Isn't it sad how we trick children into thinking their lives are over?

So many people find themselves so lost before reaching the age of twenty because they haven't decided exactly how the rest of their lives will go—having their whole destiny set in stone.

Imagine putting that much pressure on someone whose life isn't even half over.

Tessa Thomson was seventeen and believed she had wasted her own life. High school wasn't even over for her, and she was numb.

She would think of the past: Static.

People would ask what she was gonna do with her future: Static.

It had all started to merge together. Every day dragged on like a show that had run out of ideas after the first season.

That's why Tessa had no idea what was coming.

The morning started like all the others. Tessa lying in bed. Having woken up too early and was staring up at the ceiling. The alarm would start ringing.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Shut up...

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Okay I get it!

The seventh-year-old girl continued staring at the roof. Maybe she was hoping the alarm would suddenly stop working, and she would have an excuse to stay in bed for the rest of the day. To her, it would be the perfect plan. Well, it would be... if it wasn't for one person.

"Would you turn off the damn alarm!" A deep voice yelled through the door.

"James!" Another lighter voice scolded.

Tessa let out a long groan. She rolled over and slammed her hand onto the beeping box.

Tessa didn't move for another few seconds. At the sound of a door being slammed closed, Tessa finally found the drive to roll out of bed.

"Alright, let's get this shitshow rolling," she groaned to herself.

Tess spent about ten minutes deciding what to wear. Most of it being whether she felt like wearing makeup that particular day. She ended up putting on foundation and dark eyeliner but felt conflicted when she decided on the outfit.

It wasn't anything to fancy. Just a sleeveless top with a basic band logo and a dark indigo plaid skirt. Tessa absent-mindedly thought to herself that she needed new leggings as she slipped on a pair with various holes in them.

The last thing was a worn letterman jacket. It didn't go with the outfit at all, but it brought Tessa comfort, thanks to the memories attached to it.

Tessa dragged herself out of her bedroom.

"Morning, baby girl." Tessa's mother said in an affectionate tone.

"Morning, Mom," Tessa replied less happily. The woman stopped cooking for a second and went over to her daughter and gave her a hug and a friendly peck on the cheek.

"Stoop, I have a reputation to keep," The younger girl joked.

Her mother simply gave a sarcastic laugh. "You're so horrible to your mother."

Eileen Thomson was once a beacon of poise and elegance during her youth. Now, most of her days were spent in the Thomson apartment. Desperately trying to find something to do while her daughter and husband are out of the house. Her confidence had faded away into nervousness when around others.

"OH, and could you do me a favour and get eggs on your way home tonight?" Eileen asked Tessa after the teen had finished her breakfast and was heading out the door.

Tessa nodded. She stalled at the front door before taking a breath and opening it. She started tiptoeing down the hall. Hopefully, if she was quiet enough, she could sneak right by that damn woman's door.

"Stand up, straight girl!" A shrill voice screamed from the door across from the Thomson's apartment.

"Shiza! Did that woman have a radar or something?" Tessa thought to herself as she cringed.

"Yes, Ms Strickland," Tessa said but kept walking. She learnt a long time ago always to give Edna Strickland basic answers and walk away. Otherwise, you'll be stuck there for hours. Maybe for the rest of your life, god help you.

"And wipe that gunk off your face!" she tacked on, referring to Tessa's dark makeup.

"Yes, Ms Strickland."

"I honestly don't know what your mother is thinking when she lets you out." Edna continued ranting. "If we were family-"

"If we were family, I'd neck myself." Tessa stopped herself from saying out loud.

Tessa didn't bother listening to the end of Edna's sentence. It had basically been the same stupid speech every day for the last ten years. Edna was one of those people who just always needed something to complain about.

When Tessa got outside, she blocked out the sounds of Edna screaming at passersby with that bloody bullhorn of hers and started heading to school.

It felt a little sad to say out loud, but walking to school was probably one of Tessa's favourite parts of the day. Just to be clear; it wasn't because she was happy to go to school. She hated school just as much as she hated home. Tessa just enjoyed the short period where she could listen to music and didn't worry about much else.

