Free Falling for Seven by T.A Richards Neville Page A

whole body hummed with aggravation and a visible surrender. “Man, I’m tired.”
    “Why aren’t you at work?” I asked. He had laid the foundations for his removal from this conversation, or breakup or whatever the hell it was. There was no fight in him at all. It was there, just buried too deep to excavate.
    “My head’s all over the place. I needed the break, Liam’s cool without me.”
    Jordan and Liam Dallerton were taking over management of Liam’s Grandfather’s sports shop. They swore they could turn into a worldwide brand and prove that passing on college wasn’t a big deal anymore. Even though Jordan wasn’t that big of a drinker and he didn’t smoke or do drugs, his ambition was somewhat lacking and I would be one of many forced to watch him one day eat his own words. The optimist in me hoped he really made a go of it and one day rode the high wave of success. Thee pessimist in me found the birth of that day highly unlikely.
    “Give me some time,” he said, staring at my milkshake. “This is as hard for me as it is for you. You are my best friend.”
    I’d fought, I really had, but a tear slipped out, utterly betraying me. He was my best friend. He was the other half of my personality. He just got me, and I got him. He was the sun and his gravitational pull was a magnet for people. If there’s a party, he is the one with the biggest and most sincere laugh. He has the best banter, the smoothest jokes. He may not be the best looking in the world, but his height, strong build, and crisp eyes held their own anywhere and everywhere. He was beautiful in a whole other sense of the term. I couldn’t get enough of him. The thought of him leaving me had me short of breath. What would my life be like without his wide smile? How could someone make me so happy and make me the most miserable person in the world?
    “Okay, so you just need some time.” My voice sounded foreign in my own ears. “How’d you know where I was last night?
    Jordan grunted. “Not from your dad.”
    My dad hated him something rotten. He had no time for him and I always wondered if that was one of the complications in our relationship that Jordan didn’t have the patience for. I’m sure he could do without my dad’s snide comments or interference. In truth, we all could.
    “I hit up five other parties before I fell into the right one.” Wow. His need for the single life must be in a desperate state if he spent time actually looking for me.
    “You want to hang out at my dorm?” I asked. It wouldn’t be the same as my room at home, but it was better than nothing. Better than saying goodbye.
    He shook his head. His eyelids were heavy, his face drawn-out. He didn’t want to breakup any more than I did, I could see it. This had to be about something else. “No. I’ll take you back, though. I need some space away from you to think. When you’re upset nothing makes sense to me. I don’t want to agree to anything out of guilt.”
    I wiped at my nose with the back of my hand. I was a lot cooler on the outside than on the inside. Inside I was paralyzed with pain. I wished Jordan could feel just for a second what he made me feel. Both our drinks were full. They were only on the table as a buffer; objects to put between us to make us believe we were in the coffee house for the same reasons as anyone else—to drink coffee. But none of us had the stomach for it.
    A black cloud settled over the pale blue sky and a light spattering of rain decorated the windows. “Okay,” I said, “Take me home.”

6: Angel
     
     
     
    WHEN JORDAN DROPPED M E off a t the dorms, the mood in the car was somber . My body felt like it had been strapped down with weights trying to get out of the car, but somehow I managed it. Jordan leaned over the console to kiss me goodbye and his lips felt like home, his hands reassuring on my face. The feelings I had for this boy didn’t equate to breaking up. It made no sense to me and I was pissed at myself for