After

Tessa thinks back to her first day of college at Washington Central University. This was a day she and her mother had been planning for all her life. Little did she know that day that her wild roommate and her friend group, particularly Hardin, would completely change her life and identity.

Tessa wakes up on her college move-in day and follows the plan she has carefully made for the morning. Her mother and boyfriend, Noah, wait for her as she gets ready, making everything about her appearance just right for the big day ahead. Even though she’s excited for college, Tessa worries about the only two things she cannot control: her roommate and making friends.

After arriving to campus, Noah, Tessa, and Tessa’s mother head to Tessa’s dorm, where they meet her roommate, Steph. Steph’s side of the room is covered in posters of bands that are tattooed and pierced, and Steph doesn’t look much different. She has bright red hair, wears heavy black eyeliner, and her arms are full of tattoos. Tessa, who wears proper skirts, dresses, and khakis, is Steph’s opposite in every way, yet she finds herself drawn in by Steph’s kind smile. At that moment, two boys walk in that look similar to Steph, with plenty of tattoos and piercings of their own. One of the boys introduces himself as Nate, but the other broods silently in the corner, waiting for Steph. Tessa finds that she can’t take her eyes off his gray and black tattoos, eyebrow and lip piercings, and thick wavy hair. As soon as Steph and her friends leave, Tessa’s mother tells her she needs to switch rooms, but Tessa convinces her to see how it goes first. 

After a lecture from her mother about college boys and parties, Tessa says her goodbyes. Noah is a year younger than Tessa and still in high school, but they promise to talk on the phone every day. Tessa plans for her first day of classes before bed. In the morning, she discovers to her disgust that the showers are co-ed, and she moves as quickly as possible to avoid being seen in a towel. When she gets back to her room, Steph’s rude and silent friend from yesterday is there. 

Tessa asks where Steph is, but the boy ignores her. She asks him to leave while she gets dressed, but in a thick British accent, he disgustedly says he’s not going to look. Just as Tessa is shouting at him for his rudeness, Steph returns and warns Tessa that the boy, named Hardin, has a “unique way of conversing” (16). Steph begs Tessa to come to a party that night, and Tessa surprisingly agrees after Hardin directs a sarcastic remark towards her. 

Later, as Steph gets ready for the party, she puts on high heels and a provocative dress that exposes her legs and cleavage. Tessa, on the other hand, wears a thick maroon dress that comes up to her neck and hits below the knee. 

Steph convinces Tessa to wear a little eyeliner, even though she normally doesn’t wear much makeup. Nate and Hardin pick them up since the party is off campus at a frat house. Hardin criticizes Tessa’s dress choice and calls her by her full name, Theresa. 

At the frat party, Steph introduces Tessa to her group of friends, which all have tattoos, unlike the other students at the party. Most of them seem friendly, particularly a guy named Zed, who offers her a drink. Tessa declines, since she doesn’t drink, and she goes outside to text Noah and get some air. Someone spills alcohol on Tessa, and she goes upstairs to look for a bathroom, but finds Hardin making out with one of Steph’s friends, a pink-haired girl who earlier called Tessa “Miss Priss” (25). 

Tessa goes to the kitchen, where she sees Nate. However, she soon realizes that he’s been drinking and won’t be able to drive her back to campus. She regrets coming to the party, and now she needs to figure out how to get back to her dorm.

Tessa finds Steph drunk and dancing on a table. It’s clear that Steph is going to be sick, so Nate and Tessa bring her to the bathroom, then lay her down on a bed in an empty bedroom. Tessa stays with her and finds one of her favorite books, Wuthering Heights, on the bookshelf. While she reads, Hardin bursts into the room and says Steph can’t stay there—it’s his room. Tessa is surprised that a guy like Hardin would be a part of a fraternity, and her dislike of him only grows when Hardin continues to call her Theresa and kicks her out.

Unsure of what to do, Tessa calls Noah and explains that she’s stuck at a frat party with no way to get back to her dorm. Noah is surprised and sounds a little judgmental on the phone. Before they can finish their conversation, someone pounds on the door of the bathroom where Tessa is sitting, and she opens to door to find Hardin’s green eyes glaring at her.

Tessa finds herself struck by the intensity of Hardin’s eyes, and she tries to push past him. He blocks her way, but instead of being rude, tells her about an empty room in the house where she can sleep. 

In the morning, Tessa runs into Hardin while looking for Nate at the frat house. He tenses when she mentions that he doesn’t seem like the type to be in a fraternity. Steph comes downstairs with a hangover, and Hardin drives the girls back to their dorm.