It used to be a lot better when she had her friends to walk with... but they were gone.

"Morning, Red," Tessa said as she passed by the homeless man's usual bench. He simply gave her a nod of acknowledgement. She made sure to slip a ten-dollar bill into the hat sitting next to the man. She always did little things that she knew would piss off James. Of course, her 'dear old dad' never saw her doing something like this, but you know, it was the intent that counts.

By the time she got to school, she was about ten minutes late, and yet another Strickland was waiting for her.

"Miss Thomson, late again, I see."

"Yes, Mr Strickland," Tessa replied in the same deadpan way when talking to Mr Strickland's sister. Strickland proceeded to lecture her about all the same things the older Strickland had done earlier while dragging her through the school.

At some point, Tessa heard voices coming around the corner. Strickland must have heard them, too, because he started rushing towards the sounds while still holding onto her shoulder.

"Y'know, this time it wasn't my fault. The Doc set all of his clocks twenty-five minutes slow."

Strickland stepped in front of the two kids heading towards them. A boy in an orange vest and a girl in a floral printer button-up. Strickland gave them each an angry look.

"Doc? Am I to understand you're still hanging around with Doctor Emmett Brown, McFly? Tardy slip for you, Miss Parker," Strickland said as he handed her a small piece of paper Tessa had become acquainted with over the years. "And one for you, McFly, I believe that makes four in a row. Now let me give you a nickel's worth of advice, young man.

While Strickland was talking, Tessa tried to sneak away but was stopped by Strickland grabbing her arm again.

"This so-called 'Doctor' Brown is dangerous; that whole family is full of real nutcases. You hang around with him, and you're gonna end up in big trouble. Just look at his niece if you need any more proof," Strickland gestured to Tessa for emphasis.

Tessa found herself biting her lip in order not to argue back at the teacher's comments. She didn't exactly have a great relationship with her uncle, but that didn't give Strickland the right to talk about her family like that.

The kid (what's his name, McFly?) looked over at her and blinked. "She looks fine to me."

Tessa felt her face go hot. She tried looking away but let out a small gasp when Strickland suddenly shoved McFly. "You got a real attitude problem, McFly. You're a slacker. You remind me of your father when he went here, he was a slacker too."

McFly looked just about as pissed off as Tessa felt. "Can I go now, Mr Strickland?"

Strickland gave him an annoyed smirk. "I noticed your band is on the roster for dance auditions after school today. Why even bother McFly? You haven't got a chance; you're too much like your own man. No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley."

How did this man become a teacher? Tessa couldn't tell you. Hell, I couldn't tell you.

"Yeah, well, history is gonna change," McFly replied without breaking eye contact with his teacher. Tessa had to admit seeing someone stand up to Strickland like that put a smile on her face.

After that delightful awkward encounter, the day continued. It had stayed quiet for most of Tessa's morning. She foolishly believed she could go the whole day without seeing him.

How did Murphy's Law go again? Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Tessa had been eating lunch outside when she was approached by the jerk known as Johnny Field. He smirked at her. "Morning, Thomson."

Tessa let out a sigh as she looked up at him. She swallowed the part of the sandwich she had been eating and stood up to move away.

"Come on, I just wanna chat," Johnny said as he stalked behind her.

"Leave me alone," Tessa sighed.

"What's the matter-" Johnny went to grab her hand, but Tessa snapped her arm away as he grazed it. An irritated look appeared on Johnny's face. "You'd think you be a bit nicer to me after all the trouble you've put me through lately."

"Piss off," Tessa told him as she kept trying to walk away. Not wanting to entertain his nonsense.

"What? You're so talkative when it comes to my girlfriend, but now that your friends aren't here to bodyguard you-"

"If you don't back off-" Tessa tried to say.

Johnny was right on some level. All of Tessa's friends had been two grades above her and had graduated at the beginning of the year.

"What you gonna do?" Johnny laughed.

"Everything alright?" A voice piped up from behind them. They both looked back to see Jennifer Parker standing there with a forced smile.

