Author's Note: Well, here it is, the last chapter I'm going to write until Tuesday. It's not too short (I think) so I hope it's enough to make up for my absence, sorry! Again thanks to writerchick786 and also SweetSmiles for reviewing, cuz reviews make me happy! This chapter is kinda angsty, but the next one is probably gonna have more lovey-dovey stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Bleh.

She couldn't take it anymore, this world, the people in it, her life, anything. Tess stared into the mirror beside her bed with deep contempt, seeing nothing but a bloated, selfish, unloved, ugly person. Somebody with so much pain on the inside that it had to be constantly transferred to the outside before it overflowed. Tess slowly removed a small razor from inside her bag and rolled up her sleeve, revealing scars, hundreds of scars, ones that would fade with time but would never be completely gone. She brought the blade to her arm, pressing down gently. Her fragile skin only resisted for a second before it split and allowed a trickle of warm blood to escape. Tess started at the gooey crimson substance that was flowing down her arm, releasing her pent-up feelings, and uncertainly contemplated cutting herself again. She wasn't worried about the pain- no, the pain brought relief, wonderful relief as it numbed the hurt her heart felt and instead made her concentrate on her throbbing wounds. What she hated how the blood looked, hated how it was so ugly, so filthy, so... so imperfect. Like her.

I can't get any uglier than I am right now, Tess thought, and pressed the blade down harder, emitting a loud gasp at the new wave of pain. But she loved it, loved cutting herself, loved being able to escape from the outside world and into her own, even if it was made up of blood and razors. She continued for who knows how long, only stopping when she glanced at her reflection again and noticed another flaw, another one of her characteristics that kept her from perfection- her body. She was so fat, so blown up... not anything like the skinny, gorgeous models in the glossy magazines she obsessed over. Tess cleaned up the bloody mess she had left and trudged to the bathroom, trying to ignore the loud waves of post-jam excitement and fun that rushed to her ears as soon as she set foot outside of the seclusion of her cabin.

Twenty minutes later, Tess was on her way back from bathroom and fighting nausea as she walked back towards her cabin. She was hungry and dizzy, but how could she face all the people in the mess hall? Taking another look into her mirror, she was repulsed by what she saw... sunken blue eyes, translucent, bloody skin, and a body that was fatter than ever. She shook her head, finally deciding to end it all. There was no way she could keep going on like this, living her worthless, pathetic life like nothing was wrong.

But what about all you have to live for, a small voice in her mind argued. Tess let out a bitter laugh, devoid of any humor. There was nothing to live for. Nobody cared about her. Nobody would care if she threw herself in the lake and never resurfaced.

Tess felt like a robot, walking straight out into the lake without any control over herself whatsoever. The water was quite chilly despite the balmy evening, first swirling around her ankles, then her knees, then her chest, then her chin... she felt light, weightless under the water and closed her eyes, knowing there was no turning back now. She was too weak to fight her way back to shore, and nobody would bother rescuing her, even if they did see her. She was finally going to die...

"Tess? Tess, wake up! Please Tess, don't do this to me!" Tess heard a voice, but it was far away, much too far to decipher who it was.

Dang it, I'm not dead, she realized ungratefully. My mother was right, I can't even commit suicide without failing. But wait, if I'm not dead, somebody had to have saved me... which means... Renewed hope bubbled up inside of her, but she was not yet strong enough to move or even open her eyes to see who her savior was.

"Tess, come on, you're strong, you can do it. Just move, say something, anything! Just show me you're alive, please!" I'm trying my best...

"Tess, oh please Tess, don't be dead, please, you deserve better than this!" Are you sure about that?

"Tess, please wake up!" The person shook her violently, desperately. That's not exactly the gentlest way to rouse a girl that almost drowned... wait, what's he doing know? Tess could feel the stranger's warm breath on her lips. Wait, oh my gosh, he's doing CPR or whatever it's called. Oh no, he's getting closer, oh my gosh. Tess suddenly felt warm lips on top of her own, concentrating on restoring her lungs with air, but she could only focus on the fact that they were practically kissing. And even though she didn't know who the mystery person was, she knew it was the most right thing she had felt in a long time.

"Tess, come on, you can make it through this," the person pleaded, grabbing her hand in his own. It sent tingles straight up her arm, rebooting her energy. "Tess, please, get up!"

"I'm up, I'm up, don't have a cow," Tess breathed weakly, sitting up slowly and coughing out half the lake. She allowed her eyes to flutter open and noticed that she was on the dock, sitting next to... them. One of them was Caitlyn, but there was the boy, the one who had been talking to her... he was the back-up singer and guitarist for the amazing band Connect 3, but what was his name again? Noah? Nick?

"Nate, right?" she asked as she stared into his deep brown eyes. He nodded and stared at her in concern. Wow, he's really cute.

"Tess, why were you trying to drown yourself?" he asked, poorly hidden disgust dripping in his voice. Tess suddenly remembered what had happened earlier and felt anger overtaking her yet again.

"Why did you come?" she asked coldly.

"Because you would have died if I didn't!" he responded, surprised at the lack of gratefulness.

"Don't you think that if I were trying to drown myself, I wouldn't have wanted anybody to save me?" she snapped, half-lying. "Just leave me alone!"

"Oh brother, there she goes again," Caitlyn muttered, and walked away. Nate, however, wasn't finished yet.

"I was trying to save you from making a stupid decision!" Nate yelled. "Suicide is the dumbest possible way to die! And what's with these scars?" he asked, grabbing her arm and showing her the cuts. "And when did you get so skinny? Tell me!"

"I-I," Tess stammered, not quite willing to reveal the shameful truth. "I fell and scraped myself when I was walking back towards my cabin. And I'm on a diet."

"Since when, after Final Jam?" he scoffed angrily. "And that falling stuff is crap too, and you know it. Stop lying! Tell me the truth!"

"Don't you get it Nate, I don't want to live anymore, I don't want to carry on my painful, valueless life and hide how much I've been hurt by putting up a cold-hearted, bitchy front for everybody!" Tess screamed, tears pouring from her eyes. "I can't stand living anymore; it's too big of a burden because of people like you and your friends who just yell at me because I'm so terrible!" She began hitting him, pounding her fists against his chest. Nate's eyes suddenly held a newfound understanding and sympathy, and he didn't fight back against her rain of punches or even back away. He just grabbed her wrists when he had had enough and held them firmly as she struggled and panted. Tess eventually gave up and folded over crying on the dock.

"Are you finished now?" he asked softly, gently gathering her tiny, wasted-away frame in his strong arms. Tess nodded and curled up in his comforting presence; it just felt so warm, so honest, so right... And Nate, well, Nate didn't say a word. He just sat there quietly on sunbathed the dock, holding Tess tightly and letting her cry.

Author's Note: So how was it? I personally thought it was a pretty good chapter, but my opinion means nothing! Review, review, review!!