Free Teardrop by Lauren Kate Page B

guys on the debate team, but mostly he hung out with Eureka.
    Brooks was selective with his sweetness, and Eureka had always been a prime recipient. Sometimes she saw him in the hallway, joking with a cloud of boys, and she almost didn’t recognize him—until he spotted her and broke through to tell her everything about his day.
    “Hey”—he held up her right hand lightly—“look who got her cast off.”
    In the foyer’s chandelier light, Eureka was suddenlyashamed of her skinny, weird arm. She looked like a hatchling. But Brooks didn’t seem to see anything wrong with it. He didn’t look at her differently after the accident—or after the psych ward. When she’d been locked up at Acadia Vermilion, Brooks came to visit every day, sneaking her pecan pralines tucked inside his jeans pocket. The only thing he ever said about what happened was that it was more fun to hang out with her outside a padded cell.
    It was like he could see past Eureka’s changing hair color, the makeup she now donned like armor, the perma-frown that kept most everyone else away. To Brooks, the cast was a good thing to be free of, no downside. He grinned. “Wanna arm-wrestle?”
    She swatted him.
    “Just kidding.” He kicked off his tennis shoes next to hers and hung his raincoat on the same hook she’d used. “Come on, let’s go watch the storm.”
    As soon as Brooks and Eureka walked into the den, the twins looked up from the TV and leapt from the couch. If there was one thing Claire loved more than television, it was Brooks.
    “Evenin’, Harrington-Boudreauxs.” Brooks bowed at the kids, calling them by their ridiculous hyphenated name, which sounded like an overpriced restaurant.
    “Brooks and I are going to go look for alligators by the water,” Eureka said, using their code phrase. The twins wereterrified of alligators and it was the easiest way to keep them from following. William’s green eyes widened. Claire backed away, resting her elbows on the couch.
    “You guys want to come?” Brooks played along. “The big ones crawl up on land when the weather’s like this.” He held his arms out as wide as they would go to suggest the phantom alligators’ size. “They can travel, too. Thirty-five miles an hour.”
    Claire squealed, her face bright with envy.
    William tugged Eureka’s sleeve. “Promise you’ll tell us if you see any?”
    “Sure thing.” Eureka tousled his hair and followed Brooks outside.
    They passed the kitchen, where Dad was on the phone. He gave Brooks a measured glance, nodded, then turned his back to listen more closely to the insurance agent. Dad was chummy with Eureka’s female friends, but boys—even Brooks, who’d been around forever—brought out his cautious side.
    Out back, the night was quiet, steady rain hushing everything. Eureka and Brooks drifted to the white swinging bench, which was sheltered by the upstairs deck. It creaked under their weight. Brooks kicked lightly to start it swinging, and they watched raindrops die on the begonia border. Beyond the begonias was a small yard with a bare-bones swing set Dad had built last summer. Beyond the swingset, a wrought-iron gate opened onto the twisting brown bayou.
    “Sorry I missed your meet today,” Brooks said.
    “You know who was sorrier? Maya Cayce.” Eureka leaned her head against the worn pillow padding the bench. “She was looking for you. And hexing me simultaneously. Talented girl.”
    “Come on. She’s not that bad.”
    “You know what the cross-country team calls her?” Eureka said.
    “I’m not interested in names called by people afraid of anyone who looks different than they do.” Brooks turned to study her. “Didn’t think you would be, either.”
    Eureka huffed because he was right.
    “She’s jealous of you,” Brooks added.
    This had never occurred to Eureka. “Why would Maya Cayce be jealous of me?”
    Brooks didn’t answer. Mosquitoes swarmed the light fixture over their heads. The rain paused, then