Johnny sneered down at Tessa. Causing her to stink back in shame. "One of these days, you're not gonna have someone to hide behind," Johnny warned before letting out a huff. He walked back into the school without another word.

Once he was out of sight, Jennifer rushed over to Tessa and offered her hand as comfort. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine. It's nothing I'm not used to," Tessa shrugged.

Jennifer shook her head in disbelief. "What was his problem?"

"He's convinced I ruined his life," Tessa laughed. Jennifer just gave concerned laugh back, which made Tessa look away and cough. "I... you know Lisa?"

Jennifer blinked in confusion for a moment. Then, a look of realisation appeared on her face. "You're the one who told her about the other girls!"

"It was just the one," Tessa rubbed her arm. "I didn't know there was more than that at the time."

Despite what some people may think, this whole situation Tessa was in the middle of wasn't part of some big plan on her part. She had just been trying to enjoy a carnival when she found Johnny messing around with one of Lisa's friends behind the building where they kept the stuffed toys.

The sights those poor fluffy cats must have been subjected to.

Tessa thought she was doing the right thing when she told Lisa about it, but half the people at school made her feel like she should have kept her mouth shut.

"If it's worth anything," Jennifer tried to smile. "I think you did the right thing."

Tessa's eyes widened at hearing that. She couldn't help but smile just a little bit. "T... thanks."

They stood there in silence for a moment before Jennifer peaked up. "Listen, I think we have the same classes for the rest of the day. If you wanted, we could just... stick togather until the end of the day."

Tessa's hand flew up in surrender. "Oh, that's super sweet of you, but I don't wanna... I'm sure you have friends you'd rather hang out with!"

"They wouldn't mind if you spent time with us," Jennifer grinned. "Trust me."

That afternoon was one of the nicest ones Tessa had had in a while. Tessa and Jennifer's friends ended up talking all through class when they could get away with it, of course.

One of the friends was delighted to find out that Tessa enjoyed singers like Kate Bush and Tina Turner. She assumed that Tessa was mostly into the rock and roll kind of stuff. It had turned into a friendly debate over how Tina was very much rock and roll in a lot of ways.

Most afternoons, Tessa didn't head home right away. It used to be to attend after-school clubs, but she had lost interest in those over the past year. Now she just kinda hung out around town to avoid her dad for a few extra hours.

Today, however, Jennifer suggested they go check out the school dance band auditions.

One of Jennifer's friends, the same one she had been with that morning, was auditioning for a band called The Pinheads.

As the auditions went on, Tessa was trying to remember the name of Jennifer's friend. It got to the point where it was starting to frustrate her.

"So," Tessa gestured to him. "Have the two of you been dating long?"

"Us?" Jennifer smiled. "No, we're just friends."

Damnit! Tessa tried to give Jennifer a smile. Damn her stubbornness. She was gonna work this out.

"Next, please." One of the judges instructed the Pinheads. A group of four guys gathered on the stage.

Tessa looked towards the judges. They all seemed to be completely dead inside.

"Alright, we're the Pinheads." McFly (first name Mark I think) said awkwardly to the judges. Excellent band name by the way.

The next part was... anticlimactic, to say the least. The lot of them had just really started to get into the song when the same judge who called them up before stopped them.

"Okay, that's enough. Now stop the microphone," The band looked at him in confusion. "I'm sorry fellas. I'm afraid you're just too darn loud. Next, please. Where's the next group, please."

Too loud? Come on, they didn't even give them a real chance. Tessa felt her shoulders slump. She actually was actually enjoying the song.

Each of the boys made their way off the stage. McFly seemed especially disheartened.

Tessa and Jennifer walked with McFly to the entrance of the school. Tessa walked ahead of them and didn't notice Jennifer whispering something to McFly.

"Just say something. Anything," Jennifer smirked at McFly.

"No way. She's way out-" McFly started to say but stopped when Tessa twirled around to face them.

"Today was nice," Tessa told Jennifer. "Thanks for... you know."

"No problem! We should hang out more often!" Jennifer grinned. "My dad's picking me up, so I'll catch you later."

Tessa nodded and started to walk down the stairs. "Well... see you around."

