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Stuht in the bedside table and switched it on

It wasn’t stor out, and we paid our bills on ti over to the , I saw the Brandt’s porch light on, so I kneasn’t the neighborhood

And then I saw Tate

No I zoned in on her like a bullet

Her silhouette was behind her curtain, and I knew I fking knehat she did

Powering down the stairs and through the drunken assles falling and laughing around my house and yard, I darted out the backdoor, hopped on the AC unit and jumped over the fence

The key her father leftit out ofif she heard me

She’d find out soon enough that I was in the house, anyway

God! I can’t believe she cut the fking electricity to my house

My blood swirled like a cyclonic wind inside of me, but believe it or not, it felt easy This here I was strong

Was I supposed to be in here? No What would I do or say when I got to her? I had no idea But I wanted this fight

Swinging ht sight of Tate darting back into her rooonna help She wasn’t safe fro her door open in tih the French doors "Oh no, you don’t!"

Turning around to face me, she tried to raise the bat, but I was on her before she even got ready to swing Snatching it out of her hands, I charged into her space, hovering but not touching Wave after wave of heat washed over me from the inch of air between us

She was pissed, too, fro wasn’t hard and deep It was fast and shallow She was scared

"Get out! Are you crazy?" she tried to dart around et out of the room, but I cut her off

"You cut the electricity to my house" I kept my voice low and even I didn’t want her afraid of me It’s not like I would hurt her But she had to know that one good turn deserved another

"Prove it," she snipped

Oh, baby My face relaxed, and I orchestrated a very fake and creepy smile She did not want to play with et in here?" she snapped "I’ll call the police!"

"I have a key," I responded, enjoying her crestfallen face

"How do you have a key to my house?"

"You and your dad were in Europe all suot the mail? Your dad trusts me He shouldn’t have"

Ja aboutabout the state of affairs between us, because if she did, I was sure I’d be ust and ire written all over her face, and I clenched ainst her French doors, I hovered down and let her knoas really in control here

Lesson one, Tate I don’t do what I’ ass on your own side of the fence"

She hborhood awake hed at her spunk She was trying to prove what a fighter she could be, and I plastered both ofher know that she wasn’t even in ht class

Why she didn’t squirm out from under my arround, and unfortunately, that was hard on the both of us, I think Eye to eye, nose to nose, tasting her breath, the room was croith tension or hatred Maybe both, orelse

Thank God, she was the one to look away first Her eyes dropped, and for aoverstiffened

Everywhere

I watched as her heated gaze blazed a path over the lantern tattoo on my upper arm and down to the script on odda, Tate?

Iaze started to fall down over her uncontrollably

I enjoyed a great vien her black tank top and over the tops of her perfect brsts I liked that I could see a sliver of her stomach where the waistband of her little boxer shorts was rolled over I loved thinking about what she’d sound likeinto her eyes was the best view of all

She saw me, the real me, and it was the only time I actually felt like I existed

But she also saw all of the ugliness and confusion

She saw everything thatShe was playing a gaa deep breath, I turned away to walk out "No one else is co so why don’t you shut up and leave it alone?"

"Leave the key," she shot back, and I stopped

I exhaled a bitter laugh "You know, I underestimated you You haven’t cried yet, have you?"

"Because of the ruht those pictures wererumors Your cross-country pals did that And their pictures Everyone drew their own conclusions" And I walked back over to her and got in her face "But I’a in the air between us

Her lips pursed, and her eyesflames

She was ready to lose it In 3-2-1…

"What did I ever do to you?" she screa to tell her the truth "I don’t knohy you ever thought you did so up with it is all"

She wasn’t clingy She was dishonest and unreliable

"That’s not true I wasn’t clingy" She choked on a breath "You were over at my house as much as I was at yours We were friends" She looked at ht, and tears pooled in her eyes

All a fking lie

I ser than amusement "Yeah, keep livin’ the dream"

"I hate you!"