with your mom, but you also said that was just for a couple of months at a time. How long do you honestly think you could live that way? I mean, where are you going to take a shower or study or do your laundry? Come on, let me talk to my mom, okay? She was probably just in a bad mood earlier, little wonder if she was around Brit and both of the kids for a few hours
.”
“
No, Michelle.” Tessa’s voice had been gentle but firm. “I haven’t said anything to you before now, didn’t want to sound ungrateful for everything you’ve done. But I’ve been thinking for a few weeks now about moving out, even if it meant living in my car for awhile. It’s – I haven’t been happy there, especially since your sister and her family moved in. I’m not sleeping well, don’t feel welcome. Not by you, of course,” she’d assured hastily. “But it’s pretty obvious that your sister and mom don’t want me there any longer, and things have been really uncomfortable for me. So maybe this is all for the best
.”
Michelle had sighed. “I know how hard it’s been for you. And I guess sleeping in your car can’t be much worse that sleeping on the floor. But – geez – it just sounds so awful, so – desperate, I guess. Isn’t there anyone else you can crash with for awhile, someone you know at school?
”
Tessa had thought briefly of Logan – handsome, charming Logan who still said hello to her frequently. But a guy as popular as he was hadn’t been willing to wait around for Tessa to get her life in order, and Logan had begun dating other girls months ago. Several different girls, if the gossip was accurate. Would things have been different if she’d agreed to go on a date with him last October? Would they still be seeing each other, maybe be in a real relationship now? Would Logan have offered to take care of her, to ask his parents to take her in and offer her a home?
But she’d dismissed those thoughts as quickly as they’d come to mind. It was far, far too late now to think of what might have been, to wish that someone like Logan would swoop in and rescue her, to be her knight in shining armor. Hadn’t she learned a long, long time ago that knights didn’t exist, and that real life bore no resemblance whatsoever to those fairy tales Gillian had once read to her?
“
There isn’t anyone, no,” was all she had told Michelle in response. “But I don’t want you to worry about me, okay? You need to look out for yourself. Both you and Kimmie. Sean is – scary. Not to mention all of his creepy friends who hang out there. Kimmie told me about the money that went missing
.”
“
Not the first time,” Michelle had replied scornfully. “But of course when I confronted Brit and Sean about it, they denied it all. And then my mom jumped to their defense, accused me of trying to cause trouble. Believe me, I’m going to ditch that place just as soon as I turn eighteen and graduate. Denny and I are talking about moving to San Diego and living with his older brother for a few months until we can get a place of our own
.”
They had talked for a few minutes longer, with Tessa assuring Michelle that she’d find a way to cope. The two girls still saw each other every weekend at work, but otherwise didn’t keep in touch much during the week. Tessa sensed that Michelle felt guilty for what had happened, felt responsible in some way or other, and was keeping something of a distance between them as a result.
Tessa pushed those thoughts from her mind now as she and Peter began their nightly trek out to the parking lot. She was definitely glad to see this particular day end, as it had been a difficult one from beginning to end. She’d overslept, not hearing her phone alarm, and had barely arrived in time for her first class. She had missed breakfast as a result, and had nearly fainted in P.E. class on an empty stomach. The teacher had been instantly concerned, insisting that Tessa go visit the school nurse, until Tessa had convinced her that she’d been doing some stupid crash diet and just needed to eat something. The teacher had looked at Tessa’s admittedly too-slender frame and shaken her head, telling her that a diet was the very last thing she needed to be thinking about.
The rest of the school day had been thankfully uneventful, but it had been so hectic at work that she’d skipped her break and now hadn’t eaten since lunchtime. As if on cue, her tummy rumbled rather loudly, causing her cheeks to flush in embarrassment, and Peter to give her a knowing grin.
“Past your dinnertime, huh?”
She gave him a sheepish look. “Guess so. It was so busy that I felt guilty taking a break. I’ll, um, grab something in a few minutes.”