"Tessa wait," Jennifer nudged McFly forward. "If you don't wanna walk home alone-"

"Jen," McFly's face went a bit red. Tessa couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or anger.

"I've been enough trouble today," Tessa waved. Not wanting to inconvenience Jennifer or her friends anymore than she had.

"No, it wouldn't be any trouble!" McFly said suddenly.

Tessa blinked and then smiled. "Well, if it's okay?"

"Yeah, totally," McFly coughed to clear his voice. "Where do you live?"

"Just down the street from the town square," Tessa pointed.

The two of them started heading down the stairs. Jennifer waved to them with a knowing smile on her face. McFly looked back at her with a look of nervous apprehension.

As they walked, Tessa kept trying to remember this kid's name. It was so strange. They had been going to the same school for years, and McFly was even good friends with her uncle, but somehow they had never really... interacted.

By the time they got to the town square, McFly was dragging his feet. Tessa glanced at him and decided to speak up.

"So, McFly," Tessa started to say. Causing McFly to jump a little.

"I really liked your playing today," Tessa gave him a smile. "Wish I could have heard the whole thing."

"You don't mean that," McFly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Do too!" Tessa argued back. "It was very Van Halen."

Tessa saw his mouth smile for a second, but he quickly shook it off. "I'm too loud. I can't believe it. I feel like I'm never gonna get a chance to play in front of anybody."

"Those guys just have sticks stuck up their arses. I'm sure they're a ton of people who would love to hear you play."

"Nah, I just don't think I'm cut out for music."

"I'm sure that's not true. You just gotta put yourself out there."

"Alright, okay. Let's say I do that. I mean, what if people say I'm no good? What if they say, 'Get out of here, kid, you got no future.' I mean, I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection. Jesus, I'm beginning to sound like my old man."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Tessa grinned reassuringly. "If you think about it, a lot of great artists got rejected at first. Persistence is key."

McFly let out a sad laugh. He turned around and spotted something across the road. "Look at that four by four."

Tessa stopped at the edge of the square and turned to look at the tricked-out four-by-four pickup truck in the showroom. Tessa had to admit despite knowing next to nothing about cars and trucks, it was a pretty good-looking vehicle.

"Yeah, nice," Tessa said while nodding her head. Tessa turned back to keep talking to McFly, only to get surprised by a random woman.

"Save the clock tower, save the clock tower. Mayor Wilson is sponsoring an initiative to replace that clock. Thirty years ago, lightning struck that clock tower, and the clock hasn't run since. We at the Hill Valley Preservation Society think it should be preserved exactly the way it is as part of our history and heritage."

Tessa just stood there for a second. She never liked it when people snuck up on her. It freaked her out. McFly must have noticed how uncomfortable she was because he moved to talk to the lady.

"Here you go, lady. There's a quarter," McFly said as he placed a coin in the tin can the lady was holding.

"Thank you. Don't forget to take a flyer," She smiled while handing a small blue flyer to him.

"Right," McFly turned back to Tessa. "Tessa, you okay?"

Tessa snapped out of whatever petrified trance she was in.

"I'm fine, thanks." Tessa suddenly remembered the milk she was supposed to get before going home, along with another important piece of information.

"Marty!" She suddenly remembered his name. And just shouted it out, like an idiot.

"Um, yep," He said, clearly surprised by her outburst.

"Oh well, I-" Tessa stuttered for a second, then took a breath. "I would love to hear you play again sometime, but I have to get home soon."

Marty seemed to perk up at the thought of playing for someone. "Sure, can I get your number?"

Tessa grabbed the flyer and scribbled some numbers on it. When going to pass the flyer back to Marty, he took the pen out of Tessa's hand and scratched some more numbers on the back of her hand.

"See you around then?" She asked.

"Sure thing," They waved goodbye to one another and went their separate ways.

Welcome back to the new version of Power of Love! Big thanks to all the returning readers and welcome to any new readers! I'll be updating this story every Friday on AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time).

If you've enjoyed the story so far, you're welcome to come visit the Power of Love tumblr