Free Until You (Fall Away Series) by Penelope Douglas Page B

and patted the corner of her eye with it. “It’s me, wiping away the last tear you’ll ever get.”
    And she turned around and walked out.
    My mouth wouldn’t close, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the empty doorway.
    Holy shit.
    Tingling started in my throat, and I lost my breath as I started laughing.
    Son of a bitch, I was smiling, too.
    I couldn’t believe she’d just said that to me. That was definitely a challenge.
    Oh, baby. It’s on.
    “Well, she’s different.” Madoc was behind me, and I blinked away my smile.
    I turned around to face him. “You touched her?” My tone threatened.
    “Sorry, man.” He looked at me like he hadn’t been told ten times already to keep his hands off of her. “I forgot. Won’t happen again.” He shrugged his shoulders and walked back to the kitchen.
    Yeah, it better not.
    I didn’t know if he was really coming onto Tate. Sam said he was touching her, but Madoc was a good friend who knew the boundaries.
    I wasn’t sure what he was up to.
    I glanced once more to the front door, remembering how Tate just walked out with her head high, her voice steady, and more confidence than I’d ever seen in her.
    Game on.
    My shoulders relaxed, and I climbed the stairs and went to bed. This time without a sleeping pill and without any thoughts of my father.

 
     
    “Ugh, I think my dick is broken,” Madoc groaned as he adjusted himself right in the middle of the hallway at school.
    I shook my head at him before nodding to a couple of friends passing by.
    “Then stick to girls, asshole,” I joked. “They’re probably softer than the guys you like.”
    Strolling down the hallway on the first day of Senior year, I felt a breeze washing over me that no one else felt. Madoc was bragging about his conquests, I got the classes I wanted, and I was almost done with the visitations to the prison.
    In the time that Tate had been back, and a week since her escapade at my party, I’d slept peacefully, too. I almost felt happy.
    “So,” Madoc spoke up. “Tate’s got a little fan club already. I’m assuming you’ve heard the talk.”
    I had. As much as I hated the few things I’d heard other guys saying about her, they weren’t necessarily bad things. No one had mentioned her tits or ass, so I wouldn’t have to pound them into the pavement.
    No, they just talked about how beautiful she looked. About how she carried herself now. Confidence she’d gained abroad, I was sure.
    And I loved the attention she was getting. After all, the higher she rose, the harder she’d fall.
    “Tatum isn’t even in her own fan club,” I mumbled.
    We grabbed some food and sat down at our usual table in the cafeteria. Madoc ate like the athlete in The Breakfast Club . He almost needed two trays for the sandwiches, pizza, chips, Gatorades, and brownies he bought, whereas I hated eating big meals during the day. A sandwich or burrito and a couple of drinks were my usual.
    The result: Madoc fell asleep during his afternoon classes, and I could make it through work with energy to spare.
    “So how are we doing this?” He addressed his question to me as Sam and his friend, Gunnar, parked it at the table and began digging into their food.
    Placing the cap back on my bottle of water and wiping the back of my hand across my lips, I peered up at him, not sure what conversation he’d started that I’d missed. “How are we doing what?”
    “Tate,” he said as if I should’ve known. “Are we or are we not leaving her alone this year?”
    I leaned back in my chair. “I do what I want. I’ll let you know if I need your help.”
    “Shhh,” Madoc hissed. “There she is.” He jerked his chin towards the doors ahead, my gaze following.
    She walked up to the line and got her tray, and I took inventory of everything. For my battle plan, of course.
    Her body moved slowly, almost methodically. There was something about how rigid her back looked.
    She wasn’t relaxed.
    I hoped it was me. I hoped she