Peter nodded as they reached the row where they always parked their cars. Tessa’s tummy began to flutter with an unsettled feeling that had nothing to do with hunger pangs, but rather was the same sort of sensation she experienced when something bad was about to happen. It was, after all, a Wednesday.
She stopped dead in her tracks as her car came into view, but as she would have dashed ahead Peter clamped a hand around her forearm, halting her progress.
“Don’t, Tessa. Let me have a look first.”
She was trembling in shock to survey the broken window on the passenger’s side, and the pile of glass that littered the asphalt. Peter was careful not to touch the shattered window as he peered inside the vehicle, and then motioned her forward a moment later.
“I can’t tell if anything’s been stolen,” he told her. “But we need to clean this mess up before you can give it a closer look. Here.” He swiftly unlocked the door to his own car. “Sit in here and keep the door locked and the window rolled up until I come back. I’m going to grab a broom and a trash bag from the break room. Be back in just a few.”
But Tessa’s legs were shaking so badly that Peter had to gently guide her over to his own older model Toyota and then urge her inside. She pressed a fist against her mouth to stifle the sobs – or screams – that she longed to emit, and wondered wildly how much more hardship one person could be expected to endure.
She was grateful that everything of any value that she possessed – her drivers license, student ID, and ATM card; her cell phone; the wallet that contained a meager twenty dollars and some change – were always kept inside a hidden zippered compartment of her backpack. And that the backpack went everywhere with her. The rest of her belongings were stored in the trunk, and she doubted whether a thief would have bothered with her clothes and toiletries, not to mention her –
A soft knock on the window made her jump in alarm, but she was relieved to see that it was just Peter who’d returned. She let herself out of his car but stood back as he assured her he would take care of the mess, and watched numbly as he swept up all the broken glass from the ground and the inside of her car and dumped it inside a plastic bag.
“There. I think that’s all of it,” he told her. “Should be safe for you to check around your car but just be careful in case I missed some of the glass.”
“Okay. Thanks for sweeping it up,” replied Tessa. “I’m shaking so badly right now that I probably would have cut myself in a dozen different places.”
“It’s okay,” Peter reassured her gently, giving her shoulder a little squeeze. “And
you’re
okay, too. I’m not sure why anyone would pick one of our cars to break into, considering how crappy they both are. Probably just some punks out to cause trouble is all it was.”
She nodded in agreement as she pretended to look around the interior of her car, which was as neat and tidy as a pin, with nary a food wrapper or water bottle in sight. “Everything’s where it should be,” she said. “I never keep anything in plain sight, always keep the important stuff with me in this backpack, or stored in the trunk.”
“Better check the trunk,” advised Peter. “They could have popped it open from inside the car.”
Tessa hesitated, but could tell from the expectant look on his face that he wouldn’t be satisfied until she did what he asked. Sighing, she inserted her key and opened the trunk, hoping rather futilely that Peter wouldn’t think anything odd about some of the contents.
But the moment his eyes alighted on the pillow and quilt, as well as the neatly organized plastic bins that held an assortment of clothing, toiletries, bottled water, and snacks, Tessa knew he had guessed the truth.
“You’re living in your car?” asked Peter incredulously. “When did that happen? I thought you were staying with your friend.”
“It – it’s just temporary,” Tessa stammered. “Just – just for a couple of nights is all. We, um, had a disagreement and I figured it would be better if I left for a bit. But I know it will all blow over in another day or two, and I’ll - “
Peter shook his head. “You’re full of it, Tessa. This looks to me like you’ve set up shop here for the long haul. What the hell happened? And why didn’t you say anything?”
This time she couldn’t hold back the tears and began to sob brokenly. Peter cursed softly beneath his breath, and rather awkwardly patted her on the back.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he soothed. “Let’s go grab some dinner and you can tell me everything. How does the IHOP across the road sound to you? My treat.”
Tessa sniffled. “You don’t have to do that, Peter,” she told him, her voice quavering a little. “I’ll just get some soup from the food court like I usually do.”
He frowned. “That’s all you eat for dinner every night? I figured that was just a snack.”
She gave him a wobbly smile. “The guy who waits on me always throws in some extra bread or crackers. He tells me it will just go stale otherwise.”
Peter smirked. “Yeah, that’s why he does it, all right. And not because he’s probably got major hots for you. Look, forget the soup for tonight, okay? You look like you could stand a real meal – several of them. I think a strong wind could blow you over right about now. Speaking of which, you’re going to have to figure out how to board that window up until you can get it fixed. One more thing for us to talk about over dinner.”
Despite her protests, Tessa found herself tucking in hungrily to a spinach and mushroom omelet and side of buttermilk pancakes. Peter had ordered a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke, and they both ate in silence for several minutes until he pushed his plate away.
“Okay, spill it,” he told her firmly. “All of it. Why you aren’t living at your friend’s anymore, when you left, and especially how you wound up living in your car.”
She sighed in resignation, taking a sip of her tea before reluctantly telling him the saga of her relatively brief stay in the Wallace household, and the factors that had forced her to leave. Throughout the tale Peter remained silent, his facial expression impassive, but he was shaking his head in unabashed disgust by the end of it.
“You know, under the circumstances, I would have probably done the same thing,” he mused. “As much as it sucks to actually have to live in your car, at least you don’t have to listen to all that bullshit and screaming every night. And believe me, I totally get that. My mom – well, let’s just say she isn’t very easy to live with. I can’t wait for the day when I can finally move out of our house and get away from her forever.”
“I’m sorry,” Tessa replied gently. “As hard as things were with my own mother, especially when she was in one of her down cycles, I never felt as unhappy or uncomfortable as I did at Michelle’s house. And, well, when Brittany and Sean moved in, things went from bad to really, really bad overnight.”
Peter grimaced. “Michelle called that one exactly right about her sister being crazy jealous of you. I’m guessing the minute Brittany laid eyes on you she felt threatened. I mean, I can’t imagine any woman being particularly happy about her boyfriend living in the same house with someone who looks like you. A supermodel would feel insecure next to you.”
Tessa’s cheeks flushed in mingled embarrassment and pleasure at Peter’s rather awkwardly phrased compliment. “Um, thanks for the vote of confidence. Anyway, that’s pretty much all of it. I’ve been saving every penny I can, and I think by the end of next month I’ll have enough to rent a room somewhere. I’ve been checking online ads, and it looks like there’ll be plenty of vacancies in June when people start graduating from college or moving into other residences.”
Peter frowned. “That might not be as easy as you think, Tessa. I learned from experience that you typically have to be eighteen before you can sign a lease. I was all set to move out of my mother’s house a year ago, had a place lined up, but when it came time to sign the papers the landlord insisted on seeing I.D., and refused to rent to me without an adult’s signature.”
“Oh.” She couldn’t hide the dismay in her voice. “I hadn’t thought about that. I figured that as long as I had the money and a way to pay my share of the rent nobody would care. Do you think all landlords are like that?”
“Probably. We do live in a college town, after all, and a lot of the students at U of A rent apartments and shared houses. Landlords are likely to be pretty diligent about who they rent to, especially if they don’t want to run the risk of having their property trashed.”
Tessa tried valiantly to stem the sense of despair that threatened to overwhelm her at what she’d just learned. “Guess that means thirteen more months in my car, then,” she replied, giving a careless little shrug as though such a development was no big deal.
Peter frowned. “Do you really think you can keep this up for another year? Isn’t your case worker or social worker – whatever her official title is – going to find out the truth eventually? I mean, I get that Michelle’s mom isn’t going to rat you out since she wants to keep getting the money, but what happens when your case worker decides it’s time to pay a visit and check up on